Compare / Zendra vs Subi Subscriptions
Subscriptions can’t do a membership app’s job.
Subi is built around subscription contracts, boxes, and bundles. Zendra is substantially better for member experience: stronger access, commerce, accounts, lifecycle, community, and no transaction fees.
4.9 ★
App Store rating
0%
transaction fees
75
active members free
Membership decision
membership vs. subscriptions
access first
Status changes access
Protected commerce, content, perks, lifecycle, and community
→ Zendra
billing first
Contracts stay flexible
Bundles, boxes, prepaid plans, swaps, and portal controls
→ Subi
Subi’s best area is recurring-product flexibility, not membership access.
Both support membership billing
•
Subi goes deeper on recurring products
•
Zendra charges no transaction fees
01.
The short answer
Start with your program’s
center of gravity.
The recurring object decides the product: customer status belongs in Zendra; product delivery belongs in a subscription engine.
Zendra
Membership-first
Choose Zendra whenever membership is the product.
⏺
Access, status, content, protected products, shipping, or Discord are part of what people join for.
⏺
You want membership-specific lifecycle email, churn-risk detection, tags, segments, and Flow.
⏺
A percentage fee on recurring membership revenue doesn’t fit the model.
Subi
billing led
Choose Subi only when boxes, bundles, or delivery contracts lead.
⏺
Bundles, boxes, prepaid terms, billing controls, and delivery controls define the program.
⏺
Customers need a portal built around managing upcoming deliveries.
⏺
Its templates, analytics, and subscription onboarding are more important than deeper access rules.
Our verdict
Zendra is the clear choice for memberships. Subi is a subscription tool that can attach perks, but it brings a subscription-first experience and a percentage fee to a job Zendra handles more cleanly.
02.
Where they diverge
Three questions reveal the
real difference.
Both apps support recurring billing. Zendra goes much further on membership; Subi goes deeper on delivery contracts.
i / object
What repeats?
With Zendra, the relationship repeats. With Subi, the product contract and its delivery rules usually repeat.
ii / fee
Does software take a revenue share?
Zendra charges no transaction fees. Subi’s paid plans advertise fees from 1.6% down to 0.8% per subscription transaction.
iii / access
How much should status control?
Zendra connects status to checkout, email, content, shipping, accounts, automation, and Discord. Subi emphasizes billing.
03.
Side by side
Compare capabilities shaping
member experience.
Subi tries to support membership perks. Zendra is built to make membership status useful everywhere it matters.
Core model
Membership plans with native perks, access controls, billing, and lifecycle.
Subscriptions, bundles, boxes, loyalty, and membership management.
Content access
Gate Shopify content and release it relative to each member’s join date.
The public product doesn’t have granular content protection as a core capability.
Protected commerce
Hide products or enforce member-only purchase at cart and checkout.
Limited membership perks exist, but product visibility and checkout enforcement aren’t the center of the system.
Perks
Discounts, shipping benefits, scheduled perks, Flow credit, and Discord roles.
Perks sit inside a subscription suite rather than a dedicated membership benefit system.
Customer portal
Shows membership status, billing, available perks, and remaining access.
Built for managing subscription contracts, payments, products, and schedules.
Subscription operations
Membership billing with trials, fees, term limits, and lifecycle email.
The portal is organized around subscription contracts, products, payments, and schedules — not the broader membership relationship.
Membership lifecycle
Ending-soon detection, eight lifecycle emails, tags, segments, Flow, and Discord.
Analytics, portal controls, billing management, and subscription retention tooling.
Recurring-order retention
Use lifecycle email, ending-soon detection, tags, segments, Flow, and Discord to keep status current.
Use portal controls, billing management, analytics, and subscription retention tools. No member benefits listed.
Boxes and bundles
Billing supports the membership relationship, while access and perks carry the customer promise.
Run subscription bundles, boxes, prepaid terms, and flexible recurring-product contracts.
Pricing
Free for 75 active members; paid by member count; zero transaction fees.
Starter is $29 + 1.6%; Subi is $119 + 0.8% per subscription transaction.
Product capabilities and pricing checked August 29, 2026. Verify current plan details before choosing an app.
04.
Where Subi fits
When billing is worth
trading member benefit.
Subi fits when customers are subscribing to configurable products, bundles, boxes, or prepaid delivery terms.
i / bundles
Boxes and bundles
Subi includes subscription bundles and box workflows in the same product.
ii / contracts
Delivery controls
Prepaid plans or bespoke delivery cycles separate from billing cycles.
iii / presentation
Subscription templates
Widget, portal, and email customization are part of the paid-plan proposition.
If those mechanics are secondary, Subi adds cost and complexity without improving the membership experience. Zendra stays focused and charges no percentage of recurring membership revenue.
05.
One connected lifecycle
Carry your promise
from signup onwards.
Zendra’s advantage is cumulative: the plan, access rules, perks, member account, and lifecycle signals stay connected from join through renewal.
⦿
01 / plan
Define
Choose how membership begins and whether billing repeats.
⦿
02 / value
Attach
Add access, protected products, discounts, shipping benefits, community, or scheduled perks.
⦿
03 / member
Surface
Show people what they have and how to use it through Shopify customer accounts and timely email.
⦿
»
04 / lifecycle
Respond
Let renewals, tags, segments, churn signals, Flow, and Discord keep status current.
What changes when the system is membership-first
The perk isn’t a coupon buried in a plan.
It’s a rule the rest of the store can understand: who belongs, what they can see, what they can buy, which rate they can choose, and when access should change. Zendra ensures membership data isn’t stranded on an island — it’s embedded throughout the store.
Storefront
Access
Checkout
Eligibility
Account
Perks
automation
Status
06.
practical confidence
Avoid building into a
dead end.
Zendra’s free plan gives a real program room to prove itself, while the same membership model can grow into richer access, community, billing, and automation.
75
active members included free
0%
transaction fees, every plan
24/7
support available
Hundreds of sellers have happily made the switch
-
★★★★★
Sheep Made Simple
After trying a number of membership apps, Zendra is the first one that actually gets it. The support is genuinely some of the best… The app itself is clean, reliable & integrates seamlessly with Shopify… I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Zendra.
-
★★★★★
Nextcards
A well-equipped membership and subscription system featuring all the necessary benefits for a robust platform. The app is easy to set up.
-
★★★★★
ShopThatApp
Something you don’t see in apps today: fast courteous, relatable, responsible live representative who puts it in perspective and does what you ask. The representative was amazing. Keep up the good work
Already using Subi?
Migration depends on how current customers are billed and which program data Subi can export. Talk with us before changing apps — we’ll review the setup and help determine the safest path.
07.
Common questions
Before you choose
The practical differences between membership access, billing, recurring-product operations, fees, and switching.
01
Yes for memberships — and Zendra is the stronger choice. Subi is better categorized as a subscription platform for boxes, bundles, and recurring-product contracts. If you want your program to support anything outside of recurring billing, Zendra is a better choice.
02
Its current public pricing lists 1.6% per subscription transaction on Starter and 0.8% on the $119 plan. Zendra charges no transaction fees.
03
Zendra. Its access system covers Shopify content, product visibility, purchase restrictions, relative release timing, and teasers.
04
Subi. Bundles and boxes are central subscription features.
05
Possibly, but migration depends on whether records are membership contracts or recurring-product subscriptions. Contact us before making changes.
start with a clear promise
Make a place worth
belonging to.
Start free with up to 75 active members. Launch your first plan in minutes, then add the perks that make people want to stay.