Subscriptions are the closest thing ecommerce has to predictable revenue. A customer who subscribes once can buy from you every month without seeing another ad. But the Shopify subscription app you choose decides how smooth that experience is, how many subscribers you keep, and how much of each renewal you actually keep after fees.
We compared the 10 best Shopify subscription apps on live App Store pricing, transaction fees, free plans, features, merchant reviews and real questions from the Shopify Community. Every price and rating below was checked on the live Shopify App Store listings in October 2026.
- Best overall for scaling brands: Recharge, the most mature platform with the biggest ecosystem.
- Best value: Appstle, 5.0 from 8,900+ reviews and 0% transaction fees.
- Best for reducing churn: Loop, smart cancel flows and free for 50 subscribers.
- Best premium experience: Skio or Stay AI for brands with budget.
- Best for enterprise: Ordergroove, from $2,917 a month.
- Best free start with low fees: Joy, free for 50 subscribers, then 0.5% to 0.75%.
- Best for prepaid and upsells: Bold, with unlimited subscribers from $24.99 a month.
- Best low cost: Kaching at $9.99 a month, or free with Fast Subscriptions.
Table of contents
- TL;DR: the short answer
- Quick comparison table
- What each app really costs
- What a Shopify subscription app does
- How we picked these apps
- 1. Recharge
- 2. Appstle
- 3. Loop
- 4. Skio
- 5. Stay AI
- 6. Joy
- 7. Ordergroove
- 8. Kaching
- 9. Bold
- 10. Fast Subscriptions
- How subscription app pricing works
- How to choose the right app
- Switching apps without losing subscribers
- How to set up subscriptions on Shopify
- Mistakes to avoid
- What merchants are asking
- Our verdict
- FAQ
Best Shopify subscription apps compared
Hover over a row to highlight it, or tap Get app to open the App Store listing.
| App | Best for | Rating | Free plan | Pricing | Transaction fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Recharge |
Scaling DTC brands | ★ 4.8 (3,135) | 60-day trial | From $25/mo | 1.34% to 1.49% + 19¢ | Get app |
 Appstle |
Best value | ★ 5.0 (8,978) | Yes, to $500/mo revenue | Free to $100/mo | 0% | Get app |
 Loop |
Churn reduction | ★ 5.0 (784) | Yes, up to 50 subs | Free to $399/mo | 0.75% to 1% | Get app |
 Skio |
Premium DTC brands | ★ 5.0 (243) | No | $499 to $599/mo | 1% + 20¢ | Get app |
 Stay AI |
AI retention | ★ 4.9 (148) | 30-day trial | $499/mo | 1% + 19¢ | Get app |
 Joy |
Budget growth | ★ 4.9 (462) | Yes, up to 50 subs | Free to $199/mo | 0.5% to 0.75% | Get app |
 Ordergroove |
Enterprise | ★ 5.0 (21) | No | From $2,917/mo | Custom | Get app |
 Kaching |
Budget flat fee | ★ 5.0 (1,122) | Dev stores, 14-day trial | $9.99 to $24.99/mo | 0% | Get app |
 Bold |
Prepaid and upsells | ★ 4.0 (381) | 30-day trial | $24.99 to $74.99/mo | 0.9% to 2% | Get app |
 Fast Subscriptions |
Free boxes and memberships | ★ 5.0 (24) | Free app | Free | 0% | Get app |
What each subscription app really costs
The monthly price is only half the story. Many apps also take a percentage of every renewal, and that fee often decides which app is cheapest once you grow. Here is the estimated monthly app cost at three levels of subscription revenue:
| App | $5k / month | $10k / month | $50k / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recharge |
$197 | $296 | $1,082 |
| Appstle |
$10 | $30 | $100 |
| Loop |
$149 | $199 | $599 |
| Skio |
$674 | $749 | $1,349 |
| Stay AI |
$573 | $646 | $1,236 |
| Joy |
$86 | $124 | $424 |
| Ordergroove |
From $2,917 | From $2,917 | From $2,917 |
| Kaching |
$25 | $25 | Contact vendor |
| Bold |
$100 | $150 | $525 |
| Fast Subscriptions |
$0 | $0 | $0 |
Assumes a $40 average subscription order. Uses each app's cheapest plan that covers that revenue, billed monthly. Excludes payment processing fees, which apply to every app. Ordergroove is quoted per program. Kaching's listed plans stop at $10k a month.
