Lago
Best for self-hosting
Why teams pick it
Self-hosted deployment option with AGPLv3 license for full data control
Open-source alternatives to Paddle
Compare community-driven replacements for Paddle in subscription billing & payments workflows. We curate active, self-hostable options with transparent licensing so you can evaluate the right fit quickly.
Paddle
Paddle combines checkout, subscription management, invoicing, tax compliance, fraud prevention, and churn reduction in a single platform—no extra providers needed.Read more
Key stats
- 12Alternatives
- 6Support self-hosting
Run on infrastructure you control
- 12Active development
Recent commits in the last 6 months
- 7Permissive licenses
MIT, Apache, and similar licenses
Counts reflect projects currently indexed as alternatives to Paddle.
Start with these picks
These projects match the most common migration paths for teams replacing Paddle.
Meteroid
Privacy-first alternative
Why teams pick it
Self-hosted option provides full control over billing infrastructure
All open-source alternatives
Lago
Open-source metering and usage-based billing API for SaaS
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPrivacy-firstGo
Why teams choose it
- Event-based usage metering that charges for any trackable activity
- Hybrid pricing support for subscription, usage-based, and combined models
- Composable architecture integrating with payment gateways, CRMs, and accounting tools
Watch for
AGPLv3 license requires derivative works to be open-sourced
Migration highlight
API Platform Metering
Charge customers based on API calls, compute time, or data processed with real-time event tracking and automated invoice generation
Meteroid
Cloud-native pricing and billing infrastructure for product-led SaaS
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPrivacy-firstRust
Why teams choose it
- Usage-based billing engine with real-time metering and flexible pricing models
- Automated subscription management, invoicing, and revenue analytics
- Cost limiting, grandfathering, and pricing experimentation capabilities
Watch for
Currently in alpha stage and not recommended for production use
Migration highlight
Usage-Based SaaS Billing
Accurately meter API calls, compute hours, or data usage and automatically generate invoices based on consumption tiers and custom pricing rules.
Polar
Turn your software into a revenue stream effortlessly.
Active developmentPermissive licenseFast to deployPython
Why teams choose it
- Merchant of record handling billing, receipts, and tax compliance
- Instant product and subscription sales for SaaS and digital goods
- Public API, webhooks, and SDKs for JavaScript and Python
Watch for
Transaction fee of 4 % + 40¢ still applies
Migration highlight
Monetize a private GitHub repository
Sell access tokens directly, with automatic payment processing, receipts, and tax compliance.
Kill Bill
Open-source subscription billing and payments platform for SaaS
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPermissive licenseJava
Why teams choose it
- Modular architecture—enable, disable, or replace components as needed
- Real-time analytics and financial reporting out of the box
- Flexible subscription models with trials, discounts, and promotional pricing
Watch for
Requires infrastructure management and operational expertise
Migration highlight
Multi-Tier SaaS Subscription Testing
Rapidly test and iterate on pricing models, trial periods, and promotional discounts to identify the most profitable subscription structure without vendor constraints.
Hyperswitch
Composable open-source payments infrastructure built in Rust
Active developmentPermissive licenseFast to deployRust
Why teams choose it
- Modular architecture: deploy routing, retries, vaulting, reconciliation, or cost observability independently
- Intelligent routing maximizes auth rates by directing transactions to optimal PSPs
- Built in Rust for high performance, reliability, and low-latency payment processing
Watch for
Rust-based stack may require specialized expertise for deep customization
Migration highlight
Multi-PSP Intelligent Routing
Maximize authorization rates by routing each transaction to the processor with the highest predicted success, reducing retries and downtime.
