For most box founders leaving Cratejoy, the real choice is between Subbly (one subscription-first platform, one bill) and Shopify plus a subscription app (a bigger store and more apps, but two bills). WooCommerce is cheaper if you can run WordPress yourself. Squarespace and a custom Stripe build rarely fit a box business. None of them replaces the one thing Cratejoy has: a marketplace that sends you subscribers you didn't find yourself.
We checked every price below on the vendor's own page in October 2026. Prices are monthly billing in USD for a US store unless we say otherwise.
Why box founders leave Cratejoy
Founders leave for four reasons: the marketplace fee, losing direct contact with marketplace customers, payments they don't control, and a platform that has barely changed in years.
- The referral fee is charged on every renewal. Cratejoy takes 15% of each marketplace order and every renewal of it. Its own fee page says the 15% is worked out on the order total before tax. The rate was 10% until April 2022, when Cratejoy moved to category-based fees and set every category at 15%.
- You can't move marketplace customers into your own email list. Since October 1, 2021, Cratejoy no longer lets marketplace sellers send marketplace customer emails to outside email tools automatically. You reach those buyers through the Seller Inbox and a note on Cratejoy's order emails.
- Marketplace payments run through Cratejoy. Since March 31, 2023, every new marketplace transaction must go through Cratejoy Payments, Cratejoy's own processor, built on a new Stripe Express account. You can't use your existing Stripe account for those orders. Payouts land in 2–4 business days.
- The product has stood still. The last entry on Cratejoy's public updates page (updates.cratejoy.com) took effect on October 1, 2021. The newest post in its seller blog's feature-updates category is from April 2022 (the Add-On feature). In 2018 Cratejoy cut its team from 43 people to 25, Retail Dive reported.
There is also a cost your shoppers see. Cratejoy adds a 7% buyer fee to new and renewing marketplace orders, and you can't turn it off. On the marketplace, your $40 box costs the shopper $42.80.
What Cratejoy costs you on one $40 box
A $40 marketplace order costs you $8.06 in fees, while the same order on your own Cratejoy site costs $2.02.
| Fee on a $40 order | Marketplace order | Your own Cratejoy site |
|---|---|---|
| Referral fee (15%) | $6.00 | $0 |
| Cratejoy transaction fee (1.25% + $0.10) | $0.60 | $0.60 |
| Card processing (2.9% + $0.30 marketplace; 2.8% + $0.30 own site) | $1.46 | $1.42 |
| Total per order | $8.06 (20.2%) | $2.02 (5.1%) |
Then add the plan:
| Cratejoy plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | Referral fee applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketplace Only | $29 | $24.99/mo | Every order and renewal |
| Essentials (adds your own website) | $79 | $59/mo | Marketplace orders only |
| Advanced (adds TaxJar, advanced dunning, priority support) | $199 | $159/mo | Marketplace orders only |
That second table holds the most useful fact on this page. On Essentials and Advanced, orders from your own Cratejoy website carry no referral fee. If most of your subscribers already come through your own site, Cratejoy is not expensive, as the next sections show.
The alternatives' fees side by side
Every alternative charges card processing of about 2.9% + 30¢. What changes is the platform fee and the extra percentage some platforms add to each order.
| Platform | Monthly fee | Platform fee per order | Card processing (US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subbly (Subbly plan) | $69 ($51/mo yearly) | 1% + 12¢ on Stripe; 1.25% on other gateways | Stripe, 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Subbly Max | $149 ($111/mo yearly) | 1% + 12¢ on Stripe | Stripe, 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Shopify Basic + Recharge Starter | $39 + $99 | Recharge 1.49% + 19¢ | Shopify Payments, 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Shopify Basic + Loop Starter | $39 + $99 (Loop free up to 50 subscriptions) | Loop 1% | Shopify Payments, 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Shopify Basic + Appstle | $39 + $0 to $100, set by subscription revenue | 0% | Shopify Payments, 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Shopify Basic + Seal | $39 + $0 to $24.95, set by subscription count (up to 500) | 0% | Shopify Payments, 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Shopify Basic + Shopify Subscriptions | $39 + $0 | 0% | Shopify Payments, 2.9% + 30¢ |
| WooCommerce Subscriptions | $279 a year ($23.25/mo), plus hosting | 0% | WooPayments, 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Squarespace Core | $27 ($17/mo yearly) | 0% | Squarespace Payments or Stripe |
| Custom build on Stripe Billing | $0 | Stripe Billing 0.7% of billing volume | Stripe, 2.9% + 30¢ |
Shopify Basic is $29 a month on yearly billing. If you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments on Basic, Shopify adds a 2% fee per order. Recharge also lists a $25 plan with no transaction fees, but it is open only to stores that first installed Recharge on or after February 9, 2026, and it ends once you pass 50 lifetime customers, so it doesn't apply at the sizes we price below.
