8 best subscription management software for SaaS companies 

This guide lists the 8 best subscription management platforms for 2025, including what they cost and where they excel. We also cover options for usage-based pricing and enterprise subscription management.

Summary of the best subscription management software

To help you compare options faster, here’s how the tools in this guide break down by category and best fit.

Full usage-based billing platform 

Orb: Full, true usage-based billing platform for SaaS and GenAI companies that need event-level metering, price simulations, and subscription management in one place.

Subscription billing tools

1. Chargebee: Subscription billing tool best for simple, recurring charges and classic seat-based SaaS plans, with usage features layered on top.
2. Recurly: Subscription billing tool for small and mid-size SaaS teams that want straightforward recurring billing and strong dunning, rather than complex usage pricing.
3. Zuora: Enterprise subscription billing and quote-to-cash platform for global recurring contracts, where usage-based support is bolted on and harder to scale for multi-dimensional pricing.
4. Sage Intacct: Finance and accounting platform with a subscription billing module for teams standardizing their full general ledger on Sage.
5. Maxio: Finance-heavy subscription billing and revenue recognition system for B2B SaaS that need GAAP reporting tied closely to billing.
6. Billsby: Entry-level subscription billing tool for small businesses that want simple plans and an easy setup.
7. Paddle: Merchant-of-record (MoR) platform that combines subscription billing with global tax, compliance, and payments.
8. Zoho Billing: Budget-friendly subscription billing tool for SMBs already on the Zoho suite.

What does subscription management software do?

Subscription management software helps businesses automate and manage the entire subscription lifecycle. Think signing up new users to billing and invoicing, and handling failed payments.

These platforms take the pain out of recurring billing by automating tasks like:

• Billing: Create plans, trials, coupons, and proration.
• Subscriptions: Start, pause, resume, upgrade, downgrade, and cancel.
• Invoicing: Automate recurring invoices and taxes.
• Payments: Connect gateways and payment methods.
• Dunning: Retry failed charges and send smart reminders.
• Reporting: Track MRR, churn, cohorts, and revenue trends.
• Integrations: Sync CRM, data warehouse, accounting, and tax tools.

Subscription software centralizes billing, plan changes, and dunning. See our guide to dunning management for playbooks and using the best dunning management software. Teams can run the full subscription lifecycle in one place.

Note: See our post on billing software requirements and best usage billing software for SaaS companies. 

If you need true usage-based billing or complex hybrid pricing, start with Orb. This leading platform is built on a raw event architecture, and it also includes subscription management. 

How we chose the best subscription management software

We put a lot of thought into how to choose the best ones for our list. We evaluated each platform based on the following criteria:

• Product fit: Features for SaaS billing, including dunning and plan changes.
• Pricing clarity: Public pricing or clear contract sales.
• Usage-based support: Metering, tiers, and overage options.
• Scale and reliability: Event ingestion, auditability, and accuracy.
• Ecosystem: Stable APIs and integrations.
• Proof: Docs, case studies, and active product updates.

In our view of the market, tools fall into three buckets: subscription billing tools like Chargebee, Recurly, and Zuora, merchant-of-record and finance platforms like Paddle and Sage Intacct, and full usage-based billing platforms like Orb. 

Subscription tools work well for simple, recurring charges, but their usage support is bolted on, which makes complex, event-driven pricing harder to execute and scale. Orb is purpose-built around usage-based pricing on raw event data.

We also considered these other important factors

Of course, there's more to subscription management systems than just the basics. We also took into account these important factors:

• Powerful integrations: Your subscription management software should play well with other business tools. We looked for platforms that offer a wide range of integrations.
• API access: For those who like to tinker under the hood, API access is essential. We gave bonus points to platforms that offer APIs for custom integrations and advanced automation.
• Affordable pricing: Everyone loves a good deal. We considered the pricing of each platform, looking for options that offer good value for the features and support they provide.
• Modern design and features: Nobody wants to use software that looks like it's from the Stone Age. We favored platforms with a modern design and up-to-date features that make managing subscriptions a breeze.

Note: Read our posts on SaaS subscription management and SaaS billing software for more info.

