The verdict
On the data we hold, it's close: neither pulls ahead on features, a free plan or AI access. The choice comes down to how you work.
What the data says
- Circle starts lower, at $89/mo against $249/mo.
- Both have an API and an MCP server, so either works with AI employees.
- In our Keep customers longer ranking, Circle places 13 and Recurly 8 of 14.
Side by side
Plans and pricing
Circle
- Professional$89 a month billed annually; no monthly-billed price shown.$1,068/yr
- Business$199 a month billed annually; most popular; includes Admin API and Circle MCP.$2,388/yr
- Scale$419 a month billed annually.$5,028/yr
Recurly
- Starter$249 per month plus 0.9% of billing volume; the first $40K of monthly billings are included.$249/mo
- Engage (add-on)Churn prevention add-on from $1,600 per month, billed annually; price depends on prompt volume.$19,200/yr
- RevRec (add-on)Revenue recognition add-on from $850 per month, billed annually; price depends on billing volume.$10,200/yr
Prices as the vendors list them. They change often; the final price is on their sites.
Who each is for
Choose Circle if…
Creators, coaches, educators and membership businesses who want a branded paid community with courses, events and payments on one platform.
Choose Recurly if…
Subscription and digital commerce businesses with real billing volume, such as growing SaaS companies, that need failed-payment recovery, several gateways and billing handled outside their own code.
Other options worth a look
Tool·Value creationSpots churn risk early with health scoring, automated plays, and renewal forecasting for subscription businesses.Keep customers longer
Tool·Value creationCombines product usage, health scores and renewals to reduce churn and drive expansion.Keep customers longer
Tool·Value creationBrings customer data, usage and health scores together so B2B teams can onboard, retain and grow accounts.Keep customers longer
Tool·Value creationConsolidates customer data, health scoring and team workflows in one workspace for customer success.Keep customers longer
Tool·Value creationTrack product usage and account health to flag churn risk and automate customer retention workflows.Keep customers longer
Free plan- Tool·Value creationTriggers email, SMS, push, in-app and WhatsApp messages from real-time user events and behaviour.
Keep customers longer
From $100/moAffiliate link