tiergain
Bold Subscriptions vs Tiergain in 2026: recurring billing or bundle-driven revenue?
Bold Subscriptions charges and rebills. But what is in each order? A single item on repeat. Bundles change that equation.
Quick Verdict
Bold Subscriptions manages recurring billing inside the Bold ecosystem. Tiergain builds the bundles that make each order worth more - 10 architectures, combined rewards, and mobile-first UX for one-time and recurring.
What is Bold Subscriptions?
Bold Subscriptions is a subscription management platform from Bold Commerce. It handles recurring billing, customer subscription portals, prepaid subscriptions, and subscription analytics. Bold Subscriptions integrates with other Bold apps like Bold Bundles and Bold Upsell. Pricing starts at $24.99/month (Launch) plus 2% transaction fees, with Grow at $49.99/month (1%) and Ultimate Retention at $399.99/month (0.9%). All plans include a 30-day free trial.
Where Bold Subscriptions Falls Short
No standalone bundle builder
Bold Subscriptions manages recurring billing. It does not build product bundles. To get bundles, you need Bold Bundles as a separate app. Two apps, two bills, two dashboards. Complexity adds up fast.
Bundle features need a second app
Want mix-and-match? Need Bold Bundles. Want upsells? Need Bold Upsell. The Bold ecosystem requires stacking multiple paid apps to match what a dedicated bundle builder does in one install.
Transaction fees eat into margins
Bold Subscriptions charges transaction fees on every plan: 2% on Launch, 1% on Grow, 0.9% on Ultimate Retention. A merchant doing $50K/month in subscription revenue on the Grow plan pays $49.99 plus $500 in transaction fees. Your costs scale with revenue.
Mobile experience is secondary
Bold Subscriptions focuses on subscription management portals and checkout flows. The storefront product discovery experience - where bundles and cross-sells happen - is not mobile-first. With 70%+ mobile traffic, that gap costs conversions.
No combined rewards in subscriptions
Bold Subscriptions offers subscribe-and-save discounts. You cannot stack a percentage discount with free shipping and a free gift in one subscription order. Single-reward caps the perceived value of subscribing.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | Bold Subscriptions | Tiergain |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription Management Portal | Full customer portal with bulk updates and product swaps | No subscription portal |
| Prepaid Subscriptions | Yes, prepaid and pay-as-you-go plans | No |
| Subscription Analytics | Conversion tracking, reporting, A/B testing (Ultimate plan) | Per-bundle AOV and revenue tracking |
| Bold Ecosystem Integration | Connects to Bold Upsell, Zapier, PayPal, ProsperStack | Standalone bundle app |
| One-Time Bundles | No | Yes, all bundle types |
| Combined Rewards | Discount only | Discount + free shipping + free gift |
| Mobile-First Design | Portal-focused | Mobile-first storefront |
| Cancellation Prevention Flows | Yes, ProsperStack integration (Ultimate plan) | No subscription features |
| Guided Kit Builder | No | Yes, multi-step category-based flows |
| Theme Customization | Limited | 20+ controls, live preview |
| Works With All Themes | Yes | Yes |
| Real-Time Inventory Sync | Yes | Yes |
| Flat-Rate Pricing | $24.99-$399.99/mo plus transaction fees | Flat-rate: Free/$15/$50/$150, no transaction fees |
Why Merchants Switch to Tiergain
App spend cut by $200/month
A food merchant ran Bold Subscriptions Grow ($49.99 plus transaction fees) plus Bold Bundles ($49) plus Bold Upsell ($59). Switching bundles to Tiergain at $50/month and keeping a cheaper subscription app cut their total app spend by $200/month.
One-time AOV up 27%
A wellness brand used Bold Subscriptions for recurring orders but had no bundle strategy for one-time buyers. Tiergain's guided kit builder and tiered volume discounts lifted one-time order AOV by 27% in 4 weeks.
Mobile bundle conversion hit 2.9%
A skincare merchant had 76% mobile traffic. Bold Subscriptions handled billing but offered no mobile bundle experience. Tiergain's mobile-first builder drove a 2.9% bundle conversion rate on mobile, up from 0% because no mobile bundle existed before.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I migrate from Bold Subscriptions to Tiergain?
They are different products. Bold Subscriptions manages recurring billing. Tiergain builds product bundles. Most merchants add Tiergain alongside their subscription app for bundle capabilities. No migration needed - you are adding a new tool, not replacing one.
Is Tiergain cheaper than Bold Subscriptions?
Yes. Tiergain uses published flat-rate pricing: Free, $15, $50, or $150 per month. No transaction fees. Bold Subscriptions starts at $24.99/month plus 2% transaction fees on Launch. Add Bold Bundles and Bold Upsell and your monthly Bold bill climbs fast.
How long does it take to set up Tiergain?
Most merchants go live with their first bundle in 15 minutes. Install, pick an architecture, set your rules and rewards, publish. No developer needed. No theme code changes required.
Do I need Bold Bundles if I use Tiergain?
No. Tiergain replaces Bold Bundles entirely. Tiergain offers 10+ bundle architectures, combined rewards, dollar thresholds, and mobile-first UX - features Bold Bundles does not have. You can drop Bold Bundles and save that monthly cost.
Can Tiergain work alongside Bold Subscriptions?
Yes. Tiergain handles bundles on your storefront. Bold Subscriptions handles recurring billing. They serve different purposes and work on the same store without conflicts.
What makes Tiergain better than Bold Bundles for bundling?
Tiergain offers 10+ bundle architectures vs Bold Bundles' 2. Combined rewards (discount plus free shipping plus free gift) vs single discounts. Dollar thresholds, sequential and free-flow navigation, mobile-first design, and 20+ styling controls. All at flat-rate pricing.
Does Tiergain work with my Shopify theme?
Yes. Tiergain uses Shopify Theme App Extensions. It works with every Shopify theme including Online Store 2.0. Drag and drop setup, 20+ styling controls, live preview, zero residual code on uninstall.
Ready to switch from Bold Subscriptions?
Free plan available. No credit card required.