The Best Shopify Subscription Apps in 2026 (I've Tested Most of Them)

Look, I'm going to save you about 20 hours of research right now.

There are 70+ subscription apps on Shopify. Most of them claim to be "the best." They're not.

Some are overpriced. Some have terrible support. Some work great for small stores but fall apart when you scale. And some—honestly—are just badly built.

I've spent the last two months testing subscription apps for clients (and getting frustrated with a few of them). Here's what actually works in 2026.

Why Subscriptions Are Worth The Hassle

Before we dive into the apps, let me address this: is the subscription model even worth it?

Yeah, it is.

The numbers:

• Customer acquisition costs are up 60% since 2020
• Getting a new customer costs 5x more than keeping one
• Subscription customers have 3-5x higher lifetime value
• Recurring revenue makes your business predictable (investors love this)

What works as subscriptions:

• Coffee, supplements, vitamins (anything people use regularly)
• Beauty and skincare products
• Pet food and supplies
• Razors, toothbrushes, contacts
• Meal kits and snacks
• Digital products and memberships

But here's the catch: a bad subscription app will kill your conversion rate faster than anything else. Clunky checkout? People bounce. Confusing customer portal? They cancel.

You need the right app.

What Actually Matters in a Subscription App

Before I get into the rankings, here's what you should care about:

1. Transaction fees vs flat pricing

Some apps charge 1% of every subscription sale. That's sneaky and expensive once you're doing volume.

2. Customer portal quality

Your subscribers need to pause, skip, swap products, and update payment info themselves. If they have to email you for this stuff, you're going to drown in support tickets.

3. Dunning management

Failed payments happen all the time. Good apps automatically retry failed cards, send reminders, and recover 30-40% of failed charges.

4. Migration support

Switching apps is painful. Some apps help you migrate (they move your subscribers over). Some don't, and you're stuck.

5. Analytics

You need to see churn rate, MRR (monthly recurring revenue), LTV, and which products people cancel most. Basic reports don't cut it.

6. Support quality

When something breaks (and it will), you need fast support. Not "we'll get back to you in 3 days" support.

The 10 Best Shopify Subscription Apps (Ranked)

1. Appstle – Best Overall for Most Stores

Rating: 4.9/5 (3,700+ reviews) Pricing: Free up to $500/mo subscription revenue, then $10-80/mo Best for: Small to medium stores that want flexibility without breaking the bank

I'm starting with Appstle because it's the best balance of features, price, and reliability.

Why I like it:

It's got nearly everything Recharge has but costs 80% less. The interface isn't as pretty as some others, but it works—and that matters more.

The free plan is actually usable (not a fake "free" with 5 subscribers max). You get full features until you hit $500/month in subscription revenue, which is perfect for testing.

Key features:

• Build-a-box subscriptions (customers choose products)
• Prepaid subscriptions (get paid upfront)
• Loyalty rewards for subscribers
• Customer portal that doesn't suck
• One-click login (no password needed)
• Analytics dashboard
• Integrates with basically everything (Klaviyo, Gorgias, Yotpo)

The downsides:

The UI feels a bit... utilitarian. It's not ugly, just not as polished as Skio or Loop. Some enterprise features are missing if you're doing really complex stuff.

Also, their paid plans jump pretty quick—$10, $20, $45, $80 per month. If you're between tiers, you're paying for features you don't use yet.

Real talk: If you're starting out or doing under $50K/month, Appstle is probably your best bet. It's what I install for most clients.

Pricing breakdown:

• Free: Up to $500/mo subscription revenue
• $10/mo: Up to $1,000/mo
• $20/mo: Up to $3,000/mo
• $45/mo: Up to $8,000/mo
• $80/mo: Unlimited

No transaction fees on any plan. That's huge.

---

2. Recharge – The Enterprise Standard

Rating: 4.6/5 (2,100+ reviews) Pricing: Free up to $1,000/mo, then $99-499/mo Best for: Established brands doing $100K+/month with complex needs

Recharge is the granddaddy of Shopify subscription apps. It's been around since 2014 and powers subscriptions for huge brands.

