Payment as well as Subscription Management: A Detailed Comparison of 5 Options -

The majority of subscription and billing management tools allow:

• Develop a range of trial and subscription models (e.g. either a free or paid trials, use-based or fixed-price subscriptions).
• Control active subscriptions (e.g. upgrade or downgrades, as well as the addition or removal of products).
• Invoices or payment notification notifications can be sent.
• Offer your clients an online self-service portal through which they can manage their accounts.
• Reports on the major performance indicators that determine the revenue.

In reality, the majority of businesses realize that they require additional software to handle other aspects of the payment process, for example:

• Payment processing
• Collecting sales tax and VAT
• Checkout translations
• Conversion of currency
• Chargebacks
• And more...

If you need any of these features then you'll have to make sure that these features are available through the billing software you choose (or seamlessly integrate with other software solutions).

In this tutorial, we compare five alternatives by taking a look at the subscription management and billing options they have and the additional options they provide beginning with an in-depth look into our service that caters to SaaS companies, .

 Table of Contents

1.   Chargebee
2.   Recurly
3.   Chargify
4.   Zoho Subscriptions

1. : Subscription Management, Payment Processing, and Much More SaaS Companies

offers several options for subscription management (which we discuss below), however, it's more than just the platform to manage subscriptionsWe're also an Merchant of Record (MoR) for software companies.

 We, as MoR assume the responsibility for transactions on behalf of you. This means we

• Collect and remit the appropriate amount of sales tax, VAT and GST to us.
• Check that all the processes and documents have been put in place to ensure you are in compliance with transaction law for each location where you are selling.
• We take the lead on audits.

 Plus provides comprehensive solutions for the entire payment lifecycle including:

• Checkout with localization (i.e., currency conversions, language translations design customization as well as other features)
• International processing of payments (for dozens of preferred payment options)
• Fraud detection
• Chargebacks
• Analytics and reporting
• Plus many More...

In the sections below in the next sections, we will look at the various options and services in greater in depth.

Custom Subscription and Recurring Billing Models for B2C , B2B or B2C

It is easy to set up nearly any subscription with just a few clicks. It is possible to set up the majority of subscription types without any codes, but you may also create more complex subscription logic using our API and webhooks library.

This is a brief overview of the options available to you:

 Trials

A few subscription management programs require payment information when potential customers sign up for trials, even free trial periods. It can lead some potential customers to lose interest and not finish the signup procedure. lets you decide whether or not to collect data on payment for each trial.

It is also possible to:

• Trials of any length can be created.
• Create free, paid or trial-based, usage-based ones.
• Choose to automatically bill the user once the trial is over or wait for them to initiate a payment manually.
• Reactivate subscribers' old trial accounts.
• Select the time when you send reminders about the trial's end (e.g., three days before trial end).
• Automatically detect when one user attempts to sign-up to multiple trial accounts and allow just one trial account.

 Subscriptions

Each product inside a company could see better results from different subscription options. In particular, products with lower quality could be better off if sold with a subscription that is monthly while top-end products could benefit more if they are sold as an annual subscription.

Additionally, what was effective at one point in time might not be the most effective strategy in the future.

This is why we allow you to:

• Pick the duration of the subscription as well as the billing date (or let your customers choose).
• Make subscriptions auto-renewable or that require the renewal to be done manually (i.e. clients have to enter payment details each time they're charged) Or, you can require your team to initiate the charge via an API (this is a good option for usage-based billing).
• Discounts and coupons are offered.
• Let prorated billing be used if a customer wants to downgrade or upgrade or pause the service part-way throughout the billing cycle.
• Include one-time purchases on the original bill but don't include regular billings.
• Manage upsell and cross-sell products when you check out.
• Offer customers the choice whether or not to store payment information (or let them decide on behalf of every customer).
• Automate the renewal of certain subscriptions and other subscriptions (e.g. after the end of an item or service).

 Recurring Billing and Invoicing

allows you to control B2B orders along with B2C purchases using Digital Invoicing.

Digital Invoicing lets you:

• Manage and create custom quotes in real-time (including customized tags coupons, discounts and much more).
• Set expiration dates for quotes.
• Add notes for your customer or prospective customer.

Fully Branded Self-Service Features to Your Customers

is a self-service platform where your customers can:

• Subscription renewals
• Monitor billing period durations
• Make changes to payment details
• View payment history
• Plus there's and more ...

We handle all the backend maintenance on this website so your team doesn't have to.

As your MoR We handle your customer's billing inquiries, including reimbursement requests, billing questions and questions regarding their subscriptions, and more. The platform comes with a customer portal that allows your customers to handle their subscriptions.

Below is an example of a self-service website, but to provide a seamless customer experience, the entire website can be tailored to reflect your brand.

Also, you can enable buyers-generated quotes. This feature allows customers to create a quote based on the items in the cart, without having to contact your sales staff. This can be extremely useful to attract potential buyers who require approval prior to making purchases.