Which platforms handle build-a-box, prepaid, gifting, skips and cutoff dates
Subbly lists all five box features on its main plan. On Shopify the answer depends on the app and the tier, and Squarespace handles almost none of them.
| Platform | Build-a-box | Prepaid | Gift subscriptions | Skip / swap | Cutoff or fixed billing date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subbly | Yes, all plans | Yes | Yes, with start date and length chosen at checkout | Skip yes; swap in customer portal | Yes, cutoff tied to an anchored billing date |
| Recharge | Plus plan only ($499) | Yes | Yes | Yes, in customer portal | Not stated on pricing page |
| Loop | Starter ($99) | Pro ($399) | Pro ($399) | Yes, in customer portal | Not stated |
| Appstle | Business ($30) and up | Yes, even on Free | Not listed | Swap on Business Premium ($100); skip not listed | Not listed |
| Seal | Not described | Yes | Not mentioned | Yes | Fixed schedules on Legend ($24.95) |
| Shopify Subscriptions | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Skip and pause yes; reviewers say no swaps | Reviewers say you can't move billing dates |
| WooCommerce Subscriptions | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Yes | Customers can switch plans or suspend | Yes, synchronized renewals |
| Squarespace | No | Not addressed | Not addressed | Customers can't skip; you cancel the pending order | Renews on the same day each month |
The cutoff column matters most for a curated box. A founder on the Shopify Community in April 2026 described the classic setup: cutoff on the 20th, everyone charged on the 20th, boxes ship on the 28th, and three-month prepaid gifts need a $0 order each month so a label prints. The replies pointed to several apps, but none confirmed it handled the $0 gift orders. If your box ships on one date for everyone, test that exact cycle in a free trial before you move a single subscriber.
Monthly cost at 100, 300 and 1,000 subscribers
At these sizes every option except the Cratejoy marketplace costs between 3.7% and 9.1% of revenue. The marketplace costs 20%.
Our assumptions: a $40 box with shipping included in the price, one charge per subscriber per month, US cards, monthly-billed plans. Revenue is $4,000, $12,000 and $40,000 a month.
How we worked it out: total = plan fees + (subscribers × fees per order). Fees per order on $40:
- Cratejoy marketplace: $6.00 + $0.60 + $1.46 = $8.06
- Cratejoy own site: $0.60 + $1.42 = $2.02
- Subbly: Stripe $1.46 + Subbly ($0.40 + $0.12) = $1.98
- Shopify + Recharge: $1.46 + ($0.596 + $0.19) = $2.246
- Shopify + Loop: $1.46 + $0.40 = $1.86
- Shopify + Appstle, Shopify Subscriptions, WooCommerce: $1.46
Example: Subbly at 300 subscribers = $69 + (300 × $1.98) = $69 + $594 = $663.