Orb: The full usage-based billing platform

Orb is the leading usage-based billing platform built on a raw event architecture that also handles subscriptions. It ingests every usage event in real time and turns that data into accurate invoices, revenue simulations, and reports.

How billing platforms handle your data matters a lot. There are three main ways they do it. With batch processing, usage data gets processed on scheduled intervals, which creates significant delays in billing and reporting, offers limited pricing flexibility, and increases the risk of errors. With streaming aggregation, data gets grouped together before it's sent to the billing system. This requires companies to predefine usage metrics, makes it harder to change your pricing later, and introduces delays. 

Orb uses a third way: raw event architecture. This means usage data is ingested and stored in its raw form and in real time. As a result, you get maximum pricing flexibility, retrospective pricing adjustments, real-time billing, transparency, and auditability.

Features

• Orb RevGraph: This is the heart of Orb. It ingests all your usage data and combines it with product and pricing data to create a single source of truth. This means you can easily experiment with pricing and refine your monetization strategy without missing events or dealing with inaccuracies.
• Orb SQL Editor: Want to change your pricing? Use this tool. It lets you use SQL to query usage and set your billable metrics.
• Simulations: Run Orb Simulations on historical data. This feature helps preview revenue and usage outcomes before you launch.
• Automated invoicing: Orb handles discounts, credits, and more so that invoices are correct and finances are in order. No more pulling your hair out over revenue reports.
• Progressive pricing rollouts and custom contracts: Want to test a new price on a few customers first? You can do that. Need to make a special contract for a big client? Orb can handle that too.
• Data and financial integrations: Orb plays nice with your other tools. It connects with your data warehouses and financial software, so all your information stays in sync.

Ideal for: SaaS and AI products that treat usage-based billing as the core of their revenue model, and still need clean subscription management around it.

Pricing

Contact sales for pricing. See Orb’s site for features, usage tracking, and simulations.

Bottom line

Orb includes subscription management with a lot more features to support end-to-end billing. It is a true usage-based billing platform that also covers subscriptions, built around raw events instead of batch processing or streaming aggregation. 

If you care about event-level accuracy, pricing agility, and price simulations that use real data, Orb provides robust pricing and billing that goes beyond traditional subscription billing tools.

8 best subscription management software for a SaaS agency

1. Chargebee

Chargebee is a subscription billing tool designed for classic recurring and per-seat SaaS plans. It handles trials, coupons, proration, and dunning for standard subscription catalogs, but its usage-based features sit on top of a subscription-first architecture.

Features

• Easier subscription management: Chargebee makes managing customer subscriptions much easier. Think about aspects such as handling upgrades, downgrades, cancellations, and renewals.
• Automated billing and invoicing: The platform automates the creation and delivery of invoices. It also supports many billing frequencies, including monthly, quarterly, and annual billing.
• Wide range of payment gateway integrations: Chargebee integrates with a wide range of payment gateways. It provides flexibility for businesses to choose their preferred payment processing methods.
• Proactive dunning management: This recurring billing system helps firms recover failed payments. It does so with automated dunning emails and retry logic.
• Revenue recognition: It automates revenue recognition by accounting standards (ASC 606 and IFRS 15). It also provides detailed revenue reports to help businesses track their financial performance.

Ideal for: SaaS teams with mostly flat-rate or per-seat pricing that want a mature subscription billing tool and do not rely heavily on complex, event-level usage billing.

Pricing

Starter: Free until a cumulative billing threshold, then a percentage fee. 

Performance: Flat annual fee up to a volume cap.

Enterprise: Contact sales.

Bottom line

Chargebee reviews show that it’s a solid subscription management platform for simple, recurring charges and classic seat-based SaaS plans. 

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Chargebee is a strong fit when your pricing is mostly simple, recurring charges, and you want out-of-the-box subscription workflows. It offers some usage support, but advanced usage-based billing, multi-dimensional pricing models, and raw event processing are where Orb excels.

2. Recurly

Recurly is a subscription management platform. It handles subscriptions, dunning, and add-ons, with options for Shopify vendors and high-volume SaaS.

