The best Shopify subscription app is the one that keeps the most revenue: it recovers failed payments, saves cancellations, lifts order value and gives subscribers a portal they actually use. Failed payments alone cause roughly 20-40% of subscription churn (Recurly, 2026), so those tools matter more than the feature count. All the apps below run on Shopify subscription contracts (shopify.dev/docs/apps/selling-strategies/subscriptions). Pricing is as published by each vendor at the time of writing; check their sites before you decide.
| App | Best for | Free plan | Paid from | Built-in rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SubzWallet | Revenue recovery + a dedicated team | 50 subscriptions | $99/mo + 1% | Points, milestones, VIP tiers, cashback |
| ReCharge | Large stores with an existing stack | No | $99/mo + fees | Add-on / separate app |
| Loop | Cancellation flows and bundles | Yes (50 subscriptions) | $99/mo + 1% GMV | Basic |
| Skio | Passwordless portal UX | No | Premium pricing | No |
| Stay AI | AI-driven retention for larger brands | No | Custom | No |
| Appstle | Budget basic subscriptions | Up to $500/mo revenue | $10/mo | Basic tiered discounts |
| Seal | No-frills recurring orders | Yes | $4.95/mo | No |
| PayWhirl | Simple subscription billing | Yes | $9/mo | No |
What to look for in a Shopify subscription app
- Failed payment recovery (dunning): scheduled retries, reminders, and a clear list of failed renewals
- Churn tools: cancel flows with pause, skip, swap and retention offers, plus cancellation reasons
- Upsells: add-ons and offers that raise order value, such as portal add-ons for the next order
- Customer portal: fast on a phone; skip, reschedule, change frequency and swap without emailing support
- Admin control: subscription views for failed, paused and out-of-stock, staff roles, order tagging
- Support and migration: who helps you set up, and whether moving from your current app is free and keeps saved cards
- Pricing: monthly fee plus any percentage or per-order fees at your real volume
1. SubzWallet: best for recovering revenue, with a dedicated team
SubzWallet is built around the tools that decide subscription revenue. Failed renewals are retried on a schedule, out-of-stock orders are kept as owed instead of lost, and an alert center lists every at-risk subscription. Cancel flows offer pause, skip, swap and retention offers, and cancellation analytics show who is at risk. Upsells run as add-ons in the customer portal, in subscription emails and as one-time products or gifts on the next order.
The portal is built for phones: customers skip, reschedule, change frequency and swap products, and choose to send the rest now or wait when an item is out of stock. Points, milestone gifts, VIP tiers and a cashback wallet sit on the same customer record, so a renewal can earn rewards automatically.
What sets it apart is the service: every paid plan includes a dedicated developer and account manager for your shop, and migration from Loop or ReCharge is free on every plan. Saved cards stay in Shopify, so customers never re-enter them. Merchants have moved to SubzWallet from both Loop and ReCharge.
Pricing: Free for 50 subscriptions with the points program. Launch $99/mo + 1%, Growth $299/mo + 0.7% (adds cashback, VIP tiers, flows, upsell configuration), Scale $499/mo + 0.6%. No per-order flat fee.
Best for: brands that want more revenue from the subscribers they already have, and a team that works on it with them.
2. ReCharge: best for large stores with an existing stack
ReCharge is the most established Shopify subscription app, with a mature portal, analytics and a large partner ecosystem. Loyalty and some retention tools come as add-ons or separate apps, and fees combine a monthly price with a percentage and a per-order charge, so cost grows with volume.
Best for: large stores that already run separate loyalty and email tools and want a long-established vendor.
3. Loop Subscriptions: best for cancellation flows and bundles
Loop is known for strong cancellation flows, a broad dunning setup and build-a-bundle. It has a free plan for up to 50 active subscriptions; paid plans combine a monthly fee with a percentage of subscription GMV, which adds up as revenue grows.
Best for: mid-size brands focused on cancellation flows who are comfortable with GMV-based fees.
4. Skio: best for a passwordless portal
Skio is known for its passwordless customer portal and polished UX, aimed at larger DTC brands. It sits at the premium end on price and has no free plan. Loyalty needs a separate app.
Best for: high-volume brands where portal login friction is the main problem.
5. Stay AI: best for AI-driven retention at larger brands
Stay AI focuses on AI-driven retention features and works mainly with larger subscription brands, with pricing on request.
Best for: larger brands that want AI-led retention and a sales-led setup.
6. Appstle Subscriptions: best budget option
Appstle is affordable and well reviewed, with a free plan up to $500/mo in subscription revenue and paid plans from $10/mo. It covers subscription management, a portal, dunning and basic analytics, with revenue caps that push you up a tier as you grow.
Best for: small stores with simple needs and a tight budget.
7. Seal Subscriptions: best for no-frills recurring orders
Seal keeps things simple: recurring orders, basic dunning and a customer portal, with a free plan and low paid tiers. Fewer retention tools as you grow.
Best for: stores that want the simplest setup.
8. PayWhirl: simplest subscription billing
PayWhirl is a clean, simple subscription billing app with a free plan and low-cost tiers. It handles recurring payments well but is light on retention tools.
Best for: the lowest entry price and simple billing.
How to choose the right Shopify subscription app
- If revenue recovery and hands-on help matter most: SubzWallet.
- If you are a large store with a separate loyalty and email stack already in place: ReCharge.
- If cancellation flows and bundles are your focus and GMV fees are fine: Loop.
- If portal login friction is your main issue and budget is not: Skio.
- If you need the lowest cost for simple subscriptions: Appstle, Seal or PayWhirl.
Whatever you pick, check three things before you switch: how failed payments are retried, what the cancel flow offers, and whether migration keeps saved cards and next billing dates. Read more in our guides at /blog/failed-subscription-payments-dunning-guide and /blog/reduce-shopify-subscription-churn.