Three-way comparison

Recharge vs Loop vs
SimpleSubscription

If you're researching all three, you're already past the surface-level marketing. Here's the honest breakdown — what each does well, what each costs in practice, and which one tends to win for which kind of store.

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Monthly Revenue

$24,580

+12.5%

Active Subs

847

+23

Churn Rate

3.2%

-0.8%

New subscription - Premium Box2m ago

Billing success - $49.005m ago

Churn risk detected - Sarah M.12m ago

+30%

Revenue growth
in the first 90 days.

2.4x

More repeat customers
with flexible subscription pricing.

5 min

From install to live.
No developer needed.

Zero advertisement budget.
Subscriptions sell themselves.

How It Works

How to choose between them

The decision usually comes down to two numbers: your monthly subscription revenue and how much customisation you actually need. For 90% of stores under $1M ARR, SimpleSubscription saves real money every month and the feature gap is non-existent.

Recharge: $99–$499+/mo plus 1–2% transaction fees — best for enterprise customisation
Loop Subscriptions: ~$199+/mo plus transaction fees — best for polished mid-market UX
SimpleSubscription: $79/mo annual, zero transaction fees — best for value-conscious DTC
All three offer customer portals, dunning, analytics — feature parity is real
Only SimpleSubscription includes free white-glove migration from either competitor

The TL;DR

Each app is built for a different kind of merchant

Recharge is the legacy enterprise option — powerful, expensive, transaction fees on top, checkout that historically wasn't fully native. Loop Subscriptions is the modern mid-market choice — slick UX, good retention features, mid-market pricing that climbs with revenue. SimpleSubscription is the value play — every feature both competitors offer, native Shopify checkout, flat $79/mo annual, zero transaction fees.

Subscribe & Save

Let customers subscribe on any product page. Flexible discounts, multiple frequencies, and annual billing — all from a clean widget that matches your theme.

Customer Portal

Branded self-service portal where subscribers edit their subscription, earn rewards, share referral codes, and handle everything themselves — no support tickets needed.

Smart Cancellation Flows

When a subscriber tries to cancel, show personalized offers — a discount, a pause, a free gift. Multi-step flows with survey, retention offers, and save rate tracking.

Payment Recovery

Automatically retry failed payments with smart dunning sequences. Recover revenue that would otherwise be lost to expired cards and billing failures.

Real-Time Analytics

Track MRR, churn rate, LTV, subscriber growth, and billing success in one dashboard. Cohort retention, product performance, and revenue forecasts.

Bundles & Boxes

Curated subscription boxes, mystery boxes, and mix-and-match bundles. Let customers build their own recurring orders — or surprise them with a new selection every cycle.

Email & SMS Notifications

Automated emails for order confirmations, upcoming renewals, payment failures, and winback. SMS via Twilio, Nexmo, or AWS SNS.

Loyalty & Rewards

Reward repeat subscribers with points, tiers, and referral codes. Longer subscription = bigger discounts. Built-in retention tool that Recharge and Loop charge extra for.

Easy Migration

Switch from Loop, Recharge, Skio, or Bold in minutes. Import via API, CSV, or migrate automatically. Zero downtime.

See it in action

Every tool you need to launch, grow, and retain subscribers — built into one app. Go ahead, click around — everything below is interactive.

Analytics

Real-time subscription analytics

MRR, churn rate, subscriber growth, LTV, and billing success — all in one dashboard. No spreadsheets, no guesswork.

Revenue trends and forecasts
Churn breakdown: active, passive, expired
Product performance and cohort retention

Analytics Overview

7d30d90d

MRR

$12,480

+8.3%

Churn

2.1%

-0.4%

LTV

$186

+12%

Active

847

+23

ProductSubscribersRevenue

Premium Coffee312$12,168

Vitamin Bundle286$6,864

Snack Box249$7,470

Customer Portal

A customer portal your subscribers will love

Branded self-service portal where customers manage their subscriptions. Skip deliveries, pause, swap products, update payment methods, and change delivery frequency - all without contacting support.

Reduces support tickets by 60%
Smart cancel flow retains 35% of cancellations
Fully customizable to match your brand

My Subscriptions

Manage your subscription orders

2 active

$63.00/month

Premium Coffee Box

Every month · $39.00

Next delivery: Apr 15

Active

SkipPauseSwapManage

Vitamin Bundle

Every 2 weeks · $24.00

Active

Retention

Smart cancel flows that save subscribers

When a customer tries to cancel, show them personalized offers — a discount, a pause, a free gift. Convert cancellations into retained revenue.

