Recurly Reviews: Features, Pros, and Cons [Explained]

One user on G2 called Recurly “a solid subscription platform with great automation and room for analytics improvement.” That sums up what many Recurly reviews seem to agree on. 

The platform makes billing easier and helps automate key tasks, which many users appreciate. But it also leaves some wishing for better reporting tools and more flexibility. 

So if you’re thinking about using Recurly, it’s worth looking beyond the marketing page. 

In this article, we’ll take a close look at what Recurly is really like, how it could help your business, and the best alternative if it’s not the right fit.

What is Recurly?

Recurly is a subscription billing management platform designed specifically for businesses that manage recurring payments. 

It helps you automate billing tasks, process payments smoothly, and handle common subscription issues like declined credit cards and expired payment details.

However, Recurly’s high entry cost after the trial and limited built-in project or client management features can be a blocker for service-focused teams. 

That’s why agencies seeking both subscription management and end-to-end client operations may find Agency Handy a more practical, all-in-one solution.

Recurly Review: The Key Features

Let’s walk through the tools and features that make Recurly a solid choice if you’re running a subscription-based business:

Plans, Pricing & Promotions

You can easily create subscription plans, offer discounts, or launch free trials without needing tech help. Want to test different pricing models? Just tweak and go. 

This flexibility helps you find what works best for your audience and adjust when needed.

Subscriber Management

Recurly lets you automate emails and reminders so you don’t have to chase subscribers. From onboarding to renewals, everything stays on track. It keeps your subscribers informed and engaged without extra effort from your side.

Recurring Billing

Billing happens on autopilot. You can send invoices, handle taxes, and make adjustments without hassle. Whether it’s a simple monthly charge or something more complex, you’re in control without doing it manually every time.

Payments Orchestration

If you accept payments worldwide, this feature will help. Recurly works with many payment gateways and currencies. It also retries failed payments automatically, so you recover more revenue without lifting a finger.

Churn Management

You don’t always lose subscribers because they cancel on purpose. Sometimes payments just fail. Recurly helps prevent that by updating expired cards, retrying payments, and sending smart reminders to fix issues early.

Revenue Recognition

Tracking your income across billing cycles and compliance rules can be tricky. Recurly makes it easier. It follows the accounting standards and keeps clear records, so you don’t have to worry about doing it all by hand.

Reporting & Analytics

You get clear dashboards showing revenue, churn, and subscriber activity. No digging through spreadsheets. Whether you’re looking for big-picture trends or daily performance, the numbers are right there when you need them.

Recurly Engage

This tool helps you stay in touch with your customers in a more personal way. You can send targeted messages or reminders based on what they do. It helps reduce cancellations and keeps people feeling connected to your brand.

Recurly Commerce

If you sell physical or digital products along with subscriptions, this ties it all together. You can handle orders, renewals, and payments in one place. This keeps your operations simple and your customers happy.

App Management

If you have a web or mobile app, you can manage subscriptions from one dashboard. You can check who has access, update settings, and see usage. Everything stays organized without needing extra systems.

Integrations & APIs

Recurly connects with tools you already use, like CRMs, tax software, and payment systems. You can also use their API to build custom workflows. This makes it easy to fit Recurly into your setup without starting from scratch.

Security & Compliance

You don’t have to stress about data security or privacy rules. Recurly follows all the major standards to keep customer info safe. That means you stay protected and compliant while focusing on your business.

Global Expansion Tools

When you’re ready to go international, Recurly is ready too. It supports over 140 currencies and helps with taxes and language settings. So whether you’re selling locally or globally, you don’t have to change your system.

How to Sign Up and Use Recurly

Getting started with Recurly is simple, even if it’s your first time managing subscriptions. Just follow these steps to set up your account, customize your billing, and start accepting payments with ease:

Step 1: Sign Up for a Free Account

Go to recurly.com and click the “Try It Free” button. This starts your free trial, no credit card required at this point. You’ll get access to Recurly’s full dashboard in sandbox mode, which lets you explore safely without affecting live data.

