How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Recharge is the Shopify-category leader with the widest ecosystem; Loop is the friendliest-priced challenger with a real free tier.
- Chargebee and Recurly fit complex or multi-model billing (usage, credits, ramp deals); the Shopify-native apps fit straightforward subscribe-and-save.
- Expect two cost layers: a flat monthly fee plus a percentage or per-transaction fee on subscription revenue. Model both before you commit.
- Ordergroove is enterprise infrastructure, not a self-serve app; only shortlist it if you have the budget and volume to match.
- Skio now operates under Recharge after its acquisition, so compare the two together rather than as fully separate bets.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Recharge | Shopify brands scaling subscriptions | $25/month (first 50 subscribers, no transaction fee) | Free trial (60 days) |
 Bold Subscriptions | Budget Shopify subscription stacks | $24.99/month (Launch plan, plus 2% transaction fee) | Free trial (30 days) |
 Ordergroove | Enterprise subscription infrastructure | See website | No |
 Chargebee | Complex SaaS and multi-model billing | 0.80% of monthly billing value (Flow pay-as-you-go, no platform fee) | Startup program (free until $1M cumulative billing) |
 Recurly | Recurring billing at scale | See website | No |
 Stay AI | AI-driven retention for Shopify | $499/month (plus 1% and $0.19 per transaction) | Free trial (30 days) |
 Skio | No-code subscription journeys | $599/month | Free trial (30 days) |
 Loop Subscriptions | Low-cost Recharge alternative | Free (up to 50 active subscriptions) | Yes |
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We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Your protein powder sells well every January, then one-time orders dry up by March. A loyal customer emails to ask why she can't just get it delivered every month without reordering. That is the moment most store owners start shopping for a subscription platform: recurring revenue, higher lifetime value, and customers who never have to remember to come back.
The market splits into two camps. Shopify-native subscription apps (Recharge, Bold, Stay AI, Skio, Loop) handle subscribe-and-save inside your storefront. Billing infrastructure platforms (Chargebee, Recurly, Ordergroove) handle recurring billing across channels, often with usage-based or multi-model pricing. Here is how the eight strongest options compare.
Starting price$25/month (first 50 subscribers, no transaction fee)
Free planFree trial (60 days)
Recharge is the default answer when a Shopify brand asks what subscription platform to use. The company states it powers 71% of subscriptions sold on Shopify stores, and its ecosystem of integrations and agencies is the largest in the category. Subscriptions, loyalty rewards, referrals, and an AI-powered support concierge all live under one roof.
The entry plan is friendly: $25 a month covers your first 50 subscribers with no transaction fees and a 60-day trial. Costs step up with Starter ($99/month plus 1.49% and $0.19 per transaction) and Plus ($499/month plus 1.34% and $0.19 per transaction), so model the fee stack at your projected volume before you sign. For a store already on Shopify with real subscription volume, Recharge is the safest mainstream pick.
What we like- Deepest Shopify integration and app ecosystem
- No-code tools plus predictive analytics and churn prevention
- Loyalty and rewards built in
Watch out for- Transaction fees climb on higher plans
- Shopify-centric, a weaker fit off Shopify
Starting price$24.99/month (Launch plan, plus 2% transaction fee)
Free planFree trial (30 days)
Bold has been building for Shopify for over a decade, and its Subscriptions app now sits inside a six-app repeat-commerce suite covering reorders, upsells, memberships, custom pricing, and discounts. The Subscriptions pricing page lists four tiers: Launch at $24.99/month plus 2%, Grow at $49.99/month plus 1%, Scale at $74.99/month plus 0.9%, and Ultimate Retention at $399.99/month plus 0.9% with advanced cancellation prevention. Stores under $100 a month in subscription revenue get the app free for 90 days.
Every plan includes all Subscriptions features with unlimited subscribers, which keeps the pricing math simple. The honest catch is that the transaction fee never disappears, and the suite strategy means adjacent features like upsells and memberships are separate apps with their own bills. Bold fits stores that want a low entry price and like the idea of one vendor for the whole repeat-purchase stack.