Two things stand out. At $10,000 a month, the flat-fee and free apps cost between $0 and $30, while the percentage-based apps run from $124 (Joy) to $749 (Skio). And at $50,000 a month, Appstle still costs $100 while Recharge passes $1,000. That does not make the cheaper apps better. The premium platforms earn their fees with retention tools, integrations and account management, but you should know the number before you choose.
What a Shopify subscription app actually does
A subscription app adds recurring payments to your Shopify store. It shows a "subscribe and save" option on product pages, stores the customer's payment method, creates renewal orders on schedule, retries failed cards, and gives customers a portal to manage their plan. Most apps support some mix of these models:
Can Shopify do subscriptions on its own? Shopify offers a free first-party app, Shopify Subscriptions, that covers basic subscribe-and-save. For bundles, boxes, memberships or advanced retention tools, you need one of the third-party apps below.
How we picked these apps
Every app was judged on the same six points:
- Total cost as you grow: monthly fee, transaction fee and plan limits at realistic revenue levels.
- Subscription models: subscribe and save, prepaid, boxes, memberships and digital products.
- Customer portal: how easily subscribers can pause, skip, swap or cancel on their own.
- Retention tools: dunning, payment recovery, cancellation flows and win-back offers.
- Shopify fit: Shopify Checkout, customer accounts, POS, Flow and Built for Shopify status.
- Merchant sentiment: App Store ratings and review volume, independent review sites and recurring themes in Shopify Community threads.
Ecomzier works with a number of app partners as a Shopify Plus agency. Each app was scored on the same checklist.
The 10 best Shopify subscription apps in 2026
1. Recharge Subscriptions
Recharge is the original Shopify subscription app and still the one most growing brands end up on. It has been on the App Store since 2014, powers subscription programs for names like Dr. Squatch and Bobbie, and has the deepest integration library in the category. Nearly every retention, helpdesk and analytics tool connects to Recharge first, which is why it shows up in almost every Shopify Community thread about subscriptions.
The feature set covers the full subscriber lifecycle: a subscription widget for product pages, a no-code customer portal with passwordless login, cancellation prevention, failed payment recovery, upsells at checkout and after purchase, prepaid and gift subscriptions, and workflow automations. The Plus plan adds bundles, loyalty and referrals, SMS, and developer SDKs. In April 2026 Recharge also acquired Skio, so the two platforms are expected to combine their best features over the next year.
The trade-off is cost. Recharge charges a monthly fee plus a percentage of every subscription order, which adds up as you grow. Merchant reviews praise its reliability, migrations and named support staff, while some recent reviews mention price increases and uneven support. A $25 per month plan for your first 50 subscribers and a 60-day free trial make it easier to test.
- Passwordless customer portal
- Cancellation prevention and win-back
- Smart failed payment recovery
- Checkout and post-purchase upsells
- Prepaid and gift subscriptions
- Bundles, loyalty and SMS on Plus
Pros
- Most mature platform with the largest integration ecosystem
- Smooth migrations, praised by brands like Eight Sleep
- Long 60-day free trial on Starter
- Bundles, loyalty, SMS and APIs in one stack
Cons
- Percentage fees grow with revenue
- Some merchants report uneven support in recent reviews
- Onboarding can take time for complex setups
See Recharge pricing plans
2. Appstle Subscriptions
Appstle is the most-reviewed subscription app on Shopify, with close to 9,000 reviews at a 5.0 rating, and it is the name that comes up most often when merchants ask for a cheap Shopify subscription app. Pricing is based on your monthly subscription revenue, not on orders, and there are no transaction fees on any plan. You can start free up to $500 a month in subscription revenue and stay on $100 a month all the way to $100,000.