Step 2: Explore the Sandbox Environment

Once inside, Recurly provides a sandbox environment where you can test everything, from plan creation to checkout flow. Use this space to play around with features like billing, subscription logic, hosted pages, and custom fields. Just remember: not all features are fully enabled until you go live.

Step 3: Create Your Subscription Plans

Head to the Plans, Pricing & Promotions section in your admin panel. Create one or more plans by defining things like price, billing cycles, add-ons, trial periods, and coupon rules. These plans will be used later to generate subscriptions for your customers.

Step 4: Connect a Payment Gateway

To start collecting real payments, you’ll need to connect a payment gateway. Recurly supports popular gateways like PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.Net, and others. Go to Configuration > Payment Gateways and follow the steps to connect yours. This is also when you’ll need to add your merchant account.

Step 5: Set Up Your Checkout Flow

You have multiple options for checkout:

• Recurly.js: Use Recurly’s JavaScript library to customize the checkout while securely handling card data using transparent iFrame fields.
• Hosted Payment Pages: Quickly launch checkout pages hosted by Recurly.
• API Integration: For full flexibility, use Recurly’s APIs to build your own flow.

Choose the method that fits your technical setup and user experience goals.

Step 6: Create and Manage Subscriptions

Once your plans and payment setup are ready, you can start creating subscriptions. You can do this through:

• The Admin Console (manually)
• Your custom checkout page (using Recurly.js or Hosted Pages)
• The API (automated and programmatic control)

Step 7: Customize Billing and Invoicing

Set your billing preferences under Recurring Billing. Recurly lets you choose:

• Automatic vs manual collections
• Invoice templates
• Tax handling (domestic and international)
• PO numbers and terms for B2B sales

Step 8: Enable Account Management for Customers

Let your customers manage their own subscriptions using Hosted Account Management. You can enable login-based or guest-only access. Customers can view invoices, update billing details, and cancel or modify subscriptions on their own.

Step 9: Test Everything Before Going Live

Before switching to live mode:

• Create test customers and plans
• Run a sample subscription flow
• Simulate failed and successful payments
• Check email notifications and hosted links

Step 10: Go Live and Start Charging

When you’re ready, switch from sandbox to live mode. Connect the live version of your payment gateway, and enable the production API keys. From this point, you can start billing customers and managing real subscription revenue.

Bonus Tips

• Use API Keys: Found under the Developer tab in your admin dashboard. Needed for any integration or automation.
• Stay PCI Compliant: If handling sensitive card data, make sure you’re using iFrame fields or hosted pages to stay within PCI SAQ A compliance.
• Track Revenue & Churn: Use Recurly’s built-in dashboards under Reporting & Analytics to keep an eye on your KPIs.
• Recover Revenue: Enable churn management features like dunning campaigns, backup payment methods, and account updaters to save failed transactions.
• Scale with Add-ons: You can add new features to your plans using the add-on management tool. These can be bundled with subscriptions or sold separately.

Recurly Pricing

Recurly offers two main pricing options tailored to different business sizes and growth stages. Whether you’re a startup just testing the waters or a fast-growing enterprise, there’s a plan that fits: 

Starter Plan

Best for: Small businesses, startups, and new Recurly users

• Price: $0/month for the first 3 months (promo offer for new customers)
  Then, $249/month plus 0.9% fees on payment volume above $40,000/month
• Key Inclusions:
  • No platform fees or volume fees for up to $40K/month during promo
  • Subscription management (create, modify, pause, cancel)
  • Support for various pricing models: fixed, usage-based, tiered, etc.
  • Automated invoicing and recurring billing
  • Basic dunning and retry logic to recover failed payments
  • Coupons, trials, and gift subscriptions
  • Accepts credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay
  • Multi-currency support (140+ currencies)
  • 30+ language-ready email templates
  • Visual analytics for MRR, churn, and plan performance

