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Subbly vs Bold Subscriptions
Bold Subscriptions is a plugin that needs a parent platform like Shopify, so it's one piece of a store you put together yourself. Subbly is the whole store on one AI-native platform: your agent builds it around your brand, checkout and subscriptions included.
3 days free, then $1/wk for 4 weeksNo card needed
20,000+ merchantson Subbly over 11+ years
Startups and brands like these, launched or switched here.
and 1,000s moreThe short answer
Choose Subbly if…
you want everything in one place: the store, checkout, subscriptions and customer portal on one platform, designed around your brand.
Start for freeChoose Bold Subscriptions if…
you have a Shopify store you're happy with and want to add a subscribe option to some products without changing platforms.
You don’t need to be big to be great
Agency output at software prices. Your agent does the design and build work you would otherwise hire for, so a great store is where you start, not what you save up for.
Look like you have a designer
A store designed around your brand and vision, not a template.
Move like you have a developer
Any change, checkout included, is one message away.
Run like you have an ops team
Billing, portal and automations on one platform, with nothing to babysit.
In an expert’s hands, it’s a superpower
You don’t need an agency to build something great, but agencies and freelancers get even more from it. The agent does the build hours, so they take on more clients with the team they have, and the benefits grow with every store.
Subbly and Bold Subscriptions at a glance
How each platform is built, which changes slowly, rather than a feature list, which changes every quarter.
| Area | |  |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms to run | One | Two |
| Subscriptions | Built in, on every Subbly plan | An app: Launch $24.99/mo + 2%, Grow $49.99/mo + 1%, Scale $74.99/mo + 0.9%, on top of Shopify |
| Store design | Your agent designs it from a description | A Shopify theme |
| Changing the subscription flow | Describe it to your agent | Bold settings, APIs and dev tools, or a developer |
| Payment tokens if you leave | Yours; subscribers come with you | Ask Bold and Shopify in writing |
| Live help | Launch Club every weekday, 24/7 chat and email, 4.9/5 on Capterra | Bold support plus Shopify support |
Bold Subscriptions facts checked on 26 September 2026. Sources: Bold Subscriptions on the Shopify App Store, Bold Commerce. Prices are in US dollars and change; check them before you choose.
“It was easy to migrate to Subbly from a WordPress site, powered by Shopify and Bold, and it’s been great so far — our MRR is already up 13%. I’m also grateful to the team for helping me with the process — I had always heard that Subbly has the best help center and they were right. It is hands-down one of the best parts of Subbly.”
Jill LodatoFounder, Kids Baking Club4.8/5 from 220+ reviews, 4.9/5 for support. Read more on Capterra
Why brands move from Bold Subscriptions to Subbly
The differences that matter once your store is live.
Everything in one place
Bold is one piece of a store: it needs Shopify, a theme and usually more apps around it. On Subbly the store, checkout, subscriptions, portal and automations are one platform, with nothing to connect or keep in sync. "Add a prepaid three-month option" is one message, and it's live.
A custom design, not an edited template
Your agent designs the store, checkout and portal around your products and how you sell them, instead of bolting a subscription plugin onto a store built from a template. No two Subbly stores look alike.
Read the manifesto
One team for the whole store
When the subscriptions run on a plugin and the store on Shopify, a failed renewal starts with working out whether it's Bold, Shopify or another app, and whose support to ask. On Subbly one team looks after all of it, 24/7 and rated 4.9/5 on Capterra, and Launch Club is live every weekday to build with you.
Grow without adding apps
As a Shopify store grows, it tends to collect apps: bundles, upsells, reviews, loyalty, each with its own settings and updates. On Subbly your agent builds what you need into the store, so the store grows and the stack doesn't.
Your subscribers come with you
Your customers, data and payment tokens are yours. Migration in is free, and you can leave whenever you like.
Built into every Subbly store
What other platforms add with apps or extra tools, Subbly has in the platform. No apps to install or keep in sync.
Recurring billing
Weekly, monthly or custom schedules, prepaid plans and commitment terms.
Build-a-box and bundles
Customers choose what goes in each box, priced by tier, items and frequency.
