Comparison · Self-hosted vs Managed

Exchequer vs Stripe Billing

Stripe Billing is 0.5% of billing volume. Exchequer is a self-hosted alternative at $2.99/mo. Here's when each makes sense.

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At a glance

	Exchequer	Stripe Billing
Hosting	Self-hosted, your infra	Managed SaaS (cloud only)
Data location	Your server, your disk	Stripe Billing's cloud
Free tier	10 customers	Paid only
Pro pricing	$2.99/mo	0.5% of billing volume
Dependencies	None (single binary + SQLite)	N/A (managed)
Setup time	~30 seconds	Account signup
Dashboard	Built-in at /ui	Cloud dashboard
License	BSL 1.1	Proprietary SaaS

When to use Exchequer

Pick Exchequer when you want simplicity and ownership.

Fixed $2.99/mo vs percentage of revenue
No revenue-based pricing
Self-hosted billing data
Single binary, no Stripe dependency for billing logic

Exchequer is a single Go binary with embedded SQLite. Install it with one command, and you are running in under a minute. Your data stays on your server.

curl -fsSL https://stockyard.dev/exchequer/install.sh | sh

Install Exchequer Exchequer docs

When Stripe Billing fits better

Stripe Billing makes sense when you need more.

Handles actual payment processing
Tax calculation and compliance
Customer portal
Revenue recognition and reporting

Stripe Billing handles the entire billing lifecycle including payment processing, tax, and compliance. If you need to actually charge customers, you need Stripe or a payment processor. Exchequer manages subscription logic, plan definitions, and usage metering on your server — you still need a payment processor for the actual charges.

The trade-off

Before choosing between Exchequer and Stripe Billing, consider what happens when you need to leave. Stripe Billing exports vary in completeness — some fields, some history, some metadata may not come with you. Exchequer stores everything in a single SQLite file. Leaving means copying that file. This is not a hypothetical concern: the average team changes tools every 18 to 24 months.

Technical differences

Exchequer runs as a single static binary with an embedded SQLite database. There is no application server, no cache layer, no background worker. One process handles HTTP requests and reads from and writes to the database file directly. This simplicity is the entire point — fewer moving parts means fewer things that can break at 2 AM.

Moving to Exchequer

If you are currently using Stripe Billing and considering Exchequer, start by running both in parallel. Install Exchequer on a test server, point your workflow at it for a week, and compare the experience. Exchequer's data directory is isolated — running a trial costs nothing beyond the compute. If Exchequer does not fit, delete the binary and the data directory. There is nothing else to clean up.

FAQ

Does Exchequer replace Stripe?

No. Exchequer manages subscription logic and usage metering. You still need Stripe or another payment processor for actual charges.

Why use Exchequer if I need Stripe anyway?

Exchequer keeps your billing logic and customer data on your server. Stripe handles payments. The 0.5% Billing fee is on top of processing fees — Exchequer removes that layer.

Exchequer overview

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Self-hosted subscription billing in 30 seconds.

Single binary. Free to start. $2.99/mo for Pro.

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