Recurring subscription services are popular with customers—but there’s a downside: Many struggle to keep track of all the subscriptions they pay for, and no one likes a surprise monthly bill. Some businesses also make it hard to cancel unwanted subscriptions, which erodes trust in the business model.
In recent years, a number of third-party service providers have introduced apps to help customers keep subscriptions organized.Popular services like Rocket Money request access to a customer’s financial accounts—including credit card accounts, investment accounts, and checking or savings accounts—and identify bills associated with current subscriptions. Many offer subscription cancellation and bill negotiation services, and if they can’t negotiate bills with the merchant, they may dispute charges with the customer’s credit card issuer.
While these services benefit consumers, it’s a challenge for small businesses that offer subscriptions. Even if your service delights your clients and boosts convenience, the model itself can make new customers hesitant.
Subscription tracker apps for businesses help combat this perception with features that increase transparency and customer control. Learn more about the benefits and features of subscription tracker apps, including the top options for businesses.
What are subscription tracker apps?
Subscription tracker apps are software that helps merchants run subscription-model businesses. They typically include billing, payment, and subscription management functions and integrate directly with a merchant’s online store.
They often have features that improve customer experience and trust, like flexible payment options, delivery and billing notifications, and self-service cancellation and subscription management features.
Benefits of subscription tracker apps
- Accurate billing processes
- Increased operational efficiency
- Improved consumer trust
- Quality customer experiences
- Improved finances
Subscription trackers can help you save time, build trust, and improve customer satisfaction. Here’s an overview of the business benefits:
Accurate billing processes
Subscription trackers reduce billing and invoicing errors and help you keep track of recurring payment schedules. Many offer calendar views, align payment dates, and help companies charge using multiple payment models.
Increased operational efficiency
Most tools offer automated billing and invoicing, automated notifications, and self-service subscription management, helping you save money by reducing your administrative burden.
Improved consumer trust
A degree of caution around recurring subscriptions is reasonable. Rogue expenses and unexpected charges can wreak havoc on a consumer’s credit score and disrupt their personal finances.
You can build trust among your subscribers by promoting the benefits of a subscription tracker tool, like the fact that customers receive notification of upcoming bill dates and can autonomously manage or cancel existing subscriptions. Many tools also provide billing overviews, helping customers easily track spending and make informed decisions about their financial lives.
Quality customer experiences
Self-service subscription management, flexible payment options, and upcoming expense notifications can improve your brand’s customer experience. Some tools even let customers customize orders—easily adjusting to higher or lower subscription tiers—which can further increase satisfaction.
Aaron Zack, former VP of Propeller Coffee Company, discussed this on a recent episode of Shopify Masters.
“We were able to build a really customizable but simple-to-use interface that basically let people create subscriptions that were tailored to what they were looking for in terms of their frequency and in terms of the product mix that they had there,” he says.
Improved finances
Subscription tracking tools can reveal revenue trends and improve forecasting abilities, helping you make more strategic financial decisions. At their most basic, they allow you to keep an accurate handle on monthly recurring revenue. Some tools also support cross-selling, upselling, and personalization, all of which can increase sales and boost profits.
Best subscription tracker apps for Shopify
Running a subscription business can be complex, but a great app can simplify the process and boost customer satisfaction. These seven Shopify-specific apps deliver top-notch usability, security, and performance, all accessible directly from Shopify admin. Find them in the Shopify App Store and start tracking subscription orders now:
Shopify Subscriptions
Shopify Subscriptions, Shopify’s native subscription management solution, supports digital and physical products, as well as weekly, monthly, and yearly deliveries. It includes discounts, automated email alerts, and performance reporting features and supports 19 languages.
Your customers can manage subscriptions through customer accounts or a subscription management URL, and you can either apply Shopify’s default cancellation policy or customize it in your settings.
