Key takeaways
- Recharge bought Skio in April 2026, and Skio's changelog says the combined product will take about 12 months, with both apps running until then.
- On 3 November 2026, Recharge Scale and Skio Scale both list $499 a month plus 1.25% and 20 cents per order, so on annual billing their fees match.
- Recharge Starter now costs $149 a month plus 1.50% and 20 cents, and stays the cheaper Recharge plan below about $1.7M a year.
Until this spring, Recharge vs Skio was a fight between two companies. Skio's sales pages named Recharge. Recharge ran a "Migrate from Skio" page.
Then Recharge bought Skio. That page now returns a 404, and Skio's App Store listing reads "Skio, a Recharge Company".
So the question changed. You are no longer picking a side. You are picking between two products with one owner, and deciding whether to move, stay or wait. This post covers what changed, what it costs now, where the two still differ, and what we would do in your place. RetainUP works inside both: we scored Grüns at 85.5 out of 100 on Skio and Dr. Squatch at 73 on Recharge.
What the acquisition changed, and what it didn't
Recharge announced the deal in April 2026. Its post says "nothing is changing today": both platforms keep running, your team stays your contact, and a combined roadmap is coming "in the months ahead". Together the two power 20,000+ brands and more than $20B a year in GMV, per Recharge.
Skio's changelog adds a timeline. Both platforms keep shipping features. The combined product comes over about 12 months. Nothing changes operationally until there is something better to show merchants. Your Merchant Success Manager stays.
One thing did change, quietly. Between our checks on 1 and 3 November 2026, both price pages moved. Recharge Starter went from $99 a month plus 1.49% and 19 cents to $149 plus 1.50% and 20 cents. Skio Scale kept its $499 annual and $599 monthly price, but its fee went from 1% plus 20 cents to 1.25% plus 20 cents. Recharge's $499 plan, now called Scale, lists the same 1.25% plus 20 cents.
Read that as the first sign of the joint roadmap. The fee lines on the two $499 plans are now identical.
Recharge vs Skio pricing in 2026
| App | Plans, checked 3 November 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Recharge | Starter $149/mo + 1.50% + 20¢, 60-day free trial. Scale $499/mo + 1.25% + 20¢, with bundles and end-to-end migration support. Custom by volume | Pricing page |
| Skio | Scale $499/mo billed annually ($5,988 a year) or $599/mo billed monthly, + 1.25% + 20¢ on orders with a subscription. Enterprise custom | Pricing page, App Store |
Here is what that means as a yearly bill, at a $50 average order, on the cheaper Recharge plan at each size. Shopify's own payment fees sit on top of all of these.
| Yearly fees | $250K a year | $1M a year | $3M a year | $10M a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recharge | Starter: $6,538 | Starter: $20,788 | Scale: $55,488 | Scale: $170,988 |
| Skio, annual | Scale: $10,113 | Scale: $22,488 | Scale: $55,488 | Scale: $170,988 |
| Skio, monthly | Scale: $11,313 | Scale: $23,688 | Scale: $56,688 | Scale: $172,188 |
Two things stand out. Below about $1.7M a year, Recharge Starter is the cheaper of the two, because its higher percentage costs less than the $350 a month jump to a $499 plan. Above that, Recharge Scale and Skio Scale on annual billing cost exactly the same.
Before November, our model had Skio cheaper than Recharge at list price from about $3M a year. That price case for moving to Skio is gone. Above $5M, nobody pays list anyway, so get quotes.
Where Recharge and Skio still differ
Price no longer splits them at scale. Features still do. Here are the seven levers our audits check, from each app's pricing page and help docs. The full scoring across all four big apps is in our best Shopify subscription app comparison.
Cancel flow
Recharge Starter includes Smart Cancellation Prevention, its no-code cancel journeys. Skio includes a multi-step cancel flow builder on Scale. Both can send each cancel reason to its own offer. What differs is what you can see afterwards: Skio sends "Skio: Subscription Went Through Cancel Flow" to Klaviyo when a save happens, and Recharge's Klaviyo metrics page lists no save event. The design that moves save rate is the same on either app, and it is in cancel flow routing.
Failed payments
Recharge retries with AI timing, then cancels the subscription after the last retry, with the reason "Failed Payment flow max retries". Its help center also says you cannot use Klaviyo to send its Failed Payment Recovery notifications, so those emails live inside Recharge. Skio sends Billing Attempt Failed and Card Expiration Notification events to Klaviyo, so the recovery flow can live there. The retry schedule we set on both is in failed subscription payments.
Bundles and boxes
Recharge keeps bundles on Scale. Skio includes Build-a-Box, static or dynamic, on its one self-serve plan. If you need bundles and sit below $1.7M, that is the one lever where Skio still costs less for the same thing.
