Comparison

Paddle vs Recurly

On the evidence we track, Recurly leads this comparison with a composite score of 68/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
Paddle55
★Recurly68
Score
vioscaleAI score
Paddle55 / 100medium · 62%
Recurly68 / 100medium · 73%
Pricing
Free tier
Paddle✗
Recurly✓
Model
Recurlyfreemium
Price level
Paddleunknown
Recurlyhigh
Starting price
Paddle–
Recurly$249
Transparent
Paddle✓
Recurly✓
Integrations
Count
Paddle3
Recurly30
Security
Certifications
Disclosure policy
Paddle✓
Recurly–
Gdpr
Paddle✓
Recurly✓
Hipaa
Paddle–
Recurly✓
Pci
Paddle✓
Recurly✓
Soc2
Paddle✓
Recurly✓
Reliability
Sla pct
Paddle–
Recurly99.5
Status page
Paddle✓
Recurly✓
Market
Content
Faq
Paddle6 items
Recurly6 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for billing & invoicing software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Subscription billing
Paddle✓
Recurly✓
Usage metering
Paddle-
RecurlyReal-time
Pricing models
PaddleSubscriptions, per-user, usage-based, and tiered billing
RecurlyFixed, tier-based, volume-based, stair-step, usage-based, one-time, and ramp pri
Invoicing & AR
Paddle✓
Recurly✓
Catalog management
Paddle-
Recurly✓
Commerce
Merchant of record
Paddle✓
Recurly-
Finance
Revenue recognition
Paddle-
RecurlyNative ASC 606
Tax handling
PaddleNative
RecurlyNative
Collections
Dunning
PaddleSmart
RecurlySmart
Integrations
GL / ERP sync
Paddle-
Recurly-
Ecosystem
API-first / developer-first
Paddle✓
Recurly✓
Deployment
Self-hostable
Paddle✗
Recurly✗
Insight
Revenue analytics
Paddle✓
Recurly✓

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Paddle

A comprehensive payment and billing service for digital product companies that handles transactions, subscriptions, sales tax compliance, and regulatory requirements across 300+ markets, eliminating the need for separate payment processors and tax administration infrastructure.

Independently observed

Recurly

Leader

An all-in-one subscription and revenue management platform that handles recurring billing, payment processing, revenue recognition, and customer lifecycle engagement for subscription businesses.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Paddle

Usage-based

5% + 50¢ per transaction with no monthly fees or hidden costs. Custom pricing available for large-volume businesses.

  • Pay-as-you-go5% + 50¢ per checkout transaction
    • Checkout and payment processing
    • Subscription management and recurring billing
    • Sales tax and VAT compliance across jurisdictions
    • Fraud protection and chargeback management
    • Financial and management reporting
    • +2 more
  • Custom pricingContact sales
    • Flexible pricing for high-volume or low-value transactions
    • Dedicated customer success team
    • Premium implementation services
as of verify ↗

Recurly

Leader
from $249/moHybridFree tier90-day trial

From $249/month + 0.9% volume (Starter) to <1% volume billed annually (All-Access, $1M minimum). Add-on products (Engage, RevRec) from $850/month. 90-day free trial.

  • Starter$249/month + 0.9% of billing volume (first $40K/month included)
    • Automated global subscription billing
    • Flexible plans and pricing
    • Static churn-prevention tools
    • 1 Dunning campaign
    • 10+ payment methods
    • +1 more
  • All-AccessAs low as <1% of billing volume, billed annually. Volume-based pricing ($1M minimum billing volume)
    • AI-Powered agents, analytics, insights
    • Intelligent churn-prevention tools
    • Multiple dunning campaigns
    • Advanced plans, pricing, promotions
    • Payments orchestration across multiple gateways
    • +4 more
  • All-Access for ShopifyContact sales
    • Customized bundles
    • Subscribe and save
    • Prepaid and gift subscriptions
    • Hybrid subscription support
    • Cancel-save flows and surveys
    • +3 more
  • Engage$1,600/month, billed annually
    • AI powered propensity to churn model
    • 1-click billing integration
    • Personalized offers
    • Cancel save, upsell, cross sell capabilities
    • Granular segmentation
    • +3 more
  • RevRec$850/month, billed annually
    • Automated contract modifications
    • SSP automation
    • Rules-driven allocations
    • Real-time revenue insights & forecasting
    • Automated monthly close
    • +3 more
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Paddle✓
Recurly✓
iOS
Paddle✓
Recurly✓
Android
Paddle✗
Recurly✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Paddle✓
Recurly✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Paddle

3 total
  • Drift
  • HubSpot
  • Intercom
Independently observed

Recurly

Leader
21 total
  • Shopify
  • Stripe
  • PayPal
  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay
  • Adyen
  • Klarna
  • MercadoPago
  • Worldpay
  • Google Cloud Marketplace
  • Adobe Audience Manager
  • Google Play
  • Apple IAP
  • Amazon IAP
  • Roku Billing
  • Salesforce Marketing Cloud
  • SendGrid
  • Braze
  • Zendesk
  • Salesforce
  • NetSuite
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Paddle or Recurly: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.