Recurly vs Shopify
The ultimate side-by-side head-to-head analysis for 2026.
Short answer
- Price: not directly comparable — Recurly is pricing not verified, Shopify is from $39/user/mo.
- How to start: Recurly is pricing not verified, Shopify is from $39/user/mo.
These lines are generated from the pricing we track, not from a paid placement. We do not publish a quality score, because we do not have one we can stand behind. They cannot tell you which tool fits your workflow — the sections below are there for that. How we score tools.
Recurly
Shopify
Category
E-commerce
E-commerce
Base Price
Not verified
$39/user/mo
Public API
Yes
Yes
Mobile app
No
Yes
Open source / self-hostable
No
No
SSO (SAML)
Yes
Yes
Choose Recurly if:
Subscription businesses losing revenue to failed payments.
Choose Shopify if:
E-commerce Entrepreneurs and Retail Brands.
Recurly: pros & cons
- Strong dunning and failed-payment recovery
- Detailed subscription analytics
- Works with major processors
- Priced for established subscription businesses
- Implementation is a project
- More than simple monthly plans need
Shopify: pros & cons
- Rapid Start: Launch a professional store in minutes with no technical hurdles.
- Huge Ecosystem: There is a Shopify app for virtually every feature you might need.
- High Reliability: Your site remains stable even during the heaviest shopping holidays.
- Shopify POS: Manage your physical and digital stores from a single unified inventory.
- Transaction Fees: Charges extra commission if you don't use Shopify Payments.
- App Costs: Monthly subscription costs for apps can add up very quickly.
- Customization Limits: Deep design changes require knowledge of the 'Liquid' code.
Our verdict on Recurly
The dunning recovery alone can justify it at scale. Small subscriber counts do not need this.
Our verdict on Shopify
The world's best platform for starting, growing, and scaling an e-commerce empire.