Best Shopify Subscription Apps: 9 Picks and What They Really Cost

TL;DR: Appstle is the best value for most stores, with flat fees from $10 to $100 a month and 0% transaction fees. Loop is my pick for growing brands that need strong cancel flows. Recharge suits large brands that want the biggest app ecosystem. Shopify Subscriptions is free for simple setups. Before you pay, check the pricing unit: a 1% revenue cut costs far more than the monthly fee once you pass $50k a month.

Most Shopify subscription apps look cheap on the pricing page. Then the first bill shows up with a revenue cut and a per-order fee on top.

That matters because churn is already eating your margin. Eightx’s 2026 DTC subscription churn index reports that Recharge’s DTC merchant panel saw 7.1% monthly churn, and 3.0 points of that was involuntary, mostly failed payments.

So I compared nine apps on what you actually pay. I looked at the flat monthly fee, the percentage of subscription revenue, and the per-transaction fee. Then I worked out the cost at $10k, $50k and $200k in monthly subscription revenue.

I checked every price on the Shopify App Store listings and vendor pricing pages on November 1, 2026. I also looked at migration help, cancel flows and failed payment recovery.

If you are still building your full app stack, start with our guide to the best Shopify apps for every part of your store, then come back here for subscriptions.

What Is the Best Shopify Subscription App?

Appstle Subscriptions is the best Shopify subscription app for most stores, because it charges a flat fee with 0% transaction fees up to $100k in monthly subscription revenue. Loop is better if cancel flows and retention are your top need. Recharge fits large brands. Shopify Subscriptions is free for basic subscribe and save offers.

How Much Do Shopify Subscription Apps Cost?

Shopify subscription apps cost from $0 to about $600 a month in flat fees, plus up to 2% of subscription revenue and up to 20 cents per order. Flat-fee apps like Appstle and Seal stay cheap as you grow. Apps that take a revenue cut, like Recharge, Skio and Stay AI, can cost thousands per month at scale.

Prices are in USD and billed every 30 days unless noted.

Hidden costs and pricing traps to watch:

• Payment processing is extra. Recharge says its fees are separate from your platform, payment processor and other app costs. Every app on this list works the same way.
• Third-party gateway fees. Shopify’s subscription considerations page says third-party transaction fees apply on PayPal Express if Shopify Payments is not active. On the Shopify pricing page, that fee is 2% on Basic and 1% on Grow.
• Revenue caps. Appstle’s Business Premium tops out at $100,000 a month. Above that, you contact them for an Enterprise plan.
• Subscription caps. Seal’s paid plans stop at 500 subscriptions. Its listing says larger plans exist, but it does not publish their prices.
• Annual terms. Recharge Plus and Custom run on 12-month terms, so a downgrade waits until the term ends.
• Add-on fees. Recharge’s concierge SMS on Plus costs $0.03 per US message segment and $0.06 international.

What each app costs at three revenue levels (estimate based on listed prices). I assumed a $50 average subscription order and monthly delivery. That means about 200 orders and subscriptions at $10k, 1,000 at $50k, and 4,000 at $200k. Math: monthly fee + (revenue × percentage) + (orders × per-order fee). I used the cheapest listed plan that fits each level. These figures leave out your Shopify plan and payment processing.

Two things jump out. At $200k, Recharge’s 19-cent order fee adds $760 a month on its own. And upgrading does not always save money. Loop Pro beats Loop Starter only above $120k a month ($300 more in fees, 0.25% less in revenue cut). Recharge Plus only beats Starter above about $266,667 a month, so you upgrade for features, not savings.

The 9 Best Shopify Subscription Apps, Reviewed

1 Appstle Subscriptions: Best for Most Stores

Appstle Subscriptions is a flat-fee subscription app built by Appstle Inc. that charges no transaction fees on paid plans.

What it does well. Appstle prices by revenue band, not by a cut of each sale. You know your bill before the month starts. It also has the most reviews of any app here: 5.0 stars from 9,163 reviews on its App Store listing. Even the free plan includes hands-on migration and payment retry.

