Recharge alternatives: where to move your subscribers and how to switch without breaking billing
Seven destinations, the monthly bill for each on one sample store, and an eight-step cutover plan.
The short answer: Loop if you want a full-featured replacement at a lower take rate, with the migration done for you. Appstle if you'd rather pay a flat tier and zero percentage fees. Seal if you're under 500 subscribers. Shopify Subscriptions if your offer is plain subscribe-and-save and you want to pay nothing. For larger DTC brands, Stay AI and Smartrr compete on retention. And don't count Skio as an exit: it now belongs to Recharge. We compared all seven and checked their pricing in 2026.
Our ranking is editorial: a sponsored placement is always labeled on its entry, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Why merchants leave Recharge, and why they put it off
Recharge is still the default subscription app for big Shopify brands, rated 4.8 out of 5 across more than 3,000 reviews. It works. People leave for other reasons: a bill that scales with revenue, support, and fear of breaking recurring billing on the way out. Six reasons, all checked in 2026.
Your bill grows with every order
Starter is $149 a month plus 1.50% and 20¢ per transaction. Scale is $499 a month plus 1.25% and 20¢. At $20,000 a month in subscription revenue and 500 orders, Starter comes to about $549 a month, before your payment processor takes its cut.
No small plan on the price list
Recharge's public pricing page lists three plans: Starter at $149 a month, Scale at $499 and Custom, priced on volume. There's no free plan, only a 60-day trial on Starter. If you're starting out with a few dozen subscribers, Loop and Seal are free up to 50 subscriptions.
Support keeps showing up in complaints
The one-star reviews on the Shopify App Store from 2025 and 2026 mostly cite slow support, shipping wrongly charged to hundreds of subscribers, and gift subscriptions recorded twice.
Annual terms on the bigger plans
Plus and Custom plans run on 12-month terms. If you're under contract, find your end date first, or you'll pay for two apps at once. Starter is month to month after a 60-day trial.
Skio is no longer an exit
Skio was the premium escape from Recharge for years. Its Shopify listing now reads "Skio, a Recharge Company": same parent. Its Scale plan is $599 a month ($5,988 billed yearly) plus 1.25% and 20¢. Moving there to get away from Recharge keeps you in the same house.
Leaving takes prep work
Your subscribers have saved cards. If your store still runs on the legacy Recharge checkout, those cards live with Stripe, Braintree or Authorize.net, and the new app needs access. Recharge exports are split into several files (subscriptions, customers, payment tokens, orders). None of it is hard, but it needs a plan.
You're leaving because… go to…
The right Recharge alternative depends on what's pushing you out. Usually one row fits. Each card jumps to the full entry.
Flat $10 to $100 a month, 0% transaction fees.
You have fewer than 500 subscribersSealFree up to 50 subscriptions, $24.95 up to 500.
Your offer is simple subscribe-and-saveShopify SubscriptionsShopify's own free app, with CSV contract import.
You want the same depth, cheaper, migrated for youLoop$99 plus 1%, migration included on paid plans.
You want a low flat fee with unlimited subscribersBoldFrom $24.99, free migration from Recharge.
You're a large brand fighting churnStay AI or SmartrrChurn forecasting, loyalty, Klaviyo flows.
Recharge alternatives, app by app
For each app: why move there, who it fits, its catch, how to migrate from Recharge, and what it costs. Every app here is billed in USD through your Shopify invoice every 30 days. Bills use the same sample store: $20,000 a month in subscription revenue, 500 orders at $40, payment processing excluded.
Loop: the like-for-like replacement, migrated for you
Most completeWhy move to Loop. It covers the most Recharge ground for less: bundles, one-click checkout links, cancellation flows with save offers, smart dunning with up to 15 retries. On our sample store, Starter costs about $299 a month against $549 on Recharge Starter. Merchants who switched mention price first, then support.
Who it fits. Brands from a few hundred to tens of thousands of subscribers that want to keep a deep toolset.
Who it doesn't. A thin-margin small shop: 1% of every order weighs more than a flat fee.
The catch. Free stops at 50 active subscriptions. Starter is $99 a month plus 1%, Pro $399 plus 0.75%. The multilingual customer experience, API access and a dedicated CSM with 24/7 Slack support are Pro features.
How to migrate. Loop includes white-glove migration on every paid plan with no fees, and quotes about two weeks. You hand over a Recharge API key with full write access and access to your payment gateway, connected to Shopify as a secondary provider. On cutover day, Loop imports, then bulk-cancels the Recharge subscriptions so nobody is charged twice. Flag edge cases at least a week ahead: prepaid plans, bundles, price changes. Expect your subscription count to drop: Loop groups products Recharge counted separately.
