Lago
Billing software
E-commerce software
Usage-based billing software
Accounting & finance software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
Take the quiz to check if Lago and its alternatives fit your requirements.
Contact the product provider
Free Trial unavailable
Free version
Small
Medium
Large
- Energy and utilities
- Information technology and software
- Agriculture, fishing, and forestry
What is Lago
Lago is a billing platform focused on metered and subscription billing for SaaS and API-driven businesses. It helps teams model pricing, ingest usage events, calculate charges, and generate invoices that can be pushed to payment processors and accounting systems. Lago is commonly used by product, engineering, and finance teams that need flexible pricing logic and programmatic control. A key differentiator is its API-first approach and support for self-hosted deployments alongside a managed cloud option.
API-first billing architecture
Lago exposes core billing functions through APIs, which supports integration into custom product and checkout flows. This approach fits teams that want billing logic to live close to their application and data pipelines. It also reduces reliance on manual configuration compared with more all-in-one business suites. For engineering-led organizations, the API surface can simplify automation around invoicing and customer lifecycle events.
Strong usage and pricing support
The product is designed for usage ingestion and rating, enabling metered billing alongside recurring subscriptions. It supports pricing models that are common in SaaS (for example, tiered or volume-based charges) and can combine multiple charges on an invoice. This is useful when pricing changes frequently or differs by customer segment. It is more purpose-built for usage-based billing than general invoicing tools.
Deployment flexibility options
Lago offers a self-hosted option in addition to a hosted service, which can help organizations with data residency, security, or operational control requirements. Self-hosting can also support deeper customization and internal observability. This flexibility is less common among business management platforms that are strictly SaaS-only. It can be relevant for companies operating in regulated environments.
Not a full ERP suite
Lago focuses on billing and does not replace broader ERP capabilities such as procurement, inventory, or full general-ledger workflows. Organizations that want a single system for CRM, projects, and accounting may need additional tools. Finance teams may still rely on separate accounting software for close and reporting. This increases integration and reconciliation work compared with all-in-one suites.
Implementation requires technical effort
Because Lago is API-first and often used with event-based usage pipelines, implementation typically involves engineering resources. Teams must define events, ensure accurate metering, and manage edge cases like backfills and proration. Non-technical teams may find configuration less approachable than GUI-centric billing tools. Ongoing changes to pricing can also require disciplined versioning and testing.
Payments and tax need add-ons
Lago commonly relies on external providers for payment processing, tax calculation, and revenue recognition workflows. This modular approach can be beneficial, but it means more vendor management and integration maintenance. Businesses selling in multiple jurisdictions may need additional systems to handle tax compliance and invoicing requirements. The overall stack can become complex as requirements grow.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source (Forever free) | $0 (open-source, self-hosted) | Core billing features; self-hosted; forever-free open source product. |
| Business | Contact sales / Not publicly listed | Lago core platform, data pipeline integration, lifetime usage calculation, invoice preview endpoint, business-hours support, customer support portal, dedicated Slack channel. |
| Enterprise | Contact sales / Custom pricing | Everything in Business plus 24/7 premium support, assigned solutions engineer, implementation check-ins, self-hosted deployment option; tailored for high-volume organizations. |
Seller details
Lago
Paris, France
2021
Private
https://www.getlago.com/
https://x.com/getlago
https://www.linkedin.com/company/getlago/
