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Recharge vs Seal vs Loop: The 2026 Comparison

May 21, 2026
11 min read
Emma Johnson
May 21, 2026
11 min read

Last updated: May 2026 · Competitor pricing, ratings, and review counts in this post are sourced from each platform's published pricing page and Shopify App Store listing, verified May 2026. Merchant outcomes cited are as published on the respective Loop Subscriptions case study pages and reflect individual merchant-reported results, not guarantees of typical performance. Merchant reviews cited are publicly available on the Shopify App Store as of the dates indicated. Full disclaimer below.

If you've searched Recharge vs Seal, you've probably noticed both platforms show up in the same evaluation — but for very different reasons. This post lays out what each platform publishes about itself, what brands that migrated to Loop have reported, and how published rates compare across the three platforms.

Recharge vs Seal vs Loop: at a glance

These data points are pulled from each platform's published Shopify App Store listing and pricing page, verified May 2026.

Seal Subscriptions

Source: Seal's Shopify App Store listing, verified May 2026

  • Rating: 4.9 stars (2,680+ reviews) on the Shopify App Store as of May 2026
  • Free plan: Up to 50 active subscriptions, 0% transaction fees
  • SuperSale: $5.95/month — up to 100 subscriptions, 0% transaction fees, 30-day free trial
  • Rising Star: $9.95/month — up to 250 subscriptions, 0% transaction fees, 30-day free trial
  • Legend: $24.95/month — up to 500 subscriptions, 0% transaction fees, 30-day free trial
  • Bigger plans up to 150,000+ subscriptions available; pricing on request

Recharge

Sources: Recharge's Shopify App Store listing and Recharge's published pricing page, verified May 2026

  • Rating: 4.8 stars (2,100+ reviews) on the Shopify App Store as of May 2026
  • 25-50 plan: $25/month — first 50 lifetime subscribers (no transaction fees, net-new merchants only, 60-day free trial)
  • Starter plan: $99/month + 1.49% + $0.19 per transaction (60-day free trial)
  • Plus plan: $499/month + 1.34% + $0.19 per transaction; per Recharge's published pricing FAQ, "Our Plus and Custom plans run on 12-month terms."
  • Custom plan: volume-based, 12-month term

Loop

Sources: Loop's published pricing page and Loop's Shopify App Store listing, verified May 2026

  • Rating: 4.9 stars (650+ reviews) on the Shopify App Store as of May 2026
  • Free Forever plan: up to 50 active subscriptions
  • Starter plan: $99/month + 1.0% (no per-order flat fee)
  • Pro plan: $399/month + 0.75% (no per-order flat fee)
  • Enterprise plan: custom pricing

Two things stand out at the published-rate level. First, Seal's pricing model is fundamentally different — flat monthly fees tied to subscription count, with 0% transaction fees on every tier. Recharge and Loop both use percentage-based pricing tied to transaction volume. Second, among the three platforms compared, Loop is the only one in the percentage-fee model without a per-order flat fee on its paid tiers.

Seal Subscriptions

Seal Subscriptions is a Shopify subscription app with a flat-rate pricing model and 0% transaction fees across every tier. Seal holds a 4.9-star rating across 2,680+ reviews on the Shopify App Store as of May 2026.

Seal pricing

Per Seal's Shopify App Store listing (verified May 2026), Seal offers a Free Forever plan supporting up to 50 active subscriptions with 0% transaction fees. Paid tiers — SuperSale ($5.95/month, 100 subscriptions), Rising Star ($9.95/month, 250 subscriptions), and Legend ($24.95/month, 500 subscriptions) — unlock higher subscription caps. Each paid tier includes a 30-day free trial. Bigger plans supporting up to 150,000+ subscriptions are available; pricing for those tiers is provided on request.

Seal reviews

Seal holds a 4.9-star rating across 2,680+ reviews on the Shopify App Store as of May 2026.

