Recharge's monthly-plus-per-order pricing and its 2026 Skio acquisition have brands shopping around. For online stores, Loop (no per-order fee), Stay AI (retention at scale), and Smartrr (budget) are the leading independents. If your business also runs through a physical register, MemberZone adds memberships and loyalty there with no monthly fee. The split is simple: pure-online vs in-person/omnichannel.
The shortlist
Recharge is the dominant Shopify subscription app, but its monthly plus per-order fees and the Skio acquisition have brands shopping around. The right alternative depends on whether you're purely online or also selling in person.
Loop Subscriptions
Best for: Online Shopify brands focused on churn recovery
Pricing: Free tier; from ~$99/mo + 1%
Independent Shopify subscription app with strong cancellation/retention flows and no per-order fee.
Stay AI
Best for: Scaling online brands optimizing subscriber LTV
Pricing: From ~$499/mo + 1% + per-order
Retention-engineering platform with machine-learning cancel flows for larger DTC brands.
Smartrr
Best for: Small to mid-size online brands on a budget
Pricing: From ~$49/mo + percentage
Budget-friendly Shopify subscriptions with a clean subscriber portal.
MemberZone
Best for membershipsBest for: Businesses with a physical register, not pure-online stores
Pricing: No monthly fee; from 2.4% of membership/loyalty volume
For in-person and omnichannel merchants: memberships, subscriptions, and loyalty that ring up at the register, with no monthly platform fee. Connects to Shopify via guided onboarding rather than as a Shopify-native app.
See the full comparisonCompetitor pricing last verified June 2026. Confirm current pricing on each vendor's website before deciding.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Recharge alternative?
For online Shopify stores, Loop, Stay AI, and Smartrr are the leading independents. For in-person or omnichannel merchants, MemberZone adds memberships and loyalty at the register with no monthly fee.
Is MemberZone a Recharge alternative?
For in-person and omnichannel merchants, yes. For a pure-online Shopify store, a Shopify-native app like Loop or Stay AI is a more direct replacement.
Head-to-head comparisons
MemberZone vs Recharge
The dominant Shopify subscription app (it acquired Skio in 2026) - deep online tooling, but online-only with monthly + per-order fees.
MemberZone vs Loop Subscriptions
Independent Shopify subscription app known for churn recovery, with no per-order fee.
MemberZone vs Stay AI
Retention-engineering Shopify subscription platform for larger online DTC brands.