Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Lago vs Mint

Lago logo

Lago

Accounting

Open-source billing infrastructure for usage-based models

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mint logo

Mint

Personal Finance

All your money in one app

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Lago free tier limited to 10,000 entities per month with 5M event cap; Mint service transitioned to Credit Karma platform; standalone Mint features migrated elsewhere
  • They diverge on capability: Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Mint covers Expense tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lago and Mint actually diverge.

Attributes where Lago and Mint differ
AttributeLagoMint
Pricing modelFreemium with optional paid tiersfree
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPCWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryAccountingPersonal Finance
FoundedUnknown2006

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 Lago

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

Only in Mint

  • Expense tracking
  • Budgets
  • Bill tracking
  • Credit score monitoring
  • Financial insights
  • Bank connections
  • Bank-level encryption
  • Verisign secured

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

Mint

  • Legacy free budget tracking for users with supported bank connectionsnot Lago
  • Users transitioning to Credit Karma for continued money management featuresnot 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

Mint

  • Service transitioned to Credit Karma platform; standalone Mint features migrated elsewhere
  • Bank connections supported for only 17,000 financial institutions; many regional or international banks not supported

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)

Mint

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Mint 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 Mint if

  • You need expense tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want budgets.
Mint review

Questions people ask

Is Lago or Mint better?
Neither clearly leads. Lago starts at Free and Mint at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lago or Mint?
Lago starts at Free and Mint at Free.
Does Lago or Mint run on more platforms?
Lago runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC. Mint runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Lago for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Mint is typically brought in for.
What can Lago do that Mint cannot?
Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Multiple pricing models, Automated invoicing, Prepaid credits. Mint covers Expense tracking, Budgets, Bill tracking, Credit score monitoring.

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
Mint: Is Mint still actively sold?

Mint has been reimagined on Credit Karma. The Mint website now directs users to check out the new platform on Credit Karma's net worth signup page rather than maintaining a standalone product.

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
Mint: What pricing information is available on the Mint homepage?

The Mint page does not disclose pricing details. For current pricing information, users should visit Credit Karma's website or contact support directly.

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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