Portal and Klaviyo data
Both have a no-code portal with passwordless login. Skio adds quick actions. The Klaviyo event names are completely different: "Order upcoming on ReCharge" against "Skio: Billing Reminder Notification". Every flow trigger changes if you move. The full map is in our Klaviyo event map for Recharge, Loop, Skio and Stay AI.
Migration
Recharge's pricing page puts end-to-end migration support on Scale. Its migration services page still reserves managed migrations for the Plus and Custom plans, with a minimum lead time of 2 to 8 weeks by type. Skio runs every move with a Launch Engineer and quotes 4 to 5 weeks in all. It turns billing on only after your old app is off, and it does not move cancelled subscriptions.
Same app, different score
The owner changed. The setup still decides the result. Grüns and IM8 both run on Skio: Grüns scored 85.5 out of 100 and IM8 72. Dr. Squatch and Create both run on Recharge: 73 and 67.5. The gap between two brands on one app is bigger than the gap between the apps.
So before you move, check whether the lever you want is already on your app and just switched off. The setup guides for Recharge and Skio list what we change first.
Stay, move or wait: what we would do
- You are on Skio and it works: stay. Nothing changes operationally until the combined product ships. Check the fee at renewal, since 1% became 1.25%.
- You are on Recharge Starter below $1.7M: stay on Starter. Move up to Scale only for bundles or subscriber journey tests.
- You are on Recharge and looking at Skio for price: wait. On the $499 plans the fee line is now the same, and a move costs a month and puts mid-dunning cards at risk.
- You are choosing your first real app: pick on levers. Bundles below $1.7M point to Skio, or to Loop. Recharge's integrations point to Recharge.
- You want an owner that isn't Recharge: Loop and Stay AI are independent. Loop is the cheapest list price at every size we model. See Loop vs Recharge.
Whichever you pick, the default settings will not hold subscribers. The Subscription LTV Maximizer™ builds your new setup or migration on Recharge or Skio in 30 days, for $5,000.
If you do move between them
Treat it like any other app switch. Cards in Shopify's vault usually carry over in the same store. Cancelled subscriptions, order history, retry positions and Klaviyo flows do not. Run it with our subscription app migration checklist, and if you are coming from a cheaper app instead, read outgrowing Appstle, Seal or Shopify Subscriptions first.
FAQ
Did Recharge buy Skio?
Yes. Recharge announced it bought Skio in April 2026. Skio's App Store listing now reads "Skio, a Recharge Company", and both apps keep running.
Is Skio still a separate app?
Yes, for now. Skio's changelog says both platforms keep shipping and the combined product will take about 12 months. Your Merchant Success Manager stays your contact.
Is Recharge or Skio cheaper in 2026?
Below about $1.7M a year, Recharge Starter at $149 a month plus 1.50% and 20 cents is cheaper. Above that, Recharge Scale and Skio Scale on annual billing cost the same: $499 a month plus 1.25% and 20 cents, checked 3 November 2026.
Did Skio raise its fees?
Its fee line did. On 1 November 2026 Skio Scale listed 1% plus 20 cents. On 3 November it listed 1.25% plus 20 cents, the same as Recharge Scale. The $499 annual and $599 monthly prices did not change.
Should I migrate from Skio to Recharge, or the other way?
Not for price. On the $499 plans the fees now match. Move only for a lever you can't set today, and expect 4 to 5 weeks into Skio or a 2 to 8 week lead time into Recharge.
Will my Skio contract change?
Skio says nothing changes operationally until the combined product is ready. Check the fee and terms at your next renewal, since the listed fee has already moved.
More in the Migration and Setup Series
Guides for brands setting up, or just moved to, Recharge, Loop, Skio or Stay AI:
- Subscription app migration checklist: day by day, with what breaks
- Best Shopify subscription app 2026: Recharge vs Loop vs Skio vs Stay AI
- Klaviyo after a subscription app switch: every event name mapped
- Outgrowing Appstle, Seal or Shopify Subscriptions: when to switch and where
- Loop vs Recharge: fees, portal and cancel flow
- Recharge retention setup, Loop retention setup, Skio retention setup and Stay AI retention setup
Moving between Recharge and Skio, or onto either? The default settings will not hold subscribers. The Subscription LTV Maximizer™ builds your new setup or migration in 30 days, for $5,000.
One email a week on subscription retention: the numbers, the strategy, and what to fix first.
Rahi Jain
Rahi Jain is a subscription LTV specialist who helps $1M to $10M DTC brands reduce subscription churn and maximize LTV on Recharge, Skio, Stay AI and Loop.
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