Key features:

• Pay-as-you-go and prepaid subscriptions on every plan
• Build-a-Box, bundling and cancellation control on Business
• Product swaps, checkout links and a custom email domain on Business Premium
• Works with Klaviyo, Gorgias, Shopify Flow, Shopify POS and Zapier

Pricing. Free up to $500 a month in subscription revenue. Starter is $10 a month ($96 a year) up to $5,000. Business is $30 a month ($288 a year) up to $15,000. Business Premium is $100 a month ($960 a year) up to $100,000. Paid plans have 0% transaction fees and a 14-day trial. See Appstle pricing.

Best for: You, if you want predictable costs and plan to stay under $100k a month in subscription revenue.

Limitations. Retention tools and Build-a-Box sit on the $30 plan, not Starter. Above $100k a month, pricing is quote only, so your costs stop being predictable just as you scale.

2 Loop Subscriptions: Best for Retention and Cancel Flows

Loop Subscriptions is a retention-focused subscription app from Loop Solutions Inc that takes a small revenue cut but no per-order fee.

What it does well. Loop is built around keeping subscribers. Starter includes personalized cancellation flows, smart dunning with 15 retries, and one-click email actions. It holds 5.0 stars from 802 reviews. Loop also does white-glove migration on every paid plan and says it charges no setup, migration or onboarding fees.

Key features:

• Personalized cancellation flows and offers
• Smart dunning with 15 payment retries
• Fixed and custom bundles, plus prepaid and gift subscriptions on Pro
• Works with Klaviyo, Attentive, Postscript, Rebuy and 35+ other apps

Pricing. Free plan for up to 50 active subscriptions. Starter is $99 a month plus 1.0%. Pro is $399 a month plus 0.75%. Enterprise is custom with negotiable fees. No per-order fee on any plan. Paid plans are month to month with a 14-day trial. See Loop pricing.

Best for: You, if churn is your biggest leak and you want cancel flows without paying per order.

Limitations. The free plan caps at 50 subscriptions, so it is a test drive, not a real tier. The 1% cut means Loop costs about six times more than Appstle at $50k a month in my estimate.

3 Recharge: Best for Large, Established Brands

Recharge is the longest-running subscription app on this list, live on the Shopify App Store since 2014.

What it does well. Recharge has the deepest ecosystem. It lists 4.8 stars from 3,149 reviews and works with Klaviyo, Attentive, Gorgias, Stripe and Triple Whale. Starter already includes cancellation prevention, failed payment recovery and win-back tools. Plus adds hands-on migration, bundles and loyalty. In April 2026, Recharge announced it acquired Skio, and says the two now serve 20,000+ brands and over $20B in annual GMV.

Key features:

• Smart cancellation prevention and win-back flows
• Failed payment recovery
• Analytics with industry benchmarks
• Customizable bundles, tiered discounts and loyalty on Plus

Pricing. The App Store lists a $25 a month plan with no transaction fees for the first 50 subscribers. Starter is $99 a month plus 1.49% + 19¢ per transaction, with a 60-day free trial. Plus is $499 a month plus 1.34% + 19¢. Custom is quote only. Plus and Custom use 12-month terms. See Recharge pricing.

Best for: You, if you run a large subscription brand and need the most integrations and a long track record.

Limitations. Recharge has the highest variable fees here. It was the most expensive app at $200k a month in my estimate. The $25 plan does not appear on Recharge’s own pricing page.

4 Shopify Subscriptions: Best Free Option

Shopify Subscriptions is Shopify’s own free subscription app, launched in January 2024.

What it does well. It costs nothing beyond your Shopify plan and runs natively in your admin. It can also import subscription contracts from other apps. For a store testing subscribe and save, this is the zero-risk start.

Key features:

• Auto-billed subscriptions with discounts
• Skip, pause and cancel for customers
• Subscription reporting

Pricing. Free. You still need a paid Shopify plan, which starts at $39 a month on Basic billed monthly, or $29 billed yearly. See Shopify Subscriptions pricing.

Best for: You, if you sell a few subscription products and want to test demand before paying for an app.

Limitations. Shopify’s help center says bundles are not compatible with the app. A review from Ecommerce Platforms calls the app “a little basic” and its analytics limited. It also has the lowest rating here: 3.8 stars from 883 reviews. No Klaviyo integration is listed.

5 Seal Subscriptions: Best for Small Stores on a Budget

Seal Subscriptions is a low-cost subscription app that prices by number of subscriptions, with unlimited revenue and 0% fees.

