Comparison
Loop Subscriptions vs Stay AI
Loop Subscriptions vs Stay AI — pricing verified May 2026, AI-retention vs UX-flexibility positioning, and verdict by store revenue. Editorial-only, no affiliate.
Loop Subscriptions
"Best Shopify Subscription App" — turn one-time buyers into loyal subscribers.
Stay AI
"Top Shopify Subscription App" — fuel subscription growth with retention intelligence.
Affiliate link. Pricing and terms are set by the vendor. details
On this page
At a glance
Loop Subscriptions and Stay AI are both independent Shopify subscription platforms positioning around different core narratives: Loop on flexibility + UX (subscriber portal customization, bundle management), Stay AI on AI-driven retention (anchored on the OLIPOP case study — 26% churn reduction after Recharge migration). Both raised entry pricing in 2026 (Loop $49 → $99, Stay AI Pro at $499/mo from start), and neither operates a public affiliate program. The honest framing: this is a comparison about which independent platform fits the store, not about which partnership pays.
Quick stats
Starting price
Loop Subscriptions
$99/mo
Stay AI
$499/mo
Rating
Loop Subscriptions
9.2/10
Stay AI
9.1/10
Integrations
Loop Subscriptions
7
Stay AI
12
Entry pricing (verified 2026-05-30)
Loop Subscriptions
$99/mo Essentials (raised from $49)
Stay AI
$499/mo Pro
Core positioning
Loop Subscriptions
UX + flexibility (subscriber portal, bundles)
Stay AI
AI-driven retention (OLIPOP case: 26% churn ↓)
Affiliate program
Loop Subscriptions
No public affiliate program
Stay AI
No public affiliate program
Operator pricing sentiment
Loop Subscriptions
G2: "Expensive for a starter brand. They should revert to their old plans of $49" (2026)
Stay AI
$499/mo entry assumes meaningful subscription revenue from day one
Pricing
Loop Subscriptions
$99/mo
- up to
- —
- Model
- tiered
Tiers: Starter $99/mo + 1.00% transaction fee + $0/order (DTC); Pro $399/mo + 0.75% transaction fee + $0/order (established); Enterprise custom Pricing gotchas: Annual contracts required on paid plans; transaction fee applies on subscription GMV (1.00% Starter / 0.75% Pro). Free plan: 14-day free trial; no permanent free plan Verified 2026-05-30
Stay AI
$499/mo
- up to
- —
- Model
- flat
Tiers: Monthly Plan $499/mo + 1% transaction fee + $0.19 per subscription order (single published tier); custom for higher volume Pricing gotchas: Single published paid tier — $499/mo minimum applies regardless of order volume. Free plan: No—30-day free trial Verified 2026-05-30
Loop Subscriptions starts at $99/mo vs Stay AI's $499/mo. Pricing models differ: Loop Subscriptions is tiered, Stay AI is flat.
Loop Subscriptions: Essentials $99/mo (raised from $49 — operator pushback on G2 documented); Growth $399/mo; Enterprise $1,199/mo + custom. Stay AI: Pro $499/mo; Enterprise $1,499/mo + custom. Loop is ~5x cheaper on entry, Stay AI is 5x more expensive but ships explicit AI-retention features at that price. Neither offers a sub-$99 tier, so both are gated to brands past the "is this catalog subscription-worthy" question.
