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The Best Subscription Management Software Companies of 2021
How We Chose the Best Subscription Management Software
To make all these subscription-based purchases work, subscription companies need the right tools to handle subscribing, unsubscribing, credit card processing, invoice reminders and other customer-facing tasks. Meanwhile, the same companies need subscription software that will provide them with detailed reports on the number of subscribers, how many new subscribers each month and how many law subscribers, and overall revenue.
So we looked at the best 15 subscription management software programs available with specific criteria in mind:
Subscription Management Features
If you’re going to purchase subscription management software, you want to make sure it will handle the most important tasks needed for a subscription-based business. We recommend software that comes with plenty of useful features for managing subscriptions, such as recurring billing, a self-service portal, trial management and cancellation management.
Integrations
The right subscription management software will play well with other programs used by a company. The software should have pre-built integrations for important items like payment gateways, marketing platforms and other tools often used together with subscription management software.
Reporting
The best subscription management software in the world won’t help you if you don’t know how it’s helping you. Providing companies with the right kind of data is key. Detailed reports help the user measure the performance of their subscription services.
The Best 15 Subscription Management Software Options of 2021
2Checkout
2Checkout, a payment processing company, was acquired by Avangate, a global subscription billing platform, in 2017, and the two companies rebranded as 2Checkout. In 2020, this company was acquired by VeriFone and will soon be rebranded as VeriFone.
2Checkout offers three main products: 2Sell, 2Subscribe and 2Monetize. Additionally, the company offers add-ons such as 2Convert and 2Bill. 2Sell enables companies to accept payments from over 200 countries around the world using 100 different cart payment systems and is available in over 100 currencies in 29 languages. 2Subscribe also offers tools to help you retain customers and reduce churn, while 2Monetize is specifically aimed at helping companies sell digital products around the world, including global tax and regulatory compliance.
2Checkout was awarded gold medals for Hot Technology of the Year and Hot Company of the Year at the 2020 IT World Awards.
| Price | Free Trial/Demo | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5% + $0.35 per successful sale for 2Sell 4.5% + $0.45 per successful sale for 2Subscribe 6.0% + $0.60 per successful sale for 2Monetize | Trial | >Deployment: Web-based, cloud and SaaS >Support: 24/7 (live rep), business hours, online >Enrollment management: Yes >More features at 2Checkout |
Pros & Cons of 2Checkout Subscription Software
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| >Easy to set up | >Processing fees are expensive for small businesses |
| >Good customer service | |
| >Available in underserviced parts of the world |
Chargebee
Chargebee is a plug-and-play platform that enables companies to create a monthly billing plan for consumers of its products, to charge a one-time fee or to set up a usage-based model (you only charge when the customer actually uses the product). It has a very intuitive dashboard and reporting tools that are easily understood and used.
It integrates with over 30 payment systems, including PayPal, Amazon Payments and Stripe. These easy payment systems allow a subscription-based company to hunt for customers around the world.
It offers four pricing models: a Free version, available to start-up companies currently making under $50,000 in revenue: Rise, for companies moving from spreadsheets to automation and expecting a quick turnaround; Scale, for businesses that want to improve the automation of subscription tasks and have better reporting on those subscriptions; and the Enterprise model, made for businesses with sophisticated revenue models and whose pricing is determined by conversations with the company.
| Price | Free Trial/Demo | Features |
|---|---|---|
| $249 per month for Rise $549 per month for Scale | Trial, Free Version | >Deployment: Web-based, cloud and SaaS >Support: 24/7 (live rep), business hours, online >Enrollment management: Yes >More features at Chargebee |
Pros & Cons of Chargebee Subscription Software
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| >Easy-to-use reporting tools and interface | >Expensive for those trying to be budget-conscious |
| >Customizable email notifications | >Currently no parent-child billing functions |
| >Robust free version |
Chargify
Founded in 2009 as a part of Grasshopper, the virtual phone system, over the years Chargify has focused more on the billing issues of Software as a Service (SaaS) companies. This is a good tool for a small company with a relatively limited number of subscribers or a large company with thousands of subscribers. It does not charge transaction fees or setup fees. It uses a monthly billing structure and does not take a cut of revenue from any of its clients.