What it does well. Seal is the cheapest paid option here. Even the free plan includes full API and webhook access, product swaps and multi-language support. It holds 4.9 stars from 3,161 reviews. Because Seal counts subscriptions, not revenue, it suits high-priced products.

Key features:

• Product swaps and automations on the free plan
• Passwordless customer portal and renewal reminders
• Custom cancellation flow from the $9.95 plan
• Works with Klaviyo, Attentive, Gorgias and PageFly

Pricing. Free for 50 subscriptions. Paid tiers are $5.95 (100 subscriptions), $9.95 (250) and $24.95 (500) a month, or 20% less billed yearly. All have 0% transaction fees and a 30-day trial. See Seal pricing.

Best for: You, if you have under 500 subscribers and want the lowest possible bill.

Limitations. Plans above 500 subscriptions are not published. Seal does not list migration help on its App Store page, so ask before you switch.

6 Skio: Best for Premium DTC Brands

Skio is a premium subscription platform for DTC brands, now listed as “a Recharge Company” on the App Store.

What it does well. Skio does not gate features by tier. You get everything on one plan. That includes a multi-step cancel flow builder, passwordless login, Build-a-Box and smart payment recovery. Its pricing page says migration is included and claims it can move 50k+ subscriptions. It holds 5.0 stars from 244 reviews.

Key features:

• Multi-step cancel flow builder
• Static and dynamic Build-a-Box
• Zero-downtime migration

Pricing. Scale is $599 a month billed monthly, or $499 a month billed yearly, plus 1% + 20¢ per order with a subscription. Enterprise is custom. See Skio pricing.

Best for: You, if you run a premium DTC brand above $50k a month and want every feature without tier upgrades.

Limitations. At $10k a month, Skio was the most expensive app in my estimate at $739. No free plan or trial is listed. A combined roadmap with Recharge is coming, so the product may change.

7 Stay AI: Best for Retention Analytics

Stay AI is a subscription app focused on churn forecasting and promotions across the subscriber journey.

What it does well. Its RetentionEngine forecasts subscription revenue and works to prevent churn. ExperienceEngine runs promotions across the subscriber journey. It holds 4.9 stars from 148 reviews.

Key features:

• RetentionEngine for churn prevention and forecasting
• ExperienceEngine for subscriber promotions
• No-code customer portal with custom design and copy
• Works with Klaviyo, Rebuy, Aftersell, Postscript and Shopify POS

Pricing. One Monthly Plan at $499 a month plus 1% + 19¢ per transaction, with a 30-day free trial. See Stay AI pricing.

Best for: You, if you have the volume to justify $499 a month and want forecasting built in.

Limitations. The listing does not explain how its AI works, so judge it on a trial. Costs match Recharge and Skio at scale.

8 Bold Subscriptions: Best for Low Fees With Prepaid Plans

Bold Subscriptions is a long-standing subscription app from Bold with low monthly fees and unlimited subscribers.

What it does well. Bold’s Scale plan has the lowest revenue cut of the percentage-based apps at 0.9%. It was the cheapest of them at $50k and $200k in my estimate. Bold offers free migration from any platform, plus 3 months free if you switch. It also connects to churn tools like ProsperStack and Churn Buster.

Key features:

• Prepaid and convertible subscriptions
• Dunning and collections management
• ProsperStack cancellation prevention on Ultimate Retention
• Works with Klaviyo, PayPal Express, Authorize.net and Zapier

Pricing. Launch is $24.99 a month plus 2%. Grow is $49.99 plus 1%. Scale is $74.99 plus 0.9%. Ultimate Retention is $399.99 plus 0.9%. Launch, Grow and Scale include a 30-day trial. See Bold pricing.

Best for: You, if you are switching apps and want low fees plus free migration.

Limitations. Bold has the second lowest rating here at 4.0 stars from 381 reviews. Skip Launch: its 2% cut costs more than Grow at any revenue above $2,500 a month.

9 Smartrr: Best for Memberships and Loyalty

Smartrr is a subscription and membership app that adds loyalty, referrals and digital subscriptions on its top plan.

What it does well. Smartrr covers more models than most. Excel adds loyalty rewards, referrals, a retention survey and AI-powered Klaviyo flows. It holds 4.9 stars from 71 reviews.

