5 Best Shopify Plugins for CPG Subscriptions

Managing subscriptions for Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) can be challenging, but Shopify plugins make it easier. These tools help automate subscription management, improve customer retention, and provide valuable analytics. Here are the 5 best Shopify plugins for CPG subscriptions:

• ReCharge Subscriptions: Advanced analytics, customer portal, and cancellation prevention tools. Plans start at $99/month.
• Bold Subscriptions: Flexible subscription models, upselling features, and retention tools. Plans start at $0 with 2% transaction fees.
• Appstle Subscriptions: Cost-effective with 0% transaction fees, dunning management, and loyalty features. Free plan available.
• Seal Subscriptions: Smart inventory management and customizable customer portals. Free plan supports up to 150 subscriptions.
• Native Subscriptions by Shopify: Built directly into Shopify for simple and seamless subscription management.

Quick Comparison

Whether you’re a small brand or a large enterprise, these plugins simplify subscription management and help grow your CPG business.

Best Shopify Subscription Apps 2024

1. ReCharge Subscriptions

ReCharge supports over 100 million subscribers worldwide and processes transactions exceeding $30 billion . It offers tools designed for businesses of all sizes, combining powerful features with flexibility.

Tiege Hanley cut subscription cancellations by almost 44%, while LOLA avoided 23% of cancellations using ReCharge’s Cancellation Prevention feature .

"The updates to ReCharge with the launch of Affinity, along with features like Cancellation Prevention, are game-changing. They empower merchants with baked-in retention tools that help you to grow your business right out of the box."
– Tom Bambara, Senior Manager of Customer Success and Customer Experience at Tiege Hanley

Pricing Plans

ReCharge offers pricing options tailored to different business needs:

Features That Stand Out

ReCharge is packed with tools to help businesses grow:

• Advanced Analytics: Get in-depth data on performance and customer behavior.
• No-Code Options: Start processing revenue without needing technical skills.
• API Customization: Adjust and scale subscription management as you grow.
• Customer Portal: Let customers manage their subscriptions, including skipping orders or swapping products.

Native used ReCharge’s One-Time Products feature to increase average order value by adding single items to recurring orders . They also improved customer lifetime value by syncing subscription frequencies with product usage.

Thomas Keller of Oats Overnight shared:

"In the ever changing landscape of ecommerce, Recharge has been a beacon of consistency and innovation… our partnership with Recharge has helped us stay ahead of the game, evolve with the needs of our customer base, and consistently deliver a world class subscription experience."

With over 20,000 brands relying on it, ReCharge effectively handles even the most complex subscription setups . Up next, Bold Subscriptions offers another approach to managing recurring orders.

2. Bold Subscriptions

Bold Subscriptions is a platform designed for CPG brands, handling over $3.1 billion in GMV across 41,000 brands . It provides tools to help businesses increase revenue and improve customer retention through subscription services.

Pricing Structure

The pricing tiers are designed to meet the needs of brands at different stages of growth, offering a range of features to match.

Key Features

Bold Subscriptions supports various subscription options, including standard, prepaid, and convertible plans . Its Subscription Maximizers are designed to boost upselling opportunities at different customer touchpoints. The platform also includes a customer portal where subscribers can manage their preferences – such as pausing deliveries, swapping products, rescheduling shipments, or adding one-time purchases.

Integration Capabilities

Bold Subscriptions integrates with key marketing tools to optimize conversions, enable gift subscriptions, and streamline email marketing and automation. In November 2023, Bold Commerce teamed up with Govalo to improve its gift subscription offerings . These integrations work alongside Bold’s retention tools to provide a comprehensive subscription solution.

Retention Tools

The platform includes features like customizable cancellation flows, dynamic discounts, and retention programs. Its enterprise-level capabilities and Shopify Plus certification make it a strong choice for businesses looking to scale. These tools help address challenges like managing recurring orders and reducing churn.

An example of Bold Subscriptions in action is Sitka Salmon Shares. The company implemented seasonal subscriptions with product swaps and flexible billing options. By leveraging headless checkout flows and upselling features, they successfully enhanced their subscription program .

