Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Kodo vs Lago

Kodo logo

Kodo

Accounting

Corporate cards and intake to pay for Indian businesses

From
On request
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: Kodo kodo is not a licensed issuer, so card limits, settlement cycles and eligibility come from a partner bank whose terms you do not directly control and which can change the programme.; Lago free tier limited to 10,000 entities per month with 5M event cap
  • They diverge on capability: Kodo covers Corporate cards, Lago covers Real-time usage metering.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kodo and Lago actually diverge.

Attributes where Kodo and Lago differ
AttributeKodoLago
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteFreemium with optional paid tiers
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, 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 Kodo

  • Corporate cards
  • Purchase requests
  • Invoice capture and matching
  • Vendor payouts
  • GST and TDS handling
  • ERP integration
  • Approval workflows
  • Spend analytics

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.

Kodo

  • An Indian startup replacing founder personal cards with issued cards carrying per employee limitsnot Lago
  • A finance team automating vendor payouts across NEFT, RTGS and UPI with maker checker approvalnot Lago
  • A company that needs GST compliant invoice coding flowing into Tally without rekeyingnot Lago
  • A business enforcing purchase requests and approvals before spend rather than reconciling it afterwardsnot Lago

Lago

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

Where each one falls short

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

Kodo

  • Kodo is not a licensed issuer, so card limits, settlement cycles and eligibility come from a partner bank whose terms you do not directly control and which can change the programme.
  • Indian regulatory changes on prepaid instruments and card issuing partnerships have repeatedly disrupted fintech card programmes, so continuity risk is higher here than in equivalent European or United States products.
  • Pricing is not published, so comparing Kodo against Happay, Zoho Expense or a bank corporate card requires a full sales cycle and disclosure of your spend volumes.
  • Coverage is India only, so any group with overseas subsidiaries runs a second card and payables system and loses the consolidated view.
  • The intake to pay workflow is lighter than a dedicated procurement suite, with limited contract management and supplier onboarding, so regulated or heavily audited buyers will find gaps.

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

Kodo

On request
  • Kodo$undefined/year
    • Quoted per customer, no published rate card
    • Card limits and settlement terms set by the sponsoring partner bank
    • Payout volumes and payment rails may carry per transaction charges

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 Kodo if

  • You need corporate cards.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want purchase requests.
Kodo 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 Kodo or Lago better?
Neither clearly leads. Kodo starts at On request and Lago at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kodo or Lago?
Lago has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Kodo and Free for Lago.
Does Kodo or Lago run on more platforms?
Kodo 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. Kodo starts at On request.
What is Kodo best used for?
Kodo is most often used for an indian startup replacing founder personal cards with issued cards carrying per employee limits, a finance team automating vendor payouts across neft, rtgs and upi with maker checker approval, a company that needs gst compliant invoice coding flowing into tally without rekeying, a business enforcing purchase requests and approvals before spend rather than reconciling it afterwards. Of those, an indian startup replacing founder personal cards with issued cards carrying per employee limits and a finance team automating vendor payouts across neft, rtgs and upi with maker checker approval are not what Lago is typically brought in for.
What can Kodo do that Lago cannot?
Kodo covers Corporate cards, Purchase requests, Invoice capture and matching, Vendor payouts. Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Multiple pricing models, Automated invoicing, Prepaid credits.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Kodo: Who actually issues the cards?

A partner bank under a card network arrangement, not Kodo. Ask which bank, whether the product is credit or prepaid, and what happens to your limits if the partnership changes.

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
Kodo: Is pricing published?

No. Kodo quotes per customer, so benchmark against at least two Indian rivals before signing.

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
Kodo: Does Kodo work outside India?

No meaningful coverage outside India for card issuing or payouts.

Lago: Does Lago support multiple currencies?

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

Source
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