A Comprehensive Guide for Subscription Billing Platforms (+ 5 Options)

Most subscription billing platforms let you:

• Pay invoices electronically and make payments.
• Customize and manage the subscription model or trial models. Manage and customize one or more subscriptions.
• Set up a self-service system for clients to control their account (including the information about their seating and payment details as well as several other).
• Manage and offer one-time add-ons Coupons, discounts and many more.
• Gather metrics and view annual reports on recurring revenue.

A vast majority of companies which handle subscription billing require a solution for different aspects of the subscription billing management including:

• Payment processing.
• Prevention of fraud and chargebacks.
• Collecting and remitting tax on consumption.
• Legal conformity.
• Plus.

Many subscription billing systems don't have these essential aspects to manage subscriptions.

In addition, you'll need to consider whether the platform you choose to use supports businesses like that of yours. Certain, for example, payment platforms solely offer support for SaaS companies, while some options offer assistance to businesses that sell physical products and services (e.g. subscriptions to gymsor monthly food club memberships, as well as remote-based accounting).

     This article will review the five most popular payment platforms for subscriptions by describing what aspects of their billing processes they can handle, what options will need to be integrated, as well as the types of organizations they cater to.    

Our system lets global SaaS firms to handle all aspects of both of the above lists. This article will begin by taking a deep dive into . The remaining choices on the list are geared towards companies selling physical items as well as services.

 Table of Contents

•       Recurly
•       Chargebee
•       Chargify
•       Zuora

Complete Subscription Billing Platform for Global Software Companies

is a comprehensive payment solution designed for SaaS companies and other businesses that sell digital or downloadable goods. With the help of B2B or B2C software, companies are able to manage:

• Trials, multiple subscription options, one-time add-ons, discounts and many more.
• Automated invoices , customer notification and invoices.
• Processing payments (for various payment options across the world).
• Fully managed, self-serve portal for clients.
• Reporting and analytics.
• and many more.

In addition, takes on the risk of transaction as well as taking care of chargebacks, the prevention of fraud, collecting and paying consumption tax as well as conformity.

As you grow, there won't be an unexpected cost as the complete package of features is available for one flat-rate price based on the volume of transactions you're involved in -You'll be paid after your transactions are complete.

HTML0 In the sections below We provide a detailed analysis of the ways you can:

•       Make Custom Subscription Models and Trials using no Coding
•       let customers manage their account details from a simple website
•       Enhance the Checkout Process to increase conversions
•       Protect Your Company from legal liability for Transactions
•       Let's Gather and Pay VAT and Sales Tax to You
•       Automate Payment Failure Handling and Cut Back Churn
•       Automatically Gather Key Metrics and provide the full Reports

Create custom subscription models, Trials and Subscriptions using no code

The majority of companies require an array of recurring billing options and trial models to meet the requirements of a variety of markets and products. Furthermore, the models that you use initially might not be the most effective in the long run as your company evolves.

Some billing platforms permit the development of custom subscription plans however, it is necessary for your team of developers to create these custom plans in a manual manner (with minimal or no assistance from the billing service provider).

 provides a variety of built-in options so that everyone can build customized subscription plans, without technical expertise.

Below are a few examples the types of subscriptions and trials that you can set up:

• Paid, free, or trial on a use basis.
• Automatic billing when the trial period has expired (or allow customers to manually begin the subscription).
• You can set the frequency of your bill or date (or let your clients decide).
• Usage-based billing.
• Coupons, discounts or prorated sums, as well as single-time additions.
• Automatically store payment information (or let customers make the decision).
• Auto-renewing to a different subscription plan.
• Plus.

If you're looking for greater options, you can make use of the API as well as Webhooks Library to design your custom subscription model. developers are always available to provide you with your ideal solution and address any questions you may have to inquire about.

Allow customers to control their account information through a a user-friendly portal

It is a self-service portal where users can access:

• Active and inactive subscriptions (or trials subscriptions).
• The order's history (and the identification number).
• Keys to licenses , as well as the download histories.
• Payment details.
• Contact details.
• and much more.

With this site, you can control upgrades, downgrades on their bank or credit card information as well as other information without having to call support.

manages the entire portal so that your team isn't burdened by. However, you'll be in complete control of the layout and design of the website. This lets you create an unifying experience for customers and reduce the stress on your development team.

