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Accounting · head to head

Lago vs Maxio

Lago logo

Lago

Accounting

Open-source billing infrastructure for usage-based models

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Maxio logo

Maxio

Accounting

Billing and financial reporting platform for B2B SaaS companies

From
$599/month
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; Maxio entry-level Grow plan starts at $599/month, making it costly for very early-stage startups.
  • They diverge on capability: Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Maxio covers Usage-based billing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lago and Maxio actually diverge.

Attributes where Lago and Maxio differ
AttributeLagoMaxio
Starting priceFree$599/month
Pricing modelFreemium with optional paid tierssubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPCweb, api

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 Maxio

  • Usage-based billing
  • Subscription management
  • Revenue recognition
  • SaaS metrics dashboards
  • Dunning and collections
  • Accounting and CRM integrations

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 Maxio
  • Implementing metered billing for AI and tokenized servicesnot Maxio
  • Creating subscription and hybrid pricing modelsnot Maxio
  • Managing multi-currency billing for global companiesnot Maxio
  • Maintaining billing infrastructure without vendor lock-innot Maxio

Maxio

  • Billing for B2B SaaS companies with complex contractsnot Lago
  • Usage-based and hybrid pricing meteringnot Lago
  • GAAP/IFRS revenue recognition for finance teamsnot Lago
  • SaaS metrics reporting for investors and boardsnot Lago

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

Maxio

  • Entry-level Grow plan starts at $599/month, making it costly for very early-stage startups.
  • Pricing above the Grow tier requires a custom quote rather than transparent self-serve pricing.
  • Focused specifically on B2B SaaS billing, so it lacks general e-commerce checkout or consumer payment features found in platforms like FastSpring.
  • Advanced features like multi-entity support and expense amortization are gated behind paid add-ons.

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)

Maxio

$599/month
  • Grow$599/month
    • For businesses up to $100k in monthly billings
    • Usage-based and recurring billing
    • Automated invoicing and dunning
  • Scale$undefined/month
    • For businesses over $100k in monthly billings
    • Advanced revenue management add-ons
    • Multi-entity support

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 Maxio if

  • You need usage-based billing.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want subscription management.
Maxio review

Questions people ask

Is Lago or Maxio better?
Neither clearly leads. Lago starts at Free and Maxio at $599/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lago or Maxio?
Lago has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Lago and $599/month for Maxio.
Does Lago or Maxio run on more platforms?
Lago runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC. Maxio runs on web, api.
Can I use Lago for free?
Yes. Lago has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Maxio starts at $599/month.
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 Maxio is typically brought in for.
What can Lago do that Maxio cannot?
Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Multiple pricing models, Automated invoicing, Prepaid credits. Maxio covers Usage-based billing, Subscription management, Revenue recognition, SaaS metrics dashboards.

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
Maxio: What does Maxio cost?

Maxio's Grow plan costs $599/month for businesses with up to $100k in monthly billings. Businesses above that threshold need the Scale plan, which requires a custom quote from Maxio's sales team.

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
Maxio: Is there a free plan?

No, Maxio does not offer a free plan. The Grow plan at $599/month is the entry point, with unlimited users included at no extra cost.

Source
Lago: Does Lago support multiple currencies?

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

Source
Maxio: What does Maxio integrate with?

Maxio integrates with accounting systems like QuickBooks, Xero, and NetSuite, CRMs including Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive, and 20+ payment gateways alongside its own Maxio Payments.

Source
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