Subscription commerce on Shopify requires a third-party app. You have four serious contenders: Recharge, Bold Subscriptions, Skio, and Loop. Each has different strengths, pricing models, and technical trade-offs. This guide helps you choose based on your business model, not marketing claims.

If you are launching subscriptions for the first time, migrating from an existing provider, or re-evaluating your current setup, the wrong choice costs more than the monthly fee. It affects checkout conversion, customer portal experience, and long-term flexibility.

This comparison is based on real implementation experience across dozens of Shopify stores running subscription models from simple replenishment to complex curated boxes.

1. Quick Overview of Each Platform

Before diving into details, here is a brief positioning of each app:

2. Pricing Breakdown and Hidden Costs

Subscription app pricing is rarely straightforward. All four platforms use a combination of monthly fees and transaction-based fees. The total cost depends heavily on your average order value and subscription volume.

Hidden Costs to Consider

The monthly fee is not the complete picture. Factor these additional costs:

• Migration costs: Moving from one subscription app to another costs $2,000-$15,000+ in developer time depending on complexity and subscriber count.
• Theme integration: Subscription widgets, PDP modifications, and portal customization require developer work. Budget $500-$3,000 for initial setup.
• Checkout Extensions: If you need advanced checkout customization, some platforms charge extra or require higher tiers.
• SMS/Email add-ons: Dunning management and retention campaigns may require additional integrations with Klaviyo, Postscript, or native add-ons.

3. Checkout Integration and Conversion Impact

This is where subscription apps differ most significantly. How the app handles checkout directly impacts conversion rate.

Recharge

Recharge now supports Shopify Checkout Extensions, meaning subscriptions can be processed through Shopify's native checkout. This was a major improvement from their legacy hosted checkout, which had lower conversion rates due to redirect friction.

Current state: Checkout Extensions on higher tiers. Legacy checkout still available but not recommended for new implementations.

Bold Subscriptions

Bold has historically used a redirect checkout model, which introduced friction. Their recent updates support Checkout Extensions on Shopify Plus stores. For non-Plus stores, the experience remains less native.

Current state: Best experience on Shopify Plus with Checkout Extensions. Standard Shopify stores have a functional but less seamless flow.

Skio

Skio was built from the ground up to work with Shopify Checkout Extensions. Their integration is native, with no redirects. This typically results in higher conversion rates compared to redirect-based flows.

Current state: Native Checkout Extensions integration. Considered best-in-class for checkout experience among the four.

Loop

Loop supports Checkout Extensions and provides a native checkout experience. Their integration is solid, though less mature than Recharge or Skio in terms of customization options.

Current state: Native checkout with fewer customization options than competitors.

4. Customer Portal and Self-Service

The customer portal determines how subscribers manage their subscriptions. A poor portal increases support tickets and churn. A good portal reduces both.

What Matters in a Subscription Portal

• Skip/pause functionality: Can customers easily skip an order or pause their subscription?
• Swap products: For curated boxes, can customers change items without contacting support?
• Edit frequency: Can subscribers change from monthly to bimonthly?
• Update payment: How easy is it to update an expired card?
• Mobile experience: Is the portal mobile-optimized?

Skio differentiates primarily on portal experience. Their passwordless login (via SMS or email magic link) removes friction for customers managing subscriptions. In real-world scenarios, this reduces login-related support tickets by 30-50%.

5. Feature Comparison Table

Beyond checkout and portal, here is a comprehensive feature comparison:

6. Migration Complexity and Lock-In

Switching subscription apps is painful. Customer payment methods, subscription schedules, and order history must be migrated. This is where many brands get stuck.

Migration Considerations by Platform

Migrating TO Recharge: Recharge offers migration support and has more documentation due to market share. Most migration tools support Recharge as a destination. Expect 2-4 weeks for a full migration with developer assistance.

Migrating TO Bold: Bold provides migration services for a fee. Migrations from Recharge are documented. Complexity is moderate.

Migrating TO Skio: Skio actively courts Recharge customers and offers white-glove migration support. They have streamlined the Recharge-to-Skio migration path specifically. Expect 2-3 weeks with their assistance.

Migrating TO Loop: Loop offers migration support but has less tooling for complex migrations. Suitable for smaller subscriber bases (under 5,000 active subscribers).

7. When to Use Each Platform

Choose Recharge When:

• You process over $100,000/month in subscription revenue
• You need enterprise features like multi-store support or advanced APIs
• You have a development team that can leverage their extensive customization options
• You require proven reliability at scale with SLA guarantees
• You need complex subscription logic (sequential products, commitment terms)

Choose Bold When:

• Prepaid subscriptions are a primary offering (quarterly/annual prepay)
• You already use other Bold apps (Bold Bundles, Bold Custom Pricing)
• You need fixed-term subscription boxes with defined start/end dates
• Budget is a primary concern and you are on Shopify Plus for checkout optimization

Choose Skio When:

• Customer experience and churn reduction are top priorities
• You want the best mobile portal experience available
• Passwordless login and modern UX matter to your customer base
• You are migrating from Recharge and want a smoother experience
• You prioritize conversion rate at checkout

Choose Loop When:

• You are cost-conscious and need competitive pricing
• Built-in retention and analytics tools are valuable to you
• You have a simpler subscription model (replenishment, basic boxes)
• You have fewer than 5,000 active subscribers

8. When NOT to Use Each Platform

What most guides avoid: the scenarios where each platform is the wrong choice.

Do NOT Choose Recharge If:

• You have fewer than $20,000/month in subscription revenue (overkill)
• You want a simple plug-and-play solution without developer involvement
• Budget is your primary constraint
• You need rapid implementation (setup is more complex than alternatives)

Do NOT Choose Bold If:

• You are on standard Shopify (non-Plus) and checkout experience is critical
• You need the most modern customer portal experience
• You require advanced API access for custom integrations
• Analytics and reporting depth are important to your operations

Do NOT Choose Skio If:

• You need build-a-box functionality without third-party apps
• You require enterprise SLAs and dedicated account management
• You prefer working with the largest, most established vendor
• Budget is extremely tight (Skio is priced at a premium)

Do NOT Choose Loop If:

• You have complex subscription logic requirements
• You need extensive API access for custom development
• You process very high volume and need proven enterprise scale
• Build-a-box or curated subscription boxes are central to your model

9. Frequently Asked Questions

10. Final Recommendation Framework

The right subscription app depends on your specific situation. Use this framework:

Next Steps

1. Audit your subscription requirements: prepaid, build-a-box, simple replenishment, or curated boxes
2. Calculate projected monthly costs using each platform's pricing model
3. Request demos from your top 2 choices
4. Ask specifically about checkout conversion data and migration support
5. Factor in development costs for theme integration and customization

Choosing a subscription app is a 2-3 year commitment. The migration cost and subscriber friction make switching painful. Invest the time upfront to choose correctly.