Ongoing Subscriptions
A Data-Driven Review by GetEcomTools
Offers a straightforward path to launching subscription services, enabling brands to build recurring revenue streams and enhance customer lifetime value through features like 'build-a-box'.
About Ongoing Subscriptions
Ongoing Subscriptions provides the core tools for Shopify merchants to establish recurring revenue models. Its capabilities focus on creating 'subscribe & save' options and innovative 'build-a-box' bundles, designed to i...
Rating
5/5
Reviews
70
Free Plan
No
Updated
Aug 2025
Categories
Official Links:
The GetEcomTools Verdict: Our Data-Driven Analysis
Our Take:
"Ongoing Subscriptions excels at providing an exceptionally intuitive setup for launching subscription programs, but its premium pricing model presents a significant consideration for emerging brands."
Best for:
Established brands with significant volume looking to implement sophisticated 'build-a-box' programs and who value a high-touch, managed service to maximize customer loyalty.
Key Consideration
Startups and small businesses just beginning with subscriptions, as the high entry price and transaction fees may be misaligned with their initial budget and scaling needs.
Data-Driven Performance Snapshot
Overall Performance
The platform's capabilities enable a high degree of flexibility for subscription offerings, particularly through its 'build-a-box' and bundling features. This allows merchants to move beyond simple replenishment models and create unique, loyalty-driving experiences that can significantly boost brand equity and average order value.
Core design principles support an exceptionally intuitive and straightforward setup process. This focus on usability empowers store owners to launch sophisticated subscription programs quickly, reducing technical barriers and accelerating the path to building a recurring revenue stream and fostering customer loyalty.
Based on structural elements, the app presents a notable strategic trade-off. While the platform offers powerful features, its premium pricing model introduces a significant barrier for smaller businesses, making it a point of caution for brands not aligned with its high-touch, high-cost structure.
The system's design positions it to solve key platform limitations, such as keeping customers on the native Shopify domain during checkout. This capability helps create a seamless and trustworthy purchasing journey, which is a critical component for converting shoppers and building a base of loyal, repeat customers.
Pros & Cons: Key Findings From Our Analysis
Pros
Intuitive Setup
The app is consistently praised for its simple and intuitive setup process, allowing merchants to implement subscription offerings without a steep learning curve. This ease of use is a significant advantage for store owners who want to quickly launch loyalty-building programs and begin generating recurring revenue without getting bogged down in technical complexity, empowering them to focus on brand growth.
Advanced Bundling
Core capabilities include powerful 'build-a-box' and product bundling features that go beyond simple subscriptions. This allows for creative and flexible offerings, such as curated seasonal boxes or weekly delivery services, which can significantly increase average order value. For store owners, this is a direct path to crafting a premium, retail-ready product line that drives customer engagement and loyalty.
Cons
Single-Tier Focus
The platform offers a single, high-end plan, which lacks a more accessible entry point for merchants who wish to start small or experiment with subscriptions. This 'all-or-nothing' approach, while simplifying the offering, can deter businesses that prefer to scale into more advanced features over time. This focus on the enterprise segment is a strategic positioning that prioritizes depth over breadth, potentially limiting its fit for brands seeking a gradual growth path. Before committing, ensure your business needs justify the full feature set to maximize your return on investment.
Top Alternatives to Ongoing Subscriptions (Based on Performance Data)
The Deep Dive: Full Analysis & Audited Data
A single, all-inclusive tier combines a high flat fee with variable transaction costs.
The pricing model is built for scale, not experimentation. Its high monthly entry point and all-inclusive feature set suggest a focus on established businesses that can immediately leverage advanced tools like API access and an account manager. This structure is ideal for high-volume brands seeking a premium, managed solution to optimize and grow an existing subscription revenue stream, rather than for those just starting out.
Monthly
$599.00
/ monthly
Usage & Quotas
0
/ month+ $0.01 / extra unit
0
/ month+ $0.20 / extra unit
Key Features
- Advanced Analytics
- Subscription Bundles
- Pack Size Discounts
- Subscriber Portal
- Upsells
- API & Sandbox
- Migrations
- Account Manager
- 24/7 Support
1.What is Ongoing Subscriptions primarily used for?
Ongoing Subscriptions enables Shopify stores to create powerful recurring revenue streams. It provides the tools to launch 'subscribe and save' options, product bundles, and 'build-a-box' programs to increase customer lifetime value and foster loyalty. You can see all capabilities in the list of features.
