If you operate a store using WooCommerce, you already know how powerful one-time sales can be. But have you considered turning your store into a recurring-revenue machine?
That’s exactly what a solid WooCommerce subscription plugin does — it handles recurring payments, renewals, and retention without you manually chasing invoices.
Subscription-based businesses are booming: according to the Zuora Subscription Economy Index, they’ve grown significantly faster than the S&P 500 over the past decade.
Subscriptions offer predictable income, deeper customer relationships, and better lifetime value. In short, smart store owners are embracing recurring business models.
Yet managing subscriptions manually is tough.
Without the right tool, you’ll struggle with failed payments, subscriber churn, and administrative bottlenecks.
That’s why choosing the best subscription plugin for WooCommerce is critical.
In this blog, we’ll explore the 5 best WooCommerce subscription plugins in 2025: comparing features, pros, cons, and pricing, so you can pick what fits your business.
Reward your subscribers with loyalty points on every renewal using WPLoyalty — increase customer retention and grow recurring revenue effortlessly.
What is a WooCommerce Subscription Plugin?
A WooCommerce subscription plugin is a tool that enables your WooCommerce store to sell products or services on a recurring schedule (e.g., weekly, monthly, yearly) rather than just once.
It handles the auto-billing, renewal management, and gives your customers self-service tools (pause, cancel, upgrade) while freeing you from manual renewal follow-ups.
In effect, a subscription plugin turns what would be one-off sales into lifetime relationships, helping you generate predictable, recurring revenue instead of chasing new customers every time.
For example, you could set up a physical box that ships monthly, a digital membership service, or a software access plan, and the plugin takes care of payment processing, notifications, and subscription status changes.
Why Every WooCommerce Store Should Consider Subscriptions?
Turning your store into a subscription-friendly platform brings numerous advantages:
- Predictable Revenue Stream: With recurring payments, you know what’s coming next.
- Better Customer Retention: Subscribers tend to stick around longer than one-time buyers.
- Upsell and Membership Opportunities: You can layer in membership access, exclusive content, or loyalty perks.
- Reduced Acquisition Pressure: Instead of constantly finding new customers, you deepen value from existing ones.
- Scaling Efficiency: Automating billing and renewals means less manual work and fewer errors.
If you’re ready to move beyond “buy this once” and into “sign up for ongoing value,” then a smart subscription setup is a great step.
How a WooCommerce Subscription Plugin Works?
A WooCommerce subscription plugin automates recurring billing and subscription management — meaning once you configure it, much of the heavy lifting is done. Here’s a typical workflow:
- Create a subscription product – You define billing intervals (monthly, yearly), optional trial periods, or signup fees.
- Customer subscribes – They checkout like a regular purchase, but the plugin stores a payment token and sets the renewal schedule.
- Automatic renewals – On each renewal date, the plugin charges the payment method, creates an order, and notifies the customer.
- Customer self-service – From their account, they can pause, cancel, upgrade/downgrade plans.
- Admin tracking and analytics – You monitor active subscriptions, renewal revenue, churn, and other metrics.
This workflow turns one-time shoppers into longer-term subscribers with minimal manual intervention from you.
Turn subscription customers into repeat buyers with WPLoyalty’s rewards and referral programs — boost engagement and reduce churn with ease.
5 Best WooCommerce subscription plugins
Here are five standout subscription plugins for WooCommerce (with detailed overviews and feature lists), showing you what makes each unique.
1. WooCommerce Subscriptions (by WooCommerce)
WooCommerce Subscriptions is the flagship subscription extension created by the WooCommerce team itself.
It offers a robust suite of tools for selling both simple and variable subscription products, managing billing schedules, and automating renewals.
Because it’s developed by WooCommerce, you’ll find deep compatibility with the core platform and reliable updates. If you’re looking for a fully featured reference subscription solution for your store, this plugin is a top choice.
Key Features:
- Allow customers to purchase multiple subscriptions in the same transaction and manage them.
- Support for simple and variable subscription products, with billing periods like weekly, monthly, yearly.
- Customer self-management: pause, cancel, upgrade/downgrade from My Account.
- Automatic renewal processing & gateway support for multiple payment methods.
- Analytics & subscriber tracking: view how many subs, when they will renew, revenue forecasts.
Pros: Deep WooCommerce integration, highly reliable for large stores.
Cons: Premium cost (hundreds of dollars per year); some users report it takes time to master all features.
Best For: Medium to large WooCommerce stores needing a mature subscription solution.
