Subscription billing software pricing for a US small business is a combination of per-transaction platform fees (0.4% to 1.5% of revenue depending on vendor), a per-transaction payment-processor fee on top (typically 2.9% + $0.30 for US Stripe / Braintree), plus optional monthly platform fees on higher tiers ($250-$1,500/month) that bundle revenue recognition, multi-currency, and the customer-portal customization.
At $10K monthly recurring revenue, the realistic monthly cost runs $270-$400 across vendors; at $100K MRR, the same per-transaction fees give $2,700-$4,000.
For a SaaS operator that scales with MRR, the right pricing tier shifts with volume.
Run a quick stress-test: a SaaS operator running $40K MRR across 800 subscribers at $50/month each on Stripe Billing at 0.7% (plus Stripe’s 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction).
The platform fee is 0.7% of $40K = $280/month.
The processor fee is 800 x ($0.30 + 2.9% x $50) = 800 x ($0.30 + $1.45) = 800 x $1.75 = $1,400/month.
Total: ~$1,680/month. Compare to Chargebee at 0.7% of $40K + Stripe processor fees = $280 + $1,400 = $1,680/month.
The platform fees converge; the differentiator is features.
Subscription billing software pricing is per-transaction platform fee (0.4%-1.5% of revenue by vendor and tier) plus the underlying payment processor’s per-transaction fee (2.9% + $0.30 for US Stripe / Braintree). At $40K MRR, the realistic total runs ~$1,680/month across vendors; at $100K MRR, ~$4,200/month.
Key facts: Stripe Billing is 0.7% of revenue on the standard tier (drops to 0.4% for revenue above $1M).
Chargebee is tiered: 0.75% on Starter, 1.0% on Performance, 1.5% on Enterprise (each with revenue cap).
Recurly is tiered: 0.9% on Starter, 1.2% on Professional, 1.4% on Enterprise (each with subscriber cap).
Paddle is merchant of record at 5% + $0.50 per transaction.
Maxio is $1.5K-$5K/month plus per-subscriber fee, focused on mid-market SaaS.
The platform fee is on top of Stripe / Braintree’s underlying payment-processor fees (2.9% + $0.30 US).
At $40K MRR with 800 subscribers at $50/month: Stripe Billing at 0.7% = $280/month platform + $1,400/month processor = $1,680/month total.
Chargebee Performance at 1.0% = $400/month platform + $1,400/month processor = $1,800/month total.
Recurly Professional at 1.2% = $480/month platform + $1,400/month processor = $1,880/month total.
The cheapest at this volume is Stripe Billing; the most feature-rich is Chargebee or Recurly depending on use case.
The cost structure explained
Every subscription billing platform structures fees around a per-transaction percentage of revenue, then optional monthly platform fees and add-on modules above a baseline.
Per-transaction platform fee. A percentage of revenue that varies by vendor tier.
Stripe Billing drops from 0.7% (below $1M revenue) to 0.4% (above $1M).
Chargebee drops from 1.0% (Performance tier, below $100K) to 0.75% (Starter tier, below $10K) and up to 1.5% (Enterprise).
Recurly drops from 1.2% to 0.9% to 1.4% across Starter / Professional / Enterprise.
Paddle charges a flat 5% + $0.50 per transaction regardless of revenue.
Underlying payment processor fee. The processor fee (Stripe / Braintree / Adyen) is unchanged regardless of which billing platform sits on top. For US transactions: 2.9% + $0.30 (Stripe), 2.89% + $0.49 (Braintree), or the Adyen processing-fee model. This is the dominant cost for a SaaS at any MRR above ~$2K.
Monthly platform fee (higher tiers only). Stripe Billing has no monthly fee on the standard tier; Chargebee Performance, Enterprise, and Recurly Professional / Enterprise tiers charge $250-$1,500/month on top. The monthly fee unlocks features like multi-currency, custom domains, advanced fraud, dedicated support.
Add-on modules. Revenue recognition (Stripe Revenue Recognition, Maxio) is a separate add-on, typically $0.50-$2K/month. Sales tax automation (Stripe Tax, TaxJar) is $0.50/month minimum. Customer-portal customization is on higher tiers. The bundle pricing beats paying for each module separately.
The per-plan breakdown at published rates, October 2026
The numbers below come from each vendor’s published pricing page as of October 2026.
| Provider / Plan | Platform fee | Monthly fee | Revenue cap (above which next tier) | Year 1 at $40K MRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe Billing standard | 0.7% | $0 | $1M MRR (after which 0.4%) | $20,160 (incl. Stripe processor fees) |
| Stripe Billing enterprise (above $1M) | 0.4% | $0 | Custom above | Lower (0.4% on revenue above $1M) |
| Chargebee Starter | 0.75% | $0 | $10K MRR (after which Performance) | Below tier; see next row |
| Chargebee Performance | 1.0% | $0 (revenue-based fee only) | $100K MRR (after which Enterprise) | $21,600 (platform $4,800 + processor $16,800) |
| Chargebee Enterprise | 1.5% (dropping to 0.6% above $1M MRR) | $0 | $1M MRR (custom) | Custom |
| Recurly Starter | 0.9% | $0 (revenue-based fee only) | $25K MRR (after which Professional) | Below tier |
| Recurly Professional | 1.2% | $0 | $100K MRR (after which Elite) | $22,560 (platform $5,760 + processor $16,800) |
| Recurly Elite | 1.4% (dropping to 0.6% above $1M MRR) | $0 | $1M MRR (custom) | Custom |
| Paddle (merchant of record) | 5% + $0.50 | $0 | No cap | $30,800 (5% of $480K + 800 x $0.50) |
| Maxio (formerly SaaSOptics) | Custom | $1.5K-$5K | N/A | Custom ($18K-$60K/year) |
The right tier for a SaaS operator depends on MRR, contract complexity, and whether the operator wants revenue recognition bundled or separate. For the practical comparison on features vs price at each volume, the Stripe Billing vs Chargebee vs Recurly page covers the tradeoffs.