The feature list is wide for the price: subscribe and save, prepaid plans, build-a-box and curated boxes, memberships, digital product subscriptions, a customer portal with one-click login, upsells, retention and churn tools, and translation support. It also works with Shopify POS, Flow, Klaviyo, Gorgias and Stripe, and the team offers free migration from Recharge and other apps.
Reviewers consistently praise the 24/7 chat support, often naming engineers who fixed issues within minutes. The most common complaints are a learning curve, since settings are spread across many screens, and occasional card-update issues with Shop Pay. APIs and webhooks are handled through the sales team rather than included by default.
- Subscribe and save plus prepaid
- Build-a-box and curated boxes
- Memberships and digital subscriptions
- One-click customer portal
- Retention and churn tools
- Free migration from other apps
Pros
- No transaction fees on any plan
- Generous free plan to $500/mo in revenue
- Fast, friendly 24/7 chat support
- Huge feature set for the price
Cons
- Learning curve, with settings spread across screens
- Some reviewers report Shop Pay card-update issues
- APIs and webhooks need a sales conversation
See Appstle pricing plans
3. Loop Subscriptions
Loop is built around one goal: keeping subscribers longer. It is often the first app brands look at when they want a Recharge alternative with a lower percentage fee. Loop says it has completed more than 1,100 migrations, around 400 of them from Recharge, and merchant reviews describe the move as hands-on and fully tested before going live.
Its strongest features are personalized cancellation flows and offers, smart dunning with up to 15 payment retries, one-click checkout links, out-of-stock protection and a branded customer portal with upsells. The Pro plan adds gamified journeys with streaks and surprise rewards, prepaid and gift subscriptions, a multilingual portal and APIs, plus a dedicated success manager on Slack.
Merchants describe Loop as easy for both admins and customers, and small brands like that it is free for the first 50 subscriptions. The main drawback is the jump from free to $99 a month plus 1%, and a few reviewers mention slower replies on support or gaps in the API for custom builds.
- Personalized cancel flows and offers
- Smart dunning with 15 retries
- Fixed and build-your-own bundles
- One-click checkout links
- Out-of-stock protection
- Gamified rewards on Pro
Pros
- Free forever for your first 50 subscriptions
- Retention tools that are easy to set up
- Step-by-step, tested migrations
- Lower percentage fee than Recharge
Cons
- Big jump from free to $99/mo + 1%
- Limited support on the free plan
- A few reviewers note API gaps for custom builds
See Loop pricing plans
4. Skio, a Recharge Company
Skio built its name on a polished, modern subscriber experience. Customers log in without a password, manage orders by text or email links, and move through a customer portal that reviewers describe as intuitive. It is popular with fast-growing supplement and wellness brands such as Grüns, Everyday Dose and Cornbread Hemp.
Retention is where Skio shines. Its multi-step cancel flow builder helped one brand raise cancellation deflections from 2% to 22%, according to a recent review. You also get lifecycle Journeys, 1-way and 2-way SMS, advanced build-a-box, smart payment recovery, real-time analytics, AI-driven upsells and bulk tools, with zero-downtime migrations and a hands-on onboarding team.
Recharge acquired Skio in April 2026. Both products are still running separately, and the companies plan to combine the best of each over about 12 months, so it is worth asking about the roadmap if you are comparing Skio vs Recharge. The main barrier is price: $599 a month (or $499 billed yearly) plus 1% + 20¢ per order, with no free plan.
