Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Lago vs Stigg

Lago logo

Lago

Accounting

Open-source billing infrastructure for usage-based models

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Stigg logo

Stigg

Accounting

Usage runtime platform for credits and entitlements

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; Stigg free tier limited to 10,000 entities and 5M events per month
  • They diverge on capability: Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Stigg covers Real-time credit enforcement.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lago and Stigg actually diverge.

Attributes where Lago and Stigg differ
AttributeLagoStigg
Pricing modelFreemium with optional paid tiersFreemium with usage-based and custom tiers
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPCWeb, Cloud, BYOC, BYODB, API

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Stigg

  • Real-time credit enforcement
  • Financial-grade credits
  • High-scale metering
  • Budget governance
  • Flexible deployment
  • Billing platform integration
  • Data warehouse integration
  • CRM integration

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

Stigg

  • Managing token and credit usage for AI productsnot Lago
  • Enforcing spending caps and budget controlsnot Lago
  • Implementing prepaid credit systems with expirynot Lago
  • Real-time entitlement verification for feature accessnot Lago
  • Scaling billing infrastructure for high-volume eventsnot 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

Stigg

  • Free tier limited to 10,000 entities and 5M events per month
  • Pro plan pricing ($399/month) may be high for early-stage companies
  • Scale and BYOC plans require custom contracts and sales engagement
  • Primarily targets AI and high-scale use cases, not all business models
  • Requires integration with separate billing platform (Stripe, Zuora, etc.)

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)

Stigg

Free
  • Build (Free Forever)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)
  • BYOC$40000/year
    • Deploy in customer VPC
    • Unlimited entities and events
    • No event billing

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 Stigg if

  • You need real-time credit enforcement.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, BYOC, BYODB, API.
  • You also want financial-grade credits.
Stigg review

Questions people ask

Is Lago or Stigg better?
Neither clearly leads. Lago starts at Free and Stigg at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lago or Stigg?
Lago starts at Free and Stigg at Free.
Does Lago or Stigg run on more platforms?
Lago runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC. Stigg runs on Web, Cloud, BYOC, BYODB, API.
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 Stigg is typically brought in for.
What can Lago do that Stigg cannot?
Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Multiple pricing models, Automated invoicing, Prepaid credits. Stigg covers Real-time credit enforcement, Financial-grade credits, High-scale metering, Budget governance.

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
Stigg: How quickly does Stigg check entitlements?

Stigg makes entitlement checks in under 10 milliseconds, enabling real-time enforcement of spending decisions before token consumption.

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
Stigg: Can I use Stigg with my existing billing platform?

Yes, Stigg integrates with major billing platforms including Stripe, Zuora, Chargebee, Metronome, and Orb to manage entitlements and credits.

Source
Lago: Does Lago support multiple currencies?

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

Source
Stigg: What deployment options does Stigg offer?

Stigg offers cloud API, BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud) for VPC deployment, and BYODB options for customers who want to manage their own database.

Source
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