Scaling & Enterprise Plan

Best for: Growing businesses, mid-market companies, and enterprises

• Price: 

Custom pricing (based on volume, features, and support level). No platform fees or hidden charges, transparent setup

• Everything in Starter, Plus:
  • Advanced subscription lifecycle tools (e.g., scheduled changes, expirations)
  • Hosted account portals with branded experiences
  • Support for multiple payment gateways with failover logic
  • Full access to fraud tools and ACH payment options
  • Deep analytics and custom report builder
  • Bulk import/export of subscription data
  • Enterprise-grade integrations (Salesforce, NetSuite, Avalara, etc.)
  • Support for multiple business entities and advanced workflows
  • Access to professional services and premium support
• Why Choose It:
  • You’re scaling fast and need billing flexibility
  • You want high control over customer data and pricing rules
  • You rely on integrations or need help customizing workflows

Add-Ons and Standalone Tools

• Recurly Engage: For churn prediction and customer retention journeys
• Recurly Commerce: Built for Shopify subscription businesses
• Recurly RevRec: Automates revenue recognition and compliance (ASC-606, IFRS)
• App Management: Sell across platforms (e.g., web + iOS) with entitlement tracking
• Professional Services: Get hands-on setup support, custom reports, and dedicated account managers

Drawbacks of Recurly

Recurly does a lot right, but it’s not without flaws. Some users have pointed out areas where the platform could do better. If you’re thinking about using Recurly, here are a few drawbacks to consider:

Analytics Features Feel Underdeveloped

One of the biggest frustrations with Recurly is its weak analytics. Peter M. on G2 said he had to export data to Excel to calculate things like churn by cohort or plan type, and even called the built-in reporting tools “useless for deeper analysis.” 

Another reviewer added that key metrics like LTV were broken, and their support ticket went unresolved. On TrustRadius, users echoed that the custom reports were hard to use without help from others. 

If you’re relying on in-app dashboards to make fast decisions, Recurly may fall short.

Support Isn’t Always Consistent

While some users praise Recurly’s support team, others find it hit-or-miss. Eylül B. on G2 said that when she asked the same question to different reps, she got different answers each time. 

That inconsistency can become a real problem when dealing with urgent billing issues. On TrustRadius, reviewers noted they appreciated the responsiveness, but not always the helpfulness. 

For a tool that manages your revenue, unclear guidance adds stress.

Customization Is Limited in Key Areas

Several users feel boxed in by Recurly’s limited customization. Ryan L. on G2 said editing invoices or setting custom renewal notifications was harder than it should be. 

On TrustRadius, Michelle Bechor noted she couldn’t change invoice items like pricing or descriptions after they were issued, only the billing address. 

Other users said dunning flows, subscription setups, and even small adjustments often needed developer help. If your business has unique billing needs, this can become a daily pain.

Dunning and Churn Reporting Feels Incomplete

Recurly helps send out dunning emails, but doesn’t offer visibility into how those emails perform. 

Reviewers across G2 and TrustRadius said they wanted data like open rates, click-throughs, and cohort churn tracking. Peter mentioned he had to use Excel to get basic insights like average subscription duration. 

Without those views, optimizing for revenue recovery becomes more guesswork than strategy.

Invoicing and Billing Flows Are Rigid

Users who manage complex subscriptions say Recurly doesn’t make it easy. On G2, Ryan flagged issues with editing invoices, combining them, or managing renewals on custom schedules. 

Michelle Bechor on TrustRadius noted that refunds generate new invoices instead of updating existing ones, causing confusion. Additionally, others pointed out that sending an invoice before a subscription starts limits flexibility.

User Experience of Recurly

Recurly is well-liked for being simple, flexible, and dependable. Here’s what users love most:

It’s Easy to Use, Even If You’re Not Technical

Recurly is often praised for its clean, user-friendly layout. According to Shubhalaxmi P., an Audience Development Analyst (G2), the dashboard is intuitive, and downloading detailed reports is simple. 