- Passwordless customer portal
- Multi-step cancel flow builder
- SMS subscription management
- Advanced build-a-box
- Smart payment recovery
- AI upsells and bulk tools
Pros
- Polished, modern customer experience
- Cancel flows with measurable churn results
- White-glove onboarding and account managers
- Strong fit for custom setups
Cons
- $499 to $599/mo minimum with no free plan
- Roadmap is being combined with Recharge
- Analytics still maturing, per one recent review
See Skio pricing plans
5. Stay AI Subscriptions
Stay AI is built for brands that want to treat subscriptions as a growth channel, not just a billing tool. Its RetentionEngine forecasts subscription revenue and flags churn risk, while ExperienceEngine runs personalized promotions across the subscriber journey. Brands like Graza, Ghia, Olipop and ARMRA use it.
Beyond the AI layer you get AI-powered cancellation and win-back flows, A/B testing, predictive analytics, smart dunning, a no-code customer portal and even branded digital punch cards for loyalty. Pricing is simple: one plan at $499 a month plus 1% + 19¢ per order, with every feature included and no setup or support fees.
Reviewers often mention moving from Recharge, Bold or Loop and calling the migration seamless and hands-off. Responsive success managers come up again and again. The trade-offs are the high starting price and a smaller review base than the long-running apps, and one reviewer felt the account management became more reactive than promised.
- RetentionEngine revenue forecasting
- ExperienceEngine promotions
- AI cancellation and win-back flows
- A/B testing and personalization
- Smart dunning
- Branded digital punch cards
Pros
- Every feature on one plan, no hidden fees
- Seamless migrations from Recharge, Bold and Loop
- Responsive customer success managers
- Strong churn insight tools
Cons
- $499/mo entry with no lower tier
- Smaller review base than the long-running apps
- Account management depth can vary
See Stay AI pricing plans
6. Joy Subscriptions
Joy Subscriptions launched in August 2024 and has grown quickly, with 462 reviews at a 4.9 rating and the Built for Shopify badge. Like Loop, it is free for your first 50 active subscriptions, and its paid plans take a smaller cut than most premium apps: 0.75% per order on Starter and 0.5% on Professional, with no fixed per-order charge.
The free plan already includes a customer portal and widget, performance reports, 12 subscription flow triggers, and Klaviyo, Shopify Flow and POS integrations. Starter ($49 a month) adds fixed bundles and build-your-own boxes, advanced cancellation and win-back flows, dunning with smart retries, churn and LTV reports, and Admin and Storefront APIs. Professional ($199 a month) adds mystery boxes, a custom portal, a JavaScript SDK, inventory forecasting and an account manager on Slack.
Reviewers praise fast, friendly support again and again, often naming the person who helped them, and Shopify's review summary says merchants find it easier to use than other subscription tools. The few negative reviews mention backend glitches with orders and one store that could not get the app to load. It also connects with the Joy Loyalty app if you want points and subscriptions working together.
- Free plan up to 50 subscriptions
- Fixed bundles and build-your-own boxes
- Cancellation and win-back flows
- Smart dunning and retries
- Churn, LTV and retention reports
- Klaviyo, Flow, POS and Joy Loyalty
Pros
- Free for your first 50 active subscriptions
- Low 0.5% to 0.75% fee on paid plans
- Built for Shopify with fast, friendly support
- Works with Joy Loyalty, Klaviyo and POS
Cons
- Bundles and cancel flows need the $49 Starter plan
- A few reviews mention backend glitches with orders
- Smaller review base than Recharge or Appstle
See Joy pricing plans
7. Ordergroove Subscriptions
Ordergroove is a very big platform built for enterprise merchants. It powers subscription programs for brands like Keurig, L'Oréal, PetSmart, Liquid I.V. and goop, and in 2026 alone it brought on Swanson Health, Keurig and JustFoodForDogs. If you run a large or complex program, possibly across more than one commerce platform, this is the strategic option.
It supports every subscription type (replenishment, curated, bundles, boxes and custom), an incentive framework for enrollment and retention, a subscriber dashboard, card refresh and payment retries, advanced analytics and open APIs for fully custom experiences. In June 2026 it launched Autonomous Subscriptions, a set of AI agents for payments, retention and analytics.
