The Seal Subscriptions
Alternative for Shopify
Seal does the core subscription job well — and the free plan is generous (up to 150 subscribers). When you outgrow it, SimpleSubscription is the first subscription app on Shopify powered by Shopify Sidekick AI — run your subscriptions from chat: ask, confirm, done in one click. Plus AI churn predictions, built-in A/B testing, AI-driven frequency optimizer, per-currency MRR, custom portal domain, and custom email/SMS providers — features Seal doesn't have at any price.
SimpleSubscription vs Seal Subscriptions
A detailed side-by-side comparison. See what each app supports — and what's included flat with SimpleSubscription that Seal doesn't offer at any tier.
What Seal tier do you need?
Seal's free plan is generous, but AI features and Sidekick aren't available at any tier. SimpleSubscription includes them flat.
Seal stops at retention basics. To get AI churn predictions, built-in A/B testing, the first subscription app on Shopify powered by Shopify Sidekick AI (1-click subscriber actions from chat), per-currency MRR, and custom portal domain you have to switch — Seal doesn't sell them at any tier.
Run subscriptions from a
single chat box
SimpleSubscription brings your subscription data to Sidekick AI, so you can manage anything subscription-related from chat — right inside Shopify admin.
Five storefront moments that grow subscription revenue
Five surfaces, five revenue levers — from subscribe widget to smart cancellation flow.
A subscribe widget that buyers actually click
The product page is where one-time buyers turn into subscribers — or don't. The widget surfaces the discount and delivery cadence before the buyer scrolls, then lets them check out with Shopify's native checkout. No off-platform redirect, no second login, no drop-off.
- Native Shopify checkout — no redirect, no drop-off
- Discount up front — savings shown before the click
- Built-in A/B testing — test, measure, ship the winner
Turn every renewal into an unboxing moment
Curate a fresh theme each cycle and ship the surprise — your roaster's picks this month, a seasonal sampler next month. Subscribers stay because the next box is always different, and discovery beats discounting on retention. Same widget, same Shopify checkout.
- Monthly themes — never the same box twice
- Value-led pricing — "worth $58" vs "$39 today"
- Lower churn than fixed — discovery beats predictability
Paid memberships that compound MRR
Tier-based memberships sit on top of physical subscriptions: members-only pricing, exclusive products, early access, recurring perks. New revenue stream, same checkout — and members renew at much higher rates than one-time buyers because they're paying for ongoing access, not a single delivery.
- Tier-based perks — pricing, drops, early access
- Native Shopify checkout — no payment-page redirect
- Stacks on physical subs — incremental MRR on top
A portal subscribers actually use
Every action a subscriber would email you about — skip a delivery, pause, swap a product, change frequency, update payment — is one click in the portal. When pausing is easier than cancelling, churn drops. When subscribers manage themselves, your support inbox shrinks.
- Skip beats cancel — easier alternatives one click away
- Magic-link login — no passwords, no support resets
- 60% fewer tickets — measured across migrated stores
Save the cancel before it happens
Most cancellations have a fixable reason — too much stock, wrong cadence, wrong product. The retention flow asks why, then offers the right counter — pause, discount, swap, or skip — based on the answer. And for the ones who still slip through, automated win-back campaigns bring lapsed subscribers back to life.
- Reason-matched offers — pause, discount, or swap by intent
- AI churn predictions — flag at-risk subs weeks early
- 35% save rate — measured across active flows
Real reasons merchants switch from Seal
First subscription app powered by Shopify Sidekick AI
Run your subscriptions from Sidekick chat — ask, confirm, done in one click. Sidekick handles every subscription workflow: ask any subscription question (MRR, churn, at-risk customers, failed payments, win-back performance, strategic insights with ranked actions), run any per-subscriber action through a 1-click confirmation dialog (pause, resume, skip, cancel, reactivate, apply discount, change frequency, change billing date, update address, refund last order, send payment-update link, swap product, and more), and deep-link to any admin editor. Seal doesn't extend Sidekick. Included on every SimpleSubscription plan, even Free.
AI churn predictions
SimpleSubscription's churn model scores every active subscriber so you can win them back before they cancel. Seal lacks built-in churn prediction at every tier — you're stuck reading dashboards after the fact.
Built-in A/B testing
Split-test your cancel-flow offers, pricing, and retention messages with statistical reporting. Seal has no experimentation tools — every "what should we try?" decision is a guess.
Per-currency MRR for Shopify Markets
Selling in EUR, USD, GBP? SimpleSubscription Premium reports MRR per currency rather than silently summing exchange-rate-converted numbers. Seal doesn't have a multi-currency MRR breakdown.
Custom portal domain (CNAME)
Host your customer portal on subs.yourdomain.com — SimpleSubscription Premium maps a CNAME and TLS for you. Seal whitelabels portal branding but doesn't support a custom domain.
Custom email & SMS providers (BYO)
Use your own SendGrid, Postmark, or Twilio account — your bills, your deliverability, your sender reputation. Seal sends from their shared infrastructure; you can't bring your own provider.
Switch from Seal in 4 simple steps
Your subscribers won't notice a thing. Both apps run in parallel until you activate.
Connect
Install SimpleSubscription alongside Seal. We read your existing subscription contracts and selling plans automatically.
Review
Your subscriptions appear in a staging area. Browse every contract, verify selling plan mappings, and check customer data before anything goes live.
Activate
Happy with what you see? One click to activate. Both apps run in parallel during the switch — zero revenue gap.
Done
Subscriptions live. AI churn predictions and A/B testing start immediately. Sidekick available from day one.
Zero risk, zero downtime. Seal and SimpleSubscription run simultaneously during migration. Your subscription data is staged privately before anything goes live — cancel with one click if you change your mind.
Three plans. Zero transaction fees.
