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Proposals · head to head

Indy vs Lago

Indy logo

Indy

Proposals

Freelance workflow suite covering proposals, contracts, invoices and time tracking with a usable free tier

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: Indy the free tier caps documents per month, and an active freelancer passes those caps quickly enough that the free plan is a trial in practice rather than a permanent option.; Lago free tier limited to 10,000 entities per month with 5M event cap
  • They diverge on capability: Indy covers Contract library, Lago covers Real-time usage metering.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Indy and Lago actually diverge.

Attributes where Indy and Lago differ
AttributeIndyLago
Pricing modelquoteFreemium with optional paid tiers
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC
CategoryProposalsAccounting

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 Indy

  • Contract library
  • Proposals
  • Invoicing
  • Time tracking
  • Task and calendar
  • Client portal
  • Free tier

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.

Indy

  • A new freelancer who needs a real signed contract before there is revenue to fund a subscriptionnot Lago
  • Testing whether an all in one freelance bundle suits your workflow before committing money to onenot Lago
  • Part time or side project freelancing with low monthly document volume that stays inside the free capsnot Lago
  • Replacing an unsigned emailed quote with a proposal that converts into a contract and an invoicenot Lago

Lago

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

Where each one falls short

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

Indy

  • The free tier caps documents per month, and an active freelancer passes those caps quickly enough that the free plan is a trial in practice rather than a permanent option.
  • Project management and task tracking are shallow, so anyone running several concurrent projects will keep a separate tool and lose the single system benefit.
  • Reporting on income, utilisation and profitability is thin next to a dedicated accounting or time tracking product.
  • Payments are processed by a third party gateway, so the card fee applies on top of the subscription and materially changes the cost per invoice on small jobs.
  • As with every bundle, leaving means separating proposals, contracts, time and invoices out of one export, which is harder than replacing a single purpose tool.

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

Indy

Free
  • Indy$undefined/year
    • Free tier with monthly document limits
    • Proposals, contracts and invoices
    • Time tracking and tasks

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 Indy if

  • You need contract library.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want proposals.
Indy 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 Indy or Lago better?
Neither clearly leads. Indy 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, Indy or Lago?
Indy starts at Free and Lago at Free.
Does Indy or Lago run on more platforms?
Indy runs on Web, iOS, Android. Lago runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC.
Can I use Indy for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Indy best used for?
Indy is most often used for a new freelancer who needs a real signed contract before there is revenue to fund a subscription, testing whether an all in one freelance bundle suits your workflow before committing money to one, part time or side project freelancing with low monthly document volume that stays inside the free caps, replacing an unsigned emailed quote with a proposal that converts into a contract and an invoice. Of those, a new freelancer who needs a real signed contract before there is revenue to fund a subscription and testing whether an all in one freelance bundle suits your workflow before committing money to one are not what Lago is typically brought in for.
What can Indy do that Lago cannot?
Indy covers Contract library, Proposals, Invoicing, Time tracking. Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Multiple pricing models, Automated invoicing, Prepaid credits.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Indy: Is the free tier actually usable?

Yes, for real signed contracts and invoices, but it caps documents per month and active freelancers hit that fairly quickly.

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
Indy: Does it take a percentage of invoices?

The payment gateway charges its standard card fee. That is separate from the subscription and should be modelled per invoice.

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
Indy: Can it manage several concurrent projects?

Only lightly. The task and project features are the weakest part of the product.

Lago: Does Lago support multiple currencies?

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

Source
Indy: Are the contracts legally sound?

They are standard freelance templates with editable clauses. They are a starting point, not legal advice for your jurisdiction.

Indy: Who is it wrong for?

Agencies, anyone with subcontractors, and freelancers who need real project management or detailed profitability reporting.

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