Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Hnry vs Lago

Hnry logo

Hnry

Accounting

Accounting for sole traders and the self-employed

From
1/per $100 income
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: Hnry service limited to self-employed sole traders in New Zealand only; Lago free tier limited to 10,000 entities per month with 5M event cap

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hnry and Lago actually diverge.

Attributes where Hnry and Lago differ
AttributeHnryLago
Starting price1/per $100 incomeFree
Pricing modelusage-basedFreemium with optional paid tiers
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC

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 Hnry

Nothing recorded that Lago does not also cover.

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.

Hnry

  • Calculating quarterly tax without manual bookkeepingnot Lago
  • Logging expenses via photo instantlynot Lago
  • Sending unlimited invoices with auto-follow-upnot Lago
  • Automatically withholding income taxes year-roundnot Lago

Lago

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

Where each one falls short

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

Hnry

  • Service limited to self-employed sole traders in New Zealand only
  • 1% + GST fee with $1,500 annual maximum cap
  • Minimum $0.50 fee per transaction for payments under $50

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

Hnry

1/per $100 income

No published plan breakdown. See the Hnry review.

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 Hnry if

Nothing in the data separates Hnry from Lago on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Hnry 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 Hnry or Lago better?
Neither clearly leads. Hnry starts at 1/per $100 income and Lago at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hnry or Lago?
Lago has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at 1/per $100 income for Hnry and Free for Lago.
Does Hnry or Lago run on more platforms?
Hnry runs on Web. 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. Hnry starts at 1/per $100 income.
What is Hnry best used for?
Hnry is most often used for calculating quarterly tax without manual bookkeeping, logging expenses via photo instantly, sending unlimited invoices with auto-follow-up, automatically withholding income taxes year-round. Of those, calculating quarterly tax without manual bookkeeping and logging expenses via photo instantly are not what Lago is typically brought in for.
What can Hnry do that Lago cannot?
Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Multiple pricing models, Automated invoicing, Prepaid credits.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Hnry: How much does Hnry charge?

Hnry charges 1% plus GST of independent income paid into your Hnry Bank Account, with a maximum annual fee of $1,500. Minimum fee is $0.50 per payment for transactions under $50.

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
Hnry: Are there joining fees for Hnry?

No, Hnry has no joining fees, upfront payments, or credit card required to sign up.

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
Hnry: Is the Hnry fee tax deductible?

Yes, Hnry automatically claims its fees as a business expense on your behalf, making them tax-deductible.

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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