tiergain
Recharge vs Tiergain in 2026: recurring billing or bundle-driven AOV lift?
Recharge bills your customers on schedule. But what are they buying? Single items on repeat. Here is how bundles fix that.
Quick Verdict
Recharge handles recurring billing. Tiergain builds the bundles that make each recurring order worth 22-28% more. Different tools, different jobs.
What is Recharge Subscriptions?
Recharge is a subscription management platform for Shopify. It handles recurring billing, customer portal management, and subscription analytics. Recharge processes over $10B in annual recurring revenue and powers subscription programs for large DTC brands. Pricing starts at $25/month on the entry plan and goes to $99/month (Starter) and $499/month (Plus), with transaction fees on all paid tiers.
Where Recharge Subscriptions Falls Short
No one-time bundle builder
Recharge is built for subscriptions. If your customers want to build a one-time gift set, a starter kit, or a mix-and-match bundle, Recharge has no tool for that. You are leaving one-time AOV on the table.
Expensive entry point
Recharge starts at $25/month for up to 50 subscribers, then jumps to $99/month (Starter) with 1.49% + 19c per transaction. For a merchant doing $50K/month in subscription revenue, that is $99 plus $745 in transaction fees. Your costs grow as you grow.
No guided kit builder
Customers cannot step through categories to build their own box. They subscribe to fixed products or swap items inside a portal. There is no visual, step-by-step bundle experience on your storefront.
Limited bundle architectures
Recharge supports subscription boxes and build-a-box flows. That is 2 architectures. No anchor product bundles, no tiered volume discounts, no progressive unlocks, no meal builders. Merchants with diverse product lines hit walls fast.
Mobile UX is portal-focused
Recharge invests in the subscriber portal - where customers manage existing subscriptions. The storefront product selection experience is secondary. 70%+ of your traffic is mobile, and the initial bundle-building step matters most for conversion.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | Recharge Subscriptions | Tiergain |
|---|---|---|
| Bundle Type Variety | Subscription box only | 10+ architectures, fully customizable |
| One-Time Bundles | No | Yes, all bundle types |
| Recurring Billing | Yes, full platform | No (pairs with subscription apps) |
| Combined Rewards | Discount only | Discount + free shipping + free gift |
| Dollar Thresholds | No | Yes, quantity or dollar |
| Guided Kit Builder | No | Yes, multi-step |
| Sequential + Free-Flow | Fixed portal flow | Both modes |
| Mobile-First Design | Portal-focused | Mobile-first storefront |
| Theme Customization | Limited styling | 20+ controls, live preview |
| Subscription Management | Full portal | No (use dedicated sub app) |
| Works With All Themes | Yes | Yes |
| Real-Time Inventory Sync | Yes | Yes |
| Flat-Rate Pricing | No, $25-$499/mo plus transaction fees | Yes, Free/$15/$50/$150 |
Why Merchants Switch to Tiergain
AOV up 26% on one-time orders
A supplement merchant used Recharge for subscriptions but had no bundle strategy for one-time buyers. Adding Tiergain bundles lifted one-time order AOV by 26% in the first month. Subscriptions stayed on Recharge. Bundles run on Tiergain.
App spend cut by $84/month
A tea merchant paid $99/month for Recharge to handle 3 subscription tiers. They added Tiergain at $15/month for gift set bundles, starter kits, and sampler packs. The bundle revenue from Tiergain covered the Recharge bill within 2 weeks.
Mobile bundle conversion up 2.1x
A skincare brand had 78% mobile traffic. Recharge handled subscriptions, but one-time buyers on mobile had no bundle experience. Tiergain's mobile-first builder lifted mobile bundle conversion from 1.4% to 2.9%.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Tiergain alongside Recharge?
Yes. Tiergain handles one-time bundles, gift sets, mix-and-match kits, and tiered volume discounts. Recharge handles recurring billing and subscription management. They solve different problems and work side by side on the same store.
Can I migrate my Recharge bundles to Tiergain?
Recharge is a subscription platform, not a bundle builder. There is no direct migration path because the products solve different problems. You install Tiergain alongside Recharge and build your bundle strategy from scratch. Most merchants go live with their first bundle in 15 minutes.
Is Tiergain cheaper than Recharge?
Yes. Tiergain uses flat-rate pricing: Free, $15, $50, or $150 per month. No transaction fees. Recharge starts at $25/month for up to 50 subscribers, then $99/month with 1.49% + 19c per transaction on Starter. But they are different tools - Tiergain builds bundles, Recharge manages subscriptions.
How long does it take to set up Tiergain?
Most merchants go live with their first bundle in 15 minutes. Install the app, pick a bundle architecture, set your rules and rewards, publish. No developer needed. No code changes to your theme.
Does Tiergain support subscription bundles?
Tiergain supports subscription box architecture as one of its 10+ bundle types. For full subscription management with recurring billing, customer portals, and churn analytics, pair Tiergain with a dedicated subscription app like Recharge.
Does Tiergain work with my Shopify theme?
Yes. Tiergain uses Shopify Theme App Extensions. It works with all themes, including Online Store 2.0. Drag and drop setup, 20+ styling controls with live preview, zero residual code on uninstall.
Ready to switch from Recharge Subscriptions?
Free plan available. No credit card required.