Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Lago vs Moss

Lago logo

Lago

Accounting

Open-source billing infrastructure for usage-based models

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Moss logo

Moss

Accounting

European corporate cards, invoice management and accounting automation

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; Moss pricing is not published anywhere, so the only way to compare Moss with Pleo or Payhawk is to run parallel sales processes and reveal your spend volume to all of them.
  • They diverge on capability: Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Moss covers Corporate credit cards.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lago and Moss actually diverge.

Attributes where Lago and Moss differ
AttributeLagoMoss
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFreemium with optional paid tiersquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPCWeb, iOS, Android

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 Moss

  • Corporate credit cards
  • Invoice management
  • Employee reimbursements
  • DATEV export
  • Accounting preparation
  • Budgets and teams
  • Receipt matching
  • Multi entity

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

Moss

  • A German company whose tax adviser works in DATEV and needs card and invoice data exported without manual rekeyingnot Lago
  • A finance team replacing pre funded prepaid cards with a monthly settled credit limit to protect working capitalnot Lago
  • A business consolidating supplier invoice approval and card spend into one approval chainnot Lago
  • A group with entities in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain wanting one spend view across themnot 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

Moss

  • Pricing is not published anywhere, so the only way to compare Moss with Pleo or Payhawk is to run parallel sales processes and reveal your spend volume to all of them.
  • Card limits are underwritten, so early stage companies and businesses with thin filed accounts are routinely offered limits well below what they need and the limit can be reduced on review.
  • Coverage is European and weighted to DACH, so any group with United States or Asian entities has to run a second card programme and reconcile two systems.
  • Invoice management is capable but not a full procurement or purchase order system, so businesses needing three way matching against goods receipts will find it thin.
  • As a non bank the credit product depends on partner banks and funding lines, which means the terms behind your limit are set by a party you do not contract with and can change without you being the cause.

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)

Moss

On request
  • Moss$undefined/year
    • Platform fee plus per user components, quoted per customer
    • Card limits set by underwriting against company financials
    • DATEV export and accounting preparation included in core plans

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 Moss if

  • You need corporate credit cards.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want invoice management.
Moss review

Questions people ask

Is Lago or Moss better?
Neither clearly leads. Lago starts at Free and Moss at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lago or Moss?
Lago has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Lago and On request for Moss.
Does Lago or Moss run on more platforms?
Lago runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC. Moss runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Lago for free?
Yes. Lago has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Moss 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 Moss is typically brought in for.
What can Lago do that Moss cannot?
Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Multiple pricing models, Automated invoicing, Prepaid credits. Moss covers Corporate credit cards, Invoice management, Employee reimbursements, DATEV export.

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
Moss: Does Moss issue credit or prepaid cards?

Credit in its core German offer, settled monthly against an underwritten limit, rather than requiring a pre funded balance.

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
Moss: Is DATEV export genuinely automatic?

Yes, bookings and receipt images export in DATEV format, which is the main reason German finance teams choose it over non German tools.

Lago: Does Lago support multiple currencies?

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

Source
Moss: Does Moss work outside Europe?

Not meaningfully. Coverage centres on Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, the UK and Spain, so global groups need a second provider.

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