Recharge works with Shopify variants out of the box: a subscriber signs up for a specific variant, such as a 12 oz bag of whole-bean coffee, and every renewal ships that variant until they change it. Personalization is the tricky part. A name on a mug or a note on a monthly box is saved on the first order, and you need to confirm it carries over to every renewal.
Setup
- Install Recharge from the Shopify App Store and connect it to your store.
- Choose the products you want to sell on subscription. Recharge reads your existing Shopify products and variants, so you don't rebuild anything.
- Create a subscription plan for those products, and include or exclude specific variants if only some should be available on subscription.
- Set the delivery and billing frequency (every 2 weeks, monthly, every 3 months) and any subscription discount.
- Check the product page: the subscribe option should appear next to one-time purchase, and the price should update when it's selected.
Per-variant subscription
Each subscription is tied to one variant. A subscriber on "Small / Red / Cotton" is separate from one on "Medium / Red / Cotton", and each renewal ships the exact variant they're on. That's why clean variants matter: if your SKUs are messy, renewal orders are hard to pick and pack. Our SKU naming guide helps keep subscription orders readable.
Be careful with variant changes once subscribers exist. If you delete a variant someone subscribes to, the next renewal can fail. Move subscribers to a replacement variant first, as covered in our guide to deleting Shopify variants safely.
Customer portal
Subscribers manage their own plan through the customer portal. They can swap to another variant (a larger size or a different roast), skip a shipment, change the frequency, pause or cancel. For most stores, this cuts down a big share of "can you change my order" emails.
Decide which changes you allow. If a variant swap changes the price, make sure the subscriber sees that before confirming.
Prepaid vs recurring
| Type | How it bills | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | Charged each cycle, ships each cycle | Coffee, pet food, refills |
| Prepaid | Charged for several cycles upfront, ships each cycle | Gift subscriptions, 3- or 6-month boxes |
Prepaid plans are popular for gifts because the buyer pays once and the recipient gets every box. Recharge supports both types, and many merchants offer a small discount on prepaid terms.
Personalization on subscription products
Most subscriptions are stock products, but personalized ones do exist: a monthly kids' book with the child's name on the cover, a pet treat box with the dog's name on the bag, or a coffee subscription with a custom label. These choices aren't variants. They're saved on the order as line-item properties, explained in our line-item properties guide.
The question is whether those properties copy onto each renewal. Here's how we suggest testing it:
- Set up the personalization fields in Print It My Way (for example, a "Pet name" text field with a 12-character limit).
- Place a test subscription order and fill in the field.
- Check that the first order shows the property.
- Trigger or wait for the first renewal, then check that the renewal order shows the same property.
If the renewal doesn't carry the field, keep the personalization on the first order only, or ask subscribers to set it once in their account. Our guide to options for subscription boxes covers other ways to structure this.
If you're still choosing tools, the personalizer comparison for subscription stores lists how different apps handle repeat orders.
Pricing personalization on a subscription
If personalization adds a fee, such as $4 for a custom label, decide whether it's a one-time charge or charged on every renewal. Add-on fees from Print It My Way show as a separate cart line on the first order. Test how your subscription app treats that line on renewals before you promise either behavior on the product page.
Frequently asked questions
Does Recharge support Shopify variants?
Yes. Each subscription is tied to a specific variant, and renewals ship that variant until the subscriber changes it.
How to enable subscription per variant?
Add the product to a subscription plan in Recharge, then include or exclude the variants you want. Check the product page to confirm the subscribe option shows only where you expect.
Customer swaps variant mid-subscription?
Yes. Subscribers can switch to another variant, such as a bigger size or a different flavor, in the customer portal if you allow it.
Prepaid subscription on Recharge?
Yes. Recharge supports prepaid plans where the customer pays for several deliveries upfront and receives them on schedule. Many merchants add a small discount for prepaying.
Personalization on subscription orders?
It's possible, but test it. Personalization saves as line-item properties on the first order, so place a test subscription and confirm the renewal order carries the same details.
Recharge pricing?
Recharge lists its plans on its own pricing page, and most combine a monthly fee with a per-transaction fee. Check the current plans there before you commit.
Migrate from Bold to Recharge?
Recharge offers migration help for stores moving from other subscription apps. Ask exactly which customer and subscription data is carried over, and test a few migrated subscriptions before switching fully.
Recharge on Shopify Basic?
Yes. Recharge works on all standard Shopify plans.
Related reading
Sources & further reading
Primary sources referenced in this article. We link to official platform documentation and standards bodies rather than secondary summaries so you can verify claims directly.
- Shopify Help Center: Subscriptions
- Shopify Help Center: Product variants
- Shopify Help Center: Line item properties (customization)
- Shopify.dev: Product variant limits
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