Why it's popular:

It's insanely powerful. Custom workflows, deep API access, advanced dunning, crazy-good integrations. If you need something, Recharge probably has it.

Their support is solid (though you'll pay for priority support on higher tiers). They also have the most third-party integrations—if you're using some obscure app, it probably connects to Recharge.

Key features:

• Every feature you could possibly want
• Multi-location fulfillment
• Headless commerce support
• Advanced analytics
• Custom CSS for full branding control
• Mobile-optimized customer portal
• Inventory forecasting

The downsides:

It's expensive. Like, really expensive. The $99/month plan is barebones. To get the good stuff (advanced analytics, priority support, custom workflows), you're paying $299-499/month.

Also, it's kind of... overkill for most stores. It's like buying a Lamborghini when you just need to get groceries.

And honestly? Their UI hasn't aged great. It works, but it feels 2019.

Real talk: If you're an established brand doing serious volume ($200K+/month) and you need enterprise features, Recharge makes sense. But if you're smaller, you're overpaying for features you won't use.

Who switched away: A bunch of stores have migrated from Recharge to Loop or Skio because of the price. They're not bad—just expensive for what most people need.

Pricing breakdown:

• Free: Up to $1,000/mo subscription revenue (1% + 10¢ per transaction)
• $99/mo: Standard plan
• $299/mo: Pro plan
• $499/mo: Enterprise features

---

3. Loop – The Perfect 5.0 Rating Tells You Something

Rating: 5.0/5 (perfect, 210+ reviews) Pricing: Free for first 100 subscribers, then $99-399/mo Best for: Brands focused on retention and reducing churn

Loop is newer (launched 2021) but they've nailed something important: user experience.

They built Loop specifically to fix what people hated about Recharge. And it shows—everyone who migrates from Recharge to Loop seems happier.

Why people love it:

The customer portal is beautiful. Like, actually nice to use. And the built-in retention tools (upsells, winback flows) are smart. You're not just managing subscriptions—you're actively reducing churn.

Key features:

• Gorgeous customer portal
• Built-in upsells and cross-sells
• Automated winback flows (recover cancellations)
• Add videos to cancellation surveys (TikTok/IG clips)
• Smart bundling
• Detailed analytics dashboard
• White-glove migration from any app

The downsides:

It's not cheap. The $99/month plan only covers 100 subscribers. If you're growing fast, you'll hit that quick.

Also, while they say they're for everyone, they're really built for mid-to-large stores. If you're tiny, Appstle or Seal make more sense.

Real talk: If you're currently on Recharge and frustrated, Loop is where you should look. If you're brand new, it might be overkill (and expensive).

Pricing breakdown:

• Free: First 100 subscribers
• $99/mo: Up to 500 subscribers
• $199/mo: Up to 2,000 subscribers
• $399/mo: Unlimited

Plus white-glove migration included.

---

4. Seal Subscriptions – Best Free Plan

Rating: 4.8/5 (430+ reviews) Pricing: Free up to 50 subscribers, then $9-499/mo Best for: Testing subscriptions without commitment

Seal came out swinging in 2020 with one goal: compete with Recharge on features, beat them on price.

They mostly succeeded.

Why I recommend it for beginners:

The free plan is genuinely useful. 50 subscribers, full features, $0 cost. Perfect for testing if subscriptions even work for your products.

Once you outgrow free, the paid plans are reasonable ($9/mo for 200 subscribers).

Key features:

• Clean, intuitive interface
• Great analytics (better than Appstle's)
• Customizable customer portal
• Subscription widget customization
• Advanced dunning management
• No transaction fees

The downsides:

It's not as feature-rich as the big players. You get the essentials, but if you need something weird or custom, it might not have it.

Also, support is good but not instant. You're emailing, not live chatting (on lower tiers).

