Alternatives / Stripe Billing
Looking for an open source Stripe Billing alternative? We compared 10 open source billing, metering, and payment orchestration tools by license, self-hosting, usage-based pricing, and cost. They range from usage metering engines to payment routers and subscription systems for hosting providers.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| Hyperswitch | Multi-processor payment orchestration | Apache-2.0 |
| Lago | Usage-based billing and invoicing | AGPL-3.0 |
| Flexprice | Metering, credits, and subscriptions | AGPL-3.0 + EE |
| Crater | Simple invoicing (inactive) | AGPL-3.0 |
| Autumn | Simplified Stripe integration for AI startups | Apache-2.0 |
| Paymenter | Hosting provider subscriptions | MIT |
| OpenMeter | Real-time usage metering | Apache-2.0 |
| Meteroid | Complex SaaS pricing models | AGPL-3.0 |
| Formance | Custom financial flows and ledgers | MIT (ledger) |
| UniBee | Subscriptions with multiple gateways | AGPL-3.0 |
We looked for open-source tools that cover parts of Stripe Billing: subscriptions, usage metering, invoicing, and payment handling. We verified each project's license, recent activity, stars, and self-hosting in its repository. Stripe Billing is a layer on top of Stripe's payments, while most alternatives either sit on top of Stripe or other processors, or replace the billing logic, and none of them is a payment processor itself, so we note where each fits. See our methodology for the full criteria.
None of these moves money by itself. Lago, Flexprice, OpenMeter, Meteroid, UniBee, Paymenter, and Autumn manage plans, usage, and invoices and then charge through processors such as Stripe or PayPal. Hyperswitch routes payments across many processors. Formance provides a ledger and financial workflows, and Crater is a simple invoicing app.
Lago, Flexprice, OpenMeter, Meteroid, and Autumn target usage-based and hybrid pricing for SaaS, AI, and API companies, with real-time metering, credits, and flexible plans. OpenMeter focuses on metering and usage limits, while Lago and Meteroid also handle invoicing end to end.
Hyperswitch, OpenMeter, and Autumn are Apache-2.0, Paymenter is MIT, and Formance's ledger is MIT. Lago, Meteroid, UniBee, and Crater are AGPL-3.0, and Flexprice is AGPL-3.0 with a commercial Enterprise directory. Formance's wider stack keeps an ee directory under an Enterprise license.
All can be self-hosted, and most also offer managed cloud plans. Autumn can be self-hosted but depends on several services, so the team points to its hosted version for most users. Paymenter offers cloud deployment from $5 per month, and Autumn's hosted plan is free until a revenue threshold.
Crater has had no commits since August 2024, and UniBee's last commit was in February 2026. Hyperswitch, Lago, Flexprice, Autumn, Paymenter, OpenMeter, Meteroid, and Formance were updated within days or weeks of this update.
Stripe Billing is a proprietary service that adds a percentage fee on top of payment processing and is tied to Stripe's platform. Open-source billing tools let you own your pricing logic, run usage-based and hybrid pricing models, connect multiple payment processors, and avoid billing fees, at the cost of integrating and operating the system and handling payment compliance with your processors.
| Alternative | Type | License | Self-hosted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyperswitch | Payment orchestration | Apache-2.0 | Yes | Multi-processor routing |
| Lago | Billing engine | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Usage-based billing |
| Flexprice | Billing and metering | AGPL-3.0 + EE | Yes | Credits and metering |
| Crater | Invoicing | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Simple invoices (inactive) |
| Autumn | Stripe billing layer | Apache-2.0 | Yes | AI startups on Stripe |
| Paymenter | Subscription billing | MIT | Yes | Hosting providers |
| OpenMeter | Usage metering | Apache-2.0 | Yes | Real-time metering |
| Meteroid | Pricing and billing | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Complex SaaS pricing |
| Formance | Ledger and workflows | MIT (ledger) | Yes | Custom financial flows |
| UniBee | Subscription billing | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Multiple gateways |
Want open-source usage-based billing and invoicing
Lago handles metering, usage-based pricing, and automated invoicing, and integrates with Stripe and other systems.
Need real-time usage metering and limits
OpenMeter meters events in real time with usage limits, a product catalog, and SDKs for Node.js, Python, and Go under Apache-2.0.
Want to route payments across processors
Hyperswitch connects many payment processors through one API with smart routing and cost optimization.
Want to keep Stripe but simplify billing logic
Autumn adds pricing, usage tracking, and checkout on top of Stripe for AI startups, and it can be self-hosted.
Run a hosting business
Paymenter automates subscriptions with multi-currency support, ticketing, and affiliate tracking under the MIT license.
Have complex SaaS pricing models
Meteroid supports complex pricing, real-time metering, automated invoicing, and multi-tenancy under AGPL-3.0.
Need credits and subscriptions
Flexprice combines usage metering, credit management, and subscription billing with an open core.
Build custom financial flows
Formance provides a programmable ledger, connectivity, and workflow orchestration, with an MIT-licensed ledger.