# Recharge vs Skio in 2026: two subscription apps, one owner, two price models

Fees, trials, bundles, cancel flows and migration, side by side. Plus a worked cost table at four volumes, from each vendor's published rates.

By Rohin Aggarwal · 2026-10-12

Recharge bought Skio on 30 April 2026. Both apps still run, and both teams say so. For about a year they will work out how to combine them. So this comparison is two products from one company. They still price very differently, and the gap depends on your volume.

**Quick answer**

- **Same owner since 30 April 2026.** Recharge acquired Skio. Both products continue for now.
- **Recharge suits smaller stores.** Plans start at $25 a month. Starter is $99 plus 1.49% and 19¢ per transaction.
- **Skio suits larger ones.** One plan at $599 a month, plus 1% and 20¢ per subscription order.
- **Break-even near $106,000 a month,** in our worked example at $50 orders.
- We make Idukki. We make neither of these.

## One company now

Recharge announced on 30 April 2026 that it had acquired Skio. Skio's listing now reads "Skio, a Recharge Company". Skio's blog says both platforms will be kept. The teams plan to work out how to combine them over about 12 months. Recharge says nothing changes for merchants today. The press release gave no price.

For a store choosing today, that means a lower risk of either app vanishing soon. It also means the roadmap is open. Ask either vendor what happens to your plan after the combining work.

## Side by side

|  | Recharge | Skio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Owner | Recharge | Recharge, since 30 April 2026 |
| Entry plan | $25 a month, no fees for the first 50 subscribers | Scale: $599 a month, or $499 billed yearly |
| Main plan | Starter: $99 a month plus 1.49% + 19¢ | Scale: plus 1% + 20¢ per subscription order |
| Larger plan | Plus: $499 a month plus 1.34% + 19¢ | Custom, with volume pricing |
| Free trial | 60 days on Starter | None found |
| Bundles | Plus and Custom only | Build-a-box on Scale |
| Term | Monthly on $25 and Starter; 12 months on Plus | Monthly, or yearly at the lower rate |

_From Recharge's and Skio's pricing pages and Shopify listings, checked 12 October 2026._

## What each fee is charged on

Recharge charges its percentage on gross processing. That includes shipping, taxes and refunded orders. It covers one-time and recurring orders alike. So the real rate on your net revenue is higher than 1.49%. Recharge's help centre shows a lower Starter rate than its pricing page. We use the pricing page and listing, which agree.

Skio charges 1% plus 20¢ on orders involving a subscription. Its pages do not define that phrase further. Ask Skio whether a one-time add-on to a subscription order counts.

## A worked example at four volumes

This table is plain arithmetic on the published rates. It assumes $50 orders and the same fee base for both. Real bills will differ, mostly because Recharge's base includes tax and shipping.

| Monthly subscription revenue | Recharge Starter | Skio Scale |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $20,000 (400 orders) | $473 | $879 |
| $50,000 (1,000 orders) | $1,034 | $1,299 |
| $100,000 (2,000 orders) | $1,969 | $1,999 |
| $200,000 (4,000 orders) | $3,839 | $3,399 |

_Illustrative monthly cost: plan fee plus percentage plus per-order fee, at $50 per order. Recharge Starter vs Skio Scale billed monthly._

At these rates the two cross near $106,000 a month. Skio billed yearly lowers its fee to $499. That moves the crossing to about $85,000. Recharge Plus has the same $499 fee as yearly Skio. Plus charges 1.34% against Skio's 1%, but adds hands-on implementation.

## Features that differ

Recharge has a built-in customer portal and cancellation prevention flows. A flow can offer a discount, a delay, a swap, a skip or a free gift. Once a flow is live you cannot edit it, only duplicate it. Bundles and the Bundles API need the Plus or Custom plan.

Skio lists a no-code customer portal and multi-step cancel flows on its one plan. It also lists build-a-box bundles, payment recovery and SkioSMS for one- and two-way texts. Skio's page title says all features are included.

## Moving between them

Skio's help docs describe migration as a copy. Cancelled subscriptions are not moved. Skio does not store card details. It maps the tokens your payment processor already holds. It cannot move tokens from one processor to another. Stores on Shopify Payments skip the token wizard.

**Which one fits**
Q: How much subscription revenue do you take a month?
- Under about $85,000: **Recharge** — Starter costs less at this volume in our example.
  - Need bundles: Price Recharge Plus against Skio
- Over about $106,000: **Skio** — The lower percentage outweighs the higher fee.
  - Want hands-on setup help: Compare Recharge Plus
- Just starting: **Recharge $25 plan** — No fees for the first 50 subscribers.
  - Growing fast: Recheck the table each quarter

## Where Idukki fits (ours)

We make Idukki. It shows customer photos and video on the store, tagged to the cart. It sits beside either subscription app. For the full set of jobs, read [the best Shopify apps to increase conversion](/blog/best-shopify-apps-to-increase-conversion-2026).

**The takeaway:** Put your own monthly revenue and order size into the table. Add tax and shipping to Recharge's base. Then ask both teams what the next 12 months mean for your plan.

### Questions store owners ask

**Q: Did Recharge buy Skio?**

A: Yes. Recharge announced the acquisition on 30 April 2026. Both products continue for now.

**Q: Is Skio cheaper than Recharge?**

A: At high volume, often. In our worked example at $50 orders, Skio costs less above about $106,000 a month.

**Q: Does Recharge have a free trial?**

A: Yes, 60 days on the Starter plan. We found no free trial for Skio.

**Q: Can I move from Recharge to Skio?**

A: Yes. Skio copies active subscriptions and maps your payment tokens, if you keep the same processor.

### Sources
- [PR Newswire: Recharge welcomes Skio](https://www.morningstar.com/news/pr-newswire/20260430la48318/recharge-welcomes-skio-to-build-the-future-of-subscription-commerce) — 30 April 2026.
- [Recharge blog: Recharge welcomes Skio](https://getrecharge.com/blog/recharge-welcomes-skio-to-build-the-future-of-subscription-commerce/) — Acquisition.
- [Skio blog: Skio is now part of Recharge](https://skio.com/blog/skio-is-now-part-of-recharge) — Both platforms kept.
- [Recharge pricing](https://getrecharge.com/pricing/) — Plans and fees.
- [Recharge on the Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/subscription-payments) — Plans and trial.
- [Recharge: billing and pricing](https://support.getrecharge.com/hc/en-us/articles/360008682914-Recharge-billing-and-pricing) — Fee base.
- [Recharge: cancellation prevention flows](https://support.getrecharge.com/hc/en-us/articles/14627290928919-Getting-started-with-Cancellation-Prevention-flows) — Offers.
- [Skio pricing](https://skio.com/pricing) — Scale and Custom.
- [Skio on the Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/skio) — Plan and features.
- [Skio: data migration](https://help.skio.com/docs/data-migration-an-overview) — How migration works.

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Canonical: https://idukki.io/blog/recharge-vs-skio-2026
Tags: subscriptions, recharge, skio, comparison, shopify-apps, retention