Improve Your Checkout Process in order to increase the number of conversions

In the case of most services for subscription billing there is a distinct solution for checkout and payment processing (which may require an additional cost and software that can handle).

 allows you to control your subscriptions, checkout, as well as processing payments, all in the same solution.

Over the course of nearly two decades, we have been working with software firms for nearly two decades, we have gained valuable insights into the best techniques to maximize checkout to increase conversions. As an example, shoppers prefer to finish an order when they:

• You agree to their preferred method of payment.
• The transaction is accepted on the very first attempt.
• Checkout takes place in the local currency and language.
• The style and design of the checkout interface is consistent with the overall style of the website.

Each of these zones are built into the platform

• preferred method of payment: allows you to accept the most commonly used method of payment across the globe.
• high acceptance rate for payment: Each credit card company and the bank that issued it has distinct acceptability levels for fraudulent transactions and chargebacks. Be sure to comply with regulations so that you can keep a reasonable rate of authorisation. Additionally, payments are more likely to be authorized if the payment gateway is an authorized legal entity located in the same location as the purchaser. It is partnered with various payment gateways throughout the world and makes sure that each payment is routed via the gateway with the best rate of approval for the area.
• Automated conversion of currency which converts the cost to the local currency of the buyer. You can choose to specify an exact price for each location or let convert the amount instantly.
• Translating the Checkout process into different languages will also aid you by translating checkout procedures into local languages. You can choose the correct language based on the location of the purchaser's residence or let the buyer to choose which one they prefer.
• Fully customized checkouts: With , you can choose from three checkout options which include an embedded checkout option, pop-up checkout or an individual storefront, that is managed by our team. Each option lets you have full control of the appearance and layout of the checkout page or the. A lot of checkout platforms provide only few options to customize (e.g. it is possible to add your logo or pick among a variety of colors) However, checkouts can be made to match the size of the pixels.

Secure your Company from legal Liability of Transactions

The seasoned SaaS companies know it is crucial to establish the conditions and terms of the subscription. Customers must be able to agree to these conditions prior to making payments. It can be a difficult task to decide what to include in that contract. It becomes even more challenging when you are transacting internationally because the specifics of the document that it must include will differ with every country, state, or territory as well as the province. If you fail to include all the necessary aspects that the contract should contain it could lead to hefty fines or even be prohibited from doing business within the area of jurisdiction.

Furthermore, many states also have additional laws and regulations regarding automated payments that aren't required under the agreement. As an example, India limits automatic payments that are up to 15,000 rupees (approximately $180 as at the time of this article's writing). If the amount of a payment you make regularly goes beyond that amount, then the recipient must accept the transaction in person every time. To avoid penalties Additionally, you must make an eMandate application to the Reserve Bank of India that describes how you will adhere to the rules.

Being up-to-date with regulations like these for any country is a major problem for every business.

To our customers who do not have any concerns about this, there's no issue since we ensure conformity with local law and regulations. The legal department of our company is kept up to date with every aspect of transaction law and is able to ensure that the required procedures and documents are put in place to process the payment automatically.

It's completely in line with EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as well as fully in compliance to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in addition to other regulations and laws.

Let Gather and Remit GST and Sales Tax to You

SaaS companies didn't always need to pay tax on consumption However the tax laws for companies that sell software are in the process of changing and being more strongly enforced.

The majority of payment options will assist you in you collect tax on consumption, but you're still responsible for making sure you're paying the right amount and for remitting taxes upon the end of every tax season. If you fail to ensure that you've collected and paid the proper amount (and the correct amount) of consumption tax on the correct dates then you could face massive penalties or lose the privilege of conducting the business in that specific location.

automatically assigns the appropriate amount (and the type) of consumption tax to the cost of the service to the consumer and pays those taxes for you.

We can assist with tax-exempt transactions, as well as others special situations. We can also be the lead in any audits.

Automate Payment Failure Handling and cut down on Churn

Between the transaction that was initiated as well as each subsequent bill, many things can go wrong which stop the payment from processing properly and cause customers to revert. In collaboration with hundreds of companies and organizations, we've designed automated procedures to deal with common issues that lead to churn. We also return most of the transactions that did not work.