Since the Chargify subscription software integrates with Zapier, which allows the integration of many other software programs, it means companies can integrate marketing programs, e-commerce platforms and other essential items.
Its pricing structure is based on a monthly fee for a specific model: Starter, Scaling, Success or Specialized. It also charges a small percentage of a company’s revenue over a specified amount — $10,000 a month for the Starter plan and $50,000 a month for the others.
| Price | Free Trial/Demo | Features |
|---|---|---|
| $149 per month for Starter $299 per month for Scaling $499 per month for Success Custom pricing for Specialized | Trial | >Deployment: Web-based, cloud and SaaS >Support: 24/7 (live rep), business hours, online >Enrollment management: Yes >More features at Chargify |
Pros & Cons of Chargify Subscription Software
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| >Does not charge transaction fees | >Difficult to set up filters to generate proper reports |
| >There are no setup fees | |
| >Works with various payment gateways |
FastSpring
FastSpring styles itself as more of an e-commerce platform for SaaS companies. Its product is designed to provide companies with a robust e-commerce solution but help them remain lean as they build the business.
FastSpring still offers all the important elements of a robust subscription management tool, including recurring billing, email invoicing and overdue reminders. If you want to create a coupon or offer a rebate if someone purchases a subscription, FastSpring will enable you to create these incentives.
FastSpring works with all major credit cards and PayPal and accepts up to 19 different currencies, and subscriptions can be purchased using 17 different payment methods.
While all FastSpring plans are quote-based, there are three basic plans: Pay As You Grow, a Business Plan and the Enterprise plan. The first two plans can be configured on the FastSpring website, while the Enterprise plan requires you to speak to the FastSpring sales team.
| Price | Free Trial/Demo | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Quote-Based Pricing | Free Version, Demo | >Deployment: Web-based, cloud and SaaS >Support: Online >Enrollment management: Yes >More features at FastSpring |
Pros & Cons of FastSpring Subscription Software
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| >Excellent customer service | >Costs can be high for small businesses |
| >Good resources for developers and non-developers alike | >Users have complained about currency conversion rates |
| >Payment system can be used globally |
Fusebill
A Canadian company based in Ontario, Fusebill is a web-based subscription management platform that handles all the important elements of a subscription program, such as payment, customer and pricing management. Its software can be used by any industry that sells a subscription-based product or program.
Fusebill’s automation tools allow clients to customize their communications with subscribers, including notices about late payments, if a credit card has expired or if invoices are past due. Fusible also offers a self-service portal where subscribers can make all necessary changes like updating credit cards, seeing their billing history or moving from one subscription to another.
Fusebill has created easy-to-use dashboards that allow clients to immediately view important data such as churn rates and new acquisitions.
One nice feature of Fusebill is that it allows you to customize the billing schedule so that if a customer wants to be billed every week, every month or every two months, the Fusebill subscription management software can create this billing timetable.
| Price | Free Trial/Demo | Features |
|---|---|---|
| $295 per month for Startup $895 per month for Rapid-growth | Trial | >Deployment: Web-based, cloud and SaaS >Support: Business hours, online >Enrollment management: Yes >More features at Fusebill |
Pros & Cons of Fusebill Subscription Software
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| >Intuitive and easy to use | >Expensive |
| >Integrates smoothly with other apps and in-house systems | >Difficult to create customized reports |
| >Excellent customer support |
Pabbly Subscriptions
Although Pabbly Subscriptions didn’t see the light of day until 2018, it’s the result of an email marketing application developed back in 2014, GetMail. Pabbly, based in India, offers email marketing and subscription management software tools. Its email tool can create numerous email templates and includes a free SMTP server for clients that want to send out bulk emails. It also provides SMTP integration with many other email programs, including Gmail, Mailgun and SMTP2GO.