- Free
- 50 active subscriptions
- Paid
- Starter $99/mo + 1%
- Migration
- included, about 2 weeks
- Catch
- percentage on every order
Appstle: flat tiers, zero transaction fees
No take rateWhy move to Appstle. Appstle takes no percentage: you pay a tier based on monthly subscription revenue. At $20,000 a month that's Business Premium at $100, against about $549 on Recharge. The higher you sit inside a tier, the bigger the gap. It's also the most reviewed app in the category, with more than 9,000 reviews.
Who it fits. Stores doing $500 to $100,000 a month in subscriptions that want a predictable bill, with build-a-box and bundles.
Who it doesn't. Teams that need APIs and webhooks without a sales call: those sit above Business Premium, on request. Some merchants also complain about a paid webhook add-on.
The catch. Free ends at $500 a month in subscription sales. Starter is $10 (up to $5,000), Business $30 (up to $15,000), Business Premium $100 (up to $100,000), and 20% off yearly. Recent negative reviews target support blaming Shopify and Shop Pay issues.
How to migrate. Appstle offers hands-on migration from other apps and can pull your Recharge data itself with your permission. It doesn't store cards, so your gateway must be Shopify-supported (Shopify Payments, Stripe, Authorize.net). Run a Shop Pay renewal test before you open the floodgates.
- Free
- up to $500 in sales/mo
- Paid
- Starter $10/mo, 0% fees
- $20k store
- $100/mo
- Catch
- API on request
Seal: the small-shop pick
BudgetWhy move to Seal. Seal prices by subscription count, with no percentage, and very low tiers: $5.95 a month up to 100 subscriptions, $24.95 up to 500. Customers reach their subscription through magic links, no password. For a coffee or skincare shop with a few hundred subscribers, the bill drops from hundreds of dollars to under $25.
Who it fits. Shops up to a few thousand subscribers, and brands selling in several languages: the app ships in 18.
Who it doesn't. Brands that want deep retention tooling or a dedicated success manager.
The catch. Free covers 50 subscriptions with unlimited revenue. Plans go up to 150k+ subscriptions, but prices past 500 aren't listed. The trial runs 30 days.
How to migrate. Seal says migration is free, support included. Seal offers two routes, an API token or a CSV export, with a step-by-step migration guide. Start by finding out which Recharge version you're on. A forum tip: match Seal's delivery rules to what your customers had on Recharge, or some lose their preferred ship day.
- Free
- 50 subscriptions, forever
- Paid
- $5.95/mo (100 subscriptions)
- 500 subscribers
- $24.95/mo
- Languages
- 18
Shopify Subscriptions: free, for simple offers
FreeWhy move to Shopify Subscriptions. It's Shopify's own app and it's free: you only pay your payment processor. Weekly, monthly or yearly renewals with discounts, customer pause, skip and cancel, and POS selling. On our sample store, you save the full $549 a month.
Who it fits. A subscribe-and-save offer on a few products, no build-a-box.
Who it doesn't. Brands that live on bundles, prepaid plans or retention flows.
The catch. It has the lowest rating here, 3.8 out of 5. Reviews say you can't set one shared billing date, can't swap products without cancel-and-resubscribe, and can't move a due date.
How to migrate. Shopify accepts a CSV to import contracts from a third-party app. Create your selling plans first, then follow the sample template to the letter. On the forums, merchants have had imports rejected over formatting: test ten subscribers before the rest.
- Price
- free
- Rating
- 3.8 out of 5
- Migration
- CSV contract import
- Catch
- no bundles
Bold: low flat fee, unlimited subscribers
Free migrationWhy move to Bold. One of the oldest subscription apps on Shopify. Plans start at $24.99 a month with unlimited subscribers, prepaid, fixed-date billing and dunning. The listing promises complimentary white-glove migration from Recharge, Skio, Appstle or Stay. On our sample store, Grow costs about $250 a month.
Who it fits. Stores that want a low base fee and someone else to run the migration.
Who it doesn't. High-volume stores: a 0.9% to 2% take rate ends up costing more than Appstle.
The catch. Launch is $24.99 plus 2%, Grow $49.99 plus 1%, Scale $74.99 plus 0.9%. The rating is 4.0 out of 5, and recent reviews mention double charges during a migration and subscriptions fixed by hand.
How to migrate. Take the free migration, but insist on a line-by-line report before you shut Recharge off: active subscriptions, next charge dates, prices. Check it against your Recharge export.
- Trial
- 30 days
- Paid
- Launch $24.99/mo + 2%
- Migration
- free from Recharge
- Catch
- 4.0 rating
Smartrr: subscriptions and loyalty in one app
LoyaltyWhy move to Smartrr. Smartrr bets on what keeps a subscriber: built-in loyalty rewards, referrals, a retention survey at cancel, and AI-powered Klaviyo flows. If you pay for Recharge plus a loyalty app today, Smartrr can replace both. On our sample store, Launch costs about $299 a month.
