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Lago vs Maxio: Which is right for you? (1970)

TL;DR

  • Choose Lago if keeping fees low matters most.
  • Choose Maxio if paywall conversion optimization is the priority.
  • Both work for: saas.

Lago

Self-hosted: free. Cloud: from $100/month

Open source Stripe Billing alternative with powerful metering and usage-based pricing. Self-hostable (free) or cloud. Built for AI apps and SaaS with complex pricing models.

Maxio

Custom pricing (contact sales)

Formerly Chargify + SaaSOptics. B2B SaaS billing with revenue recognition, dunning, and usage-based pricing. Built for $1M+ ARR companies.

Pricing comparison

Pricing model
open_source
custom
Detail
Self-hosted: free. Cloud: from $100/month
Custom pricing (contact sales)

Feature comparison

Lago
Maxio
Merchant of record
No
No
Paywalls
No
No
A/B testing
No
No
Tax handled
No
Yes
No-code
No
No
Open source
Yes
No
Ease of setup
2/5
2/5
Fee competitiveness
5/5
2/5
Conversion tooling
1/5
2/5
Advanced billing
5/5
5/5

Best for

Lago is best for SaaS, AI products, Usage-based pricing, open source, developers, self hosted. Maxio is best for B2B, SaaS, Enterprise, Usage-based billing, revenue recognition, web.

FAQ

Is Lago better than Maxio?

Neither is universally better. Lago is the right pick if keeping fees low matters most; Maxio wins if paywall conversion optimization is the priority.

Which is cheaper, Lago or Maxio?

Lago ranks higher on fee competitiveness (5/5). Lago pricing: Self-hosted: free. Cloud: from $100/month. Maxio pricing: Custom pricing (contact sales).

Can I switch from Lago to Maxio?

Yes — most subscription and billing tools support migration via CSV import or API. Expect to reconfigure webhooks, paywalls, and entitlements. Check both vendors' migration docs before committing.

Does Lago handle sales tax?

No. Lago does not handle tax registrations — you handle those yourself or via a separate tool.

All Lago alternatives →All Maxio alternatives →

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