What we like- Lowest entry price among the established Shopify apps
- Unlimited subscribers on every plan
- Part of a six-app repeat-commerce suite
Watch out for- Transaction fee on every plan
- Upsell and membership features live in separate Bold apps
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Ordergroove plays a different game than the Shopify-app crowd. It sells autonomous subscription infrastructure to enterprise brands, with storefronts, retail, voice, and agent endpoints all running through one platform. Its pitch centers on testing velocity and a large enterprise subscription dataset: the platform's agents propose retention variants, you deploy them to a slice of traffic, and winners scale automatically.
There is no self-serve signup and no published pricing; everything runs through a demo and a sales conversation. That is appropriate for the target buyer, which is a brand doing serious subscription volume across channels. If you run a single Shopify store with a few hundred subscribers, this is not your category. If you run a large brand and subscriptions are a core revenue line, Ordergroove belongs on the shortlist.
What we like- Purpose-built for large, multi-channel subscription programs
- AI-driven testing and retention workflows
- Deep enterprise integrations
Watch out for- Sales-led with no published pricing
- Far more than a small store needs
Starting price0.80% of monthly billing value (Flow pay-as-you-go, no platform fee)
Free planStartup program (free until $1M cumulative billing)
If your business model has more than one pricing trick, Chargebee is built for that kind of complexity. Tiered, volume, stairstep, usage-based, credit-based, and hybrid models all run through one billing system, and it now positions hard toward AI-native monetization: token-based metering, credit drawdown, and agentic workflow billing are first-class features. The company reports 6,500+ businesses on the platform and gateway integrations with 40+ providers.
Pricing restructured in 2026 around two Flow variants: pay-as-you-go at 0.80% of monthly billing value with no platform fee, or a $99/month platform fee plus 0.65% for higher volume, with the crossover around $66,000 in monthly billing. Qualifying startups bill free until their first $1 million in cumulative billing. The catch is that the bill grows with your revenue by design, and capabilities like CPQ, revenue recognition, and retention are separate product lines. For a flat monthly subscription, this is overkill; for genuinely complex billing, it is one of the strongest options available.
What we like- Handles flat, tiered, volume, usage, credit and hybrid pricing in one system
- 40+ payment gateways with no single-provider lock-in
- Revenue recognition and tax tooling built in
Watch out for- Percentage-based pricing scales with your revenue
- CPQ, RevRec and Growth are separate products with separate bills
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Recurly is one of the older names in subscription billing, and the product reflects that history: dunning management, intelligent retries, and subscription lifecycle tooling are genuinely deep. The company also runs Recurly Commerce, a dedicated offering for Shopify brands that pairs subscription management with churn-recovery tooling aimed at direct-to-consumer stores.
Pricing is not published on the public site, which is the main friction. Expect a sales conversation and a quote shaped around your volume, and expect the positioning to lean toward mid-market and enterprise rather than a two-person startup. Recurly fits businesses that already know their billing is complex enough to need a specialist and want a vendor with a long operational record.
What we like- Long track record in subscription billing with deep dunning and retry logic
- Strong subscription lifecycle management
- Dedicated Shopify offering
Watch out for- No transparent public pricing
- Sales-led evaluation process
#6
Stay AI
Best for: AI-driven retention for Shopify
Visit stay.ai
Starting price$499/month (plus 1% and $0.19 per transaction)
Free planFree trial (30 days)
Stay AI pitches itself as the growth engine for Shopify subscriptions rather than just a billing utility. The feature list leads with AI-optimized cancel flows, automated winbacks, smart dunning, and cohort analytics, plus engagement tools like free gifts and punch cards that give subscribers reasons to stay. Customer stories name brands such as Olipop, ARMRA, and Brez, several of which migrated from Recharge.
