Subbly vs WooCommerce
We give Subbly a 1.8 GPA and WooCommerce a 2.2, out of 4.0. Subbly grades higher on ease of use. WooCommerce grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Subbly
Store and subscription platform for subscription-box businesses
WooCommerce
Free, open-source store plugin for WordPress that you host yourself
How we grade them
| 1.8GPASubblyWeak | 2.2GPAWooCommerceFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DIt's a narrower thing, so we grade it against its listed alternatives: Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Squarespace and Wix. The Subbly plan is $51 a month on yearly billing ($69 monthly), the dearest start of that lot, and Subbly adds 1% + 12¢ to each Stripe sale, 1.25% on other gateways. | CThe plugin is free, but a store needs hosting, which Woo puts at $25 to $350 a month, plus paid extensions at $29 to $299 a year each. So call it $25 a month and up, the ordinary middle here. Woo takes no fee on sales, whichever payment provider you use. |
| Free plan and trial | DNo free plan. The 14-day trial comes with $50 of agent credits, then rolls straight onto the paid Subbly plan unless you cancel, so you have to remember to stop it if it isn't for you. | BThe whole plugin is free and open source, with unlimited products and orders and no revenue share, so one person could run a shop on it for years. It isn't an A because a live store can't run without paid hosting. |
| Features | CIt does the subscription job fully: a checkout for boxes and build-a-box, a portal where subscribers skip or pause, bulk shipping labels, churn and MRR reports, and free migration. That's a smaller job than a general store, and the entry plan stops at 500 inventory items. | CProducts, carts, checkout and orders are all in the free core, any payment provider works, and the app takes payments in person. But a lot sits in extensions, many of them paid, and shipping labels come through outside services such as ShipStation or Shippo. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. The AI agent builds pages from a written request and everyday edits are included, but Subbly itself puts a first full store at about $100 to $250 in credits, so the setup costs work or money. | DYou host it yourself: WordPress, a web host, and updates, backups and security on you or your host. The phone app's 4.75 from about 7,800 App Store ratings is for running orders once the store is up, not for getting it up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, and Stripe is the one named connection. What lifts it is the developer side: APIs, an SDK and an MCP server, so other tools and AI assistants can plug in. No phone or desktop app. | BWeb, plus a free iPhone and Android app, with Stripe, ShipStation, Shippo, Easyship, Klaviyo, Google, TikTok and Pinterest, and no cap on API use. No desktop app, so B is the ceiling. |
| Best for | subscription boxes and meal kits | adding a store to a WordPress site |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Subbly and WooCommerce. How we grade
Where they differ
- WooCommerce has a free plan. Subbly does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only WooCommerce lists iOS and Android apps.
- WooCommerce is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Subbly also covers AI agents, inventory and shipping labels.
At a glance
| Subbly | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $51 per month, billed yearly ($69 billed monthly) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | The WooCommerce plugin is free and open source, with unlimited products and orders and no revenue share. Hosting, paid extensions and payment processing cost extra. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial with $50 of agent credits; it then moves to the Subbly plan unless cancelled | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Subbly | WooCommerce, Inc. |
| Price read from | subbly.co | woocommerce.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Subbly
- Subscription-box, meal-kit and replenishment businesses
- Founders who want an AI agent to build and edit the store
- Brands moving subscribers from another platform without losing payment tokens
WooCommerce
- WordPress sites that want to add a store
- Sellers who want to own their code and data and pick their own host
- Developers and agencies building custom stores for clients
Worth knowing
Subbly
- Subbly takes 1% + 12¢ of each Stripe transaction, or 1.25% on other gateways, on top of the payment provider's own processing fees.
- Larger agent work is paid in credits beyond the included usage; Subbly estimates $10 to $50 for a new page.
- The Subbly plan allows 1 team member and 500 inventory items; Max raises this to 5 members and 750 items.
- There is no free plan; after the 14-day trial the account moves to the paid Subbly plan unless cancelled.
WooCommerce
- You need WordPress and web hosting from a provider you choose; Woo puts hosting for most stores at $25 to $350 a month.
- Many features come as paid extensions, which Woo says cost $29 to $299 a year each.
- Card fees depend on the processor; Woo gives about 2.5% to 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction for its own WooPayments.
- Because the store runs on your own hosting, updates, backups and security fall to you or your host.
Key features
Subbly
- AI agent that builds the store
- Describe a page, checkout or flow and the agent builds it. Everyday edits are included; Subbly puts a first full store at about $100 to $250 in credits.
- Subscription checkout and offers
- Sell subscriptions, bundles, build-a-box, gift cards and one-off products through a branded checkout with your own plans, steps, gifting and upsells.
- Self-serve customer portal
- Subscribers skip, swap, pause and upgrade on their own, in a portal laid out the way you choose.
- Orders, shipping and stock
- Filter orders, then change ship dates, mark them shipped or create shipping labels in bulk without exporting, and track inventory items.
- Subscription analytics and retention
- Reports on MRR, churn, lifetime value and predicted churn, plus funnels, cart recovery, save offers and automated messages.
- APIs and free migration
- Developers get APIs, an SDK and an MCP server, and Subbly moves stores from other platforms for free, subscribers and payment tokens included.
WooCommerce
- Open-source WordPress plugin
- Adds a store to a WordPress site. The code is open source, so the store can be changed freely, and products, orders and API use are not capped.
- Any payment provider
- Use Woo's own WooPayments or any other gateway or buy-now-pay-later service, run several at once, and pay no extra fee to Woo for using a third-party processor.
- Extensions and themes
- Hundreds of extensions and themes in Woo's marketplace add features such as subscriptions, wholesale pricing and marketing tools, many of them paid.
- Shipping integrations
- Live carrier rates, label printing, tracking and returns come through integrations such as ShipStation, Shippo and Easyship, which are free to download.
- Mobile app and in-person sales
- The free WooCommerce app for iOS and Android manages products and orders and takes payments in person with Tap to Pay or a Woo card reader.
Plans
Subbly
Subbly$51
per month, billed yearly ($69 billed monthly)
1 team member, 500 inventory items, 100 automations and everyday agent use. Subbly takes 1% + 12¢ per transaction on Stripe, 1.25% on other gateways.
Max$111
per month, billed yearly ($149 billed monthly)
5 team members, 750 inventory items, 200 automations, 15 times the agent usage and the most capable model, with the same transaction fees.
Subbly X$499
per month and up
A dedicated account manager, a shared Slack channel, engineers who build custom features, and unlimited team and inventory; fees from 0.25% by volume.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce$0
The free, open-source WordPress plugin, which you host yourself on a provider you choose. No monthly subscription, platform fee or revenue share.
Ways to pay less
Subbly
- Annual discount
Pay yearly to get 3 months free
Subbly costs $621 a year ($51 a month) against $69 billed monthly, and Max $1,341 a year ($111 a month) against $149.
- Other savings
6 months free when you switch, until 31 December
Stores that move to Subbly from another platform before 31 December get 6 months free, with migration included at no charge.
WooCommerce
No public discounts listed.