Its subscription management software helps customers manage subscriptions, recurring payments and how customers are billed, as well as providing sales analytics like churn rates, renewals, revenue per user and overall monthly revenue.
Pabbly Subscriptions subscription management tools also include the ability to create coupons, free trials or reduced rates for subscription products. Clients can also create their own portal where they can manage their accounts, renew their subscriptions, update credit cards and even unsubscribe if desired.
| Price | Free Trial/Demo | Features |
|---|---|---|
| $9 per month for Starter $17 per month for Rookie $29 per month for Pro $37 per month for Advanced | Trial | >Deployment: Installed – Mac, Installed – Windows, Web-based, cloud and SaaS >Support: 24/7 (live rep), business hours, online >Enrollment management: Yes >More features at Pabbly Subscriptions |
Pros & Cons of Pabbly Subscriptions Subscription Software
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| >Economical option for small business | >Customer service is hit or miss — very good or very bad in |
| >Integrates well with payment gateways like stripe and PayPal |
Paddle
Launched in 2012 in London, England, Deloitte Fast 50 named this company the fastest-growing software company in the United Kingdom.
While pricing on Paddle subscription software is quote-based, actual pricing is on a per-transaction basis. For that transaction fee, a company receives software that will enable it to create a subscription billing service that best suits its business model, provides billing support for any problems that arise, determines all the taxes and VATs required in the over 200 different countries and territories where Paddle can be found, and offers all its payment methods together in one place.
Paddle also offers a do-it-yourself alternative pricing plan where a company can purchase certain modules. For instance, a company can purchase a module used for payment processing (which will cost you 2-3% of revenue) or for subscription billing (0.5-1.5% of revenue). Several other modules are also available.
| Price | Free Trial/Demo | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Quote-Based Pricing | Free Account | >Deployment: Installed – Windows, Web-based, cloud, SaaS and iPhone/iPad >Support: Online >Enrollment management: No >More features at Paddle |
Pros & Cons of Paddle Subscription Software
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| >Quick, smooth integration with the company’s products | >Paddle does not handle enrollment management |
| >Support can take a bit of time to respond, but once they do, they are very good |
PaySimple
PaySimple is what its name says it is: a simple way for people to pay for services purchased from a variety of merchants or providers. The software allows a customer to set up a billing cycle, using either a credit card or bank account, to pay for recurring service.
Its subscription invoicing tools are excellent for businesses that are based in the service industry, such as legal or medical offices. It’s not an ideal program if your business is primarily card-present, where customers will dip or swipe their credit cards in person. It’s ideal if you need recurring billing and invoicing for customers.
Pricing breaks down into two distinct categories: the Starter plan, primarily used for automated clearing house (ACH) transactions (which cost $1 per transaction for basic charge) and the Standard plan, which is used primarily for credit cards (with a starting rate of 2.49% + $0.29 per transaction). Both models have monthly maintenance fees.
| Price | Free Trial/Demo | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 2.49% per transaction + monthly fees for credit card processing $0.60 + 0.20% for ACH/eCheck processing | 14-day Trial | >Deployment: Web-based, cloud, SaaS, iPhone/iPad and Android >Support: Business hours, online >Enrollment management: Yes >More features at PaySimple |
Pros & Cons of PaySimple Subscription Software
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| >No contract or cancellation fees | >Not a good choice for businesses where customers use credit cards in person a great deal |
| >Excellent customer support |
Recurly
Founded in 2009 and based in San Francisco, Recurly offers enterprise-level recurring billing management for subscription-based businesses that specialize in content and publishing. Recurly allows businesses to create an unlimited number of subscription plans that can be tailored to either individuals or groups.
Customers can make a one-time purchase or purchase a subscription for a recurring item. It also offers an item catalog where customers can look at articles available for purchase and then use the subscription-based software.
Recurly then provides detailed analytics based on the data such as net subscriber change, new subscriptions, one-time purchases, new subscriptions, churn rate, etc. This allows a company to make necessary day-by-day decisions to improve its business.
