Short answer: the cheapest Shopify subscription app is Shopify Subscriptions, which is free at any size. If you want a third-party app, Seal, Joy and Loop are free up to 50 subscriptions and Appstle is free up to $500 a month in subscription revenue. Past those limits, Appstle ($10 a month up to $5,000), Seal ($5.95 to $24.95) and Kaching ($9.99 to $24.99) stay the cheapest because they charge no transaction fee. Recurpay ($9) does too while its listing shows the 0% fee as a BFCM special. Every rival's price comes from its Shopify App Store listing, read on 6 November 2026.
We make Subi, one of the apps below, and it is not the cheapest. Subi Starter is $29 a month plus 1.6% per subscription transaction, and Subi is free only on development stores. Read our entry with that in mind. For the whole field, see our 2026 comparison of 13 subscription apps. If you are leaving Recharge, see Recharge alternatives.
What does a Shopify subscription app cost a new store?
A subscription app's cost is its monthly plan fee plus any percentage it takes of each subscription order. The apps on Shopify price in three ways:
- Seal, Joy and Loop are free up to 50 subscriptions, and Appstle is free up to $500 a month in subscription revenue.
- Appstle, Seal and Kaching charge a flat fee and no percentage, stepping the fee up with your revenue or subscription count. Recurpay has two flat plans, $9 and $19, and its listing shows the 0% fee as a BFCM special.
- Subi, Joy, Loop, Bold, PayWhirl and Recharge add a share of each order to a monthly fee.
Card processing is charged by your payment provider as on any order, whichever app you use. The figures here count only what the app charges.
Which Shopify subscription apps are cheapest in 2026?
Eleven apps, sorted by App Store reviews. Rating, reviews and plans are copied from each listing on 6 November 2026.
| App | Rating (reviews) | Free plan on the listing | Cheapest paid plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appstle Subscriptions | 5.0 (9,219) | Up to $500 a month in subscriptions | $10/month up to $5,000, 0% fee |
| Seal Subscriptions | 4.9 (3,161) | Up to 50 subscriptions | $5.95/month up to 100 subscriptions, 0% fee |
| Recharge | 4.8 (3,153) | None | $149/month + 1.50% + 20¢ |
| Kaching Subscriptions | 5.0 (1,203) | Development stores only | $9.99/month up to $1,000, no transaction fee |
| Subi Subscriptions App | 4.9 (931) | Development stores only | $29/month + 1.6% |
| Shopify Subscriptions | 3.8 (893) | Free at any size | Free |
| Loop Subscriptions | 5.0 (809) | Up to 50 active subscriptions | $99/month + 1% |
| Recurpay Subscriptions | 5.0 (583) | Development stores only | $9/month, 0% fee shown as a BFCM special |
| Joy Subscriptions | 4.9 (467) | Up to 50 active subscriptions | $49/month + 0.75% |
| Bold Subscriptions | 4.0 (381) | None | $24.99/month + 2% |
| PayWhirl Subscriptions | 4.7 (192) | 0% on the first $5,000 processed, then 3% | $9/month + 2% |
Prices change. Each app name below links to its listing; check it before you decide.
What would each app cost at my size?
The table shows the monthly bill at three levels of subscription revenue for a new store, on the cheapest plan each app lists for that level. We assumed a $35 average subscription order, so the three levels are about 14, 43 and 143 subscription orders a month, and counted one subscription per order, each billed monthly. We rounded to the dollar and left out Recharge's 20¢ per transaction, so Recharge costs a little more than shown.
| Monthly subscription revenue | $500 | $1,500 | $5,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Subscriptions | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Seal Subscriptions | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $10 (Rising Star) |
| Appstle Subscriptions | $0 (Free) | $10 (Starter) | $10 (Starter) |
| Recurpay Subscriptions (0% fee is a BFCM special) | $9 (Launch) | $9 (Launch) | $9 (Launch) |
| Kaching Subscriptions | $10 (Starter) | $15 (Basic) | $25 (Growth) |
| Joy Subscriptions | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $87 (Starter) |
| Loop Subscriptions | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $149 (Starter) |
| PayWhirl Subscriptions | $0, then $15 (Free) | $0 for about 3 months, then $39 (Pro) | $0 for the first month, then $104 (Traction) |
| Bold Subscriptions | $35 (Launch) | $55 (Launch) | $100 (Grow) |
| Subi Subscriptions App | $37 (Starter) | $53 (Starter) | $109 (Starter) |
| Recharge | $157 (Starter) | $172 (Starter) | $224 (Starter) |
How to read it:
- Under 50 subscriptions, five apps cost nothing: Shopify Subscriptions, Seal, Joy, Loop and Appstle (Appstle up to $500 a month).
- At $5,000 a month, the flat-fee apps (Shopify Subscriptions, Seal, Appstle, Kaching, and Recurpay while its BFCM 0% fee lasts) cost $25 or less. Every app that takes a percentage costs $87 or more.
- PayWhirl's Free plan charges nothing on the first $5,000 processed and 3% after that, so a new store pays nothing for its first months.
- Recurpay's listing marks its 0% transaction fee as a BFCM special, so check whether a fee applies when the offer ends.
The formula is each listing's own numbers: monthly fee plus the percentage times your revenue. Put your own number in before you choose.
How should a new store choose on price?
- If you only need subscribe-and-save, Shopify Subscriptions is free and made by Shopify. Its rating (3.8) is the lowest here, so read its recent reviews.
- If you expect to stay under 50 subscriptions for a while, Seal, Joy and Loop have free plans. Check what each free plan leaves out; Joy and Loop list payment retries and cancellation flows on their paid plans.
- If you want the lowest bill as you grow to $5,000 a month, Appstle ($10 Starter), Seal and Kaching charge no percentage.