Pricing starts at $499 a month plus 1% and $0.19 per transaction, with a 30-day trial and a dedicated migration team that reports 500+ completed migrations. That entry price makes Stay AI a poor fit for a store testing subscriptions for the first time, and a serious option for a brand doing real volume where a few points of churn reduction pay for the fee many times over. If retention, not just recurring billing, is what you are buying, Stay AI earns its place in the comparison.
What we like- AI-optimized cancel flows, winbacks and smart dunning built in
- Strong cohort analytics
- White-glove migration with 500+ migrations completed
Watch out for- High price floor for small stores
- Transaction fee stacks on top of the flat fee
Starting price$599/month
Free planFree trial (30 days)
Skio won its fans with a no-code journey builder and a subscriber experience that feels modern, closer to a marketing automation tool than to old-school billing software. Subscribers can adjust flavors, pause for a vacation, or change intervals in a couple of clicks, and the reporting and segmentation tooling is genuinely strong for its price band.
One fact now shapes the whole evaluation: Skio was acquired by Recharge in 2026. Pricing sits at $599 a month with a 30-day trial, which puts it in the same neighborhood as Recharge's own upper plans, and buyers should expect the two roadmaps to converge over time. Skio still makes sense if you prefer its journey-builder approach and subscriber UX, but compare it against Recharge directly rather than treating the two as independent alternatives.
What we like- No-code journey builder for subscriber flows
- Modern, intuitive subscriber experience
- Now backed by Recharge's resources
Watch out for- Premium pricing that now sits close to Recharge's own plans
- Product direction may converge with Recharge over time
Starting priceFree (up to 50 active subscriptions)
Free planYes
Loop positions itself as the migration-friendly challenger, and the numbers are credible: 1,100+ brands migrated to the platform, many from Recharge, with $4B+ in subscription revenue processed and a 4.9-star rating across 650+ Shopify App Store reviews. The pricing page is refreshingly simple: a free-forever tier covering up to 50 active subscriptions, Starter at $99/month plus 1.0% per transaction, and Pro at $399/month plus 0.75%, with a 14-day trial on paid plans and no per-order flat fee.
The positioning is direct, with named case results from brands like Primal Queen, OSEA Malibu, and Four Sigmatic. The catch is the usual one for this category: the 1% transaction fee on paid plans adds up as you scale, and the integration ecosystem is smaller than Recharge's. For a store that wants Recharge-class features at a lower entry price, especially with the free tier as a starting point, Loop is the most compelling alternative on this list.
What we like- Free-forever tier for up to 50 active subscriptions
- 4.9-star rating with 650+ Shopify App Store reviews
- Migration-heavy positioning with 1,100+ brands moved over
Watch out for- Paid plans carry a 1% transaction fee with no flat per-order fee offset
- Younger company with a smaller ecosystem than Recharge
The most expensive mistake in this category is buying enterprise plumbing for a store that just needs subscribe-and-save, or buying a simple Shopify app when your billing model needs usage meters. Start with your actual situation.
Shopify vs. everything else
If your store runs on Shopify, the native apps (Recharge, Bold, Stay AI, Skio, Loop) will get you live fastest, with checkout integration that the infrastructure platforms can't match without custom work. If you sell across channels, run a custom stack, or bill for usage, tokens, or credits, Chargebee, Recurly, or Ordergroove are the natural shortlist. Mixing camps rarely pays: pick the architecture that matches where you sell.
Do the two-layer pricing math
Almost every platform here charges two ways: a flat monthly fee and a percentage or per-transaction fee on subscription revenue. Run your current subscriber count and your 12-month projection through both layers before comparing headline prices. A $25 plan with no transaction fee can beat a $99 plan with 1% once you pass a certain volume, and the crossover point is different for every store.
Decide what you're really buying: billing or retention
The Shopify apps increasingly compete on retention features: cancel flows, winbacks, dunning, gifts, loyalty. The infrastructure platforms compete on billing correctness: proration, tax, revenue recognition, multi-entity. If churn is your problem, weight the retention tooling. If finance and compliance own the decision, weight the billing depth.