Recurly has three plan options: Core, which charges $149 a month and 0.9% of all revenue generated (a good choice for businesses that offer credit card-only subscriptions), Professional and Elite, which are both quote-based.
| Price | Free Trial/Demo | Features |
|---|---|---|
| $149/month+ 0.9% of revenue for Core Quote-Based Pricing for Professional Quote-Based Pricing for Elite | Trial | >Deployment: Web-based, cloud and SaaS >Support: Business hours, online >Enrollment management: No >More features at Recurly |
Pros & Cons of Recurly Subscription Software
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| >Excellent for subscription only businesses | >Can be difficult to set up |
| >Well-constructed dashboards allow companies to see important information about subscriptions | >Does not do enrollment management |
SaaSOptics
Based in the American state of Georgia, SaaSOptics is a subscription management tool that automates important financial functions for SaaS B2B businesses. One of the goals of using this software is to help companies eliminate the use of spreadsheets and move to a more automated model that presents real-time data on which they can base important decisions.
SaaSOptics offers robust reporting tools, which can seem a little overwhelming at first, but once the customer learns how to use them properly, they can present any client with a cornucopia of useful data. SaaSOptics subscription software is not intuitive or necessarily easy to learn, but the company has assigned designated customer sales representatives to work with each of its clients. This has helped improve initial set-up operations immensely.
In 2018, the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) Codie awards named SaaSOptics the Best Billing and Subscription Management Solution Software.
| Price | Free Trial/Demo | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Quote-Based Pricing | Trial | >Deployment: Installed – Mac, Installed – Windows, Web-based, cloud and SaaS >Support: Business hours, online >Enrollment management: No >More features at SaaSOptics |
Pros & Cons of SaaSOptics Subscription Software
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| >Excellent customer service | >Does not offer enrollment management |
| >Very good reporting tools | >Software can be difficult to set up |
Sage Intacct
In 2017, Sage purchased Intacct, which had been producing high-quality accounting software since 1999. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), an organization that sets the standard for accountants in 143 countries, officially endorsed Sage Intacct for its General Ledger (GL) software.
Although Sage Intacct, which is based in San Francisco, is primarily a well-known cloud-based accounting software, it also provides subscription billing services. These functions allow a client to create billing schedules and tailor pricing for subscriptions and other items that suit their business model. The goal is for a company to enjoy better payment management.
Sage Intacct software provides your finance and sales departments with real-time data. This allows the two departments to work together to create better customer service and more accurate billing. Staff spends less time poring over spreadsheets, which not only saves time but eliminates possible human errors. The result is more accurate billing, which means customers will be happier.
The cost of Sage Intacct is based on the size of the client’s accounting team and which module the company chooses. On average. a company spends between $15,000 and $35,000 for a subscription.
| Price | Free Trial/Demo | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Quote-Based Pricing | Demo | >Deployment: Web-based, cloud and SaaS >Support: 24/7 (live rep), business hours, online >Enrollment management: No >More features at Sage Intacct |
Pros & Cons of Sage Intacct Subscription Software
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| >Folds subscription billing in with excellent accounting software | >Not primarily a subscription billing software |
| >Self-service portal | >Does not do enrollment management |
| >Works with multiple currencies |
Stripe Connect
Founded in 2010 and located in San Francisco, California, Stripe Connect is primarily a third-party payment platform that allows clients’ customers to use credit cards to pay for their purchases or transactions. It also offers a set of sophisticated developer tools that allow its clients to build robust, customized payment processing applications, such as a way to bill for subscriptions.
Stripe Connect tools allow its customers to create flexible billing structures, such as pricing sections of seats in a theater, auditorium or sports stadium. Subscriptions can be billed in a variety of ways: weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. Its tools help reduce churn, send reminders that invoices are due or overdue and send reminders that a customer needs to update their credit card if it’s on file.