Features

• End-to-end subscription lifecycle management: Recurly provides tools to manage the entire subscription lifecycle. Think trial management, upgrades, downgrades, cancellations, and renewals. 
• Automated recurring billing and invoicing: The recurring billing software automates invoice creation. It also helps with payment collection by reducing manual effort and minimizing errors.
• Dunning: Its dunning management system helps recover failed payments with emails and retry logic. It also allows companies to customize dunning strategies based on user segments and payment behavior.
• Payment gateway integrations: The platform integrates with a wide range of payment gateways. It gives businesses the flexibility to choose their desired payment processing methods.
• Actionable analytics and reporting: Recurly provides detailed reports and dashboards. It helps firms track key subscription metrics. These include churn rate, monthly recurring revenue (MRR), and customer lifetime value (LTV). 

Ideal for: SaaS with recurring billing and teams on Shopify needing subscriptions.

Pricing

Shopify Subscriptions: Flat monthly fee + % of monthly subscription volume. 

Core subscriptions (non-Shopify): Rate based on processing volume and contract.

Bottom line

Recurly is a user-friendly and affordable subscription management platform. It offers basic features for managing recurring billing. 

It may not be the best choice for businesses with more intricate billing needs or those that need advanced customization options.

3. Zuora

Zuora is an enterprise subscription billing and quote-to-cash platform. It is built for large recurring revenue contracts, complex product catalogs, and global invoicing at scale. 

Usage-based charges are supported, but they layer onto a subscription-centric engine, which can make highly granular, multi-metric usage pricing harder to implement and iterate on than in a purpose-built usage-based billing platform.

Features

• Multi-faceted subscription management: Zuora goes beyond basic subscription management. It offers advanced features such as automated proration, discounts, and coupons.
• Quote-to-cash process: Zuora simplifies the entire quote-to-cash process. It helps with quotes, managing orders, automating invoicing, and collecting payments. 
• Revenue recognition: Zuora's revenue recognition engine helps businesses configure revenue recognition rules. It can do it based on their specific accounting standards and business models. 
• Global expansion: The platform supports many currencies, payment methods, and tax regulations. It also offers localized language support to cater to international customers.
• Data-driven insights: Zuora provides advanced reporting and analytics capabilities. It allows businesses to get insights into subscription metrics, user behavior, and financials.

Ideal for: Enterprises whose core motion is complex recurring subscriptions and quote-to-cash workflows, and who need strong finance integrations, rather than deep, raw-event usage billing.

Pricing

Zuora's pricing is only available through a quote. It's tailored to the specific needs of each business.

Bottom line

Zuora gives enterprises a wide toolbox for subscription billing, revenue recognition, and global quote-to-cash. For teams whose revenue model is driven by event-level usage and frequent pricing experiments, its architecture treats usage as an extension rather than the core. 

Those companies will usually be better served by a full usage-based billing platform like Orb.

4. Sage Intacct

Sage Intacct is a cloud accounting platform with a subscription billing module. It fits finance teams that want accounting and billing in one stack.

Features

• Unified financial management: Sage Intacct integrates subscription management. It offers core accounting and financial management features.
• Flexible billing and invoicing: The platform supports various billing models. Think flat-rate, usage-based, and tiered pricing. It also allows for customizable invoicing templates and supports many billing frequencies.
• Revenue recognition: Its revenue recognition engine complies with accounting standards. These include ASC 606 and IFRS 15. It calculates and recognizes revenue based on subscription terms and usage data.
• Real-time reporting: Sage Intacct provides real-time financial reporting and dashboards. These features give businesses up-to-date insights into their financial performance.
• Dashboards and reports: Sage Intacct allows businesses to customize dashboards and reports. This way, they can track specific subscription metrics and financial data.

Ideal for: Mid-market and enterprise finance teams standardizing on Sage Intacct.

Pricing

Sage Intacct's pricing is available through a custom quote, tailored to the specific needs of each business.

Bottom line

Sage Intacct is a complete financial management solution. It offers robust subscription management capabilities. Its focus on accounting makes it less suitable for users who focus on specialized subscription features.