Real talk: Seal is perfect for "I want to try subscriptions but don't want to commit $100/month yet." Start here, migrate to something bigger if you need more features.

Pricing breakdown:

• Free: Up to 50 subscribers
• $9/mo: Up to 200 subscribers
• $49/mo: Up to 1,000 subscribers
• $149/mo: Up to 5,000 subscribers
• $499/mo: Unlimited

---

5. Subify – Easiest Setup

Rating: 4.9/5 (680+ reviews) Pricing: $9-49/mo (14-day free trial) Best for: Stores that want it running TODAY with minimal setup

If you just want subscriptions working in the next hour without reading documentation, Subify is your answer.

Why it's the easiest:

The setup wizard literally walks you through everything. "What do you sell? How often do people reorder? What discount for subscribers?"

Done. You've got subscriptions.

The widget auto-adds to your product pages. The customer portal is pre-configured. It just... works out of the box.

Key features:

• Auto-adding widgets (no code needed)
• Customizable widget templates
• 14-day free trial
• Build-a-box support
• Customer portal
• Email notifications
• Quick setup (seriously, like 20 minutes)

The downsides:

It's not as customizable as others. You get templates, not full control. If you want to tweak every little thing, you'll get frustrated.

The analytics are basic. You can see subscriber count and revenue, but not deep churn analysis.

Real talk: Subify is for people who want subscriptions now and don't want to become subscription experts. It's intentionally simple—that's its strength and limitation.

Pricing breakdown:

• $9/mo: Basic plan
• $29/mo: Growth plan
• $49/mo: Enterprise plan

No free plan, but 14-day trial.

---

6. Skio – The Retention-Focused Premium Option

Rating: 4.9/5 (230+ reviews) Pricing: Starts at $499/mo Best for: High-volume brands obsessed with retention

Skio is what happens when you take Recharge and say "what if we made this actually... nice?"

They call themselves the "next-gen subscription app" and honestly, they kind of are. But you're paying for it.

Why premium brands use it:

Passwordless login. Your customers don't need to remember a password—they just click a link. Sounds small, but it dramatically reduces support tickets.

The UX is gorgeous. Like, makes-other-apps-look-dated gorgeous.

And the retention tools are smart—exit surveys, personalized discounts, automated winback campaigns.

Key features:

• Passwordless customer accounts
• Beautiful, modern customer portal
• Advanced retention analytics
• Automated churn prevention
• Customizable subscription journeys
• SMS integration
• Priority support (phone, email, Slack)

The downsides:

It's $499/month minimum. That's... a lot. You need serious subscription revenue to justify it.

It's also kind of overkill if you're not obsessed with retention metrics. If you just want basic subscriptions, this is a Ferrari when you need a Honda.

Real talk: Skio is for brands that have proven subscriptions work and now want to optimize the hell out of them. Don't start here—graduate into it.

Pricing breakdown:

• $499/mo: Starting price
• Custom pricing for enterprise

---

7. Recurpay – Unique Revenue-Based Pricing

Rating: 4.9/5 (350+ reviews) Pricing: Free up to $100/mo, then revenue-based Best for: Stores that want predictable costs as they grow

Recurpay does something different: they charge based on your subscription revenue, not subscriber count.

So if you have 1,000 subscribers paying $10 each, you're charged the same as if you had 100 subscribers paying $100 each.

Why this pricing model works:

It scales with your actual revenue, not arbitrary metrics. You're never paying for "features you don't need."

Key features:

• Almost all features available on free plan
• Customer portal with good UX
• Dunning management
• Analytics dashboard
• Flexible billing intervals
• Build-a-box subscriptions

The downsides:

They're newer (launched 2022), so fewer integrations than established apps.

Their revenue-based pricing is fair, but some stores prefer flat monthly costs for predictability.

Real talk: Recurpay is a solid middle-ground option. Not the cheapest, not the most expensive, just... fair.