It is also the most expensive app on this list. The Shopify listing states a minimum of $2,917 per month, with pricing based on the scope of your program, and G2 reviewers report about four months to implement. Merchants who switched from Recharge praise the customization, reporting and success team, so for the right brand the investment pays back in LTV.
- All subscription types
- Enrollment and retention incentives
- Advanced reporting and open APIs
- Card refresh and payment retries
- Multi-platform support
- AI agents for retention and payments
Pros
- Strategic, high-touch customer success team
- Deep customization and open APIs
- Proven with large enterprise brands
- Measurable LTV and retention gains
Cons
- Minimum of $2,917/mo, with no free plan or trial
- Implementation takes months, not days
- Fewer out-of-the-box features than Recharge, per one reviewer
See Ordergroove pricing plans
8. Kaching Subscriptions
Kaching Subscriptions comes from the team behind the popular Kaching Bundles app, and it has grown fast: more than 1,100 reviews at a 5.0 rating in about 16 months. It is the answer to the Shopify Community question about subscription apps that aren't a ton a month. Plans run from $9.99 to $24.99 a month with no transaction fees, and every plan includes every feature.
You can offer pay-per-delivery and prepaid subscriptions with multiple delivery frequencies, give customers a self-service portal to pause, skip, swap or cancel, show retention offers at cancellation, and recover failed payments automatically. The analytics dashboard covers AOV, LTV, cohort retention and inventory forecasting, and it integrates natively with Kaching Bundles, Klaviyo and Shopify POS.
Reviewers love the easy setup and fast live support. A few one-star reviews mention renewal pricing issues in multi-currency stores (the developer shipped a fix) and slower chat replies during busy periods. Plans are capped by subscription revenue, and the top listed plan stops at $10,000 a month.
- Pay-per-delivery and prepaid
- Pause, skip, swap and cancel portal
- Retention offers at cancellation
- Payment retry and recovery
- LTV, cohort and inventory analytics
- Native Kaching Bundles integration
Pros
- Flat price with no transaction fees
- All features on every plan
- Very easy setup with fast live support
- Subscription bundles with Kaching Bundles
Cons
- Top listed plan stops at $10k/mo revenue
- A few reports of renewal pricing issues, since patched
- Support can slow down at peak times
See Kaching pricing plans
9. Bold Subscriptions
Bold is one of the longest-running names in Shopify subscriptions, and its app is built around one idea: making every subscriber worth more. Its Subscription Maximizers nudge one-time buyers toward subscribing, then grow order value after they sign up with product page upsells, one-click add-ons and subscription upgrades. Shopify's review summary calls it a strong all-round option for everything from simple replenishment to clubs and wholesale.
You can sell curated, replenishment, box, donation, digital and physical subscriptions with prepaid or pay-as-you-go billing, trial periods, flexible or fixed-date schedules, and unlimited subscribers on every plan. It also includes cancellation flows, automatic dunning, bulk price and product swaps, a full customer portal and APIs. Bold offers complimentary white-glove migration from other subscription apps, and it pairs with Bold Custom Pricing for VIP or wholesale pricing.
Pricing starts low at $24.99 a month, but the Launch plan carries the highest transaction fee on this list at 2%, dropping to 1% on Grow ($49.99) and 0.9% on Scale ($74.99). Many recent reviews praise fast, named support, while its 4.0 rating reflects a share of one-star reviews about slow replies, an update that broke one store in 2026 and double charges during a migration. Use the 30-day free trial to test it before moving your subscribers.
