After months of evaluating dozens of open source invoicing solutions for my work at Kugie, I kept running into the same issues: complex setups, outdated UIs, or missing critical features. I just wanted something simple yet powerful that wouldn't require a computer science degree to deploy. When I couldn't find what I needed, I decided to build it myself.
Introducing Summit
Summit is a modern, self-hostable invoicing and financial management application designed specifically for freelancers, small businesses, and agencies. Built with Next.js, Drizzle ORM, and Tailwind CSS, it provides all the essential tools needed to manage your finances efficiently without the bloat or complexity.
Why I Built Summit
I needed a tool that could:
- Create professional invoices quickly
- Track expenses with proper categorization
- Generate meaningful financial reports
- Offer a client portal for transparency
- Deploy easily without devops headaches
Most importantly, I wanted something I could self-host to keep full control of my financial data.
The existing solutions typically fell into three categories:
- Too complex with features I'd never use
- Too simple missing critical functionality
- Difficult to customize when I needed specific workflows
Key Features
Summit includes everything a small business or freelancer needs to manage finances:
- 📄 Comprehensive Invoicing
- Generate professional PDF invoices
- Send directly via email
- Track statuses (Draft, Sent, Paid, Overdue, Cancelled)
- Process online payments via Xendit
- 📝 Client Quoting System
- Create and manage quotes
- Convert accepted quotes directly to invoices
- Track quote lifecycle
- 💸 Expense Management
- Track and categorize expenses
- Upload receipt attachments
- Generate expense reports
- 📊 Insightful Reporting
- Profit & Loss statements
- Invoice summary
- Aging receivables
- Expense breakdowns
- 🔄 Recurring Transactions
- Set up recurring invoices, expenses, and income
- Automated processing
- 👥 Team & Client Management
- Invite team members with different permission levels
- Client portal for viewing invoices and quotes
Modern Tech Stack
Summit is built on modern technologies that emphasize performance and developer experience:
- Next.js (App Router) for a lightning-fast frontend
- TypeScript for type safety and better development workflow
- Tailwind CSS with shadcn/ui for a clean, responsive interface
- Drizzle ORM & PostgreSQL for reliable data persistence
- NextAuth.js for secure authentication
Deploy in Minutes, Not Days
One of my biggest frustrations with other solutions was how difficult they were to deploy. Summit can be up and running in under 3 minutes using our one-click Railway deployment:
- Click the deploy button on our GitHub repo
- Connect your database
- Set environment variables
- You're ready to go!
No complex server configurations or dependency nightmares. Just a clean, working finance system.
Check out our quick deploy demo to see how easy it is.
Open Source & Community-Driven
Summit is completely open source under an MIT license. I believe financial tools should be accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford expensive subscriptions.
The project is actively maintained by the team at Kugie. We welcome contributions from the community, whether it's bug fixes, feature enhancements, or documentation improvements.
What's Next?
We're actively developing Summit based on real user needs. Here's our current roadmap
Try Summit Today
Ready to take control of your financial management?
- Website: https://summitfinance.app
- GitHub: https://github.com/kugie-app/summit
- Demo: Watch on YouTube
I built Summit because I was tired of compromising on my financial tools. If you've faced similar frustrations, I invite you to give it a try or contribute to making it even better!
Have questions or feedback? Reach out to us at Kugie or open an issue on our GitHub repository.