There are a few HTML0 instruments that can reduce churn and ineffective payment

• Reminders for proactive payment:In our experience, letting customers know about upcoming date for payment and advising the customer of payments which have been canceled is one of the best ways to lower involuntary churn and also the inability of payment attempts. With this program , you can schedule automatic reminders for upcoming payments.
• Reminders available in a variety of formats: When a transaction fails, users often need multiple reminders to be in a position to resolve the issue (e.g. adding funds into their accounts, change the payment method or method of payment, etc.). It is possible to issue follow-up reminders in intervals of 2 or 3 days, or seven or seven fourteen or 21 days following the initial failed payment ( it will try to complete the transaction prior to sending every reminder).
• The service will continue to run: Another effective way to reduce churn in an involuntary manner is to keep the service operating while you try to get the money. This will give your customers an enjoyable experience as the client has an opportunity to address their issue without having to endure the disadvantages of a paused service. The more satisfied customers are, the more likely customers will remain.
• Easy reactivation: Once all reminders have been made it is possible to stop instead of cancelling the subscription of your client. This makes it easier for customers renewal of their accounts with no needing to sign-up yet (onboarding is usually a huge barrier to restarting services).

It also automatically retries each transaction using a different processor (without anybody on the team having to touch the finger) to fix any issues which result from issues in the network.

Automatically gather Key Metrics and review detailed report

Analytics and Reporting lets you address issues such as

• What is the contribution of each product to my profit margin?
• What are the products that have proven to be the most successful and which are a drain on resources?
• What promotions, coupons or sales draw the largest number of clients?
• Which subscription models are the most efficient?
• Which markets have proven to be the most profitable and have the greatest potential?

It has two dashboards: the Revenue overview dashboard, along with the dashboard that shows subscription information.

The revenue overview dashboard offers a complete picture of your business' performance, including:

• Your clients' location.
• What payment methods and which currencies are customers most comfortable with.
• Net sales per product.
• The number of transactions per nation.
• and more.

The Dashboard to show the overall view of subscriptions lets you track the monthly recurring revenues (MRR) and dig deeper into what's impacting your MRR in the course of time. The dashboard offers statistics about:

• Upsells, cross-sells as well as additional items.
• Value for the long-term of each customer.
• The total customer turnover.
• In the billing cycle, churn takes place typically.
• The value over the life of a client.
• Plus.

It is possible to alter the report you'd like to save and share the report with key stakeholders via the dashboard or in the form of PNG, CSV or XLSX spreadsheet export.

Four More Subscription Management Platforms

Recurly

Recurly is a recurring-billing and management system for subscriptions designed for companies selling:

• B2C and B2B software.
• Mobile app.
• Media, Entertainment and Media.
• Retail and consumer goods.
• Professional Services.
• eLearning.

Recurly supports easy integrations using various payment gateways. but you're accountable to manage the setting and configuration of each one. The majority of businesses that utilize Recruly can also include programs to:

• Taxes (e.g., Avalara).
• Accounting (e.g., for example, QuickBooks).
• Protection against fraud (e.g. Sift- customers are automatically protected by Sift).

In addition, you'll have to pay for transaction and tax costs, so it's likely that you'll need a separate department who is in charge of compliance. (With everything else, everything is all covered within one bundle and managed by our specialists.)

Chargebee

Chargebee is a billing for subscriptions and revenue management system that is designed to:

• B2B SaaS.
• eCommerce.
• eLearning.
• Publishing.
• YouTube and OTT.

As with Recurly, Chargebee is primarily an application for billing subscriptions which means you'll require additional options for taxation, fraud protection as well as payment processing and much more. Chargebee has a wide range of built-in integrations (e.g., Stripe, PayPal, SalesForce, and QuickBooks) However, they aren't included in every Chargebee plan.

Chargify

Chargify has subscription billing options that are suited for B2B SaaS enterprises.

There's a good chance that you'll require additional options for tax, fraud prevention and payment processing and more. But, Chargify does offer simple accounting software to recognize revenue (for various types of business).

Chargify will join forces with SaaSOptics to form a new companycalled Maxio. With the merger, businesses who use the service can control their financials which include automated expense and revenue recognition as well as automated reports.

Zuora

Zuora is an all-in-one solution for monetizing your business with subscription management software built in. The majority of their customers are that are in these sectors:

• Manufacturing as well as IoT.
• Software.
• High-tech.
• Media and Entertainment Media and Entertainment.

Zuora is a subscription-based service that typically works (e.g. the freemium that is based on usage and upgrades to a paid plan) But, it also includes options for more efficient processes such as billing, dunning and handling (although they do have organizations who can integrate with other payment processors).

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