The 15 Best Recurring Payment Systems (2024)

Are you tired of manually managing client payments every month? Research shows that 65% of businesses spent 14 hours per week on admin tasks relating to collecting payments.¹ Luckily, there are fantastic options available for streamlining your payment process.

Discover our top 15 recurring payment systems, including Wise Business, where you can receive payments in up to 9+ currencies after a one-time fee. Say goodbye to payment hassles and hello to consistent cash flow!

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Table of Contents
Recurring payment solutions: important factors The 15 best recurring payment systems 1. FreshBooks 2. ChargeOver 3. Zuora 4. Pabbly 5. Maxio 6. Braintree 7. PayPal 8. Recurly 9. QuickBooks Online 10. Helcim 11. Xero 12. Zoho Subscriptions 13. Chargebee 14. Wave Accounting 15. Square Wise Business for receiving international payments

Recurring payment solutions: important factors

If you’re looking for a service to accept recurring payments, there are a few key factors that will help you pick one that caters to your specific needs.

Pricing structures and associated fees: Compare the pricing plans offered by different subscription payment services to make sure you choose the most cost-effective option for your budget. Watch out for hidden fees and choose a payment solution with transparent pricing that can grow with your business.

Integrates with your systems: Make sure your preferred solution integrates seamlessly with your existing systems, like accounting software and CRM platforms. This integration will save time, streamline your payment process, and help avoid any issues down the line.

Ratings on industry websites: Reviews on websites like Capterra, G2, and Trustpilot can help you gauge how effective and reliable a payment platform is. Reading testimonials from real users can also provide valuable insights into how the platform works and whether it could be the right fit.

Flexibility and scalability: Consider the recurring payment platform's ability to adapt to your business's evolving needs and future growth. Look for solutions that offer flexible billing options and can handle changes in your customer base and transaction volume without causing disruptions in your payment process.

The 15 best recurring payment systems

Ready to simplify your billing process and make your day-to-day operations a breeze? To help you get started, we've curated a list of the best subscription payment service options out there. These platforms are designed to take care of your bills seamlessly and routinely, so you can focus on growing your business.

1. FreshBooks

FreshBooks is a popular all-in-one accounting and invoicing platform known for its user-friendly interface and well-rounded features. With this comprehensive solution, you can track invoices, expenses, and time month-to-month – all while facilitating smooth recurring payments. It’s also a cost-effective solution at just $55 for unlimited clients.

Features

• Customizable professional invoices
• Automated late payment reminders and fees
• Painless expense tracking
• Flexibility with partial payments and payment schedules
• Integrations with popular payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, etc.), with ability to accept international currencies

Pricing

FreshBooks offers three main pricing plans:³

• Lite: $17/month for 5 clients
• Plus: $30/month for 50 clients
• Premium: $55/month for unlimited clients

For businesses needing more extensive features or a higher client volume, FreshBooks also offers a custom-priced "Select" plan. Keep in mind that all plans allow for unlimited invoices and estimates but boast more robust features the higher the tier.

2. ChargeOver

Handling millions of recurring monthly payments, ChargeOver is a powerful and flexible recurring billing platform. Its laser focus on recurring billing makes it more specialized than other platforms and ensures your business receives great support for repeat payments.

Features

• Highly customizable invoicing and billing automation
• Advanced dunning (debt recovery) management
• Automated subscriptions
• In-depth reports on lifetime value, churn, etc.
• 60+ integrations and partnerships with platforms like Slack and Salesforce

Pricing

ChargeOver has two pricing tiers:⁴

• Starter: From $115/month for up to 100 customers
• Growth: $229/month for up to 200 customers

There’s also a custom Enterprise plan available for businesses who need more specific and powerful features like 2-way Salesforce integration, custom training videos, and multi-brand EIN support.

3. Zuora

Zuora markets itself as a dynamic monetization platform for a variety of business models.⁵ It’s built to empower businesses with subscription-based models, consumption models, or hybrid approaches. Zuora’s Subscription Economy billing solutions use a billing engine, advanced analytics, and flexible pricing strategies to improve the customer experience.

Features

• Comprehensive subscription management functionality
• Flexible product catalog creation and management
• Sophisticated revenue recognition and analytics
• Seamless subscription changes (upgrades, downgrades, etc.)
• Native integrations with popular accounting and CRM systems

Pricing

Zuora offers customized plans according to your business size and requirements. To access their pricing, request a personalized quote from their sales team.

4. Pabbly

If you’re looking for important business applications like email marketing, billing, and automation, Pabbly has it all. Their cloud-based recurring billing platform provides a detailed dashboard and supports 35+ payment gateways for easy transactions. They additionally offer unlimited scalability and avoid additional fees for revenue collection.

Features

• Refund as credit option
• Multilingual and multi-currency support
• Customizable checkout pages
• Paid trial memberships
• Built-in affiliate module with multiple tiers

Pricing

Pabbly offers four pricing plans:⁶

• Basic: $49/month for $10,000/month revenue
• Standard: $99/month for $20,000/month revenue
• Pro: $199/month for $100,000/month revenue
• Ultimate: $399/month for unlimited revenue

All plans include access to all advanced features and allow unlimited customers and affiliates.