Who it fits. Community-driven brands that want to reward long-time subscribers.
Who it doesn't. A store that just needs to bill monthly.
The catch. Launch is $99 plus 1% of subscriber GMV, Grow $299 plus 1%, Excel from $499 plus 1%. Loyalty and referrals are only listed on Excel. 71 reviews so far.
How to migrate. Grow includes a customer success manager: that's the tier to ask for an assisted migration. Use the 14-day trial to import a sample.
- Trial
- 14 days
- Paid
- Launch $99/mo + 1%
- Loyalty
- Excel plan
- Catch
- 71 reviews
Stay AI: for big brands fighting churn
Enterprise DTCWhy move to Stay AI. Stay AI targets brands with large subscriber bases that bleed revenue on every cancel. Its RetentionEngine forecasts subscription revenue and works to prevent churn; ExperienceEngine runs promotions along the subscriber journey. The portal is customizable without code. Several reviewers on its listing say they came from Recharge.
Who it fits. Brands with a retention team, where one point of churn is worth more than the app bill.
Who it doesn't. Anyone switching to pay less: on our sample store Stay AI costs about $794 a month.
The catch. One plan, $499 a month plus 1% and 19¢ per transaction, with a 30-day trial.
How to migrate. Stay AI highlights a high-touch team that helps you move over. Before signing, get in writing who cancels the Recharge subscriptions, and when.
- Trial
- 30 days
- Paid
- $499/mo + 1% + 19¢
- $20k store
- about $794/mo
- Catch
- costs more than Recharge Starter
Every app's bill on the same store
Our default pick: Appstle if you want the lowest bill at mid volume, Loop if you want the closest replacement. The sample store does $20,000 a month in subscription revenue, 500 orders at $40, 500 subscribers. Recharge Starter comes to about $549 a month ($149 base, $300 in percentage fees, $100 in per-order fees). Payment processing adds the same on every line.
| Official pricing | Bill on the sample store | |
|---|---|---|
| RechargeWhere you are | Starter $149 + 1.50% + 20¢; Scale $499 + 1.25% + 20¢ | about $549/mo (Starter) |
| SkioRecharge group | Scale $599 + 1.25% + 20¢ | about $949/mo |
| LoopMost complete | Free to 50 subscriptions; Starter $99 + 1% | about $299/mo |
| AppstleNo take rate | Free to $500 in sales; $10 to $100 by tier | $100/mo |
| SealBudget | Free to 50 subscriptions; $5.95 to $24.95 up to 500 | $24.95/mo |
| Shopify SubscriptionsFree | Free | $0 |
| BoldLow flat fee | $24.99 + 2%; $49.99 + 1%; $74.99 + 0.9% | about $250/mo (Grow) |
| SmartrrLoyalty | Launch $99 + 1%; Grow $299 + 1% | about $299/mo |
| Stay AIRetention | $499 + 1% + 19¢ | about $794/mo |
USD prices billed through Shopify, before tax, read on the official listings in 2026. Payment processing excluded. Rerun the math with your own revenue and order count.
Moving off Recharge in eight steps
Order matters. Each step protects something: saved cards, next charge dates, this month's revenue, and your support inbox.
Check your contract and end date
FirstOn Plus or Custom you're on a 12-month term. Write down the end date and notice period. If a price increase is pushing you out, call your Recharge rep first with a competing quote in hand: on larger accounts, negotiation often works. If it doesn't, you know your exit date.
- Time
- one hour
- If rushed
- paying two apps at once
Find out which checkout your store runs on
DecisiveThis one question decides the rest. If your store moved to the Shopify Checkout integration, saved cards live in Shopify and the new app reuses them. If you're still on the legacy Recharge checkout, they sit with Stripe, Braintree or Authorize.net: connect that gateway to Shopify as a secondary provider and give the new app access. Recharge support can tell you which one you're on.
- If rushed
- customers re-entering cards
Confirm your gateway can follow
Shopify Payments, Stripe, Braintree and Authorize.net are the common cases. Be careful with Adyen: on Shopify, Adyen for subscriptions is limited to accounts Adyen has already approved. Check this with your destination before you sign. Keep the gateway account live after the move, since renewals still run through it.
- If rushed
- failed renewals on the first cycle
Export everything Recharge holds
Day 1In Recharge's Export Builder, pull subscriptions, customers, payment tokens, payment methods and processed orders. The subscriptions file only references customer IDs, so you need the customers file for names and emails. Migration guides note that order exports cover 12 months per run: export each year. Download everything right away and store it outside Recharge.
- Files
- at least 5 exports
- Access
- admin only
Rebuild selling plans one for one
Frequencies, discounts, prepaid, bundles: recreate each plan at the same price and discount. A subscriber paying $36 with 10% off must still pay $36. Match delivery rules too, if customers picked their ship day.