Recharge

Recharge holds a 4.8-star rating across 2,100+ reviews on the Shopify App Store as of May 2026.

Recharge pricing

Per Recharge's Shopify App Store listing (verified May 2026), Recharge lists four tiers:

  • $25/month for the first 50 lifetime subscribers (no transaction fees, entire Starter feature set, 60-day free trial, net-new merchants only)
  • Starter at $99/month + 1.49% + 19¢ per transaction
  • Plus at $499/month + 1.34% + 19¢ per transaction, on a 12-month term commitment per Recharge's published pricing FAQ
  • Custom plan, volume-based, on a 12-month term

Recharge reviews

Recharge maintains a 4.8 overall rating across 2,100+ reviews on Shopify app store as of May 2026.

What Loop Subscriptions offers

Loop Subscriptions has been built with feedback from the DTC community. As of May 2026, Loop is trusted by 2,400+ Shopify subscription brands and has run 1,100+ migrations to date — including 400+ brands that migrated from Recharge — with the platform processing $4B+ in subscription revenue.

Below is a capability-by-capability look at the Loop product.

Loop's cancellation flows

When a subscriber clicks "Cancel subscription" in Loop, the system surfaces a multi-stage flow that merchants configure visually, without code.

Stage 1 — Benefit reminder. A personalized content surface that reminds the subscriber what they signed up for. Merchants can embed videos, GIFs, and HTML; highlight exclusive subscriber pricing; and preview upcoming perks like next free gift or next loyalty milestone.

Stage 2 — Exit survey. A customized cancellation reason survey. Reasons can be personalized based on the subscriber's order history.

Stage 3 — Smart alternatives. Reason-matched alternatives — "Too much product" can trigger a frequency change or skip; "Wrong product" can trigger a one-click swap; "Taking a break" can trigger a pause.

Stage 4 — Conditional offers. Reason and segment-matched offers — discount, free gift, free shipping, loyalty points — driven by conditional logic on subscriber value, order count, and cancellation reason.

Flows can be A/B tested, edited live, and built from templates or from scratch. Learn more on Loop's cancellation flows page.

Loop Flows: no-code automation across the subscriber lifecycle

Loop Flows is Loop's no-code IF-THEN automation builder. Merchants build workflows using AND/OR logic, multi-product selectors, real-time status indicators, and searchable flow logs.

Common patterns:

  • Surprise & delight rewards — trigger gifts, discounts, or perks at specific order counts or spending thresholds.
  • Trial-to-paid lifecycle — automatically transition subscribers from a trial product to a full-size subscription.
  • AOV and cross-sell boosters — add complementary products or unlock perks when subscription spending crosses a threshold.
  • Regional personalization — adapt offerings, pricing, shipping methods, and product selection by geography.
  • VIP / loyalty tiering — auto-segment high-value subscribers and grant exclusive benefits without manual list management.

Loop's customer portal

Loop's customer portal is fully customizable — themes, custom sections, branded look and feel — and built around one-click actions: Skip, Reschedule, Swap, and Order Now, all available directly on the subscription card.

Loop's smart dunning: payment recovery built in

Loop's smart dunning is included in every paid plan. The Starter plan supports up to 15 automated retries, with retry timing that can be tuned by failure type. When a payment fails, Loop triggers an email plus SMS recovery sequence with a one-click payment update link that lets the subscriber update payment without logging in. Recovery analytics show which retries succeeded, which subscribers updated payment methods, and which churned.

Loop's bundle builder

Loop's bundle builder supports fixed bundles, curated bundles, and full Build-Your-Own-Box experiences. Merchants can configure incremental discount structures, white-label the BYOB selection interface, and ship bundles as subscriptions or one-time purchases — all without developer time.

