Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Fyle vs Lago

Fyle logo

Fyle

Accounting

Real-time expense management that works with your cards

From
$11.99/month per active user
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lago logo

Lago

Accounting

Open-source billing infrastructure for usage-based models

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Lago has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Fyle billed per active user, defined as anyone who creates an expense or has a connected card with transactions in the month, so headcount does not predict the bill; Lago free tier limited to 10,000 entities per month with 5M event cap
  • They diverge on capability: Fyle covers Real-time card tracking, 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 Fyle and Lago actually diverge.

Attributes where Fyle and Lago differ
AttributeFyleLago
Starting price$11.99/month per active userFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionFreemium with optional paid tiers
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC
Founded2016Unknown

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 Fyle

  • Real-time card tracking
  • Automatic receipt matching
  • Expense policies
  • Approval workflows
  • Mileage tracking
  • QuickBooks
  • Xero
  • Sage Intacct

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.

Fyle

  • Expense reporting and corporate card reconciliationnot Lago
  • Enforcing spend policy and approvals before reimbursementnot Lago

Lago

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

Where each one falls short

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

Fyle

  • Billed per active user, defined as anyone who creates an expense or has a connected card with transactions in the month, so headcount does not predict the bill
  • The Growth plan carries a 5 user minimum and the Business plan a 10 user minimum, so the entry cost is set by the floor rather than the team
  • API access and the Sage Intacct and NetSuite integrations require a paid tier
  • ACH reimbursements and project expense tracking sit above the entry plan
  • Both published plans are billed annually
  • Enterprise pricing is custom and aimed at organisations with 250 or more employees

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

Fyle

$11.99/month per active user
  • Growth$11.99/month per active user
    • Minimum 5 users
    • Unlimited expense tracking, receipt scanning
    • Card integrations, mileage/per diem tracking
  • Business$14.99/month per active user
    • Minimum 10 users
    • Multi-stage approvals, ACH reimbursements (US only)
    • Project tracking, Sage Intacct/300 CRE integrations
  • Enterprise$null/mo
    • 250+ employees
    • IP whitelisting, SSO options
    • Branded accounts, dedicated account manager

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 Fyle if

  • You need real-time card tracking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want automatic receipt matching.
Fyle 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 Fyle or Lago better?
Neither clearly leads. Fyle starts at $11.99/month per active user and Lago at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fyle or Lago?
Lago has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $11.99/month per active user for Fyle and Free for Lago.
Does Fyle or Lago run on more platforms?
Fyle runs on Web, Ios, Android. Lago runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC.
Can I use Lago for free?
Yes. Lago has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Fyle starts at $11.99/month per active user.
What is Fyle best used for?
Fyle is most often used for expense reporting and corporate card reconciliation, enforcing spend policy and approvals before reimbursement. Of those, expense reporting and corporate card reconciliation and enforcing spend policy and approvals before reimbursement are not what Lago is typically brought in for.
What can Fyle do that Lago cannot?
Fyle covers Real-time card tracking, Automatic receipt matching, Expense policies, Approval workflows. Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Multiple pricing models, Automated invoicing, Prepaid credits.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fyle: How does Fyle define and charge for active users?

An 'active user' is defined as an employee who creates at least one expense or has a credit card connected with active transactions monthly. You only pay for active users, not all onboarded employees.

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
Fyle: What is Fyle's Growth plan pricing?

The Growth plan costs $11.99 per active user per month (billed annually) with a minimum of 5 users. Includes unlimited expense tracking, receipt scanning, and single-stage approvals.

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
Fyle: What features does Fyle's Business plan add?

The Business plan costs $14.99 per active user per month (minimum 10 users, annual billing) and adds multi-stage approvals, project tracking, ACH reimbursements (US only), and premium support.

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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