Pricing: US$279/year for a single site.
Also Read:
How Do You Create a Loyalty Program in WooCommerce?
2. YITH WooCommerce Subscription
YITH WooCommerce Subscription is built by the YITH team and is designed for merchants who want flexible subscription plans including boxes, digital services, and physical goods.
It supports trials, sign-up fees and variable plans.
While it may require a little more setup than some beginner-friendly plugins, it offers strong value and flexibility.
Key Features:
- Create subscriptions for simple, variable or grouped products.
- Free trial period and optional sign-up fee options.
- Advanced configuration for subscription boxes, product bundles, and renewals.
- Custom renewal schedules (monthly, weekly, yearly) and synchronized payments.
- Customer subscription management: pause, cancel or change plans.
Pros: Good for versatile subscription models; brand reliability.
Cons: Premium price higher; free version has limited features.
Best For: Stores offering subscription boxes, curated goods or tiered plans.
Pricing: US$199.99/year for full version.
3. Subscriptions for WooCommerce by WebToffee
WebToffee’s Subscriptions for WooCommerce is a solid mid-range option offering both simple and variable subscriptions with key features like free trials, sign-up fees, renewal discounts and payment gateway support.
It presents a good value for money and is well suited for stores that want a reliable plugin without the highest price tag of the flagship option.
Key Features:
- Support for both simple and variable subscription products.
- Free trials, signup fees, billing intervals customization.
- Renewal discounts (fixed or percentage) and synchronized renewals.
- Stripe & PayPal integrations for recurring payments.
- Customer dashboard for subscription management and status.
Pros: Good balance of features and affordability.
Cons: Lacks some of the ultra-advanced features of the flagship plugin.
Best For: Intermediate stores wanting a strong subscription system without premium cost.
Pricing: It offers plugin bundles and cost of each bundle varies based on the selection. It costs between US$59 to US$89.
4. SUMO Subscriptions
SUMO Subscriptions is a feature-rich plugin focused on versatility, supporting simple, variable and grouped product subscriptions.
It appeals to stores building custom subscription models, memberships plus recurring orders, or selling subscription boxes.
Its interface may require more setup, but the flexibility is strong.
Key Features:
- Sell simple, variable and grouped subscription products.
- Free trial and paid trial options; sign-up fees; customizable renewal frequency.
- Multiple payment gateways, including Stripe, PayPal, and support for reward-points integration.
- Subscription synchronization to specific dates; prorated charges.
- Refreshing analytics and subscription logs for detailed insight.
Pros: Excellent flexibility for creative models.
Cons: Slightly steeper learning curve for beginners; no large free version.
Best For: Stores with complex subscription models or scaling membership + subscription combos.
Pricing: US$49/year for base license.
5. Subscriptions for WooCommerce by WP Swings
WP Swings’ Subscriptions for WooCommerce is a plugin built to support subscription-based services for both small and mid-sized businesses.
It includes essentials like free trial periods, multiple billing schedules, payment retry mechanisms, and compatibility with membership plugins.
It’s a good pick when you want a plugin that supports subscriptions and memberships in tandem.
Key Features:
- Offer recurring services (digital or physical) with monthly, yearly billing and free trials.
- Payment gateway integrations (Stripe, PayPal, etc.) and automatic retry for failed payments.
- Subscription product flexibility (simple or variable), subscription expiry and renewal controls.
- Integration with membership tools and other marketing plugins.
- Customer self-service for subscriptions: cancel, pause, switch plans.
Pros: Good support and feature set for its price; free version available.
Cons: Free version may be limited; you might need Pro for full advanced features.
Best For: Small businesses, digital services, course creators, membership sites.
Pricing: US$129/year or free version to test.
Key Features to Look For in the Best WooCommerce Subscription Plugin
Before you choose a plugin, make sure it covers these essentials:
- Recurring Billing & Payment Gateway Support: Must support Stripe, PayPal, etc., and handle renewals automatically.
- Flexible Subscription Plans: Monthly/annual intervals, trials, signup fees, variable products.
- Customer Self-Management: Allow customers to manage their subscriptions, upgrade, pause, cancel.
- Analytics & Reporting: Track active subs, churn rate, renewal revenue, and subscribers’ behaviours.
- Integration & Compatibility: Works with your memberships plugin, discount tools, loyalty systems.
- Scalability & Support: Good documentation, active updates, and reliable support.
If a plugin doesn’t check these boxes, you might face headaches later on.
