| Website | getlago.com |
| Category | Billing / Metering |
| License | AGPLv3 (open source) |
| Pricing | Free (self-hosted), Cloud from $350/mo |
Overview
Lago is an open-source billing platform for usage-based pricing. Metering, invoicing, subscription management. Stripe billing alternative.
Pros
- Open source (AGPLv3)
- Usage-based metering engine
- Real-time event ingestion
- Flexible pricing models
- Self-hosted option
- Full API
Cons
- Complex setup for simple billing
- AGPLv3 limits commercial embedding
- Requires engineering to implement
- Fewer integrations than Stripe Billing
- Self-hosting needs maintenance
Verdict
Lago is the best open-source billing platform for companies with usage-based pricing. The metering engine, flexible pricing models, and real-time event processing handle the complexity that makes usage-based billing hard to build yourself.