| Setup | 100 subscribers | 300 subscribers | 1,000 subscribers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cratejoy, all marketplace (Marketplace Only, $29) | $835 (20.9%) | $2,447 (20.4%) | $8,089 (20.2%) |
| Cratejoy, all own site (Essentials, $79) | $281 (7.0%) | $685 (5.7%) | $2,099 (5.2%) |
| Subbly ($69) | $267 (6.7%) | $663 (5.5%) | $2,049 (5.1%) |
| Shopify Basic + Recharge Starter ($138) | $363 (9.1%) | $812 (6.8%) | $2,384 (6.0%) |
| Shopify Basic + Loop Starter ($138) | $324 (8.1%) | $696 (5.8%) | $1,998 (5.0%) |
| Shopify Basic + Appstle ($49 / $69 / $139) | $195 (4.9%) | $507 (4.2%) | $1,599 (4.0%) |
| Shopify Basic + Shopify Subscriptions ($39) | $185 (4.6%) | $477 (4.0%) | $1,499 (3.7%) |
| WooCommerce Subscriptions ($23.25), before hosting | $169 (4.2%) | $461 (3.8%) | $1,483 (3.7%) |
Appstle's plan rises with subscription revenue: Starter ($10) covers up to $5,000 a month, Business ($30) up to $15,000, and Business Premium ($100) up to $100,000. Build-a-box starts at Business, so at 100 subscribers a builder would cost $20 more than shown.
Three things stand out:
- Leaving your own Cratejoy site saves little. At 1,000 subscribers, Subbly is $50 a month cheaper than Cratejoy Essentials, and Recharge is $285 more expensive. Move for features or control, not for this fee.
- Moving marketplace subscribers is where the money is. The gap between a marketplace subscriber and an own-site subscriber is $6.04 a month, every month they stay.
- The cheapest rows have the fewest box features. Shopify Subscriptions and WooCommerce lead on cost but lack build-a-box. Check the feature table before you pick on price.
Want your own numbers? Change the box price and subscriber count in our break-even calculator.
What the fee gap does to your margin
The marketplace fee alone can move the same box from a healthy margin into the danger zone. We call 40–55% healthy, 30–40% thin and under 30% danger, measured after every per-box cost, including shipping and fees.
Take a $40 box at 300 subscribers with $22 of product, packaging and shipping per box (a sample figure; get yours from our COGS calculator). Platform cost per box is the monthly total from the table divided by 300.
| Setup | Platform cost per box | Left over per box | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify + Appstle | $507 ÷ 300 = $1.69 | $40 − $22 − $1.69 = $16.31 | 40.8%, healthy |
| Subbly | $663 ÷ 300 = $2.21 | $40 − $22 − $2.21 = $15.79 | 39.5%, thin |
| Cratejoy marketplace | $2,447 ÷ 300 = $8.16 | $40 − $22 − $8.16 = $9.84 | 24.6%, danger |
To keep a 40% margin on a $40 marketplace box, product, packaging and shipping must stay under $15.94 ($40 × 60% = $24, minus $8.06 in fees). Run your own figures in the profit calculator, and see our guide to what a good profit margin is for a subscription box.
Platform-by-platform notes
Each option fits a different kind of founder. Here is who each one suits, and its main catch.
Subbly suits a box-only business that wants Cratejoy's all-in-one feel without the marketplace. Box features are built in, and Subbly says it migrates stores for free, including payment tokens, when you connect the same Stripe account you use now. The catch: the low per-order fee applies only on Stripe (PayPal and other gateways cost 1.25%), and there is no marketplace and no app store on Shopify's scale. Subbly's switching offer of 6 months free (until December 31) needs $10,000 processed in your first 3 months, so most small boxes won't qualify. Head-to-head detail: Subbly vs Shopify.
Shopify plus a subscription app suits founders who also sell one-off products, gift sets or add-ons, or who want Shopify's app range. Pick the app for its box features, not its brand name. Appstle and Seal charge no per-order fee. Loop and Recharge charge one but have deeper portals. App-by-app detail: Recharge vs Bold vs Appstle and Cratejoy vs Shopify.
WooCommerce Subscriptions suits founders who already run WordPress or can pay someone who does. It has the lowest fees in our example. You pay for hosting, updates and fixes yourself, and build-a-box needs another plugin. Detail: WooCommerce vs Shopify for subscription boxes.
Squarespace is a poor fit for most boxes. Customers can buy only one subscription product per order, and a product with an add-on can't also be sold as a subscription. Subscriptions can't be paid with PayPal, Apple Pay or ACH. It works for a single fixed box sold from a site you already have, and little else.