- Subscription Maximizers upsells
- Prepaid and pay-as-you-go plans
- Trials, fixed-date and custom schedules
- Cancellation flows and dunning
- Bulk price and product swaps
- APIs and Bold Custom Pricing
Pros
- Built-in upsells and subscription upgrades
- Unlimited subscribers on every plan
- Free white-glove migration
- Long 30-day free trial
Cons
- 2% transaction fee on the Launch plan
- 4.0 rating, with some reports of slow support
- A few reviews mention update and migration issues
See Bold pricing plans
10. Fast Subscriptions
Fast Subscriptions is one of the newest apps on this list, launched in June 2026, and it packs a lot into a free plan. Beyond subscribe and save, it supports subscription boxes, product bundles, memberships, services and digital products, with recurring, fixed, dynamic and custom pricing.
It also adds loyalty and membership perks that most free apps skip: member discounts, free shipping, free products and early or exclusive access. Customers get a self-service portal to pause, skip, swap or cancel, and you get smart retries, retention offers, white-label emails from your own domain and an analytics view with AOV, LTV, cohort retention, a revenue calendar and inventory forecasting. It works with Klaviyo, Shopify Flow and Shopify POS in 14 languages.
Early reviewers highlight a quick setup, a widget that looks polished out of the box and helpful support. As a newer app, its review history is still short, so it is best for stores that want boxes, memberships and retention tools without a monthly bill.
- Subscription boxes and bundles
- Memberships with member perks
- Pause, skip, swap and cancel portal
- Smart retries and retention offers
- LTV, cohort and revenue analytics
- Klaviyo, Flow and POS support
Pros
- Boxes, memberships and perks at no cost
- Polished widget out of the box
- Klaviyo, Flow and POS integrations
- Quick setup with responsive support
Cons
- Newer app, so its review history is still short
- No Built for Shopify badge yet
- Smaller integration list than long-running platforms
See Fast Subscriptions pricing plans
Our team at Ecomzier helped build this one, so we held it to the same checklist as every other app here.
How Shopify subscription app pricing works
Pricing is where merchants are most often surprised, so understand the three models before you install anything:
- Monthly fee plus a transaction fee. Recharge, Loop, Joy, Skio, Stay AI and Bold charge a plan fee plus 0.5% to 2% of each subscription order, and some add 19¢ or 20¢ per order. Costs grow with your revenue, but so do the retention tools and support.
- Flat fee capped by revenue. Appstle and Kaching charge a fixed monthly price that steps up as your subscription revenue passes set limits, with no percentage fee. The easiest model to budget for.
- Free. Fast Subscriptions and Shopify's own Shopify Subscriptions app are free, and Loop, Joy and Appstle have free plans with limits. Ideal for testing demand.
On top of any app fee, you always pay your payment processor's fee on each renewal. Shopify Subscriptions is the exception only in that it adds no app fee of its own.
How to choose the right Shopify subscription app
Most of these apps handle the basics well. The real differences are cost at scale, retention tools and how much help you get. Match the app to your stage:
Free, quick to set up, and enough to see if customers want to subscribe.
Full feature sets for $10 to $25 a month with no transaction fees.
Cancellation flows, save offers and churn insights built in.
Build-a-box, curated boxes and member perks.
The biggest ecosystem and a premium subscriber experience.
Strategic support, open APIs and multi-platform programs.
Four questions to ask before you install
- What will I pay at 3x my current subscription revenue? Percentage fees are the cost most merchants underestimate.
- Does it support my model? Subscribe and save, prepaid, boxes and memberships are not all supported by every app.
- How does it handle failed payments and cancellations? Dunning and save offers usually decide your retention more than features on the product page.
- Can I leave later? Ask how the app exports contracts and payment methods before you commit.
If you need a subscription app connected to an ERP, a custom checkout or a headless storefront, our Shopify app integration team can set it up and test it end to end.
Switching subscription apps without losing subscribers
Migration is one of the most asked questions in the Shopify Community, and the good news is that it is far easier than it used to be. Apps built on Shopify Checkout store subscription contracts and payment methods in Shopify, so they can be moved without customers re-entering their card. Here is how to do it safely:
- Ask for a managed migration. Recharge, Appstle, Loop, Skio, Stay AI and Ordergroove offer migration help, often at no cost.