What your effective bill looks like at each MRR tier
Three realistic profiles for a US SaaS operator.
$5K MRR: pre-product-market-fit SaaS, 100 subscribers at $50/month. Stripe Billing at 0.7% = $35/month platform + $175/month processor fee = $210/month total. Chargebee Starter at 0.75% (under $10K MRR tier) = $37.50/month platform + $175/month processor = $212/month total. Recurly Starter at 0.9% = $45/month + $175 = $220/month. Paddle at 5% = $250/month + $50 = $300/month. Stripe Billing is cheapest at this MRR.
$40K MRR: Series A SaaS, 800 subscribers at $50/month. Stripe Billing = $280/month platform + $1,400/month processor = $1,680/month total. Chargebee Performance = $400/month platform + $1,400/month processor = $1,800/month total. Recurly Professional = $480/month platform + $1,400/month processor = $1,880/month total. Stripe Billing is cheapest; Chargebee Performance is the middle with the deepest feature set.
$200K MRR: growth-stage SaaS, 4,000 subscribers at $50/month. Stripe Billing at 0.4% (post-$1M revenue cap doesn’t quite hit at $200K x 12 = $2.4M annual revenue above $1M threshold so 0.4% applies on the portion above $1M) = $1,100/month platform + $7,000/month processor = $8,100/month total.
Chargebee Enterprise at 1.5% on $200K = $3,000/month + $7,000/month processor = $10,000/month total.
The custom pricing kicks in at this MRR; verify with sales.
Sales tax, VAT, and revenue recognition add-ons
Three modules that often come separately and change the cost math.
Sales tax automation. Stripe Tax, TaxJar, and Avalara handle US sales tax calculation and filing. Stripe Tax is $0.50/month minimum + 0.5% of tax-processed revenue. TaxJar Starter is $19/month for basic state filing; Avalara starts at $200/month with broader coverage. For a SaaS operator selling in 20+ US states, the sales tax automation saves ~$500-$1,000/month in accounting time.
EU VAT automation. Stripe Tax and TaxJar handle EU VAT (One-Stop-Shop registration, calculation, filing). For a SaaS operator selling in the EU, the OSS registration + VAT automation is the right answer; doing it manually is 30+ hours/quarter.
Revenue recognition (ASC 606). Stripe Revenue Recognition (formerly Stripe Sigma Revenue), Maxio (formerly SaaSOptics), Chargebee’s accounting export. Stripe Revenue Recognition: $0.50/month minimum + 0.25% of revenue. Maxio: $1.5K-$5K/month, with a per-subscriber fee. Chargebee’s accounting export is included in Performance and above. For a SaaS operator with 200+ subscribers or annual contracts above 60% of revenue, revenue-recognition automation pays for itself.
The honest traps that change the cost equation
Three common surprises at pricing-page evaluation.
Trap 1: revenue-percentage caps vs flat fees. Stripe Billing’s 0.7% is the percentage of revenue the platform takes; Chargebee and Recurly have revenue caps above which the operator moves to the next tier. At $40K MRR, an operator on Chargebee Performance moves to Enterprise at $100K MRR; the operator’s flat-fee structure shifts.
Trap 2: subscription volume vs transaction volume. The per-subscriber fee (some Recurly tiers, Maxio) is per subscriber, not per transaction. A SaaS with 1,000 active subscribers pays the per-subscriber fee on all 1,000, not just on the 100 who churn-and-resubscribe. Verify the basis before committing.
Trap 3: add-on module additivity. Stripe Tax + Stripe Revenue Recognition + Stripe Sigma on top of Stripe Billing stacks. For a SaaS operator with all three at $40K MRR, the add-ons add $200-$300/month. Verify what is bundled in the higher monthly-fee tier before buying add-ons separately.
Pick the plan that matches your MRR and contract complexity
Pick Stripe Billing standard tier if you’re under $1M annual revenue, run a SaaS that does not need quote-to-cash or complex multi-element contracts, and want the cheapest US SaaS subscription billing.
Pick Chargebee Performance / Enterprise if you need quote-to-cash, hosted pages, advanced revenue recognition, multi-currency, or B2B subscription complexity.
Pick Recurly Professional / Elite if you’re a DTC subscription box operator at $40K+ monthly volume and need churn analytics for fine-tuning the customer journey.
Pick Paddle (merchant of record) if you sell globally and want to outsource tax compliance to the MoR; trade away margin for compliance simplicity.
Pick Maxio if your SaaS has $1M+ annual revenue, complex ASC 606 needs, and a finance team that needs audited reporting.
For the structural distinction between subscription billing and recurring payments and when each fits, the subscription billing vs recurring payments page covers the distinction.
For the practical 3-way comparison of Stripe Billing, Chargebee, and Recurly on tier and features, the Stripe Billing vs Chargebee vs Recurly page runs the comparison.
For the broader vendor coverage (Paddle, Maxio, Square Subscriptions, Pabbly) at each volume tier, the best subscription billing software for small business comparison covers the math.
For the broader entity definition of what subscription billing is end-to-end (the lifecycle, not just the fee math), the what is subscription billing page covers the operational setup. For the per-transaction fee math at the payment-processor layer that subscription billing inherits, the payment processing fees explained page runs the math at each processor tier.
Last updated: October 2026