A custom build on Stripe Billing costs 0.7% of billing volume on top of Stripe's card fee. That is $1.74 per $40 order. But you build the checkout, portal, skips and cutoffs yourself, so it only makes sense if you have a developer on your team. Chargebee is in the same group: billing software, not a box platform.
For the three-way verdict by growth stage, see Cratejoy vs Subbly vs Shopify.
Should you stay on Cratejoy?
Stay, or keep a marketplace listing, if the marketplace still brings you subscribers you can't reach any other way at a lower cost. Leave if most of your growth already comes from your own channels.
Think of the referral fee as a cost to acquire each subscriber, paid in instalments. On a $40 box it is $6 a month for as long as the subscriber stays: $18 over 3 months, $36 over 6, $72 over 12. Use our churn calculator to find your average subscriber lifetime. Then compare that total with what you spend to win a subscriber through your own ads, social or partnerships.
Stay on Cratejoy if:
- most new subscribers in the last 90 days came from the marketplace;
- you have no email list, social following or ad budget yet;
- your margin stays above 40% after the $8.06 per marketplace box;
- Cratejoy's own-site features cover what your box needs (your own-site orders already avoid the referral fee on Essentials).
Leave if:
- most subscribers already sign up through your own site;
- you need build-a-box, swaps or a fixed cutoff that Cratejoy doesn't give you;
- you want marketplace buyers on your email list, which Cratejoy no longer allows;
- your marketplace margin is under 30%.
You don't have to pick one. Cratejoy sells a Marketplace Only plan, so you can keep a listing there while your website runs on Subbly or Shopify. The cost is running two subscription systems and merging two sets of shipments every month. If you're building your own channels for the first time, start with our guide on how to market a subscription box.
How hard it is to move off Cratejoy
Moving your own-site subscribers is a normal platform migration. Moving marketplace subscribers is usually not possible. Migration agency Praella states that the only subscribers it can't migrate are the ones from Cratejoy's marketplace. Plan on those staying where they are.
Follow these steps in order:
- Export everything first. Download subscribers, addresses, products and order history. Subbly, for example, moves active subscriptions but not past orders.
- Find out where your cards are stored. If your own-site orders run through your own Stripe account, a new platform can usually take the saved cards from there. If they run through Cratejoy Payments, they sit in the Stripe Express account Cratejoy set up. Ask Cratejoy support in writing what it can hand over.
- Ask the new platform's migration team the same question. Subbly says that when the old platform keeps the cards, it emails each subscriber a link to re-add their card. Expect some subscribers not to do it.
- Copy your billing rules exactly. Set the same cutoff, billing date and ship date on the new platform before importing anyone, or you risk charging someone twice or skipping a box.
- Reconnect fulfillment. Cratejoy connects to ShipStation and to 3PLs through Extensiv's Integration Manager. Confirm your 3PL or shipping tool connects to the new platform. See 3PL vs self-fulfillment if you're reconsidering how you ship.
- Pick a quiet month. Move right after a billing run and ship date, not before the holidays. Praella also reports that, as of 2022, Cratejoy's team gave no migration help during Q4.
- Overlap one cycle. Turn off a subscriber's Cratejoy renewal only after their first charge succeeds on the new platform.
- Tell subscribers before their first new charge. A new billing name on a card statement can trigger chargebacks. Our cancellation flow guide covers what to put in front of anyone who tries to leave during the switch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cratejoy legit?
Yes. Cratejoy is a working marketplace and subscription platform, and its pricing page says more than 1,500 merchants sell on it. Its Trustpilot score is 3.2 out of 5 from 226 reviews. Those reviews come almost entirely from shoppers, and the common complaints are late or missing boxes, unexpected renewals and slow refunds. They tell you little about life as a seller.
Does the 15% referral fee apply to subscribers who joined before 2022?
No. Marketplace orders placed before April 5, 2022 keep renewing at the old 10% fee. A pre-2022 subscriber who cancels and reactivates after that date moves to the 15% rate. Older articles that quote an 11.25% marketplace fee are describing a pricing model Cratejoy has since replaced.
What is the cheapest way to sell subscription boxes if I leave Cratejoy?
