Side-by-side comparison · 24 data points
Add subscribe and save plans to your products. Offer recurring payments, prepaid or pay-as-you-go.
| Essential Subscriptions App | Skio, a Recharge Company | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | ||
| Description | ||
| Screenshots | images | images |
| Languages | ||
| Platforms | ||
| Developer | ||
| Listed | ||
| Last updated | — | — |
| Metric | Essential Subscriptions App | Skio, a Recharge Company |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 5.0 ★ | 5.0 ★ |
| Total reviews | 7 | ★ 241 |
| Free plan | ★ Yes | — |
| Pricing | ★ Free plan available | $599/month |
| Built for Shopify | — | — |
| Pricing tiers | — | 1 tier |
| Listed features | 5 | 5 |
| Languages | 1 supported | 1 supported |
| Listed since | Apr 2026 | Apr 2021 |
Essential Subscriptions App and Skio, a Recharge Company are evenly matched on rating (5.0★ vs 5.0★) — the differentiator comes down to pricing fit, feature breadth, and which app's interaction pattern suits your team's workflow.
On pricing, Essential Subscriptions App offers a free tier (Free plan available) while Skio, a Recharge Company starts at $599/month. For early-stage teams validating fit, the free-tier path lets you run the app on real workloads before committing budget.
Skio, a Recharge Company has the larger user base (241 reviews vs 7), which usually maps to broader integration coverage, faster bug-fix cadence, and a deeper bench of community workflow patterns. Essential Subscriptions App's smaller cohort can be an advantage for niche workflows where the bigger app has accumulated bloat.
Recommended evaluation path: install both apps' free tiers (where available) and run them in parallel on a small cohort for 7-14 days before committing. The data tables below show the per-feature breakdown — for most merchants the deciding factor will be a single integration or workflow detail that's hard to compare from listing pages alone.
This verdict is generated from the live marketplace data on this page — rating, review count, pricing tier, and category position all refresh from the canonical Shopify App Store listing every 24 hours. AppRanks does not accept payment to influence comparison outcomes; the methodology is documented on the About page and applies identically to every pair on the site.
Read each app's audit: Essential Subscriptions App audit • Skio, a Recharge Company audit
| Keyword | Essential Subscriptions App | Skio, a Recharge Company |
|---|---|---|
| subscribe and save | #12 | #19 |
| subscriptions | #25 | #212 |
| ai chatbot app | #119 | #90 |
| live chat app | #135 | #102 |
| subscription form | #41 | #2031 |
Essential Subscriptions App is the cheaper option — it offers a free plan (Free plan available). Skio, a Recharge Company starts at $599/month. Both publish their pricing on the Shopify App Store; AppRanks mirrors what's listed on each refresh cycle.
Essential Subscriptions App (5.0★, 7 reviews) and Skio, a Recharge Company (5.0★, 241 reviews) are essentially tied on rating. Look at review velocity and individual reviewer quotes — both visible on each app's detail page — to differentiate.
AppRanks cannot separate these two on rating — both sit at 5.0★. Skio, a Recharge Company does carry the larger published review base (241 vs 7). Read both apps' detail pages for the feature breakdown and recent listing changes.
Both apps are one-click installs from the Shopify App Store. Skio, a Recharge Company has the deeper published review base (241 vs 7), which often — though not always — accompanies better-tested setup docs. AppRanks doesn't measure setup time directly: read the recent reviews on each app's detail page for user-reported install experience.
Essential Subscriptions App typically suits early-stage and growth-mode teams based on its published review base (7 reviews). Skio, a Recharge Company typically suits early-stage and growth-mode teams based on its published review base (241 reviews). A larger review base generally means the app has been exercised at scale — relevant if you are processing high volume or handling enterprise compliance requirements.
Migration support varies by app and category. Essential Subscriptions App and Skio, a Recharge Company both publish their export options on their marketplace listing pages (or in their support docs); some apps offer one-click import from competitors, others require CSV. The fastest check: search "import from Essential Subscriptions App" in each app's help center. AppRanks does not track migration tooling directly — this is a category-specific capability worth verifying before commitment.