Multi-step cancel flow with survey
Offer pause, skip, discount, or free gift
Track save rate and revenue saved

Step 1 of 4

We're sorry to see you go

Help us improve — why are you cancelling?

Too expensive

Don't need it anymore

Switching to another product

Quality not as expected

Continue

Guided Growth

A structured path to subscription success

Most apps dump every feature on you at once. SimpleSubscription guides you through 6 stages — complete milestones, unlock the next level, grow at your own pace.

Launch

Install the widget, create plans, enable the customer portal, and import existing subscribers.

Retain

Automatic subscriber discounts, product swap, smart cancel flow, dunning, and frequency optimizer.

Upsell

Bundles, checkout and cart upsells, cross-sell carousel, and one-time add-ons to boost AOV.

Engage

Free trials, gift subscriptions, loyalty ladder, rewards points, referrals, and winback campaigns.

Customize

White-label portal, custom email and SMS providers, translations, auto-tagging, and Shopify Flow triggers.

Scale

Memberships, churn predictions, A/B testing, and advanced subscription analytics.

Progress is tracked automatically as you set up features — no manual input needed

Compare

The math: where SimpleSubscription wins

At $50k/mo subscription revenue, Recharge typically costs $500–$1,500/mo all-in once transaction fees are included. Loop runs $400–$700/mo. SimpleSubscription is $79/mo flat with no transaction fees. That's $4,000–$15,000/year in difference for the same feature set, going straight to your margin.

Feature

Recharge

Loop

Skio

Monthly price

From $79

From $99

From $499

Transaction fees

1.49% + 19¢

1% + 20¢

Paid add-ons

None

Multiple

None

Free trial

30 days

14 days

30 days

Subscribe & Save

✓

Annual subscriptions

✓

Limited

✓

Subscription bundles

✓

Gift subscriptions

✓

Checkout upsell

✓

Membership plans

✓

✗

Customer portal

✓

Skip, pause, swap

✓

Self-service payment updates

✓

Multi-language portal

✓

Limited

✗

Smart cancel flow

✓

Failed payment recovery

✓

Loyalty ladder

✓

✗

Rewards points

✓

✗

Winback campaigns

✓

✗

Refer-a-friend program

✓

✗

Churn predictions

✓

✗

Frequency optimizer

✓

✗

MRR & churn dashboards

✓

Built-in A/B testing

✓

✗

Advanced forecasts

✓

✗

REST API

✓

Webhooks & Shopify Flow

✓

Cross-sell recommendations

✓

✗

Customer auto-tagging

✓

✗

Guided growth journey

✓

✗

Setup without developer

✓

Limited

✓

Free migration

✓

$500+

—

Zero downtime migration

✓

✗

Savings Calculator

See how much you save vs other apps

Based on $50 average order value. Most subscription apps charge 1%+ per transaction on top of monthly fees.

Subscribers

Other apps cost /mo

SR cost /mo

You save /mo

500

$99 + ~$300 fees

$79

$320

1,000

$99 + ~$600 fees

$79

$620

5,000

$299 + ~$3,000 fees

$239

$3,060

10,000

$499 + ~$6,000 fees

$399

$6,100

Even with just 1,000 subscribers you save $620/mo — that's $7,440/year back into your ad budget.

Pricing

Simple pricing. No transaction fees.

Three plans, 30-day free trial on all. Pick the one that fits your business.

MonthlyAnnual Save 20%

Starter

$79/month

$950 billed annually · save $238/yr

Unlimited subscribers

Everything to launch subscriptions

Subscribe & Save widget
Annual subscription billing
Self-service customer portal
14 languages supported
Passwordless login (magic link)
Automatic transactional emails
Portal branding (colors & logo)
Bulk subscription actions
Smart cancellation flow
Failed payment recovery
Frequency optimizer
Free migration & API/CSV import
MRR & revenue analytics

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No credit card required · Cancel anytime

Already using another app? Switch in 4 steps.

Free migration from Recharge, Loop, Skio, or Bold. Zero downtime.

Step 1

Connect

Upload a CSV export or connect via API. We fetch all your subscription data automatically.

Step 2

Review

Preview every subscription in a staging area. Verify billing dates, pricing, and product mappings before anything goes live.