What merchants who migrated to Loop report

Livingood Daily (migrated from Recharge) migrated approximately 130,000 subscribers to Loop in 22 days. After the team implemented retention initiatives on Loop — segmented exit surveys, a founder-recorded cancellation video, and milestone reward flows — the team reports that overall churn moved from approximately 10% to approximately 2.26%. Results reflect Livingood Daily's measured experience; outcomes vary by brand, vertical, product, and implementation.

OSEA Malibu (migrated from Recharge) reports that churn moved from ~10% to ~5% over the six months following migration, alongside upsell revenue contribution growing from 4.5% to 6.8%. Results reflect OSEA's measured experience; outcomes vary by brand, vertical, product, and implementation.

NutriPaw (migrated from Recharge) reports subscription revenue grew from 5% to 28.6% over 9 months, after migrating to Loop. Results reflect NutriPaw's measured experience; outcomes vary by brand, vertical, product, and implementation.

What recent Loop merchant reviews highlight

Recent merchant reviews on the Loop Shopify App Store listing highlight migration support, cancellation flow effectiveness, and the team behind the platform. Two recent examples:

"We were a bit worried about migration, we were moving from the incumbent to LOOP but they proved us wrong, it was very smooth and they took care of everything. Exceptional team support on migration, onboarding and customer success."

Circles, April 2026, Loop Shopify App Store

"Loop has been super easy to use and integrate into our subscription program. The platform is intuitive, and we were able to get everything set up without a steep learning curve... The team is responsive and helpful whenever we've had questions or needed guidance. It's clear they understand what merchants need and actually care about helping you succeed."

Club EarlyBird, January 2026, Loop Shopify App Store

These are individual merchant reviews on the public Shopify App Store. Loop maintains a 4.9 overall rating across 650+ reviews as of May 2026.

How migration works in practice

Migration friction is often the reason merchants stay on a platform longer than the math justifies. Loop's migration process uses a batch-based API with an automated quality-check workflow. Most full migrations on Loop complete within 2 weeks.

White-glove migration is included on every Loop paid plan at no additional cost. Loop's migration process is engineered to minimize downtime and data risk. Most migrations complete with no subscriber-facing disruption, and Loop's quality-check workflow catches data issues before cutover. Individual migration outcomes depend on store configuration and third-party platform constraints.

Which platform fits your business

The right platform depends less on which logo you pick and more on what your subscription program actually needs at each stage.

If you're launching subscriptions with a simple model and low subscriber count: Look for a platform with a meaningful free tier and minimal setup friction. Seal's Free Forever plan covers up to 50 subscriptions with 0% transaction fees. Loop's Free Forever plan also covers up to 50 active subscriptions. Shopify's native subscription app is another option to evaluate at this stage.

If you're past entry-tier and your subscription program has retention complexity: Look for cancellation flows that adapt to why someone is leaving — generic single-page popups underperform reason-based branching at scale. Look for payment recovery that includes silent retries, backup card auto-retry, and one-tap card updates. And look at total cost at your volume — base fee, percentage rate, and per-order fee all behave differently as you scale.

A Loop merchant on retention complexity:

"If you're a subscription brand, Loop is worth it. The portal is clean, skip/pause/cancel flows are intuitive, and their team goes above and beyond. Other subscription tools don't come close in support or retention guidance." — The Greatest of all Tapes, January 2026, Loop Shopify App Store

If you're running a complex retention program at $1M+ in subscription revenue: This is where the math compounds. At $3M annual subscription revenue, a 0.5% fee difference is $15,000/year. A $0.19 per-order fee on 10,000 monthly orders adds approximately $1,900/month before the percentage applies. Run the math at your actual volume — and check whether retention tools are included natively at the tier you're on, or gated behind higher plans.

If you're considering a migration: Most subscription apps publicly handle migrations between platforms. The differences worth comparing are migration team experience, whether migration is included in the plan price, and what the test environment looks like before cutover.

