Best Subscription Platform

The best subscription platform for your service-based business is the one that aligns with all your business goals. In other words, you need to make sure the platform you choose integrates well with all your existing processes, making things easier.

What are the current options available?

With the rise of subscription-based services, from streaming services to design services, small business owners need to find which one best matches their current workflow.

• Checkout Page: If you are using WordPress or a website builder, Checkout Page might be an alternative for you. The service provides the option to embed checkout pages, which can be added to any website. Unfortunately, nowhere in their features page do they mention a native integration with any accounting platform, unless it can be achieved through a Zapier connector.
• LemonSqueezy: This subscription management software is geared more towards SaaS companies. Similarly to Checkout Page, you can create hosted checkouts on your website, but the entire transaction is managed by LemonSqueezy. This is another platform that does not advertise any integration with an online accounting platform.
• Subbly: Don’t have a website? No problem! Subbly even includes a website builder, which integrates seamlessly with their subscription platform. However, just like with Checkout Page, Subbly doesn’t mention anything (at least not prominently) about native integrations with accounting platforms.
• Stripe Billing: If you are subscribed to any SaaS, you’ll notice that a lot of them use Stripe Billing. As a user of several SaaS companies, the Stripe Billing interface is quite familiar. User experience is quite intuitive, as downloading invoices, changing credit cards and even pausing or cancelling subscriptions is very straightforward. They are the first platform in the list with native integration to two major accounting platforms: QuickBooks and Xero. There’s also a connector for NetSuite. However, if you are using that platform, there’s a good chance you are working for an enterprise-level client and not a small business.
• Woo Subscriptions: Out of all the platforms suggested in this article, Woo Subscriptions might have the weakest offering. Features are close to basic, at a price (USD$ 279/year) that is above a few of the options listed here. The only thing that I see as a positive about this option is that it integrates seamlessly with ActiveCampaign. In other words, you can use all the fields available in the subscription records to segment your audience and send very targeted/personalized campaigns. This is also another solution that has no native integration with any accounting platform.
• Zoho Billing: This is the solution we use at Juan Rojo Design. Zoho has been making a name for themselves over the last decade, with a collection of web-based applications that cover the needs of both small businesses and enterprise-level clients. We chose it because we were already using Zoho Books, so it made perfect sense to have that native integration with Zoho Billing. Whenever a client signs up for a subscription plan, a client record is automatically generated on the accounting side. No need to worry about reconciling transactions on your subscription platform with your accounting solution, as it’s all handled automatically for you.

Which is the best subscription platform for you?

That depends entirely on the type of business you are running. In our case, we are a web-design studio, but we also provide turnkey website maintenance plans geared towards WordPress based sites. That type of service is a lot easier to manage with a subscription platform.

The best subscription platform for your business might be the one that better fits your business model. For example, one of our clients manages a beauty directory, which works like a Workopolis for professionals in the beauty industry (i.e. hairstylists, barbers, nail techs, etc.). Their entire business model revolves around subscriptions.

In the case of our client, their site was already on WordPress and they also wanted to use an email marketing automation platform. In other words, it made sense to use Woo Subscriptions, which as I mentioned previously, integrates seamlessly with ActiveCampaign.

Once again, the best subscription platform is the one that works best for your current situation. In the case of Dité, they wanted to focus on promoting the site and educating their growing customer base of its benefits.

How much can I expect to pay for subscription management software?

Let’s break it down, based on the services listed earlier:

• Checkout Page: Their pricing structure starts at USD $29/month (Founder plan) or USD $228 billed annually (save $120/year). Their pricing is based on the amount of sales per month, which starts with the Founder plan at USD $3K/month, followed by their Funnel Builder plan ( sales of $10K/month).
• LemonSqueezy: Their pricing model is similar to that of Stripe, in that they make their money by taking a cut of your transactions. In this particular case, they charge 5% + 50 cents.
• Subbly: This one starts at USD$ 39/month or USD$ 29/month if you pay annually. However, as I mentioned before, this service has a website builder as part of their offering. In other words, you might be able to bypass the need to hire a web developer to establish your online presence. Bear in mind, that some of those website builders are not as flexible (in terms of design) as something from WordPress, Webflow, Wix Studio or even Squarespace.
• Stripe Billing: The pricing structure on this one is a little bit different from the rest, as you are offered only two (2) options: 1. Pay as you go, which is billed as 0.7% of billing volume or 2. CAD$ 700/month for up to CAD$ 125,000 billing volume per month. Additional billing volume is charged at 0.67%.
• Woo Subscriptions: As I mentioned before, this one is kind of pricey for what it offers at USD$ 279/year. That’s it, there are no tiers of features for this one. However, if you want a killer combination with an email marketing automation platform (ActiveCamapign or Klaviyo), this might be route for you.
• Zoho Billing: Zoho Billing plans start at CAD$ 35/month or CAD$ 29/month if paid yearly. However, that plan is for one-time billing requirements (invoices). We use the Premium Plan (CAD$ 69/month, if paid yearly), but pay a reduced rate because we are also subscribed to Zoho Books (their accounting solution). Using Zoho books negates the need for their entry level Zoho Billing plan, as you can invoice and track projects with their accounting solution.

So what is the best subscription platform then?

Selecting the right subscription management software depends entirely on two main factors: budget and scalability. In our case, Zoho Billing doesn’t have a limit on billing volume so it will scale without issues, even if we hit the big time (we are not, yet). The annual subscription model might not be the right call for someone just starting out and strapped for cash. In that case scenario, you might be better served by the Founder Plan from Checkout Page.