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Professional Services · head to head

FreshBooks vs Lago

FreshBooks logo

FreshBooks

Professional Services

Accounting software that makes you look good

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lago logo

Lago

Accounting

Open-source billing infrastructure for usage-based models

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: FreshBooks lite tier limited to 5 clients maximum; Lago free tier limited to 10,000 entities per month with 5M event cap
  • They diverge on capability: FreshBooks covers Invoicing, Lago covers Real-time usage metering.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FreshBooks and Lago actually diverge.

Attributes where FreshBooks and Lago differ
AttributeFreshBooksLago
Pricing modelsubscriptionFreemium with optional paid tiers
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC
CategoryProfessional ServicesAccounting
Founded2003Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 FreshBooks

  • Invoicing
  • Expense tracking
  • Time tracking
  • Project management
  • Payments
  • Financial reporting
  • Proposals
  • Mileage tracking

Only in Lago

  • Real-time usage metering
  • Multiple pricing models
  • Automated invoicing
  • Prepaid credits
  • Entitlements
  • Multi-currency support
  • Payment orchestration
  • Revenue analytics

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

FreshBooks

  • Invoicing and payment processingnot Lago
  • Time tracking and expense managementnot Lago
  • Multi-client project accountingnot Lago

Lago

  • Building usage-based billing for high-volume APIs and infrastructurenot FreshBooks
  • Implementing metered billing for AI and tokenized servicesnot FreshBooks
  • Creating subscription and hybrid pricing modelsnot FreshBooks
  • Managing multi-currency billing for global companiesnot FreshBooks
  • Maintaining billing infrastructure without vendor lock-innot FreshBooks

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

FreshBooks

  • Lite tier limited to 5 clients maximum
  • E-signatures, proposals, and client retainers unavailable on Lite and Plus tiers
  • Advanced payment processing fee of £20/month on Plus tier (extra cost)
  • Email customization and project profitability tracking restricted to Premium tier and above
  • Offline mode not available; web-based only

Lago

  • Free tier limited to 10,000 entities per month with 5M event cap
  • No specific pricing published for Pro annual plan or Scale plan
  • Self-hosted and on-premise deployments require engineering resources
  • Community support only on free tier
  • Scale plan requires annual contracts and sales engagement

Pricing, plan by plan

FreshBooks

Free
  • Lite$23/month
    • Up to 5 clients
    • Core invoicing and expense tracking
  • Plus$43/month
    • Up to 50 clients
    • Client portal and estimates
  • Premium$70/month
    • Unlimited clients
    • Advanced features
  • Select$null/mo
    • Custom pricing
    • Unlimited clients
    • Dedicated support

Lago

Free
  • Build (Free)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)

Which should you pick?

Choose FreshBooks if

  • You need invoicing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want expense tracking.
FreshBooks review

Choose Lago if

  • You need real-time usage metering.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC.
  • You also want multiple pricing models.
Lago review

Questions people ask

Is FreshBooks or Lago better?
Neither clearly leads. FreshBooks starts at Free and Lago at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FreshBooks or Lago?
FreshBooks starts at Free and Lago at Free.
Does FreshBooks or Lago run on more platforms?
FreshBooks runs on Web, iOS, Android. Lago runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC.
Can I use FreshBooks for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is FreshBooks best used for?
FreshBooks is most often used for invoicing and payment processing, time tracking and expense management, multi-client project accounting. Of those, invoicing and payment processing and time tracking and expense management are not what Lago is typically brought in for.
What can FreshBooks do that Lago cannot?
FreshBooks covers Invoicing, Expense tracking, Time tracking, Project management. Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Multiple pricing models, Automated invoicing, Prepaid credits.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

FreshBooks: How much does FreshBooks cost?

FreshBooks offers plans starting at $23 per month for Lite (up to 5 clients), $43 for Plus (up to 50 clients), $70 for Premium (unlimited clients), and custom pricing for the Select plan. Currently offering 90% off for 3 months on all plans.

Source
Lago: Can I use Lago open-source for free?

Yes, Lago is open-source under the AGPLv3 license and can be self-hosted. The cloud-based Build plan is also free with limits of 10,000 entities and 5M events per month.

Source
FreshBooks: Does FreshBooks offer a free trial?

Yes, FreshBooks offers a free 30-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans.

Source
Lago: What payment providers does Lago integrate with?

Lago integrates with Stripe and Adyen for payment processing. It is not a payment processor itself but orchestrates payments through these providers.

Source
FreshBooks: What are the add-on costs for FreshBooks?

Team members cost $11 per month per user, Advanced Payments add-on costs $20 per month, and FreshBooks Payroll costs $40 per month base plus $6 per month per user.

Source
Lago: Does Lago support multiple currencies?

Yes, Lago supports multi-currency billing with automatic currency conversion for global businesses.

Source
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