Shopify Subscription App: Everything You Need to Know Before Choosing the Right One

When it comes to offering subscription-based products on your Shopify store, the right subscription app can make all the difference. Two prominent options are Shopify Subscriptions and Utterbond Subscriptions, a powerful app designed specifically for subscription management. In this blog, we'll compare these two solutions and help you determine which is best suited for your business needs.

Overview of Shopify Subscriptions and Utterbond Subscriptions
‍

1. Ease of Setup

Shopify Subscriptions: Shopify’s native subscription app is designed and built by the Shopify team, making the setup process relatively simple. However, the subscription widget may not appear correctly on all themes due to limited theme compatibility. If issues arise, you may need to contact Shopify's support team for assistance. Additionally, this app offers only one subscription widget and does not support translations, limiting customization options.

Utterbond Subscriptions: Utterbond provides a quick and intuitive setup process, requiring no technical expertise. It offers multiple pre-designed templates to help merchants easily create subscription plans. Unlike Shopify’s app, Utterbond supports five different subscription widgets, all of which come with built-in translation options. Additionally, it is fully compatible with all free and premium Shopify themes, ensuring a seamless integration without requiring any additional code.

2. Subscription Model Flexibility

Shopify Subscriptions: Shopify’s built-in subscription feature provides basic subscription options such as recurring billing. However, its customization is relatively limited compared to specialized third-party apps. While it works well for straightforward subscription models, it may lack the flexibility to offer advanced subscription options such as prepaid, Gift subscription, etc..

Utterbond Subscriptions: Utterbond excels in providing a range of subscription models, including prepaid, pay-as-you-go, free trials, and gift subscriptions. This flexibility allows you to tailor your subscription offering to your customer’s needs and your business model. Whether you want a simple monthly subscription or more complex options, Utterbond has you covered.

3. Customization & Branding

Shopify Subscriptions: Shopify's subscription app lacks customization options. You cannot modify the subscription widget, customer portal, subscription billing policy, or email templates to match your brand’s look and feel. Additionally, API support is not available, making it difficult to implement advanced customizations.

Utterbond Subscriptions: Utterbond offers extensive customization capabilities. You can fully customize the subscription widget to seamlessly match your store's theme. It also allows you to personalize the customer portal, build-a-box feature, and email templates. Moreover, API support is available, enabling advanced customization and flexibility in managing subscription billing policy.

One of Utterbond’s strengths is its extensive customization capabilities. You can fully tailor the subscription flow, ensuring that it matches your store’s branding and customer experience goals. The app offers various design templates, customizable checkout options, and even an option to add your custom branding elements.

4. Features and Functionality

Shopify Subscriptions: Shopify’s subscription features are functional, but they come with some limitations. For instance, you may need to integrate additional apps to unlock advanced features like personalized recommendations, subscription buid boxes, shipping discounts or discounts for long-term subscribers. Shopify does allow integration with third-party apps, but this could lead to additional costs.

Utterbond Subscriptions: Utterbond offers a rich set of features to enhance your subscription business. These include:

• Subscription management: Track all recurring orders, handle churn, and manage customer subscriptions effortlessly.
• Free plans and trials: You can offer your customers a 30-day free trial or no-transaction-fee plans, helping to attract new subscribers.
• Discounting options: Utterbond allows you to set up attractive discounts for subscribers, including bulk discounts, long-term subscription discounts, and more.
• Advanced analytics and reports: Gain insights into customer behavior, subscription trends, and more, helping you make informed decisions. It also, allows you to check the product/subscription-based analytics.

5. Pricing

Shopify Subscriptions: Shopify Subscriptions comes with a FREE plan on the Shopify platform. However, using third-party apps to extend functionality can lead to additional costs. Furthermore, Shopify’s subscription features may require higher-tier plans for some advanced features, such as better integration with payment gateways or recurring billing.

Utterbond Subscriptions: Utterbond operates on a freemium model. The app offers a free plan that allows you to explore its core features. For more advanced features like unlimited subscriptions, automated workflows, and in-depth analytics, Utterbond offers premium plans that scale with your business.

6. Integration with Other Apps

Shopify Subscriptions: Shopify Subscriptions is natively integrated with many apps in the Shopify ecosystem, but you may encounter limitations when trying to integrate with certain third-party apps. Complex workflows, such as combining subscription services with loyalty programs, may require custom solutions.

Utterbond Subscriptions: Utterbond is designed with integrations in mind. It supports a wide range of third-party apps like loyalty programs, email marketing platforms, and analytics tools. This flexibility allows you to build a more customized and robust subscription experience for your customers.

7. Customer Support

Shopify Subscriptions: Shopify offers basic support for subscriptions through live chat, email, and its help center. However, for any technical issues related to subscriptions resolutions may take longer as Shopify might redirect you to the app developer. We have noticed the lack of the support at emergency level.

Utterbond Subscriptions: Utterbond provides dedicated customer support through various channels, including live chat, email, slack, and in-app support. The team is responsive and knowledgeable, ensuring that you receive the help you need to maintain and grow your subscription business. 1:1 slack for enterprise plan users.

Shopify Subscriptions vs. Utterbond Subscriptions: Key Differences
‍

Shopify Subscriptions vs. Utterbond Subscriptions: What Merchants Are Saying
‍

Discover how merchants rate Shopify Subscriptions vs. Utterbond Subscriptions on the Shopify App Store. See real user reviews, feature comparisons, and why merchants are switching to Utterbond for 0% transaction fees, better automation, and advanced customization.

Shopify Subscriptions Reviews
‍

Utterbond Subscriptions Reviews
‍

Frequently Asked Questions
‍

1. Who Should Use Shopify Subscriptions?

Shopify Subscriptions are ideal for merchants who want to offer recurring billing for their products or services. This includes:

• Businesses selling consumable products (e.g., coffee, skincare, pet food).
• Membership-based stores (e.g., exclusive content, fitness programs).
• Digital product sellers (e.g., online courses, software licenses).

Any merchant looking to create predictable revenue with subscription-based sales.

2. Does Utterbond Charge a % Fee on Subscription Orders?

No, Utterbond Subscriptions does not take any percentage fees on subscription orders. Unlike many other subscription apps, Utterbond offers 0% transaction fees, allowing you to maximize your earnings without extra deductions.

3. Which Utterbond Plan is Best for You? How to Decide?

The best Utterbond plan depends on your business size and needs:

• Free Plan: Ideal for small businesses or those new to subscriptions. Start for free!
• Starter Plan: Unlock advanced features and automation for growing merchants.
• Growth Plan: Perfect for high-volume businesses needing integrations & priority support.
• Enterprise Plan: Custom solutions with API access, dedicated support, and scalability.

To decide, consider factors like order volume, required features (e.g., customizations, automation), and budget. If you need help choosing, you can contact the Utterbond support team for guidance.

Conclusion: Which Subscription Solution is Right for You?
‍

Both Shopify Subscriptions and Utterbond Subscriptions offer valuable features, but the best option depends on your specific needs:

Choose Shopify Subscriptions if you're looking for a simple, no-fuss subscription solution that integrates natively with Shopify and you're working with basic subscription models.

Choose Utterbond Subscriptions if you need more flexibility, advanced features like prepaid subscriptions, bulk automations, integrations, bundle subscriptions and discounts, and an enhanced user experience that aligns with your brand.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for a highly customizable and feature-rich subscription solution, Utterbond Subscriptions may be the better fit, particularly for businesses that want to offer a variety of subscription models and scale their operations.