5. Maxio

Maxio is a subscription management and billing platform designed for B2B SaaS businesses. It can handle pricing models, automate revenue recognition, and offer financial reporting.

Features

• Subscription management: Maxio supports tiered pricing, usage-based billing, and hybrid models. It also offers proration, discounts, and coupons to manage tricky pricing scenarios.
• GAAP-compliant reporting: Maxio provides financial reports that follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). This helps businesses keep accurate financial records and always be ready for audits.
• Integrations: Maxio integrates with various third-party applications. These include CRM, payment gateways, and other business tools.
• Scalability for all: Maxio can scale with businesses as they grow. It can handle high volumes of transactions and intricate billing processes without hiccups.

Ideal for: B2B SaaS with finance-heavy processes.

Pricing

Maxio offers a free trial. Paid plans start at $599 per month.

Bottom line

Maxio is a strong subscription management platform that has advanced features for B2B SaaS firms. Its cost may make it less suitable for smaller businesses with simpler billing needs.

6. Billsby

Billsby is a user-friendly subscription management software designed for small businesses and startups. It offers a simple interface, making it easy to set up and manage subscriptions, automate billing, and track recurring payments. 

Features

• Simple setup: Billsby provides a clear process for setting up and managing subscriptions. It allows firms to define subscription plans, pricing models, and billing cycles with fewer roadblocks.
• Customer self-service: Billsby offers a self-service portal. It helps users manage their subscriptions, update payment data, and view their billing history. 
• Dunning: Its dunning capabilities are useful for businesses that need to retry failed payments. They offer automated email notifications and retry logic. Based on how and when users pay, Billsby lets you devise adaptable dunning strategies. 

Ideal for: Small businesses that need straightforward subscription tools.

Pricing

Billsby offers a free plan with unlimited users and testing. Paid plans start at $45 per month and offer more features.

Bottom line

Billsby makes recurring billing for small businesses much easier. Its limited reporting capabilities aren't suitable for users with enterprise-grade billing needs. It's also not the best for those who need more advanced analytics.

7. Paddle

Paddle is a revenue delivery platform designed for SaaS businesses. It acts as a Merchant of Record (MoR), handling sales tax, VAT, and compliance for transactions worldwide.

Features

• MoR model: Paddle acts as the MoR. That means it assumes responsibility for legal and financial compliance. This includes tax collection and remittance. 
• Subscription management: With Paddle, you’re getting tools to manage customer subscriptions. Think upgrades, downgrades, cancellations, and renewals. You also get full support for most pricing models and billing cycles.
• Billing and invoicing: It offers automated billing. It can generate and deliver invoices to users on schedule. They accept most currencies, and they integrate with major payment gateways. 
• Dev-friendly tools: The platform offers integrations with development tools and platforms. It's easier for devs to manage subscriptions and billing within their current workflows.
• Customer retention: Paddle provides tools to help firms reduce churn and boost retention. These include dunning management and customer communication features.

Ideal for: SaaS selling globally that wants MoR coverage.

Pricing

Paddle charges a 5% transaction fee plus $0.50 per transaction. You can also get tailored pricing if you contact sales directly. 

Bottom line

Paddle is a solid platform for SaaS businesses aiming for global expansion. It makes their billing operations simpler to manage. 

The flipside is that its transaction-based pricing may be too steep. This is true for businesses with high transaction volumes or low average transaction values.

8. Zoho Billing

Zoho Billing operates as a subscription management software, part of the Zoho suite. It offers a set of features to manage subscriptions, automate recurring billing, and track metrics.

Features

• Recurring billing and automation: Zoho Billing generates and delivers invoices on schedule. It also supports many billing frequencies, proration, and discounts.
• Subscription management: The platform offers features to handle customer subscriptions. Anything from upgrades, downgrades, cancellations, and renewals can be handled by Zoho Billing.
• Dunning management: It helps businesses recover failed payments with automated retry logic. It also allows for customizable dunning strategies based on user segments and payment behavior.
• Reporting: Zoho offers reports and dashboards to help businesses track key subscription metrics. Think of metrics such as MRR, churn rate, and customer lifetime value. It also offers insights into customer behavior and subscription trends.