On fees alone, WooCommerce Subscriptions or Shopify's free Subscriptions app, at about 3.7–4.6% of revenue in our example. Once you need build-a-box, Shopify with Appstle's Business plan was the cheapest setup we priced that lists it.
Can I use my 3PL with Cratejoy, and keep it when I switch?
You can keep the 3PL, but not the Cratejoy order feed. Your 3PL or its software has to connect to your new platform, so ask for that connection before you set a migration date. Our fulfillment cost guide breaks down what a 3PL charges per box.
Does Cratejoy charge any other fees?
Two more can apply. Orders that one of Cratejoy's Offsite Ads brought in carry a 6% fee, though never on their renewals. Pricing your box in a currency other than US dollars adds 1% for currency conversion. Neither appears in our worked example.
Sources
- Cratejoy, Pricing: https://sell.cratejoy.com/pricing/ (checked October 31, 2026)
- Cratejoy, Fees: https://sell.cratejoy.com/fees/ (checked October 31, 2026)
- Cratejoy Support, Fees on Cratejoy (modified August 11, 2026): https://support.cratejoy.com/support/solutions/articles/43000495424-fees-on-cratejoy
- Cratejoy Support, Category-based referral fees (modified June 17, 2022): https://support.cratejoy.com/support/solutions/articles/43000662831-category-based-referral-fees
- Cratejoy Support, Cratejoy listing buyer transaction fee (modified March 15, 2023): https://support.cratejoy.com/support/solutions/articles/43000663119-cratejoy-listing-buyer-transaction-fee
- Cratejoy Support, Cratejoy Payments (modified October 9, 2026): https://support.cratejoy.com/support/solutions/articles/43000670582-cratejoy-payments
- Cratejoy, Platform updates: https://updates.cratejoy.com
- Cratejoy seller blog, Feature updates: https://sell.cratejoy.com/blog/category/feature-updates/
- Retail Dive, Subscription marketplace Cratejoy downsizes (October 5, 2018): https://www.retaildive.com/news/subscription-marketplace-cratejoy-downsizes/538986
- Trustpilot, Cratejoy reviews: https://www.trustpilot.com/review/cratejoy.com
- Subbly, Pricing (as of October 20, 2026): https://www.subbly.co/pricing
- Subbly, Switch to Subbly: https://www.subbly.co/switch-to-subbly
- Subbly Support, Understanding cut-off dates: https://support.subbly.co/product-builder/understanding-cut-off-dates
- Subbly Support, How does gifting work: https://support.subbly.co/product-builder/how-does-gifting-work
- Subbly Support, How to set up pre-paid subscriptions: https://support.subbly.co/product-builder/how-to-set-up-pre-paid-subscriptions
- Shopify, Pricing: https://www.shopify.com/pricing
- Recharge, Pricing: https://getrecharge.com/pricing/
- Recharge on the Shopify App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/subscription-payments
- Loop Subscriptions on the Shopify App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/loop-subscriptions
- Appstle Subscriptions on the Shopify App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/subscriptions-by-appstle
- Seal Subscriptions on the Shopify App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/seal-subscriptions
- Shopify Subscriptions on the Shopify App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/shopify-subscriptions
- Shopify Community, Subscription logic setup advice: monthly sub, fixed cutoff 20th, shipping 28th (April 2026): https://community.shopify.com/t/subscription-logic-setup-advice-monthly-sub-fixed-cutoff-day-20th-shipping-28th/606747
- WooCommerce, WooCommerce Subscriptions: https://woocommerce.com/products/woocommerce-subscriptions/
- WooCommerce, WooPayments fees: https://woocommerce.com/document/woopayments/fees-and-debits/fees/
- Squarespace, Pricing: https://www.squarespace.com/pricing
- Squarespace Help, Subscription products (updated September 30, 2026): https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002012247-Subscription-products
- Stripe, Pricing: https://stripe.com/pricing
- Praella, Cratejoy to Shopify Plus migration: https://praella.com/pages/partners/experience-a-fearless-transition-from-cratejoy-to-shopify-plus-with-praella-your-leading-ecommerce-agency
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