Step 3

Activate

Happy with what you see? One click to go live. Not happy? Cancel and nothing ever changed.

Step 4

Done

Subscriptions are live. Customers get portal access. Billing continues seamlessly — zero downtime.

Migrating from Recharge?

We transfer all subscriber data, payment methods, subscription contracts, and billing dates. Recharge charges $500+ for migration — we do it free. Learn more about switching from Recharge →

Migrating from Loop?

Full migration from Loop Subscriptions including subscriber data, contracts, and payment methods. Learn more about switching from Loop →

Migrating from Skio?

We connect directly to Skio's GraphQL API to import all your subscriptions, customers, and payment methods. Save up to 90% vs Skio's enterprise pricing. Learn more about switching from Skio →

Migrating from Bold or another platform?

We support migration from any subscription platform via API or CSV import. Upload your subscriber data, review everything in staging, and go live with one click.

FAQ

Recharge vs Loop vs SimpleSubscription — FAQ

Is there really no transaction fee?

Zero. We never charge a percentage of your revenue. You pay a flat monthly price based on your plan.

How long does migration take?

Most migrations from Loop, Recharge, or Bold complete in under 30 minutes. We support CSV import and API migration with zero downtime.

Can I try before I buy?

Yes — every plan comes with a 30-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

What happens if I exceed my subscriber limit?

We'll notify you and help you upgrade to the right plan. No surprise charges.

Do you support Shopify's native subscription APIs?

Yes. We use Shopify's Subscription Contract API, selling plans, and checkout extensions. Fully native integration.

Can customers manage their own subscriptions?

Yes. The branded customer portal lets subscribers edit their subscription, earn rewards, share referral codes, and handle everything themselves — no support tickets needed.

Does the widget work with my theme?

Yes. The Subscribe & Save widget automatically adapts to your store's design. You can also customize colors, text, and layout from the app settings.

What payment gateways do you support?

We work with Shopify Payments and any gateway that supports Shopify's subscription APIs. Your customers check out through Shopify's native checkout — no third-party payment pages.

Do you offer dunning / failed payment recovery?

Yes. Our smart dunning system automatically retries failed payments on an optimized schedule, sends reminder emails to customers, and recovers revenue that would otherwise be lost.

Can I sell subscription bundles or build-a-box?

Yes. Create curated boxes, mix-and-match bundles, or let customers build their own recurring orders from your product catalog. Available on the Premium plan.

How does the free trial work?

You get full access to all features in your chosen plan for 30 days. Cancel anytime upfront. After the trial, billing starts automatically.

What's the difference between plans?

Starter covers the essentials — subscriptions, portal, widget, and basic analytics. Pro adds bundles, upsells, loyalty, and winback campaigns. Premium unlocks memberships, churn predictions, A/B testing, forecasts, and referral program.

Do you charge transaction fees?

No. SimpleSubscription never charges transaction fees on any plan. You only pay Shopify's standard payment processing.

Can I upgrade or downgrade anytime?

Yes! Switch between plans at any time. When upgrading, you'll be billed the prorated difference. Downgrades take effect at the next billing cycle.

Can I migrate from another app?

Yes! We support migration from Recharge, Bold, Loop, Skio, and CSV imports. Most migrations complete in under 30 minutes.

Is there a subscriber limit?

No. All plans include unlimited subscribers. Whether you have 10 or 100,000 subscribers, the price is the same.

Recharge vs Loop Subscriptions vs SimpleSubscription: the complete three-way comparison

These three apps represent the current market for serious Shopify subscription tools. Each has genuine strengths and a distinct pricing model. This guide works through the comparison at the level of detail that actually matters for a switching decision.

Where each app came from — and why history matters

Recharge was the dominant app before Shopify built a native subscription API. It grew through integrations, enterprise sales, and a deep feature set built for high-volume DTC brands. Loop Subscriptions launched more recently on the native API and focused on UX quality. SimpleSubscription entered with a value-pricing thesis: match the feature set of both, charge less, charge no transaction fees. Understanding each app's origin explains its current strengths and weaknesses.