Pricing breakdown:

• Free: Up to $100/mo subscription revenue
• Revenue-based after that (they don't publish exact percentages—ask for quote)

---

8. Ongoing – Simple Set-It-and-Forget-It

Rating: 4.7/5 (180+ reviews) Pricing: $99-299/mo Best for: Stores that want simple, reliable subscriptions

Ongoing takes a minimalist approach. They don't try to be everything to everyone—just solid, reliable subscription management.

Key features:

• Simple interface
• Good for stores that want set-it-and-forget-it
• Reliable customer portal
• Standard dunning management
• Basic analytics

The downsides:

Less customization than others. You get what you get.

Fewer integrations than Loop or Recharge.

Real talk: If you want subscriptions without constant optimization and tinkering, Ongoing works. But at $99-299/mo, Loop offers more value.

Pricing breakdown:

• $99-299/mo depending on features

---

9. Smartrr – Loyalty + Subscriptions Combined

Rating: 4.8/5 (120+ reviews) Pricing: $299-599/mo Best for: Brands running both loyalty and subscription programs

Smartrr combines subscription management with loyalty programs—points, rewards, referrals all in one app.

Why it's unique:

If you're already planning to run a loyalty program alongside subscriptions, Smartrr kills two birds with one stone. You don't need separate apps.

Key features:

• Subscriptions + loyalty combined
• Points, rewards, referrals
• Customer portal
• Advanced analytics
• Customization options

The downsides:

Expensive ($299-599/mo). Only makes sense if you're using both features.

If you just need subscriptions, you're overpaying for loyalty features you don't use.

Real talk: Only choose Smartrr if you're definitely running both programs. Otherwise, get a dedicated subscription app.

Pricing breakdown:

• $299-599/mo depending on volume

---

10. Testing Notes on Newer Apps

I also looked at several newer apps that launched in 2024-2025. Here's my honest take:

Some are promising but too new to recommend betting your business on. They lack review history, proven track records, and established support systems.

My advice? Stick with apps that have been around 2+ years and have 200+ reviews. Subscriptions are too critical to your revenue to gamble on unproven software.

The Quick Comparison Chart

App	Best For	Pricing	Free Plan?	Transaction Fees?
Appstle	Most stores	$0-80/mo	Yes (up to $500/mo)	No
Recharge	Enterprise	$0-499/mo	Yes (up to $1K/mo)	1% on free plan
Loop	Retention focus	$0-399/mo	Yes (100 subs)	No
Seal	Testing/small stores	$0-499/mo	Yes (50 subs)	No
Subify	Easy setup	$9-49/mo	14-day trial	No
Skio	Premium/high volume	$499+/mo	No	No
Recurpay	Growing stores	Free-paid	Yes (up to $100/mo)	Revenue-based
Ongoing	Simple setup	$99-299/mo	No	No
Smartrr	Loyalty + subs	$299-599/mo	No	No

How to Actually Choose

Stop overthinking this. Here's what to do:

If you're just starting:

• Use Seal (free for 50 subs) or Appstle (free up to $500/mo)
• Test if subscriptions even work for your products
• Migrate to something bigger if you need more

If you're doing $10-50K/month:

• Appstle or Recurpay
• Great features, reasonable price
• You won't outgrow them for a while

If you're doing $50-200K/month:

• Loop if you care about retention
• Appstle if you want to save money
• Both work fine at this level

If you're doing $200K+/month:

• Recharge if you need enterprise features
• Skio if you're obsessed with UX and retention
• Loop if you want modern features without Recharge pricing

If you're migrating from another app:

• Loop (white-glove migration included)
• Appstle (good support, but you'll do more work)
• Avoid apps with poor migration reviews

What Features You Actually Need

Don't get lost in feature lists. 90% of stores only need:

Must-haves:

• Customer portal (pause, skip, swap products)
• Dunning management (retry failed payments automatically)
• Email notifications (order confirmations, payment reminders)
• Flexible billing intervals (weekly, monthly, every 2 months, etc.)
• Discount options (% off or $ off for subscribers)
• Works with Shopify Checkout

Nice-to-haves:

• Build-a-box (customers choose products in their box)
• Prepaid options (pay for 3 months upfront, get discount)
• Analytics dashboard (churn rate, MRR, LTV)
• One-click login (no password needed)
• SMS notifications

Probably-don't-need:

• API access (unless you're building custom stuff)
• Multi-location fulfillment (only for big brands)
• Custom workflows (overkill for most)

Common Mistakes I See

1. Picking based on price alone

The cheapest app might cost you more if it has transaction fees. A $5/month app with 1% transaction fees costs $105/month if you're doing $10K in subscription revenue.

Do the math:

• Appstle $45/month = $45 total
• "Cheap" app $5/month + 1% on $10K = $105 total

2. Not testing the customer portal

Your subscribers will use this daily. If it sucks, they'll cancel out of frustration.

Before committing, create a test subscription and try managing it from the customer side. Can you pause easily? Change products? Update payment info? If it's confusing, pick a different app.

3. Choosing the "best reviewed" without context

A 5.0 rating with 20 reviews means nothing. A 4.7 rating with 3,000 reviews is better—more data, more trust.

4. Ignoring migration support

If you might switch apps later (and you might), choose one with migration support. Moving 500 subscribers manually is a nightmare.

5. Not setting up dunning properly

Failed payments happen constantly (expired cards, insufficient funds). If your app doesn't auto-retry with smart timing, you're losing 30-40% of recoverable revenue.

Make sure dunning is enabled and configured properly.

The Setup Checklist

Once you pick an app:

Week 1: Basic setup

• Install app
• Create subscription plans (monthly, every 2 months, etc.)
• Set discounts (10% off? 15%? Test this)
• Add subscription widget to product pages
• Test checkout flow

Week 2: Customer experience

• Customize customer portal
• Set up email notifications
• Create cancellation flow (offer discounts to keep them)
• Test full subscriber journey

Week 3: Optimization

• Set up analytics tracking
• Configure dunning management
• Create customer segments
• Plan first campaign

Week 4: Launch & monitor

• Soft launch to email list
• Monitor for issues
• Get feedback
• Adjust based on data

Real Talk: Subscription Challenges

Nobody talks about this stuff, but you should know:

Churn is real

Average subscription boxes have 40-60% annual churn. You need constant acquisition to grow.

Support increases

Subscription customers need more hand-holding than one-time buyers. Plan for this.

Inventory gets complex

You need to forecast subscription demand separately from one-time orders. Most brands underestimate their first few months.

Cancelled card hell

People's credit cards expire. Banks block charges. Addresses change. You'll spend time dealing with failed payments.

Price sensitivity

Customers will cancel over a $2 price increase. Seriously.

These aren't reasons not to do subscriptions—just reality checks. Plan for them.

My Actual Recommendation

If you've read this far and still don't know what to pick, here's what I'd do:

Just starting: Appstle or Seal (both have real free plans)

Growing: Appstle (if budget-conscious) or Loop (if you want the best UX)

Established: Loop (retention focus) or Recharge (if you need enterprise features)

Premium brand: Skio (if you can justify $499/mo)

And honestly? Most of you should just start with Appstle. It's $0 until you're making real subscription revenue, it has most features you'll need, and you can always migrate later if you outgrow it.

Don't overthink it. Pick one, launch, and optimize based on real data—not hypothetical feature comparisons.

---

Need help setting up subscriptions? We've implemented these apps dozens of times and know what actually works (and what breaks).

See our custom Shopify app development services or schedule a consultation to discuss your subscription strategy.

Want to maximize retention once subscriptions are running? Check out our D2C conversion playbook for retention strategies that actually work.

Looking to optimize your subscription product pages? Our CRO audit guide covers everything from A/B testing to checkout optimization.