How to Choose the Best WooCommerce Subscription Plugin?
Choosing the right subscription plugin for WooCommerce depends on your business size, subscription model and budget.
Use this checklist:
- Does it support your billing model? (Weekly, monthly, yearly, variable)
- Does it support multiple payment gateways and automatic renewals?
- Does it offer customer self-service (pause, cancel, upgrade)?
- Can you track metrics: churn rate, renewal revenue, active subs?
- Is it compatible with your other tools (membership plugins, discount tools, loyalty programs)?
- Can it scale as you grow, without hidden costs or limits?
- What’s the total cost, including add-ons, upgrades and support?
By comparing these factors across your options, you’ll be well placed to pick the best subscription plugin for WooCommerce for your store.
Troubleshooting Common Subscription Plugin Issues
Even with a top-quality subscription plugin, you might face hiccups. Here are common issues and how to resolve them:
- Failed or missed renewals: Check payment gateway settings, webhooks, and ensure your plugin handles retries.
- Renewal notifications not sent: Ensure your site’s email system is working (SMTP settings), and that the plugin’s email templates are active.
- Subscription status not updating: This can happen if caching or outdated versions interfere, clear caches, update everything.
- Plugin conflicts: Test on staging, deactivate other extensions temporarily, especially “cart/checkout” or “order” modifying plugins.
- Customers can’t manage subscriptions: Make sure the “My Account -> Subscriptions” endpoint is enabled, and permissions are set correctly.
- Slow checkout or doubled-billing: Disable redundant checkout plugins, test multiple purchase flows, and ensure subscriptions are configured correctly.
A proactive testing routine (especially when launching new subscription products) and regular monitoring will help you minimize disruptions and maintain customer trust.
Also Read:
How to Boost Sales by Implementing a Customer Loyalty Program?
Advanced Tips to Maximize Your Subscription Program
Once your subscription plugin is up and running, here are strategies to boost its performance:
- Offer a free trial or discounted first period – this reduces friction and boosts signup conversions.
- Use tiered subscription plans (e.g., Basic, Pro, Premium) to cater to different budgets and increase upgrade paths.
- Combine subscriptions with memberships – offer subscribers exclusive content, community access or loyalty perks for better retention.
- Reward subscriber loyalty – give bonuses like freebies or points after certain renewal milestones to reduce churn.
- Recover failed payments – choose a plugin that retries failed charges automatically and notify users proactively.
- Promote via multiple channels – include subscription offers on your homepage, thank-you pages, email campaigns, and social media.
- Monitor key metrics – track active subscribers, renewal rate, churn rate, average revenue per subscriber, and use this data to refine your offer.
By treating your subscription model as a strategic business channel (not just another product) you can build sustainable revenue and deeper customer relationships.
Combine your subscription plans with WPLoyalty’s powerful loyalty program, offer exclusive perks to subscribers and build long-term brand loyalty.
Conclusion
A WooCommerce subscription plugin can transform your online store into a recurring-revenue engine.
Whether you’re selling digital content, membership access, or product boxes, the right plugin will help you automate renewals, reduce churn, and predict your cash flow.
From our list above, if you’re building a serious subscription business and need mature features, WooCommerce Subscriptions is a strong choice.
For mid-sized stores focusing on balance of cost and capability, WebToffee or WP Swings may be ideal. If you’re experimenting or launching on a budget, SUMO Subscriptions or YITH might meet your needs.
The key is not just to pick a plugin, but to plan your subscription offer, analyze your metrics and treat it as an ongoing business asset.
Choose wisely, test thoroughly, and leverage your subscription model for sustained growth.
Also Read:
5 Best WooCommerce Referral Plugins in 2025
How to Setup Refer a Friend Program in WooCommerce?
Frequently Asked Question
No. By default, WooCommerce only handles one-time purchases.
To offer recurring payments, you need a subscription extension like one of the plugins mentioned above.
A subscription plugin manages recurring billing and renewal for products or services.
A membership plugin manages access to content or tiers (but may rely on a subscription plugin for billing). Both can work together.
Yes. Most top-subscription plugins support multiple billing intervals (monthly, yearly, weekly) and even variable products with tiered plans.
If configured correctly, the plugin reduces manual tasks like billing reminders, renewals and cancellations.
However, you still need to monitor metrics, optimize plans and manage your subscriber community.
Ensure the plugin supports your payment gateways, multiple currencies or languages (if needed), automatic renewal retries, and integrates with membership or loyalty plugins to boost retention.
