Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Creem vs Recurly

Creem logo

Creem

Accounting

All-in-one payment and compliance platform for software companies

From
$3.9/percent
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Recurly logo

Recurly

Accounting

The subscription management platform built for growth

From
$249/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Creem per-transaction fee model scales with volume, potentially expensive for high-frequency transactions; Recurly starter is $249 a month plus 0.9 percent of billing volume above the first $40K, so the cost rises with revenue rather than with usage
  • They diverge on capability: Creem covers Global payments processing, Recurly covers Revenue recovery.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Creem and Recurly actually diverge.

Attributes where Creem and Recurly differ
AttributeCreemRecurly
Starting price$3.9/percent$249/month
Pricing modelPer-transaction flat ratesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Api
FoundedUnknown2009

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Creem

  • Global payments processing
  • Automated tax compliance
  • Revenue distribution
  • Digital product support
  • Fraud protection
  • AI business assistant
  • Affiliate platform

Only in Recurly

  • Revenue recovery
  • Payment gateway optimization
  • Analytics
  • API
  • Stripe
  • PayPal
  • Braintree
  • SOC 2

Both cover

  • Subscription billing

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Creem

  • SaaS subscription billing and managementnot Recurly
  • Digital product distribution with license keysnot Recurly
  • Global payment processing across 100+ countriesnot Recurly
  • Revenue sharing among co-founders and affiliatesnot Recurly
  • Automated tax compliance for international salesnot Recurly

Recurly

  • Subscription billing and recurring invoicingnot Creem
  • Dunning and failed payment recoverynot Creem
  • Trials, plan changes and promotionsnot Creem
  • Revenue recognition through the RevRec add-onnot Creem
  • Shopify-native subscriptions with subscribe and savenot Creem

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Creem

  • Per-transaction fee model scales with volume, potentially expensive for high-frequency transactions
  • Limited to software and digital product companies, not suitable for physical goods
  • AI business assistant availability and capabilities not fully detailed
  • Requires using Creem as Merchant of Record, limiting white-label options
  • Mobile app only available in beta for iOS and Android

Recurly

  • Starter is $249 a month plus 0.9 percent of billing volume above the first $40K, so the cost rises with revenue rather than with usage
  • All-Access is quoted at under 1 percent of billing volume with a $1M minimum, putting it out of reach of smaller merchants
  • Only one dunning campaign on Starter; multiple campaigns need All-Access
  • SSO, multicurrency and payments orchestration are All-Access only
  • Revenue recognition and the Engage churn tooling are separate add-ons at $850 and $1,600 a month

Pricing, plan by plan

Creem

$3.9/percent
  • StandardFree
    • 3.9% + $0.40 per transaction
    • No setup fees
    • No monthly fees

Recurly

$249/month
  • Starter$249/month
    • Automated global subscription billing
    • Flexible plans and static churn-prevention tools
    • 1 dunning campaign
  • All-Access$null/month
    • Everything in Starter plus AI-powered agents and analytics
    • Intelligent churn-prevention with multiple dunning campaigns
    • Advanced pricing and promotions
  • All-Access for Shopify$null/month
    • Intelligent churn-prevention and customized bundles
    • Subscribe and save, prepaid/gift subscriptions
    • Hybrid subscription support and cancel-save flows

Which should you pick?

Choose Creem if

  • You need global payments processing.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want automated tax compliance.
Creem review

Choose Recurly if

  • You need revenue recovery.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want payment gateway optimization.
Recurly review

Questions people ask

Is Creem or Recurly better?
Neither clearly leads. Creem starts at $3.9/percent and Recurly at $249/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Creem or Recurly?
Creem starts at $3.9/percent and Recurly at $249/month.
Does Creem or Recurly run on more platforms?
Creem runs on Web, iOS, Android. Recurly runs on Web, Api.
What is Creem best used for?
Creem is most often used for saas subscription billing and management, digital product distribution with license keys, global payment processing across 100+ countries, revenue sharing among co-founders and affiliates. Of those, saas subscription billing and management and digital product distribution with license keys are not what Recurly is typically brought in for.
What can Creem do that Recurly cannot?
Creem covers Global payments processing, Automated tax compliance, Revenue distribution, Digital product support. Recurly covers Revenue recovery, Payment gateway optimization, Analytics, API. Both handle Subscription billing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Creem: What are Creem's transaction fees compared to competitors?

Creem charges a flat 3.9% plus 40 cents per successful transaction with no additional setup, monthly, or hidden fees. For a $5,000 transaction volume, Creem estimates $235 in fees compared to Lemon Squeezy at $565 ($400 + $165).

Source
Recurly: What does Recurly's Starter plan cost?

Recurly Starter plan costs 249 USD monthly plus 0.9 percent of billing volume, with the first 40000 USD monthly volume included in the base fee.

Source
Creem: Does Creem handle international tax compliance?

Yes. Creem automatically handles VAT, GST, and sales tax filing and remittance as a Merchant of Record across 50+ countries, eliminating manual tax compliance work.

Source
Recurly: What is the minimum commitment for Recurly's All-Access plan?

All-Access plans require a minimum 1 million USD annual commitment, billed annually at less than 1 percent of billing volume.

Source
Creem: Can I use Creem for subscription billing?

Yes. Creem provides subscription management with billing, dunning, and a customer portal. Revenue splits are included for distributing earnings to co-founders and affiliates.

Source
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