5. Maxio

Introducing Maxio, the customizable and adaptable subscription payment service made for B2B SaaS businesses of all sizes and types - product-led companies, sales-led companies, and more. Their recurring billing solution evolves alongside your business, and its approach empowers users to create an effortless payment experience tailored to the demands of their industry.

Features

• Public sign-up pages and self-service billing
• Support for many pricing configurations like stair-step, variable, and more
• Availability of subscription payment gateways like Braintree, Stripe, Moneris, and more
• Detailed revenue analytics and reports
• System integrations with native, third-party, and iPaaS systems

Pricing

Maxio’s Essentials plan starts at $599/month, while their Growth and Scale plans operate on a custom quote-based pricing model. Each plan includes access to the Maxio platform (reporting, invoicing, automated financial operations).⁷

6. Braintree

Braintree is a PayPal service that blends global payment options with subscription management(see Braintree alternatives). Businesses can accept payment methods, including credit and debit cards and digital wallets, through PayPal’s infrastructure for a straightforward payment experience.

Features

• Mass payouts capabilities for 200+ countries/regions
• Diverse global payment options for customers
• Management dashboard to trace payments, set funding flows, and more
• Level 1 PCI-compliant service provider
• Buy now, pay later options

Pricing

Braintree operates on a pay-per-use pricing model:⁸

• 2.59% + 49¢ per transaction for cards and digital wallets
• 3.49% + 49¢ per transaction for Venmo transactions
• Additional fees for chargebacks and international currency

7. PayPal

PayPal, the internationally renowned payment processor, allows you to process recurring payments for a consistent and reliable revenue stream. It’s a good choice if you have a global customer base and want to build customer trust in the payment process.

Features

• Extensive global acceptance and credibility
• Accessible and effortless payments for customers
• Seamless integration with numerous platforms and e-commerce sites
• Security measures (Fraud Protection and Seller Protection)
• Invoicing and subscription management tools

Pricing

PayPal's fees for recurring billing depend on the type and volume of transactions:⁹

• For domestic transactions: 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction (US-based)
• For international payments: Domestic transaction fee + 1.5%

Note that currency conversion and cross-border fees may also apply, and percentages may change depending on the method of payment.

8. Recurly

With the ability to support multiple currencies and tax compliance, as well as seamless integrations with popular payment gateways and accounting systems, Recurly aims to maximize your revenue and deliver an exceptional billing experience for both you and your customers.

Features

• Comprehensive subscription and plan management
• Wide range of customizable billing models
• Invoice and receipt customization
• Support for multiple currencies and tax compliance
• Create custom charges and credits

Pricing

Recurly has three pricing plans:¹⁰

• Core: $0/month + first $40k/mo included in revenue for 12 months for new self-service customers, featuring essential billing and integration tools
• Professional: Custom pricing with enhanced features, such as advanced analytics and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for large businesses, supporting advanced enterprise features and dedicated Customer Success Managers

9. QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online features recurring monthly payments as part of its impressive suite of features. The platform is a unified financial management solution for businesses looking for financial management tools and effortless recurring payments. Users can set up automated recurring invoices with customizable payment terms and conditions, catering to different billing frequencies and cycles.

Features

• Fully-customizable invoicing, estimate, and sales receipt templates
• Deep integration with other QuickBooks financial management tools
• Third-party integrations with popular apps, such as Shopify and PayPal
• Automatic sales tax calculation
• Capture and organize receipts

Pricing

QuickBooks Online offers four pricing plans:¹¹

• Simple Start: $30/month for basic income and expense tracking
• Essentials: $55/month for robust features, including bill management and time tracking
• Plus: $85/month for advanced features, such as project and inventory tracking
• Advanced: $200/month for exclusive best-in-class apps, 24/7 support and training, and revenue recognition

10. Helcim

Helcim boasts a competitive, volume-based discount pricing model and advanced security measures like PCI compliance. With customizable invoicing and hosted payment pages, they go above and beyond when it comes to recurring billing capabilities.

Features

• Card vault to save customer information
• Robust online payment processing and acceptance through email and SMS
• Customizable invoicing and hosted payment pages
• Helcim Customer Portal
• Different types of billing - prorated, metered, one-time fees, and add-ons

Pricing

Helcim's pricing model is unique, offering a volume-based discount structure.¹² The platform charges an average universal transaction fee of 2.40% + 25¢. You can get a better idea of what your rates look like with their custom rate calculator.

11. Xero

Xero sets itself apart by offering a holistic financial solution for businesses with comprehensive accounting capabilities and intuitive subscription payment service. Its ability to provide real-time financial insights and adapt to your business's unique requirements makes it an excellent choice for those seeking streamlined recurring billing and overall financial management.