- Recreate your plans first. Contracts move over, but selling plans, discounts and portal settings usually need to be rebuilt in the new app.
- Test a small batch. Move a handful of contracts, check prices, dates and shipping, and run a test renewal.
- Time it between billing runs. Avoid days with large renewal batches so no one is charged twice or skipped.
- Tell your customers. A short email about the new portal stops confused cancellations and support tickets.
- Keep the old app until renewals succeed. Uninstall only after the first renewals process cleanly in the new app.
Moving to the free Shopify Subscriptions app has one extra limit: its CSV import only accepts contracts from apps that already use Shopify Checkout, and it moves contracts, not selling plans.
How to set up subscriptions on Shopify in 6 steps
- Pick the right products. Items customers reorder on a schedule (consumables, refills, food, supplements) convert best.
- Choose your app and model. Use the comparison above to match your budget and subscription type.
- Create subscription plans. Set delivery frequencies and a discount, typically 10% to 15% for subscribe and save.
- Add the widget to product pages. Make the subscribe option clear, and show the savings in dollars, not just a percentage.
- Set up dunning and portal options. Turn on payment retries, and let customers skip or swap before they cancel.
- Review after 90 days. Track subscriber count, churn rate and revenue per subscriber, then adjust discounts and save offers.
Common subscription mistakes to avoid
Reviews and community threads point to the same few problems again and again:
- Discounts that invite quick cancellations. A big first-order discount with no minimum commitment attracts customers who cancel right after. Use a minimum order count or discounts that grow over time.
- Ignoring failed payments. Expired cards are a large share of churn. Smart retries and card-update emails win much of it back.
- Making cancellation the only option. Offer skip, pause or swap first. Many customers just need a break.
- Choosing on monthly price alone. Model your cost at 3x your current revenue, including transaction fees.
- Skipping theme testing. Check the widget, cart and checkout on mobile, and with Shop Pay, before launch.
Subscriptions work best alongside a strong storefront. Pair your program with conversion rate optimization and AOV improvements so every subscriber is worth more.
What Shopify merchants are asking about subscription apps
We read the most active Shopify Community threads on subscription apps. These are the questions that come up most, and we answer each one in the FAQ below:
Our verdict
There is no single best subscription app, but there is a best fit for your store. Recharge remains the safest choice for scaling brands, and Appstle is the best value for most small and mid-size stores thanks to zero transaction fees. Loop and Stay AI lead on retention, Skio delivers the most polished subscriber experience, and Ordergroove is built for enterprise programs. Joy is the easiest way to start free and keep fees low as you grow. Bold suits stores that want prepaid plans and built-in upsells, and on a tight budget, Kaching and Fast Subscriptions let you launch for little or nothing.
Our advice: start on a free plan or trial, run it for 90 days, and upgrade only when you know what your subscribers need. If you want help planning, migrating or integrating your subscription program, talk to the Ecomzier team.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Shopify subscription app in 2026?
It depends on your size and goals. Recharge is the best all-rounder for scaling brands, Appstle is the best value with no transaction fees, Loop leads on churn reduction, and Ordergroove suits enterprise programs. If you are starting out, Kaching, Joy and Fast Subscriptions let you launch for little or nothing, and Bold suits stores that want prepaid plans and built-in upsells.
From the Shopify Community: Top Shopify Subscriptions app 2026
Which subscription app is best for a small store just starting out?
Pick a free plan or a low flat fee with no transaction fees. In the Shopify Community, merchants planning 10 to 20 subscriptions a month were told that Recharge is likely more than they need at that volume. Appstle (free to $500 a month in revenue), Loop and Joy (both free to 50 subscriptions), Kaching ($9.99 a month), Fast Subscriptions (free) and Shopify's own free Shopify Subscriptions app are the easiest places to start. You can move to a bigger platform later.
From the Shopify Community: Finding the best subscription app
Are there Shopify subscription apps that aren't expensive every month?
