Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Lago vs Lemon Squeezy

Lago logo

Lago

Accounting

Open-source billing infrastructure for usage-based models

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lemon Squeezy logo

Lemon Squeezy

Accounting

The all-in-one platform for software businesses

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Lago has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Lago free tier limited to 10,000 entities per month with 5M event cap; Lemon Squeezy acting as merchant of record means Lemon Squeezy takes a percentage transaction fee on every sale on top of payment processing costs, rather than a flat subscription

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lago and Lemon Squeezy actually diverge.

Attributes where Lago and Lemon Squeezy differ
AttributeLagoLemon Squeezy
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFreemium with optional paid tierstransaction
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPCWeb

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 Lago

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

Only in Lemon Squeezy

Nothing recorded that Lago does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Lago

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

Lemon Squeezy

No use cases recorded yet. See the Lemon Squeezy review.

Where each one falls short

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

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

Lemon Squeezy

  • Acting as merchant of record means Lemon Squeezy takes a percentage transaction fee on every sale on top of payment processing costs, rather than a flat subscription

Pricing, plan by plan

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)

Lemon Squeezy

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Lemon Squeezy review.

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Lemon Squeezy if

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

Lemon Squeezy review

Questions people ask

Is Lago or Lemon Squeezy better?
Neither clearly leads. Lago starts at Free and Lemon Squeezy at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lago or Lemon Squeezy?
Lago has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Lago and On request for Lemon Squeezy.
Does Lago or Lemon Squeezy run on more platforms?
Lago runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC. Lemon Squeezy runs on Web.
Can I use Lago for free?
Yes. Lago has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lemon Squeezy starts at On request.
What is Lago best used for?
Lago is most often used for building usage-based billing for high-volume apis and infrastructure, implementing metered billing for ai and tokenized services, creating subscription and hybrid pricing models, managing multi-currency billing for global companies. Of those, building usage-based billing for high-volume apis and infrastructure and implementing metered billing for ai and tokenized services are not what Lemon Squeezy is typically brought in for.
What can Lago do that Lemon Squeezy cannot?
Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Multiple pricing models, Automated invoicing, Prepaid credits.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
Lago: Does Lago support multiple currencies?

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

Source
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