InvoiceShelf vs Lago
| Tagline | Track expenses, payments, and create professional invoices and estimates | Open-source metering and usage-based billing API for SaaS products |
| Category | Finance & Budgeting | Finance & Budgeting |
| Replaces | QuickBooks | QuickBooks, Mint |
| GitHub stars | 1.7k | 10k |
| Language | PHP | Docker |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Self-host difficulty | 3/5 Moderate | 3/5 Moderate |
| Deploy options | Docker Docker Compose Manual | Docker Docker Compose Kubernetes Manual |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | 4 days ago | 7 days ago |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
InvoiceShelf
- No double-entry bookkeeping or chart of accounts
- Payment gateway integrations are limited compared to QuickBooks
- No payroll or HR functionality
- Recurring invoices exist but automation rules are less flexible than QuickBooks
Lago
- Developer-oriented billing API, not a personal finance or budgeting tool for end-users
- No AR/AP or general-ledger accounting; revenue recognition requires integration with an ERP
- Tax calculation engine is basic; real-world tax compliance needs third-party integration (e.g. Avalara)
- Dunning workflows and payment retries are less mature than Chargebee or Stripe Billing
Bottom line
Both are a similar lift to self-host; choose Lago for the larger community and ecosystem. InvoiceShelf has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.
InvoiceShelf
Track expenses, payments, and create professional invoices and estimates