Recharge: built pre-native API, strongest enterprise features, highest all-in cost
Loop: native API, best out-of-the-box UX, mid-market pricing with transaction fees
SimpleSubscription: native API, full feature parity, flat $79/mo annual, zero transaction fees
All three now support the Subscription Contracts API for core billing

Pricing: what you actually pay at real revenue tiers

The advertised base price is rarely what a store pays. Recharge's Standard plan is $99/mo but adds 1.49% + 19c per transaction. Loop's pricing varies by plan and also includes transaction fees. SimpleSubscription charges $79/mo on the annual plan with no transaction fees on any plan. At scale, the difference is significant — and it is worth running the exact calculation at your MRR.

$5k MRR: Recharge ≈ $845+/mo all-in vs SimpleSubscription at $79/mo
$10k MRR: Recharge ≈ $1,589+/mo all-in vs SimpleSubscription at $79/mo
$25k MRR: Recharge ≈ $3,725+/mo all-in vs SimpleSubscription at $79/mo
Loop: mid-point between Recharge and SimpleSubscription — still has transaction fees
Annual savings switching from Recharge at $10k MRR: typically $15,000–$18,000

Feature comparison: where the three differ

At the core feature level — recurring billing, customer portal, skip/swap/pause, dunning, analytics — all three are roughly equivalent for stores under $1M ARR. The differences show up in depth of enterprise customisation (Recharge wins), polish of the customer-facing UX (Loop and SimpleSubscription are comparable), and total cost at any revenue tier (SimpleSubscription wins clearly).

Core billing: all three are equivalent for standard subscription intervals
Customer portal: Loop and SimpleSubscription comparable; Recharge strong on customisation
Dunning depth: SimpleSubscription and Recharge comparable; Loop adequate
Analytics: Recharge strongest at enterprise reporting; SimpleSubscription covers DTC needs
Build-a-box: all three support it; implementation depth varies
API access: all three offer API — SimpleSubscription includes it at base plan

Which app is right for which merchant

The choice depends on revenue scale, customisation requirements, and cost tolerance. Recharge makes sense for enterprise stores doing $1M+ ARR in subscription revenue who need deep custom integrations and have a developer team to maintain them. Loop makes sense for mid-market stores that prioritise UX and can absorb the transaction fees. SimpleSubscription makes sense for any store where the feature set is sufficient and saving thousands of dollars per month in fees matters.

Enterprise with custom integration needs and developer resources: consider Recharge
Mid-market focused on UX polish with moderate cost sensitivity: Loop is strong
Value-conscious DTC under $1M ARR wanting every feature: SimpleSubscription wins
Stores just starting subscriptions: SimpleSubscription's 30-day trial minimises risk
Stores switching from either competitor: free white-glove migration from SimpleSubscription

Migration between the three apps

Migrating between any of these three apps is now structurally similar since all three use the Subscription Contracts API. Active contracts migrate without subscriber action, billing dates are preserved, and payment methods remain with Shopify. The practical difference is support quality during migration. SimpleSubscription provides a dedicated migration team, handles the full process, and runs in parallel with the old app until the switch is complete.

Shopify native migration preserves all active contracts and billing dates
Payment methods stay with Shopify — customers do not re-enter card details
Run both apps simultaneously during migration — no downtime, no revenue gap
Typical migration duration: 5–10 business days including QA
SimpleSubscription migration team manages the full process at no extra charge

Run the numbers on your own store

30-day free trial. Free migration from Recharge or Loop. Cancel any time.

Start Free Trial on Shopify

30-day free trial · No credit card required · Cancel anytime · Save 20% with annual billing

Recharge vs Loop vsSimpleSubscription

How to choose between them

Each app is built for a different kind of merchant

Subscribe & Save

Customer Portal

Smart Cancellation Flows

Payment Recovery

Real-Time Analytics

Bundles & Boxes

Email & SMS Notifications

Loyalty & Rewards

Easy Migration

See it in action

Real-time subscription analytics

A customer portal your subscribers will love

Smart cancel flows that save subscribers

A structured path to subscription success

The math: where SimpleSubscription wins

See how much you save vs other apps

Simple pricing. No transaction fees.

Already using another app? Switch in 4 steps.

Connect

Review

Activate

Done

Recharge vs Loop vs SimpleSubscription — FAQ

Recharge vs Loop Subscriptions vs SimpleSubscription: the complete three-way comparison

Where each app came from — and why history matters

Pricing: what you actually pay at real revenue tiers

Feature comparison: where the three differ

Which app is right for which merchant

Migration between the three apps

Run the numbers on your own store

Recharge vs Loop vs
SimpleSubscription