- If rushed
- "my price changed" tickets
Import, then reconcile line by line
CriticalTest ten subscribers first, then run the full import. Reconcile the destination's report against your export: active subscriptions, next charge dates, prices, addresses. On Loop, a lower subscription count is normal, since products from one charge merge into one subscription.
- If rushed
- missed or mispriced subscribers
Cancel on Recharge on cutover day
No double chargesA subscription active in two apps means a customer charged twice. On cutover day, cancel the Recharge subscriptions, ideally through the API rather than by hand, without sending cancellation emails. Loop does this for you; elsewhere, ask who owns it. Turn off Recharge's automated emails too.
- If rushed
- double charges and chargebacks
Swap portal links and watch a full cycle
Your Klaviyo flows, account page and FAQ point to the Recharge portal: replace every link. Tell subscribers their portal moved, with no word about price. Keep Recharge installed, with no active subscriptions, until one full billing cycle has run clean.
- Time
- one billing cycle
- If rushed
- support ticket spike
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
What makes a Recharge exit go wrong
The same mistakes show up in merchant reviews and forum threads. None of them are bugs. They're oversights, and each costs more than the price increase that sent you shopping.
Comparing base fees and ignoring the take rate
$99 plus 1% isn't cheaper than a flat $100 once you pass $100 a month in sales. Run the math on your real revenue and order count, per-order fees included. Our ecommerce subscription app ranking scores each app.
Treating Skio as an alternative
Skio belongs to the Recharge group. If you're leaving to change vendor, support or pricing policy, it's the wrong door.
Leaving subscriptions live in both apps
The most expensive mistake: double charges, refunds, chargebacks. One active app per subscription, always.
Forgetting portal links in your emails
A "manage your subscription" email pointing to a dead portal floods support the next week. Search every email template for "recharge" before cutover.
Rushing the date
If you can't land the cutover before a price increase kicks in, eat one month of the higher fee rather than skipping the billing dry run. A botched first cycle costs more than the increase.
Changing platform at the same time
Swapping subscription app and ecommerce platform in the same month doubles the risk. If you're also weighing a move off Shopify, read our guide on switching from Shopify. For software subscriptions rather than boxes, see switching from Chargebee.
- Recharge contract end date noted
- Recharge checkout version identified
- Gateway supported and connected to Shopify
- Subscriptions, customers, tokens, payment methods and orders exported
- Selling plans rebuilt at the same prices
- Ten-subscriber test import passed
- Destination report reconciled with the export
- Recharge subscriptions cancelled on cutover day, no customer emails
- Portal links replaced in emails and on site
- One full billing cycle monitored
Recharge alternatives: FAQ
What's the best free alternative to Recharge?
Shopify Subscriptions, if your offer is simple: it's free with no subscriber cap. Seal and Loop are free up to 50 subscriptions, Appstle up to $500 a month in subscription sales. Past that, Seal stays cheapest at $24.95 a month up to 500 subscriptions.
Which Shopify subscription app has the lowest fees?
Appstle and Seal charge 0% transaction fees on every plan. Appstle tops out at $100 a month up to $100,000 in monthly subscription sales; Seal prices by subscription count. Loop, Smartrr and Bold add 0.75% to 2% per order, and Recharge, Skio and Stay AI add a percentage plus 19¢ or 20¢.
Will my subscribers have to re-enter their cards?
Usually not. On the Shopify Checkout integration, cards already live in Shopify and the new app picks them up. On the legacy Recharge checkout, cards stay with Stripe, Braintree or Authorize.net, which you connect to Shopify as a secondary gateway. The case to check first: Adyen, whose access to Shopify subscriptions is restricted.
How much does it cost to migrate off Recharge?
Often nothing in app fees. Loop includes migration on paid plans, Seal says it's free, Bold offers it complimentary. The real cost is your team's time: exports, reconciling the report, and watching the first cycle. Loop quotes about two weeks.
Did Recharge acquire Skio?
Yes. Skio's Shopify listing now reads "Skio, a Recharge Company". The app still runs, at $599 a month plus 1.25% and 20¢ per transaction, under the same parent.
Does Recharge still have a cheap plan?
Not on its public price list. The first listed plan is Starter at $149 a month plus 1.50% and 20¢, with a 60-day trial. Under 50 subscribers, Loop and Seal are free.
Can I negotiate my Recharge price instead of leaving?
Often, on larger accounts. Ask your rep with a written quote from Loop or Appstle and a real exit date. Plus and Custom plans run on 12-month terms, so time the conversation before renewal.
Which Recharge alternative handles build-a-box?
Appstle from its $30 Business plan, or Loop, whose Starter plan includes fixed and build-your-own bundles. Shopify Subscriptions doesn't do build-a-box.
Get the next migration guide in your inbox
One tool to leave, one destination, one cutover plan. Nothing else.