A Loop merchant on migration:

"Very excited to be on a more nimble subscription platform. Migration was well handled from our previous vendor and already our customers and our staff are thrilled with the changeover." — Harney & Sons Fine Teas, February 2026, Loop Shopify App Store

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How much does Seal Subscriptions cost?

Per Seal's Shopify App Store listing (verified May 2026), Seal offers a Free Forever plan with 0% transaction fees and up to 50 active subscriptions. Paid tiers are SuperSale ($5.95/month, 100 subscriptions), Rising Star ($9.95/month, 250 subscriptions), and Legend ($24.95/month, 500 subscriptions) — each with 30-day free trial. Bigger plans up to 150,000+ subscriptions are available on request.

Q2. How much does Recharge cost?

Per Recharge's Shopify App Store listing (verified May 2026), Recharge lists four tiers: $25/month for the first 50 subscribers (no transaction fees, 60-day free trial, net-new merchants only), $99/month + 1.49% + 19¢ per transaction (Starter), and $499/month + 1.34% + 19¢ per transaction (Plus). The Plus and Custom plans run on 12-month terms per Recharge's published pricing FAQ.

Q3. How much does Loop cost?

Per Loop's published pricing page (verified May 2026), Loop offers a Free Forever plan (up to 50 active subscriptions), a Starter plan at $99/month + 1.0% per transaction (no per-order flat fee), and a Pro plan at $399/month + 0.75% per transaction (no per-order flat fee). Custom Enterprise pricing is also available.

Q4. Does Loop charge per-order fees?

No. Loop's published plans do not include a per-order fee — Starter is $99/month + 1.0%, Pro is $399/month + 0.75%, and there's a free plan.

Q5. Can I migrate from Seal or Recharge to Loop?

Yes. Loop has run 1,100+ migrations to date — including 400+ brands that migrated from Recharge — from platforms including Recharge, Skio, Bold, Smartrr, Seal, and others. The typical migration timeline is 2 weeks. White-glove migration is included on every Loop paid plan at no additional cost.

Q6. Is Loop a good alternative to Recharge or Seal for Shopify subscriptions?

Loop is a Shopify-native subscription management platform built for DTC brands. As of May 2026, Loop holds a 4.9-star rating across 650+ reviews on the Shopify App Store and is trusted by 2,400+ Shopify subscription brands. Brands on Loop include OSEA Malibu, Mary Ruth's, Mammaly, Live Bearded, Livingood Daily, and NutriPaw. See the full list of Loop customer stories.

Disclaimer

Source Attribution: Competitor pricing, ratings, and review counts are based on publicly available information from each platform's official website and Shopify App Store listing, linked inline and verified May 2026.

Pricing Accuracy: Pricing reflects publicly listed rates at the time of writing. Actual costs may vary based on negotiated contracts, promotional pricing, or plan changes. Merchants should verify current pricing directly with each platform at the linked source pages.

Performance Claims: Case study results cited reflect individual merchant-reported outcomes as published on the respective Loop Subscriptions case study pages and are not guarantees of typical results. Performance varies based on brand, product category, subscriber base, and implementation.

Merchant Reviews: All merchant reviews cited are publicly available on the Shopify App Store as of the dates indicated. Reviews reflect individual merchant experiences, not Loop's characterization of any platform. Merchants quoted have not been compensated for their reviews.

Trademark notice: Recharge®, Seal Subscriptions™, Skio™, Stay AI™, Smartrr™, Ordergroove™, and Bold™ are trademarks of their respective owners. References to these platforms are for nominative comparative purposes only and do not imply affiliation, endorsement, or sponsorship. External links to competitor websites are provided for source-verification purposes and carry rel="nofollow".

Editorial Independence: This content is published by Loop Subscriptions, a competitor of the platforms discussed. While competitor information is sourced from public documentation as of the verification date above, readers should conduct their own evaluation before making platform decisions.

Corrections: If you are a representative of a platform listed and believe any information is factually inaccurate, please contact us at contact@loopwork.co and we will review and correct promptly.

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