BillaBear
Self-hostable subscription billing system integrated with Stripe
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPrivacy-firstPHP
Why teams choose it
- Advanced tax engine with threshold tracking, multi-jurisdiction rules, and VAT Sense integration
- Workflow system with retry logic for mission-critical billing and provisioning tasks
- Flexible pricing models: tiered, graduated, package, usage-based, and seat-based billing
Watch for
Open-source version receives feature updates only every six months
Migration highlight
Multi-Tier SaaS Pricing
Configure graduated pricing that automatically adjusts per-unit costs as customer usage scales, with invoices generated from branded templates
Autumn
Plug‑and‑play billing layer for any pricing model
Active developmentPermissive licenseFast to deployTypeScript
Why teams choose it
- Unified API for attach, check, and track actions
- Supports subscriptions, credits, usage‑based overages, and seat‑based plans
- Handles Stripe webhooks, upgrades, downgrades, and cancellations internally
Watch for
Requires PostgreSQL and Docker for self‑hosting
Migration highlight
Subscription SaaS with tiered plans
Launch monthly/annual plans, handle upgrades/downgrades, and automatically enforce usage limits.
Formance
Modular developer platform for complex financial transaction flows
Active developmentFast to deployIntegration-friendlyEarthly
Why teams choose it
- Programmable double-entry ledger with immutable transaction history
- Unified payments API abstracting multiple payment processor integrations
- Numscript DSL for declarative monetary computation and transaction modeling
Watch for
Requires minimum 5GB Docker RAM for local deployment
Migration highlight
Marketplace Split Payments
Model complex multi-party transactions with automatic commission splits, escrow handling, and reconciliation across vendors using programmable ledger logic.
Flexprice
Usage-based metering and billing infrastructure for developers
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPrivacy-firstGo
Why teams choose it
- Real-time usage metering for millions of events with granular tracking and reliable aggregation
- Flexible credit system supporting prepaid, promotional, and auto-top-up workflows without custom logic
- Composable architecture integrating with Stripe, Chargebee, CRMs, and existing payment infrastructure
Watch for
Self-hosting requires infrastructure management and operational expertise
Migration highlight
API Platform with Tiered Usage Pricing
Track millions of API calls in real time, apply tiered volume pricing per customer plan, and generate accurate invoices without custom metering code.
Lotus
Flexible pricing engine for SaaS, usage‑based and custom plans
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPermissive licensePython
Why teams choose it
- Usage‑Based Pricing & Flexible Prorations
- Intuitive Plan Management with versioning
- Experimentation suite for back‑testing, A/B, forecasting
Watch for
Only self‑hosted; no managed SaaS offering
Migration highlight
Metered API billing
Automated real‑time usage tracking and invoicing for a cloud API product
OpenMeter
Real-time usage metering and billing for AI and DevOps
Active developmentPermissive licenseFast to deployGo
Why teams choose it
- Real‑time aggregation of millions of usage events
- Flexible usage‑based billing and custom pricing rules
- Built‑in usage limits with alerting and enforcement
Watch for
Self‑hosted production requires Kubernetes expertise
Migration highlight
Kubernetes pod execution metering
Track pod runtime, enforce per‑pod usage caps, and generate detailed billing reports.
Laravel Soulbscription
Subscription and feature consumption management for Laravel applications
Active developmentPermissive licenseIntegration-friendlyPHP
Why teams choose it
- Consumable, non-consumable, quota, and postpaid feature types
- Flexible plan periodicity with daily, weekly, monthly, or permanent options
- Grace period support for delayed access suspension on expiration
Watch for
Limited documentation on payment gateway integration patterns
Migration highlight
Deploy Minutes Tracking
Users receive monthly deploy time allocations that reset automatically, with silver tier getting 15 minutes and gold tier receiving 25 minutes per period.
Choosing a subscription billing & payments alternative
Teams replacing Paddle in subscription billing & payments workflows typically weigh self-hosting needs, integration coverage, and licensing obligations.
- 6 projects let you self-host and keep customer data on infrastructure you control.
- 12 options are actively maintained with recent commits.
Tip: shortlist one hosted and one self-hosted option so stakeholders can compare trade-offs before migrating away from Paddle.