3. Appstle Subscriptions

Appstle Subscriptions provides a robust set of features at competitive prices. With an impressive 4.9/5 rating from over 4,199 reviews as of January 2024 , it’s a go-to option for Shopify merchants looking for flexible subscription management tools.

Pricing Structure

All plans come with 0% transaction fees, making it a cost-efficient choice for businesses aiming to manage their expenses effectively.

Core Features

Appstle supports both standard and prepaid subscription models. Consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands can benefit from options like build-a-box configurations and trial offers to attract new customers . Its dunning management system helps resolve failed payments and automates renewals, minimizing churn .

Customer Management Tools

The customer portal simplifies subscriber management with a one-click login feature . Subscribers can:

• Edit subscription details
• Pause or skip deliveries
• Update payment methods
• Change delivery dates
• Add one-time purchases to active subscriptions

Advanced Capabilities

Appstle offers tools designed to boost revenue, including:

• Tiered Discounts: Set up "Subscribe & Save" plans with varying discount levels
• Custom Shipping Rules: Tailor shipping options specifically for subscription orders
• Loyalty Features: Offer rewards and exclusive perks to subscribers
• Real-Time Analytics: Monitor product performance and subscription trends

These features work together to enhance both customer satisfaction and business growth.

Integration Ecosystem

Appstle integrates smoothly with essential e-commerce tools, ensuring streamlined operations. Key integrations include:

• Shopify Checkout
• Klaviyo for email marketing
• Gorgias for customer support
• Yotpo for reviews and loyalty programs
• Zapier for workflow automation

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4. Subscriptions by Seal

Seal Subscriptions handles over $100 billion in renewals annually and has earned an impressive 4.9-star rating from more than 2,000 reviews .

Pricing Structure

All plans come with 0% transaction fees.

Platform Features

Seal’s platform is designed to tackle common challenges faced by the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. Key features include:

• Smart Inventory Management
  • Automatically skips renewals for items that are out of stock.
  • Predicts inventory needs using subscription data.
  • Supports bundle subscriptions through Bundler app integration.

Customer Management Portal

Seal provides a simple, user-friendly portal where subscribers can:

• Adjust subscriptions and schedule deliveries.
• Access their accounts via magic links – no login required .
• Update shipping details.
• Pause, skip, or reactivate orders.

These tools make it easier for customers to personalize their experience, boosting retention rates.

Advanced Customization and Retention Tools

Seal also offers advanced options to help businesses retain subscribers and drive engagement:

• Automatic discount updates.
• Product swap options.
• Loyalty rewards with tiered levels.
• Custom cancellation workflows.
• Direct checkout links for promotional campaigns.
• Detailed analytics dashboards for tracking subscription performance.
• Targeted email notifications to keep subscribers engaged.

Integration Ecosystem

Seal works seamlessly with popular e-commerce tools to enhance functionality:

• Klaviyo for email marketing campaigns.
• PageFly for creating custom pages.
• Google Analytics for tracking performance metrics.
• Bundler for managing product bundles.

5. Native Subscriptions by Shopify

Shopify offers a built-in subscription solution designed for CPG brands, allowing merchants to handle recurring sales directly from the Shopify admin dashboard – no additional apps required . This feature works seamlessly with Shopify’s ecosystem, while also complementing more advanced tools provided by third-party apps.

Key Features

Shopify’s subscription solution includes tools to manage recurring payments and subscriptions effectively, such as:

• Options for weekly, monthly, or yearly subscription plans, available for single items or bundles
• Automated billing for recurring charges
• Discount settings, including percentage discounts, fixed dollar amounts, and "buy X, get Y" offers

Managing Subscribers

Customers can easily manage their subscriptions through a portal. They can update personal details, payment methods, and shipping addresses, or modify deliveries by skipping, pausing, or canceling them.

Analytics and Tracking

Merchants can access an analytics dashboard to track subscription activity. This includes data on active, paused, and canceled subscriptions, offering insights into performance and trends.

