Grid℠ for Subscription Management | Winter 2016

Chargebee is a SaaS billing solution that allows businesses to manage their subscriptions and recurring billing.

Some points of interest about Chargebee in G2 Crowd’s Winter 2016 Subscription Management Grid℠ Report:

• Chargebee reviewers highlighted the product’s pricing and customizability as the primary reasons for switching from their prior subscription management solution.
• Reviewers reported that Chargebee benefits their e-commerce businesses by making it simple to scale their subscription billing.

Based on Chargebee user demographics and feedback:

• Most Chargebee reviewers work for small companies (62% at businesses with 50 employees or fewer).
• 100% of Chargebee reviewers use the subscription management tool to charge both consumers and businesses.
• Chargebee achieved an average 85% user adoption.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked Chargebee’s:

• User interface. Reviewers found Chargebee’s user interface to be intuitive and easy to use. Users also mentioned it is easy to train staff members on the software with Chargebee’s low learning curve.
• Quality of support. Users appreciated Chargebee’s responsive support team, especially during the implementation process.
• Flexibility. Reviewers valued Chargebee’s ability to adapt to unique subscription billing situations.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked Chargebee’s:

• Email functionalities. Users mentioned a lack of available email templates and called for more customizability. Furthermore, users wished for more integrations with email software.
• Reporting and analytics. Users were not impressed with Chargebee’s reporting features. Reviewers wished they could access more detailed reporting about conversions and churn.

Reviewers recommended Chargebee to potential users because of its wide range of accepted currencies and payment gateways. They advised users to consult with the support team to make sure integrating with Chargebee will be a good fit. Users said they were likely to recommend Chargebee at a rate of 96%.

Overall, users were pleased with Chargebee and found it to be a full-featured subscription management solution.

FastSpring is a feature-rich subscription management tool.

Some points of interest about FastSpring in G2 Crowd’s Winter 2016 Subscription Management Grid℠ Report:

• FastSpring reviewers highlighted the product’s attractive user interface and quality of support as the primary reasons for switching from their prior subscription management solution.
• Reviewers reported that FastSpring benefits their product sales, and said that the software makes it easy to manage promotions and rebates in addition to subscription billing.

Based on FastSpring user demographics and feedback:

• Most FastSpring reviewers work for small companies (85% at businesses with 50 employees or fewer).
• The largest portion of FastSpring reviewers, 50%, use the subscription management tool to charge only consumers.
• FastSpring achieved an average 99% user adoption.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked FastSpring’s:

• Setup and Integrations. Users found it very easy to get started with FastSpring, citing quick implementation times and easy integrations. Furthermore, users appreciated that FastSpring does not require a separate payment gateway or merchant account to use.
• Promotions and discounts. Reviewers appreciated how well FastSpring handles volume pricing and other discounts. FastSpring was rated higher than the category average for this feature (90% vs. avg. 87%).
• Additional functionality. Reviewers enjoyed FastSpring’s all-in-one nature. Users mentioned FastSpring’s serial number feature for licensing software as a factor for choosing the product over other subscription management solutions.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked FastSpring’s:

• Lack of customizability. Reviewers complained about an inability to customize payment pages and marketing emails to their liking. For emails, users called for features like an HTML editor and more templates. For the payment page, users wished they could customize the page to better match their websites.

Reviewers recommended FastSpring to potential users because of its breadth of features geared towards SaaS businesses like software licensing and localization. Users said they were likely to recommend FastSpring at a rate of 95%.

Overall, users were impressed with FastSpring’s functionality, and complaints were few and far between.

Braintree’s global payments platform powers payments for thousands of online and mobile commerce businesses.. Braintree was acquired by PayPal in 2013 and currently operates as a subsidiary.

Some points of interest about Braintree in G2 Crowd’s Winter 2016 Subscription Management Grid℠ Report:

• Braintree reviewers highlighted the product’s flexibility as one of the primary reasons for switching from their prior subscription management solution.
• Reviewers reported that Braintree benefits their e-commerce businesses by offering both one-time and subscription billing options.

Based on Braintree user demographics and feedback:

• Most Braintree reviewers work for small companies (57% at businesses with 50 employees or fewer).
• Braintree reviewers are equally distributed among companies who use the subscription management tool to charge businesses, consumers, or both.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked Braintree’s:

• Flexibility. Users liked being able to customize Braintree to meet their unique needs.
• User interface. Reviewers said the admin side of Braintree is clean and easy to use.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked Braintree’s:

• Integrations. Reviewers found it difficult to integrate Braintree with certain sales software and e-commerce platforms. Users found that the lack of APIs makes their experience with the product difficult.
• Customer management. Users struggled navigating customer profiles and searching for specific transactions.

Reviewers recommended Braintree to potential users because of its simple user interface. Reviewers warned potential users to make sure their existing software is compatible with Braintree before committing to the tool. Users said they were likely to recommend Braintree at a rate of 85%.

Overall, users had mixed reactions to Braintree. While most had a positive reaction, some users struggled with features essential to subscription management.

Zuora is a comprehensive SaaS solution for subscription management and recurring billing.

Some points of interest about Zuora in G2 Crowd’s Winter 2016 Subscription Management Grid℠ Report:

• Zuora reviewers highlighted the product’s flexibility and available integrations as the primary reasons for switching from their prior subscription management solution.
• Reviewers reported that Zuora benefits their SaaS businesses by automating otherwise time consuming billing processes.

