{"id":"usage-metering","slug":"usage-metering","name":"AI usage metering & entitlements","shortName":"AI usage metering & entitlements","problemStatement":"Meter tokens/tools/API calls and enforce entitlements for usage-based agent SaaS billing.","whenNotTopPick":"Simple subscription + basic meters — Stripe Billing; OSS self-host billing — Lago; heavy pricing experimentation/backtests — Orb.","categoryIds":["cat-auth-payments"],"depotPickProviderId":"openmeter","depotPickRationale":"capability for AI token meters + entitlements. OpenMeter/Kong for API-shaped products; Orb for pricing science; Lago for OSS.","runnersUpIds":["lago","orb","stripe","metronome","autumn","amberflo","polar"],"weights":{"capabilityFit":0.25,"pricePerformance":0.18,"latencyReliability":0.15,"developerDx":0.15,"privacyPosture":0.1,"lockInRisk":0.07,"maturity":0.1},"methodologyNotes":"capability for AI token meters + entitlements. OpenMeter/Kong for API-shaped products; Orb for pricing science; Lago for OSS.","tags":["usage"],"depth":{"whenNotToUse":{"text":"Simple subscription + basic meters — Stripe Billing; OSS self-host billing — Lago; heavy pricing experimentation/backtests — Orb.","source":"editorial `whenNotTopPick` (data/jtbds.json)"},"whenNotToUseReason":null,"runnerUp":{"providerId":"lago","name":"Lago","overallForJob":8.3,"pickOverallForJob":7.93,"beatsPickOn":["capabilityFit","pricePerformance","privacyPosture","lockInRisk"],"source":"first resolvable entry of the job's editorially ranked `runnersUpIds`; scores are stored job-weighted scores"},"runnerUpReason":null,"lockIn":{"pickLockInRisk":5.5,"runnerUpLockInRisk":3,"scale":"0–10 stored curated estimate; higher = more lock-in (worse)","pickExitSignals":[],"runnerUpExitSignals":["open source (provider tag `oss`)"],"pickNotes":[],"selfHostFallback":[],"migration":"Runner-up Lago has lower stored lock-in risk (3 vs 5.5, 0–10, higher = more lock-in).","migrationReason":null,"derivedFrom":"stored lockInRisk scores, provider tags (oss, self-host, openai-compat, open-models), free rows that list this job, and verbatim provider notes. No migration guide was invented."}},"freshness":{"pick":{"score":{"asOf":"2026-09-14","ageDays":43,"stale":true,"staleAfterDays":30,"reason":null},"lastReviewed":{"asOf":"2026-09-14","ageDays":43,"stale":true,"staleAfterDays":30,"reason":null},"sourceCheck":{"checkedAt":"2026-10-27","sourceUrls":3,"sourcesReachable":3,"pricingRows":0,"pricingRowsReconfirmed":0,"note":"A source re-check confirms the page is reachable and, for pricing rows, that the stored amount and SKU name appear on it. It does not re-derive or change the score.","reason":null}}},"depotPick":{"id":"openmeter","slug":"openmeter","name":"OpenMeter (Kong Konnect Metering)","tagline":"Best when your agent product is an API gateway problem (entitlements + token meters). Orb for pricing…","overall":7.93},"runnersUp":[{"id":"lago","slug":"lago","name":"Lago","tagline":"Depot OSS pick for AI usage metering when you refuse to marry Stripe's meter model. Still collect cash with…","overall":8.3},{"id":"orb","slug":"orb","name":"Orb","tagline":"Pick Orb when pricing complexity is the product (credits, tiers, simulations). Stripe meters first; Lago if…","overall":8.03},{"id":"stripe","slug":"stripe","name":"Stripe","tagline":"Non-negotiable for most commercial agent products. Use Billing meters for token pass-through pricing.","overall":8.76},{"id":"metronome","slug":"metronome","name":"Metronome","tagline":"Strong usage-billing peer when Orb is too sales-opaque and you need SQL metrics + commits. OpenMeter/Kong for…","overall":8},{"id":"autumn","slug":"autumn","name":"Autumn","tagline":"Best DX when you already run Stripe and need synchronous feature gates for AI usage. Metronome/Orb for…","overall":7.95},{"id":"amberflo","slug":"amberflo","name":"Amberflo","tagline":"Metering peer when you care about per-customer AI margin, not just invoices. Vantage/CloudZero for cloud…","overall":7.38},{"id":"polar","slug":"polar","name":"Polar","tagline":"Depot pick for ai-merchant-of-record. Prefer Stripe when you already have tax/ops staff; OpenMeter/Kong when…","overall":8.05}]}