Recharge is the incumbent subscription platform on Shopify — by its own claim, it powers 71% of subscriptions sold on Shopify stores. This guide covers its features, its integration, and the trade-offs that come with the incumbent.
Native Shopify integration
Recharge runs subscriptions inside Shopify’s native checkout (no iframes), via the Recharge–Shopify Checkout Integration. Its real advantage is ecosystem depth: as the category incumbent, it has the broadest set of partner integrations (Klaviyo, Gorgias, and the rest of the stack you probably already run), which is the reason large catalogues and complex tooling stacks stay on it.
The features that matter
- Concierge SMS — an AI feature (Plus plan) that lets subscribers skip, delay, swap, or add products by text in natural language.
- Bundles — curated and customizable subscription bundles with tiered discounts.
- Rewards & referrals and win-back / retention campaigns to extend subscriber lifetime.
- Cart and post-purchase upsell — convert one-time orders into subscriptions inside the cart.
The honest caveats
Recharge is battle-tested but shows its age. Honest trade-offs: it is built on older code that causes intermittent issues, out-of-box checkout customization is limited, and the Plus tier requires a 12-month contract. Pricing (verified 2026-06-05): public Starter $99/mo + 1.49% + 19¢ per transaction (month-to-month), Plus $499/mo + 1.34% + 19¢ (12-month term). A constrained $25/mo new-merchant tier exists off the public page but auto-bumps to $99 at 50 subscribers — treat $99 as the real floor. Recharge also acquired Skio for $105M in April 2026, so expect roadmap and pricing moves over the next 12–24 months. See the Recharge pricing breakdown.
Who this is for
Recharge fits established brands where the deepest ecosystem and proven scale outweigh its legacy quirks. It is the incumbent reference point in our best subscription app roundup; Loop vs Recharge and Recharge vs Skio cover the modern-challenger decisions.
Recharge
"The world's leading subscription platform, powering 71% of subscriptions sold on Shopify stores" — Recharge homepage (getrecharge.com, May 2026).
from $99/mo