# Crater vs OpenMeter

**Leader by Vioscale score:** OpenMeter

| Attribute | Crater | OpenMeter |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 49.5 (74% (medium)) | 56.7 (72% (medium)) |
| adoption.github_stars | 8,340 | - |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Open-source web and mobile app that helps track expenses, payments, and create professional invoices and estimates. | A developer-focused platform for tracking customer usage events, enforcing access controls, and automating billing without hard-coded logic. Supports subscription, usage-based, and hybrid pricing models with flexible packaging and self-service customization. |
| features.capabilities | `{"api_first":true,"invoicing":true,"self_hostable":true}` | `{"gl_sync":true,"analytics":true,"api_first":true,"invoicing":true,"tax_handling":"integration","self_hostable":true,"pricing_models":"Subscription, usage-based, tiered, per-unit, package, and dynamic pricing; credi","usage_metering":"real_time","catalog_management":true,"merchant_of_record":false,"subscription_billing":true}` |
| integrations.count | 3 | 2 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Plaid"},{"name":"QuickBooks"},{"name":"Xero"}]` | `[{"name":"Stripe"},{"name":"Slack"}]` |
| language.primary | PHP | - |
| license.spdx | AGPL-3.0 | - |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Open Source","features":["Expense tracking","Payment tracking","Invoice creation","Estimate creation"],"description":"Self-hosted open-source invoicing solution","contactSales":false}],"summary":"Free, open-source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://craterapp.com/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T20:46:46.690Z"}` | `{"type":"hybrid","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://openmeter.io/docs/glossary/credit-based-pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T22:20:57.782Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | low |
| pricing.transparent | - | no |
| release.cadence_days | 2 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/6.0.6","date":"2022-03-06T07:25:43Z","type":"stable","version":"6.0.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/6.0.5","date":"2022-03-03T14:47:32Z","type":"stable","version":"6.0.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/6.0.4","date":"2022-02-17T08:37:19Z","type":"stable","version":"6.0.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/6.0.3","date":"2022-02-16T07:25:57Z","type":"stable","version":"6.0.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/6.0.2","date":"2022-01-13T14:18:05Z","type":"stable","version":"6.0.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/6.0.1","date":"2022-01-12T15:41:21Z","type":"stable","version":"6.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/6.0.0","date":"2022-01-11T11:22:27Z","type":"stable","version":"6.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/5.0.6","date":"2021-12-10T12:33:51Z","type":"stable","version":"5.0.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/5.0.5","date":"2021-12-09T08:16:43Z","type":"stable","version":"5.0.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/5.0.4","date":"2021-12-06T14:46:19Z","type":"stable","version":"5.0.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/5.0.3","date":"2021-12-03T15:58:23Z","type":"stable","version":"5.0.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/5.0.2","date":"2021-12-02T14:06:52Z","type":"stable","version":"5.0.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/5.0.1","date":"2021-12-01T15:44:53Z","type":"stable","version":"5.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/5.0.0","date":"2021-11-30T13:33:23Z","type":"stable","version":"5.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/4.2.0","date":"2021-06-24T08:57:19Z","type":"stable","version":"4.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/4.1.0","date":"2021-05-06T09:01:16Z","type":"stable","version":"4.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/4.0.4","date":"2021-01-22T09:21:03Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/4.0.3","date":"2020-12-31T10:26:25Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/4.0.2","date":"2020-12-23T06:51:39Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater/releases/tag/4.0.1","date":"2020-12-09T09:21:39Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.1"}]` | - |
| reliability.sla_pct | - | 99.999 |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.soc2 | yes | yes |

## Capabilities (Billing & Invoicing Software)

| Capability | Crater | OpenMeter |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Subscription billing | - | ✓ |
| Usage metering | - | Real-time |
| Pricing models | - | Subscription, usage-based, tiered, per-unit, package, and dynamic pricing; credi |
| Invoicing & AR | ✓ | ✓ |
| Catalog management | - | ✓ |
| **Commerce** |  |  |
| Merchant of record | - | ✗ |
| **Finance** |  |  |
| Revenue recognition | - | - |
| Tax handling | - | Integration |
| **Collections** |  |  |
| Dunning | - | - |
| **Integrations** |  |  |
| GL / ERP sync | - | ✓ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| API-first / developer-first | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Self-hostable | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Insight** |  |  |
| Revenue analytics | - | ✓ |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:20:58.581Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*