Alternative to Chargebee: Billing Simplified

With the dramatic rise of subscriptions coupled with unprecedentedly high demands for efficiency and compliance, businesses require dedicated software to manage their subscriptions and automate recurring billing tasks.

Chargebee is one such software – but there may be many reasons why a business, particularly a startup or SME, might be on the lookout for an alternative to Chargebee.

These may include business audiences that are not very tech-savvy and prefer guided support. It may also include small businesses looking for affordable subscription-handling alternatives, or SMEs looking for better value for money with access to all features through a flat fee.

To cater to all these concerns and more, let’s explore why SubscriptionFlow is a robust Chargebee alternative that lets you access a comprehensive battery of subscription management tools while being more customizable, flexible, and easier on the pocket. Let’s dig a bit deeper.

Why SubscriptionFlow is a Robust Chargebee Alternative?

SubscriptionFlow offers many of the same features that Chargebee offers with more customizability, cheaper plans, and with free onboarding hours associated with each plan.

Here are some of the key features that set it apart:

1. Affordable Pricing Plans

SubscriptionFlow has four pricing tiers including Starter ($99/month), Rise ($149/month), Scale ($249/month), and Enterprise (custom) level plans based on your company’s annual revenue. The plans are affordable and flat-rate meaning you get access to all features with every plan.

Chargebee has three pricing tiers including Starter, Performer, and Enterprise plans at $0/month (up to the first $250,000), $599, and custom pricing respectively. Despite the great customer acquisition incentive, the free plan excludes multiple features covered in the other two plans.

SubscriptionFlow offers the same features as Chargebee for a better price including:

Calendar or recurring billing automation
Usage-based billing provision
Admin console for subscription management
Customer self-service portal
Coupons and discount provisions
Tailored invoicing
Multiple payment gateway integrations
Multi-currency support
Reporting and analytics
Dunning management

Moreover, SubscriptionFlow offers some features in its starter plan unavailable in Chargebee’s starter plan. These include:

Gift subscriptions
Chargeback automation
Quote-to-cash process
Multiple payment methods per customer
Custom reporting
Multi-currency (without limit of up to 3)
Email templates and automation
Customer segmentation
Accounting integration (Xero, QuickBooks)
CRM (HubSpot, Zoho, Salesforce) integration
Marketing (Salesforce, MailChimp) integration
eSign/Contract management

This makes it an excellent option for small businesses looking for cost-effective subscription management solutions.

2. Guided Onboarding and Support

SubscriptionFlow provides guided onboarding and support to help users get started quickly and easily. The plans correspond to 25, 50, and 75 free onboarding hours. The platform also offers 24/7 customer support via phone, email, or live chat.

This is a big pro of using SubscriptionFlow as a Chargebee alternative. Chargebee has turned to the self-service model and only offers onboarding support for enterprise-level clients. Clients using legacy software find it hard to navigate automation without additional support and could benefit from utilizing SubscriptionFlow’s free onboarding services.

3. Integrations with Popular Payment Gateways

SubscriptionFlow integrates seamlessly with popular payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net. This allows businesses to process payments securely and efficiently without having to switch between multiple platforms.

Some payment methods not available on Chargebee’s starter plan are included in SubscriptionFlow’s flat fee. These include:

Stripe (ACH and SEPA transfer)
SEPA credit transfer

4. Retention Tools Included

Chargebee’s retention tools come at an additional cost of $250 and $1000, but SubscriptionFlow offers access to its growth and retention tools in every plan and they are included in the baseline fee. Features include customer segmentation, health score tracking based on custom logic, playbooks to reward loyalty, deflect churn and send out reports to customer success teams.

5. Customer Support

Both platforms offer robust customer support but the starter plan in the case of Chargebee relies only on email support and knowledgebase. SubscriptionFlow offers you live support as well and this includes the lowest tier plan.

Final Thoughts

Overall, SubscriptionFlow offers a comprehensive suite of subscription management tools at an affordable price point with excellent customer support. These features make it an excellent alternative to Chargebee for businesses looking for more flexibility, customization options, and affordability in their subscription management software.