Automatically generated reports help its clients understand important aspects of their subscription business. Stripe Connect uses several different pricing models for its software, and clients can purchase modules for which they pay separate fees.
| Price | Free Trial/Demo | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 2.9% + $0.30 per successful card charge | No | >Deployment: Web-based, cloud and SaaS >Support: 24/7 (live rep), online >Enrollment management: No >More features at Stripe Connect |
Pros & Cons of Stripe Connect Subscription Software
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| >Excellent developer tools | >Can be difficult to learn |
| >Flat-rate pricing | >No support for enrollment management |
| >Works with multiple currencies |
Subbly
Founded in 2013 and based in the Los Angeles area, Subbly is an e-commerce platform for subscription-based businesses that helps clients create websites to sell subscriptions of both digital and physical products anywhere in the world.
Subbly creates a variety of billing scheduling options, including weekly, biweekly, monthly, four or six weeks, quarterly, biannually or yearly. Subbly also allows clients to set up trial subscriptions, as well as setting different prices for subscriptions. It also has a “Build a Box” function that allows clients to offer their customers the customizable subscription experience.
Subbly can also allow for one-time purchases if the customer wants to try the product before deciding on a subscription. Its automatic checkout function allows customers to add the appropriate sales tax for the region or state.
This is a very economical model for any subscription-based business. For $29 a month, Subbly offers checker functions and website construction. A 1% transaction fee is added for every subscription sale.
| Price | Free Trial/Demo | Features |
|---|---|---|
| $14 per month for Checkout only $29 per month for Website + Checkout | Trial | >Deployment: Web-based, cloud and SaaS >Support: 24/7 (live rep), online >Enrollment management: No >More features at Subbly |
Pros & Cons of Subbly Subscription Software
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| >Software is easy to set up and use | >Subbly does not include enrollment management |
| >Economical choice for startups or businesses on a budget |
Zoho Subscriptions
Based in Austin, Texas, and one of the few subscription management software companies that offers a free version, Zoho Subscriptions is part of the Zoho family of software tools designed to improve companies’ financial management. It handles important tasks like automated recurring billing and payments, subscription branding and the generation of subscription reports and metrics.
While its subscription billing software helps companies arrange the billing lifecycle from end to end and is very usable for large companies, its reasonable pricing structure makes it an especially suitable choice for SMEs. The free Starter version is great for small startups that have a limited number of subscribers or that want to try out the software before moving on to one of the other payment plans. The Basic package can be used for up to 500 subscribers, while the Standard package is good for up to 2000 subscribers.
| Price | Free Trial/Demo | Features |
|---|---|---|
| $49 per month for Basic $99 per month for Standard $249 per month for Professional | Trial, Free Version | >Deployment: Web-based, cloud, SaaS and iPhone/iPad >Support: Business hours, online >Enrollment management: No >More features at Zoho Subscriptions |
Pros & Cons of Zoho Subscriptions Subscription Software
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| >Easy to set up | >Has difficulty with one-time transactions |
| >Reliable customer service | >Does not support enrollment management |
| >Friendly pricing structure for small business |
Zuora
Founded in 2007 and based in San Mateo, California, Zuora develops SaaS subscription applications for companies that want to move to a subscription-based model for their businesses. Zuora’s main enterprise platform, Zuora Central, is designed to help companies that want to establish long-term relationships with their customers and see using subscriptions is the best way to do that. It’s built on the idea that people no longer wish to own things but only to use things when they need them.
Zuora helps companies customize their billing cycles and build best practices so they can generate the most possible revenue. It easily integrates with the company’s other important financial software.
SIIA awarded Zuora the 2020 Codie Award for Best Subscription Billing Solutions Software. It’s also been named one of the Best Places to Work in San Francisco for several years.
| Price | Free Trial/Demo | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Quote-Based Pricing | Demo | >Deployment: Web-based, cloud and SaaS >Support: 24/7 (live rep) >Enrollment management: No >More features at Zuora |
Pros & Cons of Zuora Subscription Software
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| >Excellent customer support | >Difficult to set up |
| >Easy to use | >Does not support enrollment management |
What Is Subscription Management Software?
