Recharge vs Shopify Subscriptions: Which Is Right for Your Store?

Key Takeaways

• Shopify Subscriptions is free and a sound place to start, but it needs a supported payment gateway and a theme with sections and blocks, and it does not offer bundles.
• Recharge costs more and does more. Starter is $99 a month plus 1.49% plus 19 cents per transaction; bundles, rewards and referrals need the $499 Plus plan.
• New stores can start on Recharge's $25 plan, which covers up to 50 lifetime subscription customers with no transaction fees.
• On a store with 500 subscribers paying $40 a month, Recharge Starter costs about $492 a month and Plus about $862. Starter pays for itself if it keeps around 21 subscriber months a month at a 60% margin.
• Retention decides which app is worth it. Recurly found about a third of ecommerce churn comes from failed payments, and across 150 stores we work with, subscribers who can skip or pause churn 78% less.
• UK rules due in January 2027 will require reminders, easier cancellation and a cooling off period, whichever app you choose.

Quick Answer

If you are launching subscriptions for the first time, Shopify Subscriptions is usually the right start: it is free, built by Shopify and covers the essentials, provided your payment gateway and theme are supported. Move to Recharge when subscriptions become a core part of the business and retention is where the money is. Recharge Starter adds a customer portal, cancellation offers, failed payment recovery, upsells and win back tools for $99 a month plus 1.49% plus 19 cents per transaction. Choose Recharge Plus at $499 a month if you need bundles, rewards or referrals. Whichever you pick, the returns come from how well you keep subscribers, not from the app itself.

Table of Contents

• Why This Comparison Matters
• Shopify Subscriptions at a Glance
• Recharge at a Glance
• Side by Side
• What It Costs in Practice
• Limits to Check Before You Choose
• UK Rules Coming in 2027
• How to Decide
• When to Move to Recharge
• Why Matters Perspective
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Final Thoughts
• Related Articles

Why This Comparison Matters

Subscriptions compound. Across 20,000 brands in Recharge's 2026 Subscription Trend Report, subscribers placed nearly three times as many orders as one time shoppers. Keeping them is the hard part: Recurly's State of Subscriptions report found that 52% of consumers cancelled at least one subscription in the past year, and that nearly one in four new sign ups came from a former subscriber.

That is why the choice of app matters less at launch and more as the programme grows. A free app that cannot run a cancellation offer is cheap until churn starts costing more than a paid app would.

The results can be significant. Mama Bamboo, an award winning nappy subscription brand we work with, cut churn by 23% within three months and raised subscription lifetime value by 45% within five months after working with us.

Shopify Subscriptions at a Glance

Shopify Subscriptions is Shopify's own app, and it has no app fee. Shopify's Help Center guide sets out what it needs and what it does:

• Payment gateways: Shopify Payments, PayPal Express, Authorize.net and Adyen, plus Stripe for select merchants
• Theme: it needs a theme that supports sections and blocks
• Policies: Shopify requires a published cancellation policy
• Reporting: analytics for active, paused and cancelled subscriptions, and you can import and export subscription contracts
• Limits: no bundles, gift cards and Scripts apply to the first payment only, and draft orders are not supported
• Card updates: automatic card updates have the widest coverage in the United States

Shopify's sales reports can also be split by subscription and one time purchases, and the customer cohort analysis report can filter first orders by subscription, which makes it easy to measure a first programme.

Recharge at a Glance

Recharge is a dedicated subscription platform for Shopify stores, and its pricing page lists three routes in:

Starter does not include bundles, rewards or referrals, so check which plan the features you need sit on before you compare prices.

Recharge's cancellation prevention asks customers why they are leaving and shows a tailored offer for each reason, reports each attempt as saved or abandoned, and lets you A/B test offers. Recharge also publishes guidance on keeping cancellation flows compliant with regional laws. It also integrates with Klaviyo, so renewal, pause and cancellation events can trigger emails in Klaviyo.

Skio is now part of Recharge. Skio joined Recharge on 30 April 2026, and both platforms continue with a combined roadmap. Recharge did not disclose the terms, but Skio's founder told TechCrunch the deal was worth $105 million in cash.

Side by Side

Shopify adds features to its app regularly, so confirm the current list in the Help Center before deciding on the strength of a missing feature.

What It Costs in Practice

Take a store with 500 subscribers paying $40 a month, so $20,000 of subscription revenue and 500 orders a month:

Now look at what the money buys. At a 60% gross margin, each subscriber you keep for another month is worth about $24. Starter's $492 is covered by keeping around 21 subscriber months a month, roughly 4% of this base. Our clients tell us that is exactly how they judge Recharge: as a good investment when it quickly pays back its monthly cost.

Failed payments are a big part of that sum. Recurly's churn benchmarks put ecommerce churn at 4.25%, with 1.38 points of it involuntary, so about a third comes from failed payments. Recurly labels these annual rates, although its own worked example treats a similar figure as monthly, so check the period before you model with them.

