lago
Lago is an open-source billing platform designed for usage-based and subscription pricing models. It provides metering, invoicing, payment orchestration, and revenue analytics through a self-hosted or cloud deployment option, with integrations to major payment gateways and business systems.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | getlago/lago |
| Owner | getlago |
| Primary language | Go |
| License | AGPL-3.0 — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 10.2k |
| Forks | 690 |
| Open issues | 19 |
| Latest release | v1.50.0 (2026-07-07) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-07 |
| Source | https://github.com/getlago/lago |
What lago is
Written in Go with a React frontend, Lago is an API-first billing infrastructure that ingests events via REST API, aggregates usage metrics (using ClickHouse), generates invoices, and orchestrates payments across multiple gateways. Self-hosted deployments use Docker Compose; architecture supports high-volume dedicated workers and custom storage backends (S3/GCS).
Get the lago source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/getlago/lago.gitcd lago# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- RSA key generation and `.env` setup required for self-hosted deployments; plan for secrets management and secure rotation.
- Event ingestion at scale requires ClickHouse configuration tuning and dedicated worker processes; validate throughput and latency against your metering volume.
- Entitlements feature ties billing plans to feature access; design reconciliation process between billing state and application access control.
- Payment orchestration covers retries and dunning, but downstream reconciliation with accounting systems (NetSuite/Xero) must be validated per your GL requirements.
- SOC 2 Type II certification claimed in README; verify scope and audit reports for your compliance program if self-hosting.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- Simple, Fixed-Rate Billing Only — If your business model is flat-rate subscriptions with no usage tracking, invoicing, or analytics needs, Lago introduces unnecessary operational complexity and infrastructure overhead.
- Strict Copyleft Concerns — AGPLv3 requires derivative works and network-accessible modifications to share source code. Avoid if your organization cannot comply with or license under AGPLv3 for commercial adaptations.
- Low Operations Capability — Self-hosted requires Docker/Docker Compose proficiency, familiarity with environment configuration, RSA key management, and ongoing monitoring. Managed Lago Cloud mitigates but introduces external dependency and data residency tradeoffs.
- Legacy Payment Gateway Lock-In — Lago supports Stripe, Adyen, GoCardless, and others, but if your business relies on a niche or proprietary payment provider not listed, integration effort may be high.
License & commercial use
Lago is distributed under AGPLv3 (GNU Affero General Public License v3.0). This is a copyleft license requiring that derivative works, modifications, and network-accessible instances disclose their source code and license under AGPLv3. Using Lago as a library in proprietary software or running a modified version as a service triggers source disclosure obligations.
Commercial use of unmodified Lago is permitted under AGPLv3. However, if you modify Lago or operate it as a network service (including self-hosted SaaS), you must disclose source code and license under AGPLv3. Using Lago as a standalone tool without modification carries lower legal risk. Requires review by legal counsel if you plan to commercialize modifications or provide Lago-as-a-service.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Strong |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Moderate |
| DEV.co fit | Strong |
| Assessment confidence | High |
README claims SOC 2 Type II certification; verify current audit scope and expiry. Self-hosted instances require secure RSA key generation and rotation. Analytics and tracking are opt-out (no PII/financial data collected by default). Self-hosted deployments inherit responsibility for infrastructure security (Docker, network, TLS, secrets storage). No public vulnerability disclosures or security incident history provided in data; requires independent audit if handling sensitive payment data.
Alternatives to consider
Stripe Billing
Proprietary, fully managed SaaS with strong payment integration. No self-host option; data resides with Stripe. Simpler for basic subscriptions but less flexible for complex usage models and custom branding.
Zuora
Enterprise-grade, proprietary billing and revenue recognition platform. Managed service with strong integrations and compliance (SOC 2, FedRAMP). Higher cost and vendor lock-in; less transparent than open-source.
OpenMeter (OSS alternative)
Open-source metering and usage tracking engine with simpler scope than Lago. Lightweight, easier to embed; requires integration with separate billing/invoicing and payment systems for full stack.
Build on lago with DEV.co software developers
Lago is production-ready for usage-based billing at scale. Review the architecture docs, test event ingestion, and validate AGPLv3 licensing with your legal team before adopting.
Talk to DEV.coRelated on DEV.co
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lago FAQ
Can I use Lago commercially without releasing source code?
What payment gateways does Lago support?
Is Lago suitable for high-volume event ingestion?
What is the difference between Lago Cloud and self-hosted?
Software developers & web developers for hire
From first prototype to production, DEV.co delivers software development services around tools like lago. Our software development agency staffs experienced software developers and web developers for custom software development, web development, integrations, and ongoing support across open-source devops and beyond.
Evaluate Lago for Your Billing Infrastructure
Lago is production-ready for usage-based billing at scale. Review the architecture docs, test event ingestion, and validate AGPLv3 licensing with your legal team before adopting.