Paddle vs Recurly

Enterprise MoR meets subscription billing that doesn't make you want to pull your hair out when you need to handle a prorated refund. Here's our take.

Paddle

Nice Pick

Enterprise MoR. Good for SaaS, complex for small projects.

Pros

• Handles everything
• Enterprise-ready
• B2B features

Cons

• High minimums
• Complex
• Less DX focus

Recurly

Subscription billing that doesn't make you want to pull your hair out when you need to handle a prorated refund.

Pros

• Handles complex subscription logic like upgrades, downgrades, and pauses without custom code
• Built-in dunning management to automatically retry failed payments and reduce churn
• Strong API with webhooks for real-time subscription events and easy integration
• Supports multiple currencies and tax compliance (VAT, GST) out of the box

Cons

• Pricing is steep for small startups, with setup fees and percentage-based transaction cuts
• Reporting can feel limited compared to pulling raw data into your own analytics

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Paddle is a payments while Recurly is a hosting & deployment. We picked Paddle based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Paddle wins

Based on overall popularity. Paddle is more widely used, but Recurly excels in its own space.