Circle vs Recurly

Circle logovsRecurly logo
Two Keep customers longer tools side by side: what each does, what it costs and who it suits.

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

Circle and Recurly compared
At a glance
Starts at$89/mo$249/mo
Free planNoNo
APIYesYes
MCP serverYesYes
Links

Plans and pricing

Circle logo

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 logo

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

Circle logo

Choose Circle if…

Creators, coaches, educators and membership businesses who want a branded paid community with courses, events and payments on one platform.

Recurly logo

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

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  • Customer.io logo
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    From $100/moAffiliate link