Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Orb vs Lago

Orb logo

Orb

Accounting

Revenue design platform automating usage-based billing and pricing strategy

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lago logo

Lago

Accounting

Open-source billing infrastructure for usage-based models

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Lago has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Orb custom pricing model requires sales consultation, no transparent public pricing; Lago free tier limited to 10,000 entities per month with 5M event cap
  • They diverge on capability: Orb covers Usage metering, Lago covers Real-time usage metering.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Orb and Lago actually diverge.

Attributes where Orb and Lago differ
AttributeOrbLago
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelCustom pricing based on billing volume and eventsFreemium with optional paid tiers
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC

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 Orb

  • Usage metering
  • Automated billing
  • Pricing modeling
  • Revenue recognition
  • Spend controls
  • Pricing calculator
  • NetSuite integration
  • Data warehouse sync

Only in Lago

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

What people use each for

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

Orb

  • Implementing usage-based billing for cloud infrastructure providersnot Lago
  • Modeling and testing multiple pricing strategies before launchnot Lago
  • Automating revenue recognition for financial reportingnot Lago
  • Managing complex hybrid pricing (seats plus usage) at scalenot Lago
  • Providing customers real-time spend controls and usage visibilitynot Lago

Lago

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

Where each one falls short

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

Orb

  • Custom pricing model requires sales consultation, no transparent public pricing
  • Pricing based on both events and billing volume adds complexity to cost estimation
  • Enterprise-focused positioning may be overkill for simple subscription use cases
  • Requires integration with existing accounting systems for full value
  • Limited information on free tier or trial availability

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Orb

On request
  • Core$undefined/custom
    • Real-time event ingestion (up to 250K+ events/second)
    • Real-time alerting
    • Hybrid and usage-based billing
  • Advanced$undefined/custom
    • All Core features
    • Data warehouse sync
    • Salesforce integration
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • All Advanced features
    • Enterprise-grade SLAs
    • Dedicated support

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)

Which should you pick?

Choose Orb if

  • You need usage metering.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want automated billing.
Orb review

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

Questions people ask

Is Orb or Lago better?
Neither clearly leads. Orb starts at On request and Lago at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Orb or Lago?
Lago has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Orb and Free for Lago.
Does Orb or Lago run on more platforms?
Orb runs on Web, API. Lago runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC.
Can I use Lago for free?
Yes. Lago has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Orb starts at On request.
What is Orb best used for?
Orb is most often used for implementing usage-based billing for cloud infrastructure providers, modeling and testing multiple pricing strategies before launch, automating revenue recognition for financial reporting, managing complex hybrid pricing (seats plus usage) at scale. Of those, implementing usage-based billing for cloud infrastructure providers and modeling and testing multiple pricing strategies before launch are not what Lago is typically brought in for.
What can Orb do that Lago cannot?
Orb covers Usage metering, Automated billing, Pricing modeling, Revenue recognition. Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Multiple pricing models, Automated invoicing, Prepaid credits.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Orb: How does Orb pricing work?

Orb uses custom pricing based on your billing volume (total value of invoices) and events (raw data records ingested). Specific costs must be discussed with their sales team.

Source
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
Orb: What is the difference between Core, Advanced, and Enterprise plans?

Core includes event ingestion and basic billing automation. Advanced adds data warehouse sync and Salesforce/NetSuite integrations. Enterprise adds SLAs, dedicated support, and mission-critical guarantees.

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
Orb: Can Orb handle hybrid pricing models?

Yes. Orb supports hybrid pricing combining seat-based, usage-based, and flat-rate components, making it suitable for complex monetization strategies.

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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