Limits to Check Before You Choose

• Your payment gateway. If it is not on Shopify Subscriptions' list, that app is not an option.
• Your theme. Shopify Subscriptions needs a theme that supports sections and blocks, and older themes may need upgrading first.
• Your cancellation policy. Shopify Subscriptions requires one to be published.
• Gift cards, Scripts and draft orders. Gift cards and Scripts apply to the first payment only, and draft orders are not supported.
• International customers. Automatic card updates have the widest coverage in the United States, so plan how you will handle expired cards elsewhere.
• The Recharge plan you actually need. Bundles, rewards and referrals sit on Plus, and the $25 plan stops at 50 lifetime subscription customers.
• The trial. Recharge Starter has a 60 day free trial, which is long enough to test cancellation offers on real customers.

UK Rules Coming in 2027

The UK government has announced subscription rules due in January 2027. They require clearer upfront information, regular reminders, easier cancellation and a 14 day cooling off period after a trial or a long term contract renewal.

Neither app makes you compliant on its own. You need clear terms at checkout, reminder emails before renewals, and a cancellation route as simple as the sign up. Show the subscription option clearly on product pages rather than selecting it by default, and make sure any cancellation offer is easy to decline.

How to Decide

In words, work down three questions and stop at the first yes:

1. Do you need bundles, rewards or referrals? Choose Recharge Plus.
2. Is churn costing you real revenue? Choose Recharge Starter, and use its trial to prove the cancellation offers pay back.
3. Is your gateway or theme unsupported by Shopify Subscriptions? Compare Recharge and the other apps in our subscription app guide against your gateway.
4. None of the above? Start with Shopify Subscriptions.

Our comparison of the best Shopify subscription apps covers Loop, Appstle and Seal as well.

When to Move to Recharge

Most stores that start on Shopify Subscriptions reach a point where the free app costs more than it saves. The signals are consistent:

• Subscriptions have become a core revenue line rather than an extra
• Customers cancel without being offered a pause, a skip or a better fit. Across 150 stores we work with, subscribers who can skip or pause a delivery churn 78% less than those who cannot
• Failed payments are a visible share of churn
• You want to sell bundles or reward loyal subscribers
• You want to test offers rather than guess

Plan the move like any migration: export your subscription contracts, map products and plans, test renewals, and tell subscribers what is changing and when. Our guide to subscription metrics explains what to measure before and after, so you can see whether the move paid off.

Why Matters Perspective

We are a Recharge partner and a Klaviyo partner, so weigh our view with that in mind.

Most of our clients say Recharge offers advanced features, deep customisation and enterprise grade tools for scaling recurring revenue. Most use it for the customisation that helps reduce churn, and they see it as a good investment when it quickly pays back its monthly cost. Results like Mama Bamboo's depend on the retention work built around an app as much as on the app itself.

We still recommend Shopify Subscriptions for many first launches. It is free, it is simple, and it lets you prove demand before you pay for tools. The mistake we see most is the opposite one: brands that spend all their effort winning subscribers and very little keeping them.

If you want help choosing or moving, our Shopify subscriptions service covers setup, migration and retention. Our pricing is published and development projects carry a 3 month guarantee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Shopify Subscriptions free?

Yes. Shopify Subscriptions has no app fee. You still pay your Shopify plan and normal payment processing, and it only works with supported payment gateways and a theme that supports sections and blocks.

How much does Recharge cost?

Recharge has a $25 a month plan for new stores with up to 50 lifetime subscription customers and no transaction fees. Starter costs $99 a month plus 1.49% plus 19 cents per transaction, and Plus costs $499 a month plus 1.34% plus 19 cents on a 12 month term. Check Recharge's pricing page before you commit, because plans change.

Can Shopify Subscriptions sell subscription bundles?

No. Shopify Subscriptions does not support bundles. On Recharge, bundles are part of the Plus plan rather than Starter.

When should a store move from Shopify Subscriptions to Recharge?

When subscriptions have become a core revenue line and retention is where the money is: you need tailored cancellation offers, stronger failed payment recovery, bundles, rewards or referrals. Recharge Starter should pay for itself through the subscribers it helps you keep.

What happened to Skio?

Skio joined Recharge on 30 April 2026. Recharge says both platforms continue with a combined roadmap, and Skio's founder told TechCrunch the deal was worth $105 million in cash.

What UK subscription rules are coming?

The UK government has announced rules due in January 2027 that require clearer upfront information, regular reminders, easier cancellation and a 14 day cooling off period after a trial or a long term contract renewal. Build reminders and a simple cancellation route now, whichever app you use.

Does Why Matters recommend Recharge?

We are a Recharge partner, so weigh our view with that in mind. For brands where subscriptions drive the business, our clients tell us Recharge's customisation helps reduce churn and quickly pays back its monthly cost. For a first subscription offer, Shopify Subscriptions is often the right place to start.

Final Thoughts

Shopify Subscriptions and Recharge are not really competitors. One is a free way to start; the other is a retention platform for brands where subscriptions drive the business.

Start where your programme is today, measure churn from the first month, and move when keeping subscribers is worth more than the fee. Whichever you choose, build the reminders and the simple cancellation route the UK rules will require.

Related Articles

• The Best Shopify Subscription Apps: A Complete Comparison Guide
• How to Add Subscriptions to Shopify: A Complete Guide for Store Owners
• Shopify Subscription Metrics Every Merchant Should Track
• The Biggest Shopify Subscription Mistakes Brands Make (And How to Avoid Them)
• Klaviyo Flows Every Shopify Subscription Brand Should Build
• How to Get Shopify Repeat Customers: A Practical Implementation Guide