How we chose
We started with the subscription platforms that appear most often in merchant discussions, Shopify App Store rankings, and analyst coverage for 2026, then narrowed to eight that cover both the Shopify-native and billing-infrastructure camps. For each tool we checked the vendor's own pricing page or current public pricing documentation, reviewed feature documentation and integration lists, and read public merchant feedback on G2, Capterra, the Shopify App Store, and community discussions. We weighted fit for small and mid-size US businesses, transparency of pricing, and the strength of retention tooling, since failed payments and cancellations are where subscription revenue actually leaks. We did not run hands-on trials; our assessments come from vendor materials and verified public sources.
Skio now belongs to Recharge: what the acquisition means for buyers
Skio's acquisition by Recharge in 2026 is the most important consolidation event in this category, and it changes how you should evaluate both products. When a category leader buys a well-liked challenger, the acquired product's roadmap usually converges with the parent's over time, which means today's feature differences may narrow. If you prefer Skio's journey-builder approach, the acquisition is good news for long-term support; if you chose Skio partly to avoid Recharge, it is worth re-examining that assumption. Either way, negotiate and evaluate the two as one vendor family, and ask direct questions about migration paths and pricing continuity before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best platform for a subscription business on Shopify?
For most Shopify stores, Recharge is the safest default because of its ecosystem and track record, while Loop is the strongest lower-cost alternative with a genuinely free tier. Stores with high volume and a churn problem should look at Stay AI, and budget-conscious starters can begin on Bold Subscriptions or Loop's free plan. The right answer depends on your subscriber count, average order value, and how much of the fee stack you can absorb.
How much do subscription platforms cost?
Expect a flat monthly fee plus a percentage or per-transaction fee on subscription revenue. Entry points on this list range from free (Loop, up to 50 subscriptions) and $25/month (Recharge's starter plan) to $499-$599/month for retention-focused tools like Stay AI and Skio. Enterprise infrastructure like Ordergroove is quote-only. Always model both fee layers at your projected volume.
Do I need a subscription app if Shopify offers native subscriptions?
Shopify's native subscription support covers the basics, but dedicated apps add the features that actually protect revenue: dunning and retry logic for failed payments, cancel-save flows, subscriber self-service portals, cohort analytics, and loyalty tooling. If subscriptions are a side experiment, native may be enough; if they are a growth channel, a dedicated platform pays for itself.
What is dunning and why does it matter?
Dunning is the automated process of recovering failed subscription payments: retrying the card at smart intervals, notifying the customer, and updating payment details before the subscription cancels. Involuntary churn from failed payments is one of the largest silent revenue leaks in subscription businesses, and strong dunning is often worth more than any new acquisition feature.
Can I migrate subscribers from one platform to another?
Yes, and migration support is a major selling point in this category. Stay AI reports 500+ completed migrations, and Loop reports 1,100+ brands migrated, many from Recharge. Reputable vendors handle subscriber data, payment tokens, and billing schedules so customers are not disrupted. Always confirm migration scope, timeline, and any downtime risk before signing.
What fees should I watch besides the monthly plan?
Transaction fees on subscription revenue (typically 0.65% to 2% plus a per-transaction flat fee), payment processor fees from Stripe or Shopify Payments on top of the platform fee, and add-on products like revenue recognition or CPQ that bill separately at vendors like Chargebee. Ask for the all-in effective rate at your volume, not just the headline monthly price.
Sources we checked (14)
- https://getrecharge.com/
- https://boldcommerce.com/
- https://support.boldcommerce.com/en/articles/15847553-subscriptions-for-shopify-checkout-pricing-overview
- https://ordergroove.com/
- https://chargebee.com/
- https://recurly.com
- https://stay.ai/
- https://skio.com
- https://loopwork.co/
- https://www.loopwork.co/blog/loop-vs-bold-vs-recharge-pricing
- https://baremetrics.com/blog/what-is-chargebee
- https://www.flozic.ai/blog/reviews/chargebee-review
- https://github.com/api-evangelist/skio
- https://marketmystique.com/best-subscription-apps-for-shopify/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.