Key features:

• Loyalty, referrals and memberships on Excel
• Works with Klaviyo and Postscript

Pricing. Launch is $99 a month, Grow is $299, and Excel starts at $499. Every plan adds 1% of subscriber GMV and includes a 14-day trial. See Smartrr pricing.

Best for: You, if you want subscriptions and a loyalty program in one app.

Limitations. It has the fewest reviews here (71). Loyalty sits on the $499 plan, so a separate loyalty app plus Appstle may cost less.

Which Shopify Subscription App Should You Pick?

Pick by revenue and by your biggest problem. Under $100k a month with simple needs, Appstle or Seal keeps costs lowest. If churn is the issue, Loop gives you cancel flows without a per-order fee. Large brands that want the deepest integrations should look at Recharge. First-time testers can start with free Shopify Subscriptions.

How Do You Choose a Shopify Subscription App?

Choose a Shopify subscription app by modeling your cost at next year’s revenue, then checking cancel flows, payment recovery, migration and integrations. A flat-fee app stays flat as you grow. A 1% app grows with every order you ship, so the gap widens each month you scale.

1. Model the pricing unit at your target revenue. Appstle charges by revenue band. Seal charges by subscription count. Loop, Smartrr and Bold take a percentage. Recharge, Skio and Stay AI add a per-order fee on top. Example: a $40 coffee subscription with 1,250 monthly orders is $50k. On Recharge Starter, that is about $1,082 a month ($99 + $745 + $237.50). On Appstle, it is $100.
2. Check the cancel flow. Recurly’s State of Subscriptions 2026 report says 3 in 4 subscribers who pause eventually return. So you want a cancel flow that offers pause and skip first. Loop, Skio and Appstle Business all include cancellation flows. Bold sells ProsperStack built in on Ultimate Retention.
3. Check failed payment recovery. Involuntary churn comes from failed cards. Look for smart retries, like Loop’s 15-retry dunning. Also note Shopify’s help center says automatic card updates are a Shopify Payments feature. Other gateways may make customers update cards by hand.
4. Plan your migration before you sign. Switching apps means moving subscription contracts and saved cards. Shopify’s payment method migration guide says card number migration needs Shopify Plus or Enterprise. A slower method can take months. PayPal billing agreements cannot move through Shopify’s Professional Services. Bold, Loop, Skio, Appstle and Stay AI all list migration help.
5. Confirm your gateway and plan fit. Subscriptions only work with Shopify Payments, PayPal Express, Authorize.net, Adyen or Stripe, and Stripe is limited to select merchants. Bundles do not work with Shopify Subscriptions. If you are not on Shopify at all, compare platforms first in our guide to the best ecommerce hosting.
6. Check your email and pricing stack. Every paid app here lists Klaviyo. Shopify Subscriptions does not. If you are picking an email tool too, see our list of the best AI email marketing software. Brands that test subscribe and save discounts can also look at AI dynamic pricing tools.

How We Researched This Guide

On November 1, 2026, I checked the Shopify App Store listing for all nine apps. I recorded plan names, monthly fees, transaction fees, limits, trials, ratings and review counts. I also checked the vendor pricing pages for Recharge, Skio, Loop and Bold, Shopify’s own pricing page, and four Shopify Help Center and developer pages on eligibility and migration.

I reviewed five top-ranking competitor guides to see which apps they cover and what they miss. Most skipped the per-order fee.

The cost estimates use a $50 average order and monthly delivery. I could not confirm the transaction fee on Appstle’s and Loop’s free plans, Seal’s pricing above 500 subscriptions, Appstle’s Enterprise pricing, or whether Skio offers a free trial.

We did not test these tools ourselves. No vendor pays to be listed or ranked. Read our editorial policy to learn how we pick and review tools.

Prices last checked: November 1, 2026.

The Bottom Line

The best Shopify subscription app is the one whose pricing unit fits your growth. For most stores, that is Appstle. Its flat fee and 0% transaction fees keep your bill at $100 or less up to $100k a month. Pick Seal under 500 subscribers, Loop if churn is your biggest leak, and Recharge if you need the deepest ecosystem. Start with Shopify Subscriptions to test demand for free.

Your next step: take your current monthly subscription revenue, double it, and run it through the cost table above. Then start a free trial on your top two picks. Once your billing app is set, round out your back office with our guide to the best business software for growing companies.

Frequently Asked Questions