# Lago / Kill Bill

Subscriptions you host. Lago is AGPL-3.0 usage billing; Kill Bill is Apache-2.0 subscriptions — Chargebee without the billing seat.

**Replaces:** Chargebee

**Tier:** Medium

## Problem

Chargebee is a hosted billing OS: plans, invoices, dunning, and a meter. Lago is AGPL-3.0 usage and subscription billing you can self-host. Kill Bill is Apache-2.0 if you want that lineage. Lago does not take the card — you still attach a payment processor. Some Lago features sit behind a premium edition; this page is the AGPL core.

## Stack

- [Lago](https://www.getlago.com) — AGPL-3.0 usage and subscription billing (github.com/getlago/lago)
- [Kill Bill](https://killbill.io) — Apache-2.0 subscription billing if you want that stack

## Estimated SaaS cost saved

| You stop paying | Typical / year | Self-host instead |
|---|---:|---|
| Chargebee (small team) | $2,400 | Lago or Kill Bill |

**About $2,400 / year** on a small team, before you count lock-in.

## Deploy on Railway

Placeholder: Lago (API + workers + Postgres + Redis) or Kill Bill + a database. No one-click template in this repo yet — Start on Railway. Invoices-only stays on /stacks/invoice-ninja-books.

[Start on Railway](https://c17.io/go/railway/lago-billing?from=%2Fstacks%2Flago-billing.md)

[Akaunting / Invoice Ninja if this is books, not subscription billing](https://c17.io/stacks/invoice-ninja-books)

## AGENT_PROMPT

```
Replace Chargebee with Lago (preferred) or Kill Bill.

- Lago: official compose, Postgres + Redis, persist data. Kill Bill if you already know that API.
- Create one plan and one test invoice. Attach a payment processor you already have. Do not claim Lago premium features as the OSS path.
- Write AGENT_PROMPT.md.
```

## FAQ

### Does Lago charge the card?

No. It meters and invoices. Stripe, Adyen, or another gateway still moves the money.

### Why not Invoice Ninja?

Invoice Ninja and Akaunting are books. Chargebee is recurring plans and usage. Different job.

Source: https://c17.io/stacks/lago-billing