There is no single best subscription app for Shopify, because the right one depends on what you sell and how many subscribers you have. A small coffee roaster and a large gift box brand need different things.
We build Subsy, so we aren’t neutral. That’s why this guide is a checklist rather than a ranking. You can use it to compare any Shopify subscription app, including ours.
1. Start with the subscription type you need
Many subscription apps for Shopify handle regular recurring orders well. The differences appear when you need something else, so write down what you plan to sell in the next year:
- Regular subscribe and save
- Prepaid gift subscriptions
- Curated boxes
- Build-your-own bundles
Check that each type is available on the pricing plan you would really use, and not only on a higher tier.
2. Work out the real cost
A low monthly price can still cost more as you grow. Ask these questions for each app:
- Is there a monthly fee, a revenue share, or both?
- Is there a subscriber or order limit?
- What happens to the price when you pass that limit?
- Are the features you need included, or sold as upgrades?
Estimate the cost at your subscriber count today, and again at five times that number.
3. Look at the customer portal
This is what your subscribers use most. Open the app’s demo, or install it on a test store, and try it as a customer. Good portals let people skip, pause, and cancel without emailing you. Each thing they can do alone is one less support request for you.
4. Ask how it recovers failed payments
Cards expire and payments fail, which causes customers to leave even when they meant to stay. This is called involuntary churn. Look for automatic retries and clear reminder emails. This process is often called dunning.
Your gateway matters here too. According to Shopify, automatic card updates are a Shopify Payments feature, and other gateways may need customers to update their details by hand.
5. Check the retention tools
Getting a subscriber is only half the job. Useful tools include:
- Cancellation offers: a pause or discount shown when someone tries to leave.
- Loyalty rewards: better discounts for customers who stay longer.
- Retention reports: data showing when and why people leave.
6. Test it with your theme
The widget should look like part of your store. Install the app on a development store or on a copy of your theme, and check the product page on desktop and mobile. If you use a page builder, confirm that it works with that too.
7. Look at support and reviews
Read recent Shopify App Store reviews rather than only the overall rating, and look at how the team replies to problems. A new app may have few reviews, so send a question to the support team before you install it and see how they respond.
8. Plan your exit
Ask how you would move subscribers if you ever switched apps. Shopify says that when an app is uninstalled, its data is deleted after 48 hours, except subscription contracts and customer payment information. Ask the app’s team what that would mean for you before you need to know.
Is Shopify’s free app enough?
Shopify offers its own free Shopify Subscriptions app, and it can be a sensible place to start for simple plans. Shopify notes that bundles aren’t compatible with it, so compare its features with your own list.
Where Subsy fits
Subsy is built for merchants who want several subscription types in one app, with retention tools included. It covers regular, gift, curated, and bundle subscriptions, plus churn prevention offers, loyalty tiers, dunning recovery, and analytics. Some of these need a paid plan, so check the pricing page to see what each plan includes.
It’s a newer app, so judge it against the checklist too. The free plan covers up to 40 subscribers, which gives you room to test it properly. See Subsy on the Shopify App Store.