A user on Gartner Peer Insights said the tool helps customer support agents do their jobs faster and helps admins troubleshoot with ease. 

If you’re not tech-savvy, you’ll still be able to figure things out without relying on a developer for every step.

Automation That Saves Time

Users love how much Recurly handles automatically. Shubhalaxmi P. (G2) pointed out how automation and dunning emails have saved her team’s effort across the board. 

From retrying failed payments to sending reminders before renewals, Recurly takes care of the heavy lifting so you can focus on your customers and strategy.

Works Well With the Tools You Already Use

Integrations are a major plus. Recurly connects smoothly with popular tools like Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Avalara. Users praised this on G2, noting that it helps her team streamline their subscriber workflow. 

Pavel M., a product manager, added that webhook support keeps systems in sync. For growing teams with many tools, this kind of flexibility is a big help.

Helps You Avoid Costly Mistakes

Several users mentioned how Recurly guides you through actions step-by-step. A reviewer on Gartner Peer Insights noted that when you change a customer’s subscription, Recurly clearly explains the next step before you hit submit. 

That extra layer of clarity can help you avoid errors, especially when handling payments or customer plans.

Customer Support That Usually Shows Up Fast

Recurly’s support team generally gets good marks for speed and professionalism. Prince S. (G2) said the support team responds quickly to questions. 

Another reviewer from the IT services sector on Gartner appreciated how easy it is to find help when needed. While some users mentioned occasional inconsistency, most agree that help is never too far away.

Makes Customer Service Faster and More Accurate

For customer-facing teams, Recurly can be a huge time-saver. Tracee G., a coordinator at an enterprise company (G2), shared that she can process refunds and locate customer info in just a few clicks. 

This kind of quick access means fewer delays when you’re helping someone over the phone or in a live chat.

Scales With You as You Grow

Recurly is made to handle growth. A verified G2 reviewer in the software industry said the platform works smoothly whether you have 10 or 10,000 active customers. 

Another Gartner user shared that it helps match both web and mobile subscription behaviors, which can be hard to align. If you’re aiming to scale, this is the kind of reliability you’ll want.

Basic Reports That Get the Job Done

While some users wish for more advanced analytics, the core reports seem to satisfy most. A user in publishing (G2) mentioned the platform helped them make faster business decisions thanks to better visibility. 

And while Shubhalaxmi P. said she wanted more flexible reporting options, she still found the current tools effective for tracking key metrics like failed payments and revenue.

Recurly Reviews on Reddit: What Do Redditors Say About It?

Recurly is frequently discussed on Reddit threads covering billing tools, SaaS stacks, and payment processors. 

Some users have tried it as a Stripe alternative, while others weigh it against tools like Chargebee, Paddle, or FastSpring. 

Here’s a summary of what real Redditors are saying:

Useful for Complex Subscription Setups

Many Redditors agree that Recurly handles complex billing needs like trials, coupons, dunning emails, and multi-currency setups pretty well. 

It’s often recommended for businesses that need advanced features without building everything from scratch.

For example, one user shared that Recurly made it easier to avoid using separate tools for tax compliance, invoice logic, and retry workflows. They said it helped them “cut down support tickets related to billing.”

Pricing and Transparency Raise Concerns

Several users express frustration over how unclear Recurly’s pricing is. One thread mentioned that “the pricing page feels like a black box,” and some users are annoyed that they need to contact sales just to get a quote.

One user posted: “Just tell me the monthly fee. I don’t want to schedule a call just to find out what this will cost my SaaS.”

This lack of clarity makes it harder for small teams and startups to evaluate it alongside Stripe or Paddle.

Not Everyone Likes the User Experience

In a few threads, developers mentioned that Recurly’s React setup and documentation weren’t the easiest to work with. 

Especially for frontend frameworks like Next.js, they found dynamic rendering and API flows a bit tricky.

One developer said they chose Chargebee instead because it had “clearer documentation and easier frontend integration.”

