[2025 Complete Guide] Comprehensive Comparison of Shopify Subscription Apps in Japan: Pricing and Features

What are the benefits of implementing subscriptions, and conversely, are there any drawbacks?

• Regular Income: Subscription services provide a stable and predictable source of income, contributing to the financial stability of the e-commerce site.

• Improving Customer Retention: Regular purchases enhance loyalty and repeat rates, improve customer retention, and reduce cancellations.

• Inventory Planning: The subscription model allows for more accurate inventory planning and management, reducing the risk of stockouts and overstocking.

• Customer Support: When providing a dedicated customer support for inquiries, changes, and cancellations related to regular purchases, additional resources and labor might be required.

• Revenue Dependency: E-commerce sites dependent on regular purchases may face potential issues affecting overall revenue if customer acquisition and retention rates decline.

• Increase in Customer Acquisition Costs: Acquiring new customers for regular purchases may require more marketing and promotions.

• Convenience: Regular purchases eliminate the need to place orders repeatedly, allowing products to be received as scheduled.

• Time Savings: With a subscription purchase, customers don't need to repeatedly search for and buy products, saving time.

• Cost Reduction: Subscriptions often offer discounts and lower prices compared to single purchases, allowing for long-term cost savings.

• Commitment: Usually requires regular payments, so it may not be suitable for customers whose needs or preferences change frequently.

• Accumulation of Unused Items: If subscribed products are not used effectively, unused items may accumulate.

• Possibility of Overbuying: Set quantities and delivery frequencies may lead to purchasing more than needed.

To offer subscriptions in your Shopify store, you can utilize various apps and features specifically designed for subscription services. From the Shopify App Store, you can select a subscription app that matches your business needs and requirements. Install the app, configure it, and seamlessly integrate it into your Shopify store. You can set up a subscription plan by considering the optimal frequency, duration, and pricing options for your products and services.

This time, we will pick up and compare five Shopify subscription apps: "Shopify Subscription", "Go Sub | 定期購入 | Subscription", "定期購買", "Mikawaya Subscriptions", and "かんたんサブスク", examining the features and benefits of each and observing their differences.

• Shopify Subscription

• Go Sub | 定期購入 | Subscription

• Subscription Purchase

• Mikawaya Subscription

• Simple Subscription

Features

• Shopify Official App

• Can be operated intuitively

• Only minimum options available, no customization possible

Plan Fee

• No additional fees for sub-skus

Shopify Subscride is an official subscription app provided by Shopify. The major benefit is that the app can be used completely free of charge. As there is almost no customization or scalability for subscription plans, it is recommended for merchants who want to start with the minimum content.

Features

• Lowest cost

• Features for the Japanese market are provided

• Support for both Japanese and English is provided

Plan Fee

• Starter monthly fee $0, handling fee 2%

• GoSub 1 monthly fee $39, handling fee 0% (up to 500 contracts)

• GoSub 2 monthly fee $59, handling fee 0% (501 to 1000 contracts)

• Other plans are here

Go Sub offers the industry's lowest transaction fees and provides features and support for small and medium-sized businesses in Japan and businesses looking to introduce subscription services for the first time. It allows for easy setup and offering of subscription plans, and includes features specific to Japanese EC practices, such as specified delivery dates and times. It also integrates with apps for Japanese delivery operations.

Features

• The features are comprehensive.

• Support is provided in Japanese.

• Features are offered for the Japanese market.

Plan Fee

• Standard monthly fee $49 + 1% transaction fee

• Enterprise Monthly Fee $299 + 1% Handling Fee

Regular purchases offer a wide range of customizable subscription options, allowing companies to tailor them to specific customer needs and preferences. There are many Japan-specific features like subscription boxes and member ranking, and the support and app are in Japanese. Additionally, there are many services available that can be integrated in Japan.

Features

• The features are comprehensive.

• Support is provided in Japanese.

• There are many marketing services that can be integrated.

Plan Fee

• Light Monthly Fee $12 + 3% Handling Fee

• Standard Monthly Fee $49 + 1% Handling Fee

• Pro Monthly Fee $499 + 1% Handling Fee

The company operating Mikawaya runs its own store on Shopify and has a proven track record of actual growth. The app's features are comprehensive, providing support to cover common pitfalls in sub-screens. Additionally, while initial and additional fees are incurred, we offer a personalized support plan that covers everything from strategy planning to implementation support.

Features

• Start with low monthly fees

• Simple operation method

• Video call support in the premium plan

Plan Fee

• Starter Monthly fee: $0 + 5% transaction fee

• Lite Monthly fee: $15 + 3% transaction fee

• Pro Monthly fee: $49 + 1% transaction fee

• Premium $99 + 1% transaction fee

Kantan Subsc is a subscription app that, as its name suggests, is easy to start with its simple operation method. With the premium plan, detailed support via video calls is also provided, allowing you to implement it with consultation if you have any operational concerns.

This is a table that compares only the prices of the plans.
The features available with each app and each pricing plan differ, so please refer to it while considering your budget.

What can be done with each app? Let's check it out.

Excluding Shopify subscriptions, basic features are equipped in all apps.

This also removes the Shopify subscription, and all basic features are available in every app.

*In Shopify subscriptions, the basic Shopify email template is used.

Other apps have notification settings for each app and can change the content. A store's branding requires an essential email address, but the sending domain defaults to an app-determined email address. Only with Go Sub, customization is possible with all plans.

Convenient BOX functionality is also implemented without the Shopify subscription.

With regular purchases at Mikawaya, sample functions and membership rank features are available, enabling advanced customization.

With GoSub, you can create custom tags and automate various tasks by integrating with Shopify Flow.

Choosing a subscription app that matches the business model and target customers is crucial for Japanese companies aiming to leverage continuous revenue models and enhance customer loyalty. Subscription apps like Go Sub, 定期購入, Mikawaya Subscriptions, and かんたんサブスク each offer unique features tailored to the Japanese market. These apps help merchants optimize their subscriptions and promote sustainable growth.

We also recommend visiting each app's website and documentation to obtain the latest information.

Go Sub offers a premium plan in addition to the starter plan. The premium plan is available for a monthly fee of $39, with no transaction fees! If the number of subscription contracts is up to 1,000, you can use it for only $39 per month.

Additionally, the starter plan costs $0 per month with a 2% transaction fee, making it the most affordable plan in the industry in terms of transaction fees! Both the starter and premium plans allow you to use all features, so you can choose the plan that best suits your business model and revenue.

By using Go Sub, you can easily and quickly add and set up subscription options for products in your Shopify store, so please give it a try!

Updated: February 13, 2025