Start free for up to 100 subscribers. 14-day free trial on paid plans. Cancel anytime.
- Subscribe & Save widget
- Annual subscription billing
- Self-service customer portal
- 14 languages supported
- Passwordless login (magic link)
- Automatic transactional emails
- Portal branding (colors & logo)
- Failed payment recovery
- Smart cancellation flow
- Free migration & API/CSV import
- Shopify Sidekick AI extension
- 0% transaction fees
- MRR & revenue analytics
- Everything in Free
- Subscription bundles (build-a-box)
- Mystery boxes with automated rotation
- Bulk subscription actions
- Frequency optimizer
- Personalized gift subscriptions
- Free trial subscriptions
- Checkout & cart upsells
- Portal add-ons & cross-sell
- Custom discount & delivery rules
- Loyalty ladder & rewards points
- Refer-a-friend program
- Win-back campaigns
- Subscription & churn analytics
- Everything in Growth
- Tier-based membership program
- White-labeled customer portal
- Custom domain on portal
- Custom email providers
- Customizable email templates
- Automatic SMS notifications
- Custom storefront translations
- Customer auto-tagging
- Shopify Flow triggers
- Built-in A/B testing
- Smart churn predictions
- Product performance analytics
- Per-currency MRR breakdown
- Advanced forecasts & insights
Common questions about switching from Seal
How does migration from Seal Subscriptions work?
Both apps use Shopify's Subscription Contracts API, so migration preserves all active contracts without subscriber action. Selling plans are recreated in SimpleSubscription to match your existing structure. Active billing dates, pause/skip states, and subscription histories all carry over. The typical migration takes 5–7 business days and runs in parallel with Seal, so there is no downtime.
Both apps have a free plan and 0% transaction fees. What's the real difference?
Seal's free plan is genuinely generous (up to 150 subscribers vs our 50), and Seal does the core subscription job very well — that's the honest baseline. The differentiators are (1) we are the first subscription app on Shopify powered by Shopify Sidekick AI — ask any subscription question, run any per-subscriber action (pause, refund, change frequency from chat in one click), jump to any admin editor — included on every plan; (2) features Seal doesn't have at any price: AI churn predictions, built-in A/B testing, AI-driven frequency optimizer, per-currency MRR breakdown, custom domain on portal, and custom email/SMS providers (BYO SendGrid/Twilio); (3) magic-link passwordless login for subscribers, included on Free.
Seal's free plan covers up to 150 subscribers. Why would I pay $39/mo on Growth?
If you're under 150 subscribers and don't need retention features beyond basic cancellation, stay on Seal — it's a fine free option. You move to SimpleSubscription Growth when you want the retention stack (smart cancel flow with multi-step retention offers, AI-driven frequency optimizer, loyalty ladder, win-back campaigns) consolidated into one app, plus Premium-tier unlocks like AI churn predictions, A/B testing, custom domain, and per-currency MRR that Seal doesn't offer at any tier.
Do I lose features when moving from Seal to SimpleSubscription?
No. SimpleSubscription matches Seal's feature set at equivalent plan levels and adds several that Seal doesn't have at any tier: the first subscription app on Shopify powered by Shopify Sidekick AI (ask any question, run any per-subscriber action in one click, jump to any admin editor), AI churn predictions, built-in A/B testing, AI frequency optimizer, per-currency MRR breakdown, custom portal domain, and custom email/SMS providers.
How long does migration take?
Most Seal migrations complete in 5–7 business days. We create a staging environment so you can review every subscription before it goes live. Seal and SimpleSubscription run simultaneously during the switch — zero revenue gap.
What happens to my Seal selling plans?
Selling plans are recreated in SimpleSubscription to match your existing discount and frequency structure. Mixed-subscription orders (different intervals per item) are preserved. Custom shipping rates configured in Seal are migrated through Shopify's native shipping rules.
Does SimpleSubscription have memberships like Seal?
Yes — tier-based memberships are included on our Premium plan ($99/mo) with progressive perks per tier. Seal includes memberships in their paid tiers too. The differentiator on memberships specifically: SimpleSubscription supports custom portal domain and white-label branding at Premium for membership portals, which Seal doesn't offer.
What about Seal's API and webhooks?
Seal includes REST API and webhook access; SimpleSubscription does too. Both support Klaviyo integration. SimpleSubscription adds native Shopify Flow triggers on Premium so subscription events can drive Shopify automations without custom webhook plumbing.
Is the Sidekick extension included on the Free plan?
Yes. SimpleSubscription is the first subscription app on Shopify powered by Shopify Sidekick AI, and it's included on every plan, including Free. Sidekick handles every subscription workflow — ask any subscription question (MRR, churn, at-risk customers, failed payments, win-back performance, strategic insights with ranked actions), run any per-subscriber action through a 1-click confirmation dialog (pause, resume, skip, cancel, reactivate, apply discount, change frequency, change billing date, update address, refund last order, send payment-update link, swap product, and more), and deep-link to any admin editor. On Premium, data queries get richer: churn predictions, A/B test results, per-currency MRR, and Shopify Flow triggers.
What is the best Seal Subscriptions alternative for Shopify?
SimpleSubscription is a strong Seal Subscriptions alternative for stores that have outgrown Seal's analytics, want AI retention features (churn predictions, A/B testing, frequency optimizer), or need to be powered by Shopify Sidekick AI. Both apps offer 0% transaction fees and free plans. The key differentiators are the Sidekick integration (pause, refund, change frequency from chat in one click), per-currency MRR, custom portal domain, and custom email/SMS providers — features Seal doesn't have at any price.
The AI features Seal doesn't have at any price.
Switch from Seal in under a week. Free migration, zero downtime.
Free for up to 100 subscribers · 14-day trial on paid plans · Cancel anytime