Considered Too Pricey for Smaller Startups

Some Redditors who initially used Recurly ended up switching to Stripe or other DIY solutions because of cost. 

They felt Recurly’s feature set was great, but better suited to mid-market or high-revenue SaaS businesses.

As one founder put it: “Unless you need all those extra features, you can build what you need on Stripe and save a lot of money.”

Reliable, But May Lock You In

A few experienced SaaS builders warned that Recurly, like Chargebee can lock you into a system. One commenter wrote: “Stripe wants you to stay because it’s hard to migrate out. Recurly is no different. Be sure you’re ready before committing.”

Our Review: What Do We Think About Recurly?

Recurly is a strong option if you need a subscription billing tool that goes beyond the basics. It handles recurring payments, trials, coupon codes, and billing automation quite well. 

You can test new pricing, manage upgrades or downgrades, and let customers handle their own subscriptions through a clean client portal.

One thing we liked was its dunning management. The automatic retries and email reminders work quietly in the background to reduce churn. 

Its analytics dashboard also gives you a decent view of revenue, churn, and customer activity, enough to make informed decisions.

However, the setup process can feel complex, especially if you’re not deeply technical. The documentation helps, but it’s not always as detailed as you’d like. We also noticed that support isn’t consistent for all users.

Pricing is another issue. Recurly doesn’t list clear pricing tiers, and once you start scaling, the fees add up fast.

Overall, Recurly is built for teams that need flexibility and control over billing. But for smaller startups or those looking for simplicity, it may feel heavier than necessary.

The Best Alternative to Recurly: Agency Handy

Now that you’ve seen what Recurly offers and where it might fall short.Let’s introduce an all-in-one alternative. 

Agency Handy is a better fit for agencies that want more than just billing. It helps you manage clients, deliver services, and get paid, all from one place.

Here’s how it compares at a glance:

Agency Handy vs Recurly

Recurly is made for mid-market SaaS billing. You’ll need a developer to set things up, and you’ll pay extra if you want advanced features. 

Their Essentials plan starts at $249/month, plus 1.25% of revenue and 10¢ per transaction. That’s just for subscription billing. No CRM, no task board, no service catalog.

Agency Handy, on the other hand, starts at $19/month. No hidden fees. 

You get full invoicing, custom checkouts, file feedback, time tracking, client portal, and a built-in ticketing system designed specifically for creative, marketing, dev, and content agencies.

So, if you’re an agency tired of switching tools or bleeding budget on Recurly’s fees, Agency Handy is the best pick. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, Recurly is a strong solution for businesses focused solely on subscription billing and payment automation. 

It performs well in managing recurring revenue, but its capabilities stop short when it comes to client management, onboarding, and service delivery. 

So, if you’re looking for an all-in-one platform that combines subscription management with full-service operations, Agency Handy is worth considering.

FAQs

Can Recurly integrate with other tools?

Yes, Recurly integrates with various platforms like Stripe, PayPal, Salesforce, Zendesk, and more. This makes it easy to incorporate into your existing workflow without major disruptions.

Is Recurly suitable for small businesses?

Yes, Recurly offers flexible pricing plans that make it accessible for small businesses. Whether you’re a startup or a large company, it can scale to meet your needs.

Does Recurly offer customer support?

Yes, Recurly is known for its excellent customer support. The support team is responsive and knowledgeable, helping users quickly resolve any issues they encounter.

What is subscription management software, and why do you need it?

Subscription management software helps you handle recurring payments, invoices, and customer subscriptions in one place. It saves time and reduces mistakes. If you sell subscriptions, this keeps everything running smoothly.

How is cloud subscription management better than traditional billing tools?

Cloud subscription management lets you run your billing online without installing anything. You can update plans, track payments, and manage customers from anywhere. It’s faster, simpler, and built for modern teams.

Can you use website subscription software to manage online subscriptions?

Yes, you can. Website subscription software lets you set up plans, accept payments, and manage subscribers right on your site. It’s great if you offer memberships, digital content, or online services.