Local Transactions and Indirect Tax Compliance Made Easy

There are two main aspects of conformity to transactions with recurring nature:

1. Compliance with transactions (i.e. the technology you use for collecting payments).
2. Tax on sales, VAT and GST compliance (i.e. the method you use to collect and remit taxes that are indirect).

In order to avoid penalties and fines, you have to consider taxes and transactional laws applicable to all place you operate in. The following sections will help you understand: we will cover:

• Some examples of laws governing transactions that apply to subscription-based companies.
• If software firms are required to be able to collect VAT, sales tax, and GST.
• What is the best way to handle all this for you.

Transaction Compliance

Each state, nation as well as province have their individual laws and regulations on how companies can gather payment and store customer information. Many companies know about privacy laws like GDPR. However there are other transactions regulations that aren't popularly known.

For example, in some nations, like Canada and Korea the customers can be eligible by law for a prorated refund in the event that they end their subscription prior to the expiration of their payment term. This is just one example that illustrates an aspect of the entire subscription cyclethe laws and regulations are constantly changing.

In the case of most subscription management software will leave you on yourself to research rules and laws governing transactions, and follow the appropriate procedures. In addition, certain subscription platforms don't provide the required solutions to ensure compliance with the rules and laws (e.g. Certain platforms don't support prorated refunds).

The other side, manages all the above on your behalf. Our legal expert team is up-to-date on all relevant transaction laws and regulations , and assists you to adopt the appropriate procedures for ensuring compliance. Also, we support all subscription models for compliance.

Revenue Taxes, VAT and GST Compliance

Software companies didn't always have to collect sales tax, VAT, as well as GST. In several jurisdictions, it's in place. But, tax laws for digital goods and services are changing fast in many jurisdictions.

Many countries are mandating software companies to collect some form in indirect taxes. Additionally, certain countries require digital businesses to submit tax returns even though they have the right to tax exemption.

The final step is to pay sales taxes. This is usually more complex than filing a tax form and then wire the money. As the number of countries have imposed further requirements to stay compliant.

Examples:

• Countries like Colombia, Japan, Mexico, Serbia, and others require representation locally, meaning you have an employee with an actual presence in the nation to take care of your tax obligations. It can range between $5k and $15k each year.
• States like Serbia, United Kingdom, Taiwan and many others demand electronic invoicing from any company selling in their country. The EU is rolling out all-encompassing electronic invoice requirements before 2028.
• States like Taiwan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Vietnam, and others have you declare taxes on income as well as to indirect taxes.

takes care of the entire procedure for collecting and processing VAT, sales tax along with GST for you .

We ensure the correct amount (and the correct type) in indirect taxes is being paid at the time of the time of checkout (including transactions that are tax-exempt in the US and 0% reverse charge when permitted abroad).

After that, we will remit the tax for you, and will ensure that the proper steps are taken to ensure full tax compliance.

In the event that a foreign country or state asks you questions about tax compliance, our team can advise you on how you can respond, even as far as providing copy and paste replies.

Worldwide Payment Processing with Dozens of payment methods

A majority of the payment processors focus on a certain area, and all processors are limited in their list of payment methods that they support. As an example, certain payment processors aim to support transactions in the U.S. So, they'll only support the payment methods that are popular within the U.S. (e.g., Mastercard or Apple Pay) and they aren't going to support something like UnionPay as it is often employed in China.

Furthermore, many payment processors can only accept payment for certain currencies or countries. For example, they could be able to support Amazon Pay but they won't process payments from Turkey.

SaaS businesses that wish to accept payment from all over the world must be connected to and manage numerous payment processors. This could be an overwhelming job.

The  SaaS firms automatically have access to multiple payment processors that are specialized in international transactions. maintains relationships with numerous payment processors as well as dozens of card networks so that you don't have to. Simply turn off our localized payments option and start accepting international payments as soon as possible.

Also, it offers a range of options to assist in ensuring successful payment and reduce involuntary churn, for example:

• Payment gateways that are local: Transactions are more likely to be approved in the event that the payment gateway is located at the same place that the purchaser (e.g. for example, a purchase that originates from Germany passes through a gateway located in Germany). Automatically routes transactions through the payment gateway with the best authorization rates in that location.
• Rerouting payments from the gateway If a transaction fails at the first try, the system immediately retries to make the payment again by using a second gateway- all without you or anyone on the support team needing to get involved. It is often able to fix payment problems caused by connectivity or system issues.
• Proactive payment reminders. If a customer's card is about to expire, notify the customer beforethe expiration date to ensure they are able to update the payment information. Use our ready-to-use notice template, or design your own notification.
• Multiple follow-up notification. If a recurring payment fails You can set up multiple payment failure notifications to be sent out two 5, 7 fourteen and 21 days from the initial error. Before sending out each reminder, you will attempt to make the payment.

