Accounting · head to head
Causal vs Stigg
Causal
Accounting
Formula-based financial planning and modelling, now sold as Lucanet xP&A
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Stigg has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Causal causal was acquired by Lucanet on 31 October 2024 and the independent brand has been retired in favour of Lucanet xP&A, so the roadmap, support and pricing you buy are Lucanet’s and not the ones the product built its reputation on.; Stigg free tier limited to 10,000 entities and 5M events per month
- They diverge on capability: Causal covers Variable-based modelling, Stigg covers Real-time credit enforcement.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Causal and Stigg actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Causal
- Variable-based modelling
- Dimensional breakdowns
- Scenario and range inputs
- Actuals integration
- Interactive dashboards
- Version history
- Spreadsheet import
- Workforce and headcount planning
Only in Stigg
- Real-time credit enforcement
- Financial-grade credits
- High-scale metering
- Budget governance
- Flexible deployment
- Billing platform integration
- Data warehouse integration
- CRM integration
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Causal
- A finance team whose three-statement Excel model has become too fragile to change safely before every board meetingnot Stigg
- A company that needs to show a range of outcomes rather than a single forecast, with uncertainty modelled directly in the driversnot Stigg
- A budget owner outside finance who should adjust hiring or spend assumptions and see the effect without being given edit access to the master spreadsheetnot Stigg
- A group already running Lucanet for consolidation and reporting that wants planning on the same platform rather than a separate toolnot Stigg
Stigg
- Managing token and credit usage for AI productsnot Causal
- Enforcing spending caps and budget controlsnot Causal
- Implementing prepaid credit systems with expirynot Causal
- Real-time entitlement verification for feature accessnot Causal
- Scaling billing infrastructure for high-volume eventsnot Causal
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Causal
- Causal was acquired by Lucanet on 31 October 2024 and the independent brand has been retired in favour of Lucanet xP&A, so the roadmap, support and pricing you buy are Lucanet’s and not the ones the product built its reputation on.
- Self-serve pricing is gone: the old causal.app pricing page now redirects to a Lucanet solution page, so what was a transparent product you could sign up for is an enterprise sales conversation with no published rate.
- The variable-based model is a genuine departure from spreadsheet thinking, so an accountant fluent in Excel must relearn how to express a model, and the team members who could previously all edit the forecast often cannot at first.
- Deep Excel compatibility is limited by design; complex existing workbooks with macros, circular references or heavy lookups do not import cleanly and have to be rebuilt, which turns a tool evaluation into a modelling project.
- Consolidation, statutory reporting and multi-entity currency handling are weaker than in dedicated corporate performance management suites, so a group with several legal entities usually needs Lucanet’s other modules alongside it, raising the real cost well past the planning tool alone.
Stigg
- Free tier limited to 10,000 entities and 5M events per month
- Pro plan pricing ($399/month) may be high for early-stage companies
- Scale and BYOC plans require custom contracts and sales engagement
- Primarily targets AI and high-scale use cases, not all business models
- Requires integration with separate billing platform (Stripe, Zuora, etc.)
Pricing, plan by plan
Causal
On request- Lucanet xP&A (formerly Causal)$undefined/year
- Variable-based planning models with dimensions and scenarios
- Actuals integration from accounting, CRM and warehouse sources
- Interactive dashboards for non-finance stakeholders
Stigg
Free- Build (Free Forever)Free
- 10,000 managed entities per month
- 5M usage events per month
- 1K events per second rate limit
- Pro$399/month
- 10,000 entities included (graduated pricing to 100K)
- 25M usage events included (to 500M with graduated rates)
- 10K events per second (upgradeable to 100K)
- Scale$null/custom
- Custom entity and event volumes
- 50K events per second (upgradeable to 100K)
- RBAC and SSO (SAML)
- BYOC$40000/year
- Deploy in customer VPC
- Unlimited entities and events
- No event billing
Which should you pick?
Choose Causal if
- You need variable-based modelling.
- You also want dimensional breakdowns.
Choose Stigg if
- You need real-time credit enforcement.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Cloud, BYOC, BYODB, API.
- You also want financial-grade credits.
Questions people ask
- Is Causal or Stigg better?
- Neither clearly leads. Causal starts at On request and Stigg at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Causal or Stigg?
- Stigg has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Causal and Free for Stigg.
- Does Causal or Stigg run on more platforms?
- Causal runs on Web. Stigg runs on Web, Cloud, BYOC, BYODB, API.
- Can I use Stigg for free?
- Yes. Stigg has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Causal starts at On request.
- What is Causal best used for?
- Causal is most often used for a finance team whose three-statement excel model has become too fragile to change safely before every board meeting, a company that needs to show a range of outcomes rather than a single forecast, with uncertainty modelled directly in the drivers, a budget owner outside finance who should adjust hiring or spend assumptions and see the effect without being given edit access to the master spreadsheet, a group already running lucanet for consolidation and reporting that wants planning on the same platform rather than a separate tool. Of those, a finance team whose three-statement excel model has become too fragile to change safely before every board meeting and a company that needs to show a range of outcomes rather than a single forecast, with uncertainty modelled directly in the drivers are not what Stigg is typically brought in for.
- What can Causal do that Stigg cannot?
- Causal covers Variable-based modelling, Dimensional breakdowns, Scenario and range inputs, Actuals integration. Stigg covers Real-time credit enforcement, Financial-grade credits, High-scale metering, Budget governance.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Causal: Does Causal still exist?
The product does, as Lucanet xP&A. The independent Causal brand and self-serve offering have been retired following the October 2024 acquisition.
Stigg: How quickly does Stigg check entitlements?
Stigg makes entitlement checks in under 10 milliseconds, enabling real-time enforcement of spending decisions before token consumption.
SourceCausal: What does it cost now?
Nothing is published. The former pricing page redirects to Lucanet, and the product is quoted as part of the Lucanet CFO Solution Platform.
Stigg: Can I use Stigg with my existing billing platform?
Yes, Stigg integrates with major billing platforms including Stripe, Zuora, Chargebee, Metronome, and Orb to manage entitlements and credits.
SourceCausal: Can I import my existing Excel model?
Simple workbooks import. Models with macros, circular references or heavy lookup chains have to be rebuilt around named variables, which is the real migration cost.
Stigg: What deployment options does Stigg offer?
Stigg offers cloud API, BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud) for VPC deployment, and BYODB options for customers who want to manage their own database.
SourceCausal: Is it a replacement for a consolidation tool?
No. It plans and forecasts. Statutory consolidation and multi-entity reporting sit in Lucanet’s other modules.
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