L 
Lago
Open-source metering and billing platform, self-hosted or cloud.
NOT REALLY
why this verdict
Keep it — OpenAI has not replaced it
OpenAI's version overlaps, but does not finish the finance job, so this one is still worth keeping open.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- Stripe Billing being free enough that self-hosting a billing engine is rarely worth it. OpenAI, September 16, 2025 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers not the job editorial call
- Parts of it. The job still needs the tool to get finished.
- Is there a free way to do it? paid only
- 3 replacements listed, all paid.
- What the call is worth nothing to cancel
- No paid entry tier tracked, so there is no subscription to cancel.
Reason composed from the fields above missing: announcement linked missing: free replacement listed recorded: two or more escape hatches
- Threatened by
- OpenAI
- Since
- September 16, 2025
- List price
- free
- Per year
- —
The backstory
Lago is the open-source entry in usage-based billing, which matters more here than in most categories: billing data is financial data, and a meaningful number of companies will not put raw consumption events in a third-party system for compliance or competitive reasons. Stripe is free enough to win most teams. The ones Lago wins are those with unusual pricing models or regulatory constraints, and being able to read and modify the metering logic is the specific thing they are buying.