Integration and Security

A subscription widget integrates directly into product pages, the shopping cart, and thank-you pages. Shopify ensures secure transactions with PCI-compliant payment processing.

For CPG brands looking for a simple, reliable way to manage subscriptions, Shopify’s native option provides a well-rounded, integrated solution.

Plugin Features and Pricing Comparison

Looking at the features of each plugin side by side makes it easier to see which one offers the best value for your CPG brand.

ReCharge stands out with advanced tools, including a no-code customer portal, analytics dashboard, and growth-focused features on its Pro plan, which supports bundled subscriptions. Meanwhile, Loop focuses on simplifying mobile-first subscription management, offering an easy-to-use portal for creating bundle and box subscriptions. Smartrr and Subbly provide scalable plans with revenue-based fees, while Native Subscriptions by Shopify integrates subscription functionality directly into the Shopify platform.

Pricing Structure

Here’s a breakdown of the pricing tiers to help you assess costs for businesses of various sizes:

ReCharge:

• Standard: $99/month, 1.25% + $0.19 per order
• Pro: $499/month, includes advanced tools and automation

Loop:

• Free: Up to 50 active subscriptions
• Starter: $99/month, 1.0% transaction fee
• Pro: $399/month, 0.75% transaction fee

Smartrr:

• Launch: $99/month + 1% GMV
• Grow: $299/month + 1% GMV
• Excel: Starting at $499/month + 1% GMV

Subbly: Starts at $14/month for the Lite plan, with pricing scaling for larger businesses .

Performance and Support

ReCharge has earned a 4.6/5 star rating from 1,953 reviews, praised for its user-friendly interface and responsive support . Loop is rated 4.9/5 stars from 438 reviews, with users highlighting its easy setup and retention tools .

"I’ve always found the cost of ownership of Shopify Plus to be very compelling in comparison to other platforms… the costs around the platform remain highly competitive as your brand scales."

Integration Capabilities

Each plugin helps solve operational challenges and simplifies recurring order management. Loop integrates with tools like Klaviyo and Gorgias, while ReCharge connects with Stripe and Avalara, ensuring smooth operations supported by strong user reviews .

Real-World Success

For example, Lumin switched to Loop Subscriptions, allowing their support team to make changes without needing engineering assistance . In January 2025, Beachcombing Magazine highlighted ReCharge’s responsive technical support .

Choosing the Right Plugin

If your brand has fewer than 50 subscriptions, Loop’s free tier is a great starting point. For medium-sized businesses, ReCharge’s Standard plan ($99/month) is a solid choice. Larger enterprises may benefit from Loop’s Pro plan or ReCharge’s Pro plan. Meanwhile, Smartrr and Subbly offer flexible options for specific business requirements, and Native Subscriptions provides a seamless solution for Shopify users.

Choosing the Right Subscription Plugin

When picking a subscription plugin for your CPG brand, think about your current size and where you’re headed.

For smaller brands, look for a plugin that offers a free trial or an affordable starter plan. This lets you test subscription models without a big upfront commitment. As your subscriber base grows, make sure the plugin can connect with marketing tools to improve customer communication and engagement.

Mid-sized companies should focus on balancing cost with essential features. Look for tools like automated payment processing, subscriber self-service portals, cancellation prediction and prevention features, and detailed analytics . These will help you manage growing subscriptions while keeping the customer experience smooth.

Enterprise brands need premium options that integrate effortlessly with their existing systems, such as CRM software, inventory management, marketing automation, and customer service platforms. It’s also worth considering how the plugin aligns with your brand values.

For example, with more consumers prioritizing eco-friendly choices, having a customizable portal to showcase sustainable practices can attract environmentally-conscious buyers and boost your market position .

With consumer spending on CPG products expected to hit $2.8 trillion by 2029 , your subscription platform should handle rapid scaling and offer analytics to fine-tune your strategy. Remember, the most expensive plugin isn’t always the best – choose one that fits your operational needs, tech setup, and customer experience goals.

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