Based on Zuora user demographics and feedback:

• Most Zuora reviewers work for mid-market businesses (65% at businesses with 51-1000 employees).
• The largest portion of Zuora reviewers, 60%, use the subscription management tool to charge only businesses.
• Zuora achieved an average 56% user adoption.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked Zuora’s:

• Ease of use. Several reviewers said Zuora offers a simple, easy-to-use solution for subscription management. Users appreciated the simple user interface and said the platform is easy to learn.
• Task automation. Users said Zuora allows them to save time by automating subscription billing and other tasks.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked Zuora’s:

• Quality of support. Reviewers complained about slow response times and unresolved issues. Furthermore, Zuora was rated below the category average for quality of support (81% vs. avg. 90%).
• One-time charges. Users found using this feature to be difficult and hard to manage.

Reviewers recommended Zuora to potential users because of its integrations and reporting capabilities. They advised users to research other options before committing to Zuora if they are working for an enterprise-level business. Users said they were likely to recommend Zuora at a rate of 77%.

Overall, users found Zuora to be a complete solution for managing subscriptions.

Chargify is a subscription management and recurring billing software.

Some points of interest about Chargify in G2 Crowd’s Winter 2016 Subscription Management Grid℠ Report:

• Chargify reviewers highlighted the product’s quality of support as one of the primary reasons for switching from their prior subscription management solution.
• Reviewers reported that Chargify benefits their subscription and promotion management by streamlining both processes.

Based on Chargify user demographics and feedback:

• Most Chargify reviewers work for small businesses (89% at companies with 50 employees or fewer).
• The largest portions of Chargify reviewers, both 40%, use the subscription management tool to charge either only businesses or both businesses and consumers.
• Chargify achieved an average 48% user adoption.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked Chargify’s:

• Payment gateway integrations. Users liked Chargify’s breadth of compatible payment gateways. In fact, this feature was rated above the category average (96% vs. avg. 91%).
• Pricing features. Reviewers said Chargify handles unique pricing situations, like promotions and one time charges, with ease.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked Chargify’s:

• Payment page customization. Users found it difficult to customize the payment page to better match the design of their own website.
• Reporting and analytics. Users were not impressed with Chargify’s reporting capabilities and said they were left wishing for more.

Reviewers recommended Chargify to potential users because of its ease of setup and use. They advised users to research necessary integrations before implementing Chargify. Users said they were likely to recommend Chargify at a rate of 88%.

Overall, users found Chargify to be enough to get the job done; however, the software struggled when it came to more complex features.

Recurly is a subscription management solution that offers an integrated payment gateway.

Some points of interest about Recurly in G2 Crowd’s Winter 2016 Subscription Management Grid℠ Report:

• Recurly reviewers highlighted the product’s ease of use as one of the primary reasons for switching from their prior subscription management solution.
• Reviewers reported that Recurly benefits their billing processes by automating subscriptions and handling promotions.

Based on Recurly user demographics and feedback:

• Most Recurly reviewers work for mid-market businesses (53% at companies with 51-1000 employees).
• The largest portion of Recurly reviewers, 60%, use the subscription management tool to charge only consumers.
• Recurly achieved an average 85% user adoption.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked Recurly’s:

• Ease of setup. Reviewers referred to Recurly as “developer-friendly” and said implementing the software is fast and easy. Furthermore, reviewers appreciated Recurly’s technical support during the implementation process.
• User interface. Many reviewers said they were impressed with how easy it is to navigate Recurly’s software. Users said the interface is appealing and doesn’t bog users down with too many options.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked Recurly’s:

• Instability. Users mentioned site downtimes and issues with the backend of the software causing frequent calls to support.
• Payment features. Reviewers said the software is difficult to use for one time and usage-based billing.

Reviewers recommended Recurly to potential users because of its breadth of features. They advised users to research other subscription management solutions if their businesses do not require Recurly’s additional functionality. Users said they were likely to recommend Recurly at a rate of 79%.

Overall, Recurly was well-received by its users. Reviewers were happy with the available features and were not discouraged by occasional bugs.

Fusebill is a subscription management and recurring billing solution for small and mid-market businesses.

Some points of interest about Fusebill in G2 Crowd’s Winter 2016 Subscription Management Grid℠ Report:

• Fusebill reviewers highlighted the product’s reporting and analytics as one of the primary reasons for switching from their prior subscription management solution.
• Reviewers reported that Fusebill benefits their billing systems by automating processes and providing real-time analytics.

Based on Fusebill user demographics and feedback:

• Most Fusebill reviewers work for small businesses (60% at companies with 50 employees or fewer).
• The largest portion of Fusebill reviewers, 67%, use the subscription management tool to charge both consumers and businesses.
• Fusebill achieved an average 86% user adoption.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked Fusebill’s:

• Automated correspondence. Reviewers appreciated options for payment confirmation emails and other customer communications. In fact, this feature was rated above the category average (90% vs. avg. 87%).
• Pricing features. Adjusting pricing for promotions and other unique situations is easy with Fusebill, according to reviewers.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked Fusebill’s:

• Reporting and analytics. Users found the reporting features to be lacking. Additionally, some users mentioned bugs with the software when generating new reports.
• Lack of integrations. Users complained about a lack of available integrations with certain accounting software.

Reviewers recommended Fusebill to potential users because of the flexibility Fusebill offers for unique billing situations. They advised users to make sure Fusebill supports all necessary payment gateways and regions. Users said they were likely to recommend Fusebill at a rate of 84%.

Overall, users found Fusebill effective in managing their subscriptions but complained that occasional bugs are troublesome.