Ideal for: SMBs that run on Zoho and want native billing.

Pricing

Paid plans start at $29 per month. Users get bigger savings by paying yearly. 

Bottom line

Zoho Billing is a cost-effective subscription management software that offers a full set of features for SMBs. 

Its customization options and reporting may not click with users with more complicated billing needs. It's also not great for those who need a more refined analytics platform.

How do businesses benefit from subscription management software? 

SaaS businesses benefit from subscription management software because it helps keep users happy. Subscription software companies automate billing, reduce errors, and improve retention. It does so by keeping pricing and payments consistent. 

These platforms automate many of the tedious tasks associated with managing subscriptions. It allows businesses to:

• Keep efficiency high. Automating recurring billing, invoicing, and customer management frees up valuable time and resources.
• Reduce errors. Automated systems are less prone to human error. They lead to more accurate billing and fewer customer disputes.
• Improve customer satisfaction. Self-service portals and flexible payment options help users manage their subscriptions with ease.
• Access business-critical insights. Reporting and analytics features provide data on key metrics. These include monthly recurring revenue (MRR), churn rate, and customer lifetime value (LTV). 
• Scale up their operations. As a SaaS business grows, subscription management software can handle more transactions.

Is SaaS subscription management software suitable for other industries?

SaaS subscription management software is suitable for other industries. Any firm with a recurring revenue model can benefit from it. This includes industries like:

• E-commerce: Businesses with subscription boxes, memberships, or recurring product deliveries.
• Media and publishing: Companies offering digital subscriptions, online courses, or recurring content access.
• Nonprofits: Organizations with recurring donations or membership programs.
• Education: Institutions with online courses or subscription-based learning platforms.
• Healthcare: Providers with telehealth services or subscription-based wellness programs.

If your business relies on recurring revenue, subscription management software can help save time. These tools also help with SaaS membership management for communities that run renewals and member tiers.

FAQs

How does subscription billing software differ from a recurring billing system? 

Subscription billing software often offers more features beyond just recurring billing. Think subscription management, dunning management, and advanced reporting.

Which subscription management software is best for small businesses?

The subscription management software best suited for small businesses is Billsby. You can also go with Zoho Billing for simple plans and clear pricing. Orb offers a good range of features and special attention to accuracy in billing and invoicing. 

What integrations should I look for in subscription management software?

Look for essential integrations that include payment gateways, CRM systems, and accounting software. Integrations with marketing platforms, analytics tools, and tax automation software can also help.

Can subscription management software help reduce churn?

Yes, subscription management software can help reduce churn. Dunning management helps recover failed payments. Features like self-service portals and flexible subscription options improve user experience. This, in turn, leads to better retention.  

What pricing models are supported by subscription billing platforms?

The pricing models supported by subscription billing platforms are flat-rate subscriptions, tiered pricing, usage-based billing, and hybrid models. Businesses can tailor their pricing strategies to different user needs and preferences.

Boost your SaaS company’s growth and potential with Orb

You’ve seen a range of tools in this guide, from subscription billing systems to MoR providers and finance platforms. 

Orb sits in a different category. It is the leading usage-based billing platform built on a raw event architecture that also manages subscriptions, so usage, pricing, and invoicing all share the same source of truth. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• Built for non-technical teams: Evolve pricing without engineering. This is thanks to Orb RevGraph, which decouples usage data from pricing logic.
• Define billing metrics your way: Orb ingests raw usage events. That means you can define your own billable metrics. Use the Orb SQL Editor or a visual editor to do so without engineering.
• Forecast changes with confidence: Run Orb Simulations on historical data. You can preview revenue and usage outcomes before launch.
• Accuracy at scale: Orb ingests and tracks raw events at scale and with high accuracy. Get a full audit trail for every invoice.
• Flexible models: Orb supports seat-based, subscriptions, usage-based, hybrid, and other pricing structures. Launch plans fast, then iterate as the product evolves.

Ready to move beyond basic subscription billing and into true usage-based pricing on raw events? Explore Orb’s pricing and see how a purpose-built usage-based billing platform can support your next stage of growth.