A Custom-Made Checkout that reflects Your Visual Corporate

Most payment solutions provide a checkout feature with several options for customization such as the addition of your logo, and selecting a color palette. These customization options are rarely enough to truly reflect your visual brand and create a seamless experience for your customers, and make your checkout more efficient for sales.

 provides custom branding tools and CSS-overrides to ensure that you can have a variety of customization options to control the look and feel of your shopping cart.

You'll also have access to Our store Builder Library -- a JavaScript library which allows users to personalize the customer journey leading up to checkout.For instance, you could build a cross-sell or an upsell funnel. This lets you optimize the buyer experience for higher sales.

checkout comes in three versions three ways: pop-up, embedded or as a storefront on the web. Your storefront on the web redirects customers to a different page hosted by .

With any of these options (including the online storefront) You'll have the ability modify the checkout experience by using tools for branding and CSS-based overrides that match your visual brand.

There are many other options that offers to help you maximize your shopping experience:

• localized checkout:Let customers choose their preferred language and currency or let them select the most appropriate language and currency based on the location of the customer. Supports 19+ languages as well as more than 23 currencies.
  
• Personalized developer support:Our team is always willing to support you to create the best checkout experience for your company. Certain companies provide only personalized support to their largest customers, and neglect small companies. We believe that every business deserves the same level of attention and attention.

Complete Reporting and Analytics

• The majority of my highest paying clients located?
• What are the products that generate the most revenue?
• Which discounts bring in income vs. taking revenue away?
• and there are many more...

The reports are broken down in two main dashboards: Revenue Overview and Subscription Overview.

If you are unable to locate the report you need You can modify the report you want and add it to your dashboard. Our support team is there to assist you in creating custom reports to find the information you require.

Our webhooks and API for data allow you to easily connect revenue and subscription data into any tools for business or CRM you are using. Each report is able to be downloaded as a CSV, PNG, or XLSX file.

All-in-One Pricing (No Hidden Fees)

Most payment service providers provide a fixed price for processing payments and some of the core features like embeddable checkout. However, you'll typically be charged extra for additional features, such as exchange rates or the detection of fraud. Very few payment platforms are a complete solution, so most companies need to add to their existing software. This makes it hard to expand globally when your company grows, as the price will grow as you add new features and applications.

is a comprehensive payment system designed for SaaS firms that comes with everything for a flat charge determined by the amount of transactions that you conduct . In addition, you'll only be charged when transactions take place.

Next, we cover four more payment platforms for subscription-based businesses.

2. Chargebee

Here are some points of Chargebee features:

• Usage-based billing, automated invoicing, proration and many more
• Automated procedures for receivables
• Compliant revenue recognition and subscription models
• Support for in-app purchases
• Self-service portal for customers
• Smart dunning

It is possible to use the Chargebee platform for free beginning with the first $100,000 in revenue earned. Following that, they provide different pricing plans for different ranges of monthly income.

3. Recurring

Recurly is a recurring bill platform designed for optimising your growth strategy. Recurly easily integrates with various merchant accounts and payment gateways, however, you still have to manage and cover these additional services on top of your Recurly subscription.

Here are a few more highlights of Recurly's features.

• Customizable subscription models
• Automated and recurring invoicing
• Revenue recovery tools
• Intelligent retention
• Analytics on customer subscriptions

Recurly provides three pricing options, however, you have contact their team for details.

4. Chargify

Chargify is a subscription-based billing program that's currently in the process of merging with SaaSOptics which is a software for managing revenue. The combination will enable you to automate the management of subscriptions accounting for revenue and expenses, and SaaS metrics tracking all from one revenue management system.

Here are a few highlights of the features Chargify has to offer:

• Billing based on usage and worldwide
• Billing management and revenue recognition tools
• Analytics and metrics for the billing system
• Built-in integrations with various different software (e.g., accounting software, such as QuickBooks or Xero)
• International payment gateways

Chargify offers a price plan for businesses that earn at least $75k per month in billings however, if your company are earning more or you want access to all features, you'll have to contact their team.

5. Zoho Subscriptions

Zoho Subscriptions is an element that is part of Zoho Subscriptions is one of the components that make up Zoho platform (a collection of applications that can be used for all aspects of your company, e.g., CRMs and ERPs). If you already use the Zoho platform, it could be a good option. But, those who are new to the platform generally find that it comes with an arduous to learn curve.

A few highlights of Zoho Subscriptions comprise:

• Multiple pricing models
• Customizable, tax-compliant invoices
• Conversions to multiple currencies
• 30-plus pre-built reports designed to track each stage of the lifecycle of a subscription
• Assistance for cash in-person and check transactions (in combination with credit card payments)
• In-the-box integrations that integrate with different billing services (e.g., Stripe, PayPal and so on.)
• The tools can be used to design customized workflow rules

Each component that is part of Zoho's Zoho system is purchased separately -- including Zoho Subscriptions, which makes it challenging and costly to build an entire payment platform.