2.Is Ongoing Subscriptions easy to set up?
Yes, the app is designed for an exceptionally simple and fast setup process. Merchants consistently praise its user-friendly interface, which allows you to launch a complete subscription program in minutes, not days. This focus on an intuitive setup is a core strength.
3.How does the 'subscribe and save' feature work?
The 'subscribe and save' feature lets you offer discounts to customers who sign up for recurring deliveries of your products. It fully automates the recurring billing and order scheduling process, creating a predictable revenue stream for your store and convenience for your customers. This is a key part of the app's audited features.
4.What is included in the Ongoing Subscriptions pricing plan?
The plan is an all-inclusive package designed for scaling brands, providing access to every feature from day one. This includes advanced tools like 'build-a-box', a subscriber portal, API access, and a dedicated account manager to maximize your growth. The complete pricing analysis details the value for high-volume stores.
5.Is the Ongoing pricing model a good value for established stores in 2025?
Yes, the pricing model offers excellent value for established, high-volume brands that can leverage its full suite of premium features. The structure combines a flat fee with a transaction percentage, trading a low entry cost for powerful, managed tools designed for optimization and scale. This trade-off is detailed in the pricing analysis.
6.Does Ongoing Subscriptions work with Shopify?
Yes, Ongoing Subscriptions is built specifically for Shopify and integrates deeply with the platform. A key benefit is its ability to keep customers on your store's domain throughout the entire checkout process, which creates a seamless and trustworthy buying journey. This is a core component of its excellent checkout integration.
7.How can I use Ongoing to increase my store's average order value (AOV)?
You can significantly increase AOV by using the 'build-a-box' and product bundling features. These tools encourage customers to purchase multiple items at once by offering 'Bundle & Save' incentives, which boosts order size and improves your unit economics. You can find more strategies in the merchant playbooks.
8.What's the best way to use Ongoing Subscriptions to increase customer loyalty in 2025?
The best way to build loyalty is by offering flexible and convenient subscription options that make customers' lives easier. Use the app to create replenishment subscriptions for everyday items or unique curated boxes that provide exclusive value. The app's advanced bundling features are perfect for crafting these loyalty-driving experiences.
9.How does Ongoing help me manage failed subscription payments?
Ongoing automates the entire process of recapturing failed payments. It includes a pre-built suite of automated emails that notify customers of billing issues and prompt them to update their payment information, which helps reduce churn and protect your recurring revenue without any manual effort. This is a core part of its audited features.
10.How quickly can I launch a subscription program with Ongoing?
You can launch your subscription program remarkably fast, often within minutes. The app is celebrated for its intuitive setup and straightforward process, backed by a 5.0-star rating. If you do need assistance, personalized support is available to guide you through and get you live even faster.
11.What kind of support is available if I need help?
Ongoing provides exceptional, personalized customer support. Users frequently highlight the responsiveness and expertise of the support team, who are available to help with everything from initial setup to custom requests. This high-touch support is a key reason for its perfect 5.0 rating across over 120 reviews.
12.What data does Ongoing Subscriptions access from my store?
The app accesses only the data essential for managing subscriptions, such as customer information, order details, and product information. This data is used exclusively to power the recurring billing and order fulfillment process, ensuring a secure and functional experience for you and your subscribers.
13.How to set up a 'build a box' for my Shopify store in 2025?
Ongoing provides a flagship 'Build your own bundle' feature that makes this simple. You can allow shoppers to mix and match various products into a single subscription order, a proven strategy to increase average order value. This powerful capability is a form of advanced bundling that sets your store apart.
14.What are the best strategies for a seasonal subscription box using Ongoing?
Ongoing is ideal for creating unique seasonal or curated boxes beyond simple refills. You can use its flexible subscription models to offer limited-time collections, like for seasonal candles or weekly local deliveries, which creates excitement and drives sales. This flexibility is a key aspect of its high rating for subscription model flexibility.
15.Can I use Ongoing to offer discounts for subscription frequency?
Yes, you can absolutely offer discounts based on subscription frequency. The app allows you to create incentives like 'subscribe for 3 months and get 15% off', which encourages longer commitments from customers and improves retention rates. This is one of several discount tools available in the audited features.
16.How does Ongoing's checkout process improve customer trust?
Ongoing improves trust by keeping customers on your store's native domain for the entire subscription checkout. This avoids redirecting them to an unfamiliar page, creating a more professional and secure experience that boosts conversion rates. This seamless checkout integration is a significant advantage.