Features

• Send professional online quotes
• Keep track of costs and profitability with a project and job tracker software
• Real-time cash flow visualization with insightful reports
• Simple bank reconciliation process
• Seamless integration with over 800 third-party apps

Pricing

Xero’s three pricing plans are made for businesses of different sizes, making it easy to scale up when your business does.¹³

• Early: $13/month for freelancers, sole traders, and new businesses
• Growing: $37/month for growing small businesses
• Established: $70/month for established businesses that need a little more

12. Zoho Subscriptions

Zoho Subscriptions is an integral part of the renowned Zoho ecosystem. This subscription payment processor integrates with other Zoho products and caters to everyone from SaaS businesses, startups, wine clubs, subscription box businesses, and more. Your business can do everything from creating workflow rules to using smart dunning management to make recurring billing a smooth process.

Features

• Hassle-free global subscription management and billing
• Coupons, plans, and trials
• Pricing widgets and pricing table templates
• Seamless integration with Zoho's suite of business applications
• Supports multiple currencies, languages, and tax structures

Pricing

Zoho Subscriptions provides four pricing plans:¹⁴

• Free: $0 for 20 subscriptions/customers
• Basic: $59/month for 500 customers and three users
• Standard: $119/month for 2,000 customers and five users
• Professional: $299/month for 5,000 customers and ten users

If your company has more sophisticated needs, Zoho Subscriptions has an Enterprise plan with custom pricing. By offering a 14-day free trial, Zoho Subscriptions allows you to experience its potential before committing to any plan.

13. Chargebee

Chargebee is best known for its rich feature set and strong emphasis on flexibility(see Chargebee alternatives). They brand themselves as a recurring revenue command center that has all you need for repeat billing at your fingertips. The platform doesn’t just make recurring billing and subscription payments easier to manage but works to boost revenue and cash flow at scale.

Features

• Flexible billing and subscription models
• Recurring payments support across 150+ countries
• Create upsell opportunities through add-on recommendations and product bundles
• Customizable billing logic with Billing LogIQ
• Run promotional campaigns

Pricing

Chargebee has three pricing plans:¹⁵

• Starter: $0/month for businesses collecting up to $250k/month (no annual commitment)
• Performance: $599/month for businesses collecting up to $100k/month (annual commitment)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing tailored to businesses with specific requirements

When exceeding the revenue cap, companies are charged 0.75% on billing thereafter.

14. Wave Accounting

For entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small business owners seeking a dependable and budget-friendly billing solution, Wave Accounting is an appealing choice. Unlike other platforms, their bookkeeping and banking tools can be used together or separately. When it comes to getting paid, customers can receive a pro invoice, and you can get paid in as fast as 1 - 2 business days.

Features

• Easy-to-use dashboard for payment tracking and management
• Secure “Pay Now” emails for customers
• Automatic payment reminders and overdue notices
• Integration with Wave's range of accounting and payroll services
• Access all customer history in one place

Pricing

One of Wave Accounting's most significant differentiators is that it offers free invoicing and accounting tools. However, for accepting payments, they charge a transaction fee of 2.9% + 60¢ for credit card payments and 1% with a minimum fee of $1 for bank payments. There are no additional monthly fees for using the platform.¹⁶

15. Square

Square goes beyond just recurring billing by offering an entire ecosystem of business solutions - POS systems, eCommerce, and appointment booking, to name a few. The platform makes it easy to tailor and customize recurring payments for each customer with different billing frequencies, the card-on-file feature, and easy setup.

Features

• Advanced payment processing, including POS systems and mobile payments
• PCI-compliant systems
• Inventory management and sales reporting features
• Repeat payments and recurring payments
• Checkout link with enabled subscription feature

Pricing

Square's recurring billing service comes with a transaction fee of 2.9% + ¢30 or 3.5% + ¢15 per invoice paid, depending on whether the customer’s card is on file or not.¹⁷

Wise Business for receiving international payments

With Wise Business, businesses can process recurring payments in over 40 currencies using the mid-market exchange rate, which is the fairest exchange rate possible, with no markups.

You can receive in USD, GBP, EUR, CAD, and more with Wise Business free after paying a one-time fee. The savings will really start to add up.

This means that businesses can save a significant amount of money compared to using other automatic payment providers, especially if they are processing payments in different currencies.

Wise Business also offers ways to send payments overseas that are up to 19x cheaper than PayPal on average. If you're looking for the whole package, check out Wise for your business needs.

Save on incoming payments
with Wise >>

Learn More:

How to Cancel a Recurring Payment on PayPal | United States
How to Set Up Recurring Payments On Paypal: A Guide

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Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

Wise is not a bank, but a Money Services Business (MSB) provider and a smart alternative to banks.

Sources:

1. https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/midsize-business/midsize-payments-research/
2. https://www.trustpilot.com/review/wise.com
3. https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing
4. https://chargeover.com/pricing
5. https://www.zuora.com/
6. https://www.pabbly.com/subscriptions/
7. https://www.maxio.com/pricing
8. https://www.braintreepayments.com/braintree-pricing
9. https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/merchant-fees
10. https://recurly.com/plans/
11. https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/
12. https://www.helcim.com/pricing/
13. https://www.xero.com/us/
14. https://www.zoho.com/us/subscriptions/pricing/
15. https://www.chargebee.com/pricing/?ref=navbar
16. https://www.waveapps.com/pricing
17. https://squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale/software/pricing