Compare dualentry and Crater on pricing, features, platforms, and ratings — both Accounting tools, Custom / Quote-based vs Free and open source (self-hosted);…
At a Glance
dualentry
Crater
Primary category
Accounting
Accounting
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Custom / Quote-based
Free and open source (self-hosted); no vendor subscription fees, though users pay for their own hosting
Starting price
Not documented
Free (self-hosted)
Free plan
Not documented
Not documented
Free trial
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Not documented
Not documented
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Yes
Not documented
Public API
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
dualentry
No individual plan breakdown documented yet.
Crater
Self-Hosted (Open Source) — Free No recurring license fee
Pros & Cons
dualentry
Pros
AI automates transaction categorization, anomaly detection, and approval workflows to speed up month-end close
Native multi-entity and multi-currency consolidation designed for companies managing 20+ entities
Accountant-led implementation is included in all plans rather than sold as a paid add-on
Backed by a $90M Series A, with named customers managing substantial transaction volumes
Cons
No free trial; evaluating the product requires booking a sales demo
No public dollar pricing — all three tiers (DualEntry, Plus, Ultra) are quote-based
Younger company than incumbent ERPs like NetSuite or Sage Intacct, with a shorter public track record
Entity limits are tier-gated (3 entities on the base plan, 20 on Plus, unlimited on Ultra), so smaller teams may need to upgrade as they grow
Crater
Pros
Free to use with no subscription or per-seat fees
Open-source code can be audited, customized, and extended
Full data ownership since everything is self-hosted
Covers the core invoicing workflow: invoices, estimates, recurring billing, expenses, and payments
Active continuation of the project via the InvoiceShelf fork keeps the underlying codebase alive
Cons
Requires self-hosting, so users need server setup and maintenance skills or a managed hosting platform
Original crater-invoice-inc repository is largely unmaintained, which can confuse new users
No built-in customer support team or service-level agreement
Fewer built-in payment gateway and accounting integrations than mainstream cloud invoicing tools
Users are responsible for their own backups, security patching, and uptime
Use Cases
dualentry
Crater
Freelancer invoicing without subscription fees — A freelance designer or developer self-hosts Crater to send professional invoices and track payments without paying a monthly SaaS fee.
Small agency client billing — A small agency uses Crater to manage multiple clients, issue recurring retainer invoices, and track which invoices are outstanding.
Privacy-conscious invoicing — A business that wants full control over sensitive client and financial data self-hosts Crater (or InvoiceShelf) rather than storing that data with a third-party SaaS vendor.