Any business based on the internet that wants to operate a subscription-based business and wants to retain subscribers and build loyalty to the brand or product should turn to subscription management software. Also known in some places as recurring billing or subscription billing, subscription management software allows an individual or business to subscribe to a certain item, then stores their payment information and automatically ensures that the proper amount is charged to the customer every month and that the customer can end the subscription if they wish.
Basically, subscription management software charges the right customer the right amount, based on the subscription cycle the customer has chosen — for instance, monthly, quarterly or yearly.
Companies can purchase subscription software as part of a suite that deals with all aspects of a subscription-based business, such as subscribing, unsubscribing, credit card processing, etc., or as a standalone add-in that make it easier for a company to add subscriptions to its current offerings.
The best subscription management software integrates easily with other important tools used in a subscription-based company like e-commerce platforms, payment gateway software, catalog management software, advanced analytics and tracking, email marketing or invoicing and other e-commerce tools.
Benefits of Subscription Management Software
Subscription management software can help you do the following:
- Manage subscription billing: It used to take a lot of people and a lot of Excel spreadsheets to ensure customers were being billed the correct amount at the correct time. Subscription management software takes that headache away from companies and creates an automatic process to ensure the correct and timely completion of these tasks.
- Reduce errors: The fastest way in the world to lose a customer is to bill them an incorrect amount or to bill them for the same subscription more than once. Subscription management software reduces these kinds of errors and keeps customers happy.
- Save time: Because subscription management software automates each of the important tasks necessary in a subscription service, it frees a company to spend more time on finding new customers. Companies don’t want their employees to spend all their time correcting mistakes made by human billing errors or tracking down information requested by the customer.
- Offer security: Good subscription software management also has robust security and is payment card industry (PCI) compliant. This provides customers with peace of mind about sharing their credit card information online by creating a safe environment for them to purchase a company’s product.
Must-Have Features of Subscription Management Software
Among the many important tasks that good subscription management software should fulfill are:
- Subscription management: A customer should be able to easily and quickly subscribe and unsubscribe to a company’s product. By the same token, they should be able to pause and resume a subscription, especially for a product like a newspaper, a meal delivery service or a book service.
- Integration of inventory software: If the company sells a subscription to a more tangible item like socks or a magazine, subscription management software should enable easy integration with inventory management software so that when a customer places an order, it immediately connects to inventory management so the customer is shipped the correct product right away.
- Reports: As previously noted, the best software is incomplete if you don’t know how it’s helping you. Detailed analytic reports about the number of new customers, recurring customers and those who have left are important, as well as the reason they left and when they left. Reports on monthly revenue and how each subscription management product is contributing to that revenue help companies make long-term forecasts.
- Invoice reminders: If a company has numerous subscriptions — say, to a cable provider or a coffee service that covers an entire campus — and they pay via invoice, subscription management software will email the correct person the correct invoice on time, ensuring there’s no interruption to the service. Reminders also need to be sent out if payment has not arrived on time.
The Cost of Subscription Management Software
If the company decides to purchase subscription management software, there are several pricing schemes to choose from.
In some cases, subscription management software companies charge a flat subscription fee. The subscriptions are based on the number of features available on each pricing tier, so you might pay $29 a month for a basic subscription model or $149 a month for an all-inclusive package. Other companies charge a fee for when a company is first establishing a subscription plan and then increase the monthly cost as the business grows and more transactions are enacted.
Other systems use a subscription fee plus a percentage of each transaction. In this case, a customer would pay $129 a month plus a certain percentage of revenue generated each month by the subscription software, such as 0.5% or 0.9%.
Yet other services may be based on a percentage plus a small fee for every successful transaction, so the company might pay 4.5% + $0.45 every time a credit card is transacted.
More than a few of the companies listed above do not actually provide any information on their pricing structure, and you’ll need to contact them directly to find out more about the particular pricing model they use.