Yes. Shopify Subscriptions and Fast Subscriptions are free. Appstle starts free and tops out at $100 a month up to $100,000 in subscription revenue. Kaching costs $9.99 to $24.99 a month. All four charge no transaction fees. Loop and Joy are also free for your first 50 subscriptions. If you want free shipping on renewals, most apps let you set a subscription-only shipping rate or discount, so check that option in the app's plan settings before you install.
From the Shopify Community: Subscription apps that aren't a ton a month
Which Shopify subscription apps have no transaction fees?
Appstle, Kaching, Shopify Subscriptions and Fast Subscriptions charge 0% on subscription orders. Recharge, Loop, Joy, Skio, Stay AI and Bold add a percentage (0.5% to 2%), and some also add a fixed 19¢ or 20¢ per order. Your payment processor still charges its normal fee on every renewal, whichever app you use.
Can I switch subscription apps without losing my active subscribers?
Yes, in most cases. Modern subscription apps store contracts and payment methods through Shopify Checkout, so a migration can move subscribers, renewal dates and saved cards without asking customers to sign up again. Recharge, Appstle, Loop, Skio, Stay AI and Ordergroove all offer migration help, often free. Plan the move between billing runs, test a few contracts first, and email customers so the new portal does not surprise them.
From the Shopify Community: Can I switch apps with active subscribers?
Has anyone successfully migrated from Recharge to another app?
Yes, many brands have. Loop reports around 400 migrations from Recharge, and Stay AI and Ordergroove reviewers describe moving from Recharge with little effort on their side. The usual advice from merchants: ask the new app to run the migration for you, check that saved payment methods move over, and keep Recharge active until the first renewals succeed in the new app.
From the Shopify Community: Migrated from Recharge to another app?
How do I migrate subscriptions from Recharge to Shopify Subscriptions?
Shopify Subscriptions can import existing subscription contracts with a CSV, but only from apps that already use Shopify Checkout. Shopify staff have confirmed the import moves contracts, not selling plans, so you need to recreate your subscription plans in the new app first. Also check that the features you rely on (bundles, prepaid plans, custom portal flows) exist in Shopify Subscriptions before you switch.
From the Shopify Community: Recharge to Shopify Subscriptions
Can Shopify do subscriptions without an app?
Shopify does not add subscriptions to your store by default, but it offers a free first-party app, Shopify Subscriptions, that adds subscribe-and-save, recurring billing and a basic customer portal. For bundles, build-a-box, memberships or advanced retention tools, you need a third-party app.
Is the free Shopify Subscriptions app enough?
For a few simple subscribe-and-save products, yes. Merchants usually outgrow it when they want more design control, bundles or build-a-box, prepaid plans at different rates, stronger dunning or cancellation offers. At that point, a low-cost app such as Appstle or Kaching adds those tools without a big jump in cost.
What is the best Shopify subscription box app?
For curated or build-your-own boxes, look at Appstle (build-a-box and curated boxes from $10 a month), Skio (advanced build-a-box), Loop (build-your-own bundles), Joy (build-your-own boxes from $49 a month, mystery boxes on Professional), Bold (curated and box subscriptions from $24.99 a month), Ordergroove (boxes for enterprise programs) and Fast Subscriptions (free boxes and bundles). Shopify Subscriptions does not support bundles.
Can I sell subscriptions in store with Shopify POS?
Yes. Shopify Subscriptions, Recharge, Appstle, Stay AI, Joy, Kaching and Fast Subscriptions all list Shopify POS support, so staff can sign customers up at the counter and renewals bill automatically.
How do I stop customers subscribing for the discount and cancelling straight away?
This is one of the most common complaints in reviews of basic apps. Use an app that supports a minimum number of orders before cancellation, a cancellation flow with a save offer, or a smaller first-order discount that grows over time. Appstle, Loop, Joy, Skio and Stay AI all include tools for this, with Joy adding cancellation and win-back flows on its Starter plan.