Stop paying the
Recharge tax
Compare Recharge's subscription plans with Chargezen's subscription management and connected business tools. Review the features, billing terms, and usage costs that matter to your business.Subscription management without revenue share.
Self-serve software or help with setup and migration.
Side by side
See exactly what you get with each one.
Who each one is best for. Choose Recharge if you want the most widely used Shopify subscription app, with a large partner ecosystem, and the per-order fees fit your margins. Choose Subscriptions if you sell on Shopify Advanced or Shopify Plus and want subscriptions with no cut of your revenue, plus AI agents, texts and rewards that share one customer record.
Checked October 9, 2026. Recharge acquired Skio in April 2026 and says both platforms will keep operating, with a combined roadmap to come. In May 2026 Recharge launched AI agents that talk to subscribers by SMS and an AI assistant for merchants. Recharge facts come from Recharge pricing, the Skio announcement and Recharge AI agents. “Not listed” means those pages didn’t name the feature when we checked, not that Recharge can’t do it.
| Feature | Recharge | Chargezen |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribe & save Traditional recurring subscription model | Included | Included |
| Build-a-box Customer-curated subscription boxes | Plus plan | Included |
| Mystery box Merchant-curated surprise boxes | Not listed | Included |
| Prepaid Subscriptions 3/6/12-month upfront plans | Included | Included |
| Trial offers Trial periods that turn into subscriptions | Included | Included |
| Membership tiers VIP programs with exclusive benefits | Limited | Included |
| Customer portal Self-service subscription management | Included | Included |
| Passwordless login Customer access without a password | Included | Included |
| Failed payment recovery Retries failed payments at smart times | Included | Included |
| Cancellation risk score A daily score for how likely each subscriber is to cancel | Not listed | Included |
| AI agents AI that answers subscribers and helps your team act | SMS agents + Remi assistant | Included |
| SMS subscription management Manage subscriptions by text | Plus + message fees | Included |
| Cancellation retention flows Customizable save offers | Included | Included |
| Inventory forecasting Predict demand from subscription data | Not listed | Included |
| Analytics dashboard Monthly revenue, cancellations and customer lifetime value | Included | Included |
| Retention by signup month See how long each month's new subscribers stay | Included | Included |
| API access Developer API for custom integrations | Included | Included |
| No commission No percentage of subscription revenue taken | Not included | Included |
| Unlimited team members No per-seat charges | No seat pricing listed | Included |
Recharge
- Subscribe & save
- Included
- Build-a-box
- Plus plan
- Mystery box
- Not listed
- Prepaid Subscriptions
- Included
- Trial offers
- Included
- Membership tiers
- Limited
- Customer portal
- Included
- Passwordless login
- Included
- Failed payment recovery
- Included
- Cancellation risk score
- Not listed
- AI agents
- SMS agents + Remi assistant
- SMS subscription management
- Plus + message fees
- Cancellation retention flows
- Included
- Inventory forecasting
- Not listed
- Analytics dashboard
- Included
- Retention by signup month
- Included
- API access
- Included
- No commission
- Not included
- Unlimited team members
- No seat pricing listed
Chargezen
- Subscribe & save
- Included
- Build-a-box
- Included
- Mystery box
- Included
- Prepaid Subscriptions
- Included
- Trial offers
- Included
- Membership tiers
- Included
- Customer portal
- Included
- Passwordless login
- Included
- Failed payment recovery
- Included
- Cancellation risk score
- Included
- AI agents
- Included
- SMS subscription management
- Included
- Cancellation retention flows
- Included
- Inventory forecasting
- Included
- Analytics dashboard
- Included
- Retention by signup month
- Included
- API access
- Included
- No commission
- Included
- Unlimited team members
- Included
What you’d really pay
Compare subscription software costs at 5,000 monthly orders with a $50 average order value.
Recharge
- Plus plan
- $499/mo
- Transaction fee
- 1.34% + $0.19/order
- Fees at the example volume
- $4,300/mo
- Base + transaction fees
- $4,799/mo
Estimated Annual Cost
$57,588/year
Example uses public Plus rates, without negotiated discounts. Messaging, payment processing, taxes, and other services are excluded. Recharge pricing, checked October 9, 2026.
Chargezen
- Subscriptions, annual billing
- $1,990/yr
- Commission on subscription revenue
- $0
- Per-order fee
- $0
- Portal, payment recovery and App sync
- Included
Annual Cost
$1,990/year
Chargezen Subscriptions is $1,990 billed annually or $199/month, for Shopify Advanced and Shopify Plus stores, with no commission. Software only; excludes applicable usage, taxes, and any payment processing charges. Chargezen pricing.
Annual cost difference in this example
$55,598
Annual difference in subscription software costs for this example, before excluded costs. Actual totals depend on your plan and usage.
Plan your move from Recharge
Check your data, billing dates and launch plan before you switch.
Talk through your move- 01
Create matching plans
Create an active Chargezen plan for each billing and delivery frequency your Recharge subscriptions use.
- 02
Run app sync
Connect your Recharge API token and import subscriptions as Shopify contracts. Recharge itself is never changed.
- 03
Follow up on skipped customers
App sync lists everyone it could not import, such as customers with no saved Shopify payment method.
- 04
Stop billing in Recharge
Cancel or pause the imported subscriptions in Recharge before their next charge date. See the migration guide.
“We were paying Recharge almost $4,000 a month in transaction fees alone. After switching to Chargezen, we redirected that budget into marketing—and grew subscribers 40% in the first quarter.”
Why brands switch to Chargezen
Unified Platform
Run AI agents, texts and email, upsells, creators and subscriptions from one place.
AI-Powered
AI agents answer customers, follow up and handle everyday busywork for your team.
Clear Pricing
See prices and usage costs, billed monthly or yearly.
Ready to switch from Recharge?
See the products, prices and setup help that fit your brand.
Common questions
At 5,000 monthly orders with a $50 average order value, Recharge Plus costs about $57,588 a year: $499/month plus 1.34% + $0.19 per transaction, at public rates checked October 9, 2026. Chargezen Subscriptions is $1,990 a year ($199/month) for Shopify Advanced and Shopify Plus stores, with no commission or per-order fees. Messaging, payment processing and taxes are excluded from both.
Yes. Recharge announced its acquisition of Skio in April 2026 and said both platforms would keep operating, with a combined roadmap to follow.
Create a Chargezen plan for each frequency you sell, connect your Recharge API token, and run App sync. It imports subscriptions as Shopify contracts without changing Recharge, and lists anyone it could not import. Then cancel or pause the imported subscriptions in Recharge before their next charge date so no one is charged twice.
No. Chargezen Subscriptions is $199/month, or $1,990/year, with no commission or per-order fee on subscription revenue.