Gifting
Gift subscriptions and gift messages, designed into your checkout.
Customer portal
Subscribers skip, swap, pause or update their details themselves.
See the customer portal- And so much more: see all 100+ features
Is Subbly right for you?
Answer six questions in 1-2 minutes and get an instant answer.
No email requiredBuilt for all of ecommerce
Subbly started with subscriptions, the hardest kind of commerce to get right. The same platform runs one-off stores, and stores that sell both.
- One-off productsSingle products and bundles, in a store designed around your brand.
- SubscriptionsRecurring billing, build-a-box, gifting and a customer portal, built in.
- Both, in one checkoutCustomers buy once or subscribe from the same product page.
Founders and operators love Subbly.
From Capterra reviews and the notes merchants send us.
“The AI website builder confused me at first, but one free demo changed everything and I dove in head first. There was a learning curve, and the help docs and chat support carried me through it.”
“I did not expect building my website to be this easy and I never would have dreamed that I could have this nice of a website without paying designers a lot of money.”
“The builder has taken my website to a place I thought wasn't achievable without employing someone to build it for me. Within a matter of hours I had something that was so much more functional.”
“Setting up recurring subscriptions, tiered protocol pricing, and custom add-ons usually takes hours of developer work, but the AI handled the structure effortlessly.”
Moving from Bold
We migrate your subscribers and products for free.
Cancel Bold, Shopify and the apps around them: it's one platform now.
Launch Club is live every weekday for the rebuild.
What we move for you
- Products
- Customers
- Subscribers
- Payment tokens
- 4.9/5
- support rating from 220+ merchants on Capterra
- 24/7
- support, by chat and email
- 9,000+
- subscription founders in the community
Frequently asked questions
Is Subbly a good Bold Subscriptions alternative?
Yes, if you want everything in one place: the store, checkout, subscriptions and customer portal on one platform, designed around your brand, with one agent changing all of it and one team looking after it. Bold is the better fit if you have a Shopify store you're happy with and only want to add a subscribe option to it.
How much does Bold Subscriptions cost?
Launch is $24.99 a month plus 2% per transaction, Grow $49.99 plus 1%, and Scale $74.99 plus 0.9%, each with a 30-day free trial, on top of your Shopify plan.
Does Bold Subscriptions work without Shopify?
Bold markets Subscriptions for Shopify stores, so you'd run it alongside a Shopify plan. Subbly is the whole store on one platform, with no Shopify needed.
What's the difference between Bold and Recharge?
Both are subscription apps for Shopify stores, each with its own plans on top of your Shopify plan. Bold lists prepaid plans, fixed-date scheduling and failed-payment recovery; Recharge adds bundles and loyalty on its Plus plan. Subbly takes a different approach: the store, checkout and subscriptions in one place, built and changed by your agent.
Is Subbly only for subscriptions?
No. Sell one-off products, subscriptions, or both, in one store and one checkout. Subscriptions are where Subbly started, so build-a-box, gifting, memberships and a customer portal are there when you want them.
Do I need to be technical to use Subbly?
No. If you can describe what you want to a designer, you can build it with your agent. Launch Club is live every weekday if you'd rather build it with a person.
How do I move from Bold to Subbly?
Our migration team moves your products, customers and subscribers for you, for free. Your agent designs the new store around your brand, using your current site as a reference if you like, and Launch Club is live every weekday while you settle in. Switch to Subbly
Will my subscribers have to re-enter their cards?
Not if their cards are stored in Stripe or PayPal, or your current platform can transfer them to your Stripe account: we import them and billing carries on. If your platform keeps the cards, our Subscription Switch emails each subscriber a secure link to add their card in one step, with no login or checkout, and has brought back up to 84% of subscribers within 11 days.
Can my agency or developer work on Subbly?
Yes. You don't need one to build a great store, but in an expert's hands Subbly is a superpower: the agent does the build hours, so they spend theirs on design, strategy and you. See the Agency Program
Ready to move from Bold?
Free migration, and your whole store in one place, changed by describing it.
3 days free, then $1/wk for 4 weeksNo card needed
