Aforo vs Cheddar
Aforo
aforo.aiCheddar
getcheddar.comSide by side
| Figure | Aforo | Cheddar |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 2 |
| Spec score · Usage-Based Billing Software | 8.8 (#3) | 7.8 (#10) |
| Integrations | Native gateway plugins are listed for Kong, Apigee, AWS API Gateway, Azure APIM and MuleSoft. | Cheddar’s support FAQ says it integrates with Zapier, which can connect it to thousands of apps. |
| Product | Aforo describes itself as an API and agentic monetization platform for metering, pricing, selling, billing, and revenue recognition. | Cheddar describes itself as a monetization platform for product-led growth and usage-based subscription billing. |
| Security | Aforo says it uses AES-256 encryption at rest and in transit, tenant isolation, and immutable, exportable audit logs. | Cheddar’s privacy policy, last modified May 24, 2018, says data is stored on secured servers behind a firewall with access controls and that SSL encrypts passwords and personal credit information in transit. |
| Support | The pricing page lists community support for Starter and priority support with a one-business-day response for Growth. | Cheddar lists email, support discussions, chat, a knowledge base, and API documentation; its support page says chat is available from 9am to 5pm EST. |
Plans
In their own words
Cheddar
Cheddar is a monetization platform for product-led growth and usage-based subscription billing, available through web and API. Its API records customer activity as counters called tracked items, and billing rules are applied afterward; the maker says pricing can therefore change without changes to billing code. Cheddar uses plan rules to generate invoices, then processes them with built-in credit-card processing or an external system. Payment options include CheddarPay, compatible processors, PayPal, ACH, and checks. All plans include customer communications, SaaS reporting, revenue optimization, invoice generation, subscription billing, and usage tracking. Monthly plans include up to 500,000 API interactions, with additional interactions costing 25 cents per 1,000. Customizable hosted pages cover subscription signup, payment updates, subscription changes, and cancellations; tracked items and one-time invoices require API use. The REST-like API can be used with any programming language, and the service integrates with Zapier. The Builder Plan is $99 a month plus 30¢ per transaction; the Growth Plan is $599 a month plus 0.5% of revenue.