Pricing: Free
Utterbond
Utterbond offers flexible payment and subscription options, supporting memberships, product bundles, subscription boxes, and curated subscriptions. The platform automates recurring billing for prepayments, repeat purchases, and pay-as-you-go plans. Key features include a customer portal, a shipping profile, and multiple pricing options, like usage-based pricing and free trial periods.
Pricing: Utterbond offers a 30-day free trial on all plans. The free plan applies a 2% fee to subscription orders, while paid plans, starting at $19 per month, have no transaction fees.
Subify
Subify offers multiple subscription types and pricing models, customizable storefront widgets, a customer portal that lets customers skip, pause, or cancel subscriptions, and a quick set-up function. It supports 19 languages and includes flexible discounts and delivery frequencies. Merchants can access an expert customer success management team and responsive 24/7 customer service—Subify advertises service response times under one minute.
Pricing: Subify is free to install and offers three paid plans. The Essential Plan covers up to $1,000 of subscription revenue, charging $9 per month and a transaction fee of 2.5% plus 19¢ on all subscription orders. Higher-tier plans have lower per-order costs and allow unlimited subscription revenue.
Super Subscriptions
Super Subscriptions delivers a clean, user-friendly design to support a high-quality subscription customer experience. It offers a user-friendly UX and a custom subscription management portal, providing a clear picture of account status and history. It supports multiple subscription types and offers multilingual support.
Pricing: Free.
PayWhirl
PayWhirl helps merchants build customized subscription plans with a drag-and-drop builder. It offers advanced APIs, automations, built-in reporting and analytics, and uses intelligent cancellation flows and automated payment retries to reduce attrition.
PayWhirl’s US-based support team is available by email, phone, or chat, and the company offers free migration assistance if you’re switching from another provider. It supports multiple subscription and pricing models, including donation-based and paid subscriptions and usage-based and per-user pricing.
Pricing: PayWhirl’s free version charges no fees on your first $5,000 in subscription sales and 3% on subsequent transactions. Paid plans offer lower transaction fees and come with a 14-day free trial. The entry-level paid plan, Pro, costs $9 per month and applies a 2% transaction fee to subscription orders.
RecurrinGO!
RecurrinGO! lets merchants choose between recurring payments and recurring invoices, and allows customers to opt for one-time purchases or subscription sign-ups. It offers plan pre-payment and pay-per delivery options, a customer portal, and fixed and range subscription bundles.
RecurrinGO! supports English, French, Spanish, and German, multiple subscription models, and three payment methods: recurring, subscribe and save, and pay upfront.
Pricing: RecurringGO! offers a six-month free plan, charging no transaction fees on up to $100 in subscription revenue. Paid plans come with a seven-day free trial and reduced transaction fees. Its Basic plan comes with a 2% transaction fee and a $9 monthly membership.
Propel
Propel offers quick set-up, mobile-first design, loyalty discounts, and a customer-facing subscription management portal. Merchants can customize email notifications, set a single payment due date per cycle, and incentivize purchases with multiple reward types. These include early access, free shipping, membership benefits, and custom rewards.
Propel supports multiple subscription programs and payment models, and offers tiered and custom loyalty programs.
Pricing: Propel doesn’t charge transaction fees and offers a free plan on up to $500 of subscription revenue a month. Paid plans allow unlimited subscription revenue and start at $9 per month.
Subscription tracker app FAQ
How do I check my subscriptions on Shopify?
You can view and manage subscriptions by logging into Shopify admin and selecting Subscriptions. You can also view subscription data in sales reports.
Is Shopify good for subscriptions?
Yes. Shopify makes it easy to set up your ecommerce store and start selling subscriptions online. You can also manage your subscription program directly from Shopify Admin.
Can I charge subscriptions on Shopify?
Yes. You can use Shopify’s native subscription software to charge weekly, monthly, or yearly subscriptions for physical or digital products. You can also expand your subscription capabilities by purchasing a subscription tracker app from the Shopify App Store. Many offer free or low-cost options and include premium features with higher-tier plans.
