By Carson Cobb. Last updated November 2026.
My verdict. Pick Recharge if you want the lower entry price on Starter, or the most established platform and add ons on Scale. Pick Skio if you want one plan with the cancel flow builder, build a box and SMS all included. Since April 2026 both are owned by Recharge, so choose on fit, not on keeping a second company in your stack.
| Recharge | Skio | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Starter: $149/month + 1.50% + 20¢ per transaction | Scale: $499/month billed annually or $599/month billed monthly + 1.25% + 20¢ per subscription order |
| Main plan for growing brands | Scale: $499/month + 1.25% + 20¢ per transaction | Scale (its only public plan) |
| Free trial | 60 days on Starter | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Migration support | End to end migration support on Scale | Comprehensive migration on Scale, free migration included |
| Bundles | Preset and customizable bundles on Scale | Advanced build a box |
| SMS | Concierge SMS on Scale, billed per message segment | SkioSMS, one and two way |
| Shopify App Store rating | 4.8 from 3,157 reviews | 5.0 from 247 reviews |
| Owner | Recharge | Recharge, announced April 27, 2026 |
Values from each vendor’s pricing page and Shopify App Store listing, checked November 2026. Sources are listed at the end.
I’m Carson Cobb, a subscription and CRO specialist. I set up and fix subscription programs on Recharge, Skio and Loop for Shopify brands, and I don’t get paid by any of them. This page compares two of them head to head. For all three side by side, see my main Recharge vs Skio vs Loop comparison.
Pricing
Recharge has two public plans. Starter is $149/month plus 1.50% + 20¢ per transaction, with a 60 day free trial. Scale is $499/month plus 1.25% + 20¢ per transaction, with scalable rates as you grow. Above that, Custom has volume based rates, and Recharge’s pricing FAQ says Custom runs on a 12 month term.
Skio has one public plan. Scale is $499/month billed annually or $599/month billed monthly, plus 1.25% + 20¢ per order that involves a subscription. Enterprise is custom, with lower rates for brands moving a lot of subscription volume. Skio charges extra for its loyalty program and doesn’t publish the price.
So at the top public tier the two cost the same: $499/month and 1.25% + 20¢. Recharge is cheaper to start if you can live without Scale’s features.
Migration
Recharge lists end to end migration support on Scale: data validation, preparation tools and a cutover strategy. It isn’t listed on Starter. Recharge says it has migrated more than 53 million subscriptions.
Skio lists comprehensive migration on Scale, and custom migration development on Enterprise. Its demo page says free migration is included.
Whichever way you move, time the cutover around your billing calendar, check that payment methods come across, and watch the first full billing cycle closely. My main comparison has the full checklist.
Features that matter for retention
- Cancel flows. Recharge has smart cancellation prevention, with personalized offers and A/B testing, on every plan. Skio has a multi step cancel flow builder on Scale.
- Customer portal. Both include one. Recharge on every plan, Skio as its no code portal on Scale.
- Bundles. Recharge’s preset and customizable bundles start on Scale. Skio includes advanced build a box.
- Upsells. Recharge has checkout, post purchase and cart upsells on every plan. Skio has an AI driven upsell carousel.
- SMS. Recharge’s Concierge SMS is on Scale and billed per message segment. SkioSMS, one and two way, is included in Skio’s plan.
- Failed payments. Recharge includes failed payment recovery on every plan. Skio includes payment recovery campaigns with timing optimization.
Who each one is best for
Recharge fits a brand that wants the most established platform, with by far the most App Store reviews, and either a low cost start on Starter or the full add on set on Scale.
Skio fits a brand where subscribers are the core of the business and the portal and cancel flow experience matter most, and that’s happy paying for one plan with most features included.
If your subscription program is underperforming on either, the app usually isn’t the problem. My Shopify subscriptions page covers what I fix first.
What the merger changes
Recharge announced on April 27, 2026 that Skio is joining Recharge. Both companies say nothing is changing today for merchants on either platform, and your existing team stays your point of contact. Skio says it will keep shipping features on both platforms while it works with Recharge over roughly the next 12 months to combine the best of both. More on that in what the Recharge and Skio deal means for brands.