- If you want memberships, bundles and a subscription box in one app from the start, Subi includes all three on every plan, from $29 a month plus 1.6%. It costs more than the flat-fee apps at every size in the table above.
Switching apps later means moving your subscription contracts. Appstle lists hands-on migration on its Free plan, PayWhirl lists migration from other apps, and Subi's team migrates subscribers for you, so a cheap start need not lock you in.
What does each app include at its cheapest price?
Appstle Subscriptions
Appstle Subscriptions on the App Store. 5.0 from 9,219 reviews, the most of any app here. Free up to $500 a month in subscriptions, then Starter $10 (up to $5,000), Business $30 (up to $15,000) and Business Premium $100 (up to $100,000), all with 0% transaction fee. The Free plan lists pay-as-you-go and prepaid subscriptions, payment retry, the customer portal and hands-on migration.
Seal Subscriptions
Seal Subscriptions on the App Store. 4.9 from 3,161 reviews. Free for life up to 50 subscriptions, then $5.95 a month up to 100, $9.95 up to 250 and $24.95 up to 500, with bigger plans listed. 0% transaction fee, and API and webhook access on every plan including Free.
Recharge
Recharge on the App Store. 4.8 from 3,153 reviews. Starter $149 a month plus 1.50% + 20¢ per transaction, Scale $499 plus 1.25% + 20¢, with a free trial. It is the most expensive way in on this page.
Kaching Subscriptions
Kaching Subscriptions on the App Store. 5.0 from 1,203 reviews. Starter $9.99 (up to $1,000 a month in subscription revenue), Basic $14.99 (up to $3,000), Growth $24.99 (up to $10,000), no transaction fees, 14-day free trial, free on development stores. Prepaid subscriptions and payment retry are on every paid plan.
Subi Subscriptions App (formerly Subify)
Subi Subscriptions App (formerly Subify) is our app. 4.9 from 931 reviews. Starter $29 a month plus 1.6% per subscription transaction, Subi $79 plus 0.8%, Subi Plus $199 plus 0.4%; these are Subi's prices for stores installing from 2 November 2026. Free on development stores, 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee on every paid plan.
- Memberships, bundles and a subscription box are in every plan.
- Starter adds prepaid subscriptions and API and webhook access. Every plan retries temporary payment declines, with longer recovery windows on the Subi and Subi Plus plans.
- A loyalty program and cancellation tools are on the Subi plan.
Where it sits on price: for a new store Subi costs more than the free and flat-fee apps above. It fits a store that wants memberships or boxes beside subscribe-and-save without a second app.
Shopify Subscriptions
Shopify Subscriptions on the App Store. Made by Shopify, free, 3.8 from 893 reviews. It covers subscriptions that renew weekly, monthly or yearly with a discount, lets customers skip, pause or cancel, sells subscriptions on POS, and its listing says you can transfer existing subscription contracts into it.
Loop Subscriptions
Loop Subscriptions on the App Store. 5.0 from 809 reviews. Free Forever up to 50 active subscriptions, Starter $99 a month plus 1%, Pro $399 plus 0.75%. Bundles, cancellation flows and dunning with up to 15 retries start on Starter.
Recurpay Subscriptions
Recurpay Subscriptions on the App Store. 5.0 from 583 reviews. Launch $9 a month with unlimited subscriptions and Growth $19, both with a 14-day free trial, free on development stores. The listing shows the 0% transaction fee as a BFCM special. Launch includes the customer portal and automatic payment recovery.
Joy Subscriptions
Joy Subscriptions on the App Store. 4.9 from 467 reviews. Free up to 50 active subscriptions, Starter $49 a month plus 0.75%, Professional $199 plus 0.5%. Dunning and cancellation tools start on Starter; the listing offers a free widget rebuild.
Bold Subscriptions
Bold Subscriptions on the App Store. 4.0 from 381 reviews. Launch $24.99 a month plus 2%, Grow $49.99 plus 1%, Scale $74.99 plus 0.9%, each with a 30-day free trial. Above about $2,500 a month in revenue, Grow costs less than Launch.
PayWhirl Subscriptions
PayWhirl Subscriptions on the App Store. 4.7 from 192 reviews. The Free plan charges 0% on the first $5,000 processed and 3% after, with no monthly fee. Pro is $9 a month plus 2%, Traction $29 plus 1.5%, Scale $149 plus 0.75%.
FAQ
What is the cheapest Shopify subscription app?
Shopify Subscriptions, Shopify's own app, is free at any size. Among third-party apps, Seal, Joy and Loop are free up to 50 subscriptions and Appstle is free up to $500 a month in subscription revenue, according to their App Store listings on 6 November 2026.
Is there a free Shopify subscription app with no transaction fee?
Yes. Shopify Subscriptions charges nothing. Seal's free plan (up to 50 subscriptions) lists a 0% transaction fee, and Appstle's Free plan (up to $500 a month) is free, with a 0% transaction fee listed on its paid plans.
What does a subscription app cost at $1,500 a month?
On each listing's cheapest plan for that level: $0 on Shopify Subscriptions, Seal, Joy and Loop (under 50 subscriptions), $9 on Recurpay (its 0% fee is a BFCM special), $10 on Appstle, $15 on Kaching, $39 on PayWhirl, $53 on Subi, $55 on Bold and about $172 on Recharge.
Is Subi free?
Subi is free on development stores, so you can build and test before you launch. On a live store, Subi Starter is $29 a month plus 1.6% per subscription transaction, with a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Should a new store choose a subscription app on price alone?
Price matters most while revenue is small, and the free and flat-fee apps win there. Check what you need in the first year (payment retry, a customer portal, memberships or boxes) against what each plan includes, since moving subscriptions to another app later takes a migration.
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