One of the world’s most popular subscription billing management platforms, Chargify is used by over 1,200 industry leaders to power their recurring billing and subscription operations. But while Chargify offers a host of benefits for fast-growing subscription businesses — a seamless sign-up experience, superior relationship management, and an easy-to-use self-service portal — is it really the best option for managing your subscription billing processes?
Of course, your choice of subscription billing platform will depend on the unique needs of your business — perhaps a fairly low-cast, basic solution will suffice, or maybe you need something a little more dynamic and feature-rich — so you should carry out plenty of research before opting for a subscription management package, as they all offer differing features and functionality.
In this guide, we explore 10 of the best Chargify alternatives and competitors on the market today, delving into the primary advantages of each solution. Let’s dive in.
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1. Recurly
With 50+ million active subscribers in over 140 currencies, Recurly is a growth-focused subscription billing platform and “Intelligent Revenue Optimization Engine” which helps to support businesses in boosting subscriber numbers and reducing churn. With a flexible suite of subscription management tools, Recurly also boasts industry-leading customer support.
Key features:
- Flexible billing models, including fixed, pre-paid, and quantity-based
- Customer acquisition tools such as free trials and gift subscriptions
- Advanced reporting models to identify and reduce churn
- Tax compliance integrations with Vertex and Avalara
- Support for over 140 currencies in several languages
2. Chargebee
While Recurly is one of Chargify’s main competitors, there are plenty of Recurly alternatives available — such as Chargebee. A flexible and fully-featured solution that enables businesses to manage their subscriptions at scale, Chargebee automates and optimizes subscription billing for SaaS companies, ecommerce stores, and other online businesses.
Key features:
- 480+ billing scenarios, including flat fee and pay-as-you-go
- Supports multiple payment gateways and currencies
- Automated dunning to recover lost revenue
- Fully optimized checkout and self-service customer portal
- 360-degree revenue reporting tools
3. Zuora
With high-profile customers such as Zoom, Zuora Billing is a comprehensive monetization platform which enables businesses to drive revenue through subscriptions, consumption, or a mix of both. Described as an all-in-one “Subscription Economy”, Zuora offers a multitude of subscription billing features, a number of payment gateways, and powerful performance metrics.
Key features:
- More than 35+ pre-built payment gateways
- Support for any desired currency
- Smart dunning process to recover failed payments and reduce churn
- Low-code API that integrates with existing applications
- Zuora Analytics for real-time revenue reporting
4. Stripe
Already well-known within the payment services industry, Stripe is a comprehensive payment management platform branded as “payments infrastructure for the internet”. However, Stripe’s offering also extends to subscription management, with support for a range of subscription models — from flat flee to hybrid — and built-in ecommerce conversion rate and retention optimization features.
Key features:
- Multiple subscription pricing models, including flat fee and usage-based
- Built-in support for coupons, free trials, prorations, add-ons and overages
- Automated failed payment emails and an automatic card updater
- Third-party integration with Cloud, Android, iOs, web, and SaaS
- Support for self-serve and direct sales business models
- Online payments in over 135 currencies
5. Recharge
Aimed at completely simplifying the subscription management process, Recharge puts your customers in charge of their subscriptions by allowing them to skip, reschedule, or swap products as they wish via an easy-to-use self-service portal. What’s more, a handy SMS feature enables subscribers to manage their subscriptions by text message.
Key features:
- Simplified self-service customer portal
- Smart upsell workflows to increase customer lifetime value
- SMS notifications and subscription management
- Analytics and reporting tools, including industry benchmarks
- Integration with ecommerce platforms such as Shopify
6. Zoho
Zoho Subscriptions might not be for you if you aim to test and create complex pricing scenarios, but for small businesses that require a straightforward subscription management solution, it’s the ideal platform. With Zoho you can get up and running in no time, while it includes out-of-the-box integrations with multiple payment providers and over 30 analytics reports to monitor sales, revenue, and churn.
Key features:
- Online and offline payments processing
- Integrations with payment providers including PayPal, Stripe, and GoCardless
- Automated dunning rules to recover missed payments
- Self-service customer portal for viewing invoices and making payments
- 30+ built-in analytics reports
7. Billsby
When it comes to subscriptions, Billsby is possibly the most flexible management solution out there. The platform supports unlimited customization, enabling its users to create bespoke subscription scenarios precisely to their liking. Billsby also supports integration with over 2,000 additional platforms such as MailChimp and Shipwire. As Billsby’s website claims, “if you can dream it, we can bill it.”
Key features:
- Fully customizable subscription models
- Supports any level of experimentation
- Unlimited payment gateways
- Simplified self-service customer checkout
- Over 2,000 integrations available through Zapier, including MailChimp and Shipwire
8. Pabbly
Pabbly is mainly known as an all-in-one sales and marketing platform, but it also includes its own comprehensive subscription billing solution. With Pabbly, the user experience is completely customizable, with multi-language checkout pages available in multi-step, pop-up, or embedded formats. Pabbly also supports 35+ payment gateways and a range of pricing models.
Key features:
- Support for over 35 payment gateways and 7 billing models
- Fully customizable checkout experience
- Smart dunning management to reduce payment failures
- Bespoke analytics reports to track sales, revenue, and churn
- Built-in affiliate marketing management features
9. Skio
Built for websites that run on Shopify, Skio is a subscription management platform that lets you manage your subscriptions “without ripping your hair out”. The tool is especially suited to businesses that trade in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), and its in-built “build-a-box” feature makes it ideal for subscription box businesses. Skio also boasts some of the most powerful analytics features of any subscription billing platform.
Key features:
- One-click Shopify-native checkout
- Build-a-box functionality to create custom subscription boxes
- Best-in-class reporting through Source Medium integration
- Group subscription discounts
- Integrations with marketing tools such as Zendesk and Klaviyo
10. Stax Bill
Stax Bill is an automated subscription and payment service that promises a more “personal touch”. With Stax, you can reduce the time spent on billing up to 80%, while the platform can also significantly cut down late or failed payments and help to recover more lost revenue. Stax also boasts one of the industry’s most agile product catalogs, enabling you to add features and experiment with pricing at the touch of a button.
Key features:
- Support for multiple payment gateways
- Self-serve customer checkout portal
- Sales tax automation
- Automated dunning management
- Flat pricing with no overage charges
If you’re looking for a viable alternative to Chargify’s subscription management solution, you have a number of options available among the 10 we’ve highlighted here. Just be sure to carefully assess your business’s needs, consider your budget, and weigh up the pros and cons of each solution before you opt for one.