Features
Loop Subscriptions
- Loop Flows (gamified subscriber journey) — Reward subscribers after N orders with freebies or points to drive retention
- Smart Cancel Flows (multi-stage) — Configure a visual multi-step cancel flow with pause / swap / discount offers
- Smart Dunning (up to 15 retries) — Payment recovery with up to 15 retries and one-tap card updates
- Bundle Builder (native) — Customizable subscription bundles built into the platform
- Loop Analytics (cohort) — Cohort analysis of subscriber retention across channels and SKUs
- 30+ API Endpoints — Rich public API for custom integrations
Stay AI
- ExperienceEngine — Personalizes subscriber experience: dynamic carousels, in-portal banners, A/B tests
- RetentionEngine — AI-personalized cancel flows: pauses, discounts, surprise gifts to save churners
- WinbackEngine — Automated reactivation campaigns triggered by churn-risk signals
- Predictive Churn Alerts — Identifies high-risk subscribers before cancellation
- Digital Punch Cards — Gamified milestone-based rewards built into subscription program
- Self-Optimizing A/B Testing — A/B tests that auto-optimize over time as winners emerge
Shopify integration
Loop Subscriptions
Deep native Shopify integration; Shopify App Store; Built-for-Shopify badge; native to Shopify checkout and Customer Accounts; focused on Shopify Plus
Stay AI
Deep native Shopify integration; Shopify App Store; built for Shopify and Shopify Plus subscription brands; native checkout integration
Integrations
Only Loop Subscriptions
- GA4
- PostPilot
- Recart
- Sendlane
- Zendesk
Both
- Shopify
- Shopify Plus
Only Stay AI
- AfterSell
- Bubblehouse
- Inveterate
- NoFraud
- Richpanel
- Rivo
- Slack
- Tapcart
- Wonderment
- Zaymo
Customer support
Support rating (aggregated from independent review platforms like G2, Capterra, Shopify App Store): Loop Subscriptions 9.7/10, Stay AI 9.7/10. This is an editorial composite of channel availability, response speed, and resolution quality — see the individual reviews below for specifics.
Pros & cons
Loop Subscriptions
Pros
- White-glove migration team
- Generous free tier (50 active subscribers)
- Customizable cancel flows + smart dunning
Cons
- APIs not yet at full feature parity with web UI
- Pricing climbed from $49 to $99/mo entry
- Newer platform — smaller ecosystem of integrations vs. Recharge
Stay AI
Pros
- AI-driven RetentionEngine — OLIPOP reduced active churn by 26% and grew subscription revenue 35% after leaving Recharge, per Stay AI case study
- Drag-and-drop no-code customer portal
- High-touch white-glove migration team
Cons
- Single $499/mo + transaction fee plan — high floor
- No multi-tier pricing for smaller brands
- Smaller ecosystem vs. Recharge
When each one wins
Winner: Loop Subscriptions
Brand $20K-$80K MRR subscription revenue, UX-led
Loop Essentials at $99/mo is the cheaper functional choice and the subscriber-portal customization layer is the differentiator most operators cite. If churn is in normal-band (<8% monthly active) the Stay AI premium does not pay back at this volume.
Winner: Stay AI
Brand $50K+ MRR subscription revenue with measured active churn
Where active-churn measurement shows 8%+ monthly, Stay AI Pro at $499/mo becomes evaluable on retention math — OLIPOP published a 26% churn reduction after Recharge migration. The price step-up over Loop pays back if subscriber-LTV math improves correspondingly. Pilot on a 90-day window first.
Winner: Loop Subscriptions
Sub-$20K MRR subscription revenue
Neither platform is well-positioned here, but Loop Essentials at $99/mo is the less-bad of the two. The honest answer: start on Recharge Standard at $25/mo and migrate to Loop or Stay AI when UX flexibility or retention becomes the actual bottleneck — not before.
Our verdict
Neither tool is a partner — both pages render editorial-only and PartnerAlternatives surfaces Recharge as the partner alternative in this category. For brands $20K-$100K MRR subscription revenue, Loop Essentials at $99/mo is the cheaper functional choice and ships UX-led subscriber-portal features. For brands $50K+ MRR subscription revenue where active churn is the measured leak, Stay AI Pro at $499/mo becomes evaluable — OLIPOP case study math applies. Below $20K MRR, neither is the right answer — start on Recharge Standard at $25/mo and migrate up when retention or UX is the actual constraint.
Similar tools worth comparing
Recharge
"The world's leading subscription platform, powering 71% of subscriptions sold on Shopify stores" — Recharge homepage (getrecharge.com, May 2026).
8.1/10from $25/moRead reviewYotpo
"Loyalty, Reviews & AI Visibility For Ecommerce" — eCommerce retention marketing platform.
8.3/10from $79/moRead review
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