What is Chargebee? Review: The good and the bad | 2025

How do you know if Chargebee is the ideal subscription management platform for your SaaS business? 

In today’s piece, we’ll go a step further than most Chargebee reviews by giving you an in-depth look at what it offers, its pros and cons, who should use Chargebee, and who should steer clear of it. 

We’ll cover:

• What is Chargebee?
• What are its features and pricing?
• What is Chargebee good for? (Pros and cons)
• Who should choose Chargebee, and who should stay away from it?
• Is Chargebee right for your business?
• Chargebee alternatives

Let’s get started!

What is Chargebee?

Chargebee is a SaaS subscription management platform that helps companies manage everything from billing and invoicing their customers to tracking trials and resolving overdue payments. It’s like a one-stop shop for subscription-based businesses. 

To better understand what Chargebee is, we need to take a closer look at its main features.

Chargebee features

• Automated recurring billing and invoicing: This feature is one of the most known Chargebee subscription management offerings. It helps eliminate manual tasks. It generates and sends invoices at designated intervals, facilitating the revenue collection process.

• Detailed subscription management: Chargebee lets users track key details like start dates, plan changes, cancellations, and prorated charges with ease. The system allows for subscription updates and offers the ability to provide discounts as well. 

• Adaptable trial management: Businesses can configure free or paid trials to introduce users to their product or service. Chargebee allows them to set trial durations and automate conversion to paying plans upon trial completion.

• Wide range of payment gateway integrations: Chargebee integrates with various popular payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, and Braintree. This lets businesses accept payments from customers globally and offer multiple payment methods.

• Automated dunning management: Chargebee can send personalized email reminders for overdue payments, saving businesses the time and resources required to do it manually. 

• Customer self-service portal: Businesses can access past invoices, update payment information, switch plans, and download receipts.

Chargebee pros and cons summary

Now that you know what Chargebee is all about, we’ll share a quick summary chart with its pros and cons. We’ll go into more detail below the chart, with some direct quotes too. To save you time, here’s a chart on the benefits and downsides of Chargebee:

Chargebee pros

What is Chargebee good for? Let’s look at what users like and dislike about using Chargebee for their daily operations. We’ll kick this section off with the pros:

• Helpful features: Chargebee offers a range of features that can be beneficial for businesses. One user highlighted the "in-app features like dunning and one-time invoicing" as being particularly useful. 
  
  Another user appreciated the "atomic pricing pages," which allow for flexible pricing configurations. These features can help streamline billing processes and provide greater control over subscription management.

• Good API and integrations: For developers, Chargebee's API and integrations are often cited as positives. One user mentioned that "API and webhooks are very robust and easy to use, they are better implemented than other platforms we use, and are pretty good documented." 
  
  This capability can be a significant advantage for businesses that need to integrate Chargebee with their existing systems.

• Free trial: Chargebee offers a free trial, which allows businesses to test the platform before committing to a paid plan. 
  
  One user mentioned appreciating the ability to "use it for free up to a certain amount of revenue charged," which can be helpful for small startups or businesses with limited budgets.

Chargebee cons

On the other hand, some users say Chargebee isn’t exactly ideal for their billing needs. Let’s look at some of the cons:

• Bugs and reliability: Chargebee's reliability has been called into question by several users who report encountering significant bugs.
  
  One user described experiencing "many critical bugs which deleted payment data of customers, created a data leak by sending invoices to the wrong customers, and releasing features with bugs to production." 
  
  This suggests that Chargebee needs to invest more in quality assurance and testing to ensure a stable and dependable platform.

• Poor customer support: Many users express frustration with Chargebee's customer support. One user bluntly stated, "The support is absolute garbage," while another user described feeling "questioned" and analyzed as to whether they "deserved service from this company at all." 
  
  ‍Long response times, unhelpful answers, and poor communication seem to be common themes, with one user reporting waiting "3 weeks to get the answer that [they] need." 
  
  This lack of responsive and effective support could be a major deterrent for firms relying on timely assistance.

• Difficult to use: Despite its wide range of features, Chargebee's user interface has been criticized for being "completely counterintuitive and painful to use." 
  
  ‍One user described it as "overly complex and poorly laid out," making navigating and performing essential tasks challenging. This complexity could lead to frustration and decreased productivity for businesses, especially those new to the platform.

• Unexpected fees and billing issues: Chargebee's billing practices have also come under fire, with some users reporting unexpected fees and a lack of transparency. 
  
  One user described being "ripped off" by the renewal team, who charged "over-usage fees (Over 12K per month on a 3K/month contract) with 0 notification sent, 0 approach from the account manager." 
  
  Hazy and confusing communication about billing and potential extra costs could create serious financial issues for businesses.

• Sales tactics: Some users have expressed concerns about Chargebee's sales tactics, suggesting that sales representatives may make promises that are not upheld.
  
  One user cautioned, "Sneaky oils sales reps give false promises verbally, which they don't end up honoring." This highlights the importance of carefully reviewing contracts and ensuring all agreements are documented in writing to avoid discrepancies later on.

Chargebee pricing 

Chargebee offers a tiered pricing structure based on the company’s Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR). Here’s how each of the Chargebee plans work:

• Starter plan: You can start at $0 / per month. It’s a pay-as-you-go model with no annual commitment. Once the business’s cumulative billing exceeds $250k, an overage fee of 0.75% is charged every month for all billing after that. 
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• Performance plan: This tier costs $599 / per month. This is an annual commitment with discounts available if paid upfront. The same overage fee of 0.75% is charged monthly for all billing that surpasses a $100K monthly limit.
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• Enterprise plan: A custom quote is required. 

Is Chargebee right for you?

Knowing if Chargebee is the right tool for your business involves understanding what is Chargebee truly capable of, and your company's specific needs. 

We’ve already answered the question “What is Chargebee?”, now here’s a quick breakdown to help guide your decision if you feel like Chargebee could work for you:

Who Chargebee is good for

• Subscription-based businesses needing global reach: For companies with recurring billing models that are expanding internationally, Chargebee offers tools for managing subscriptions and revenue operations across different regions, currencies, and tax laws.
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• Companies that prioritize integrations: Chargebee works with various payment gateways, accounting software, and CRMs, potentially simplifying your tech stack.
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• Organizations focused on churn reduction and payment collection: Chargebee provides dunning management, flexible subscription options, and a solid payment collection system for businesses seeking to improve customer retention.

Who should stay away from Chargebee and why

• Businesses with simple or one-time billing needs: If your business model doesn't revolve around subscriptions or recurring payments, Chargebee might add unnecessary complexity to your billing system.
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• Startups or businesses with narrow budgets: While Chargebee offers a lot of features, they come at a cost. Small businesses or startups with tight budgets may find it challenging to justify the costs that come with their growing overage fees.  
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• Companies requiring highly customized billing models: Although Chargebee is adaptable, there are some limitations in terms of customization. Businesses with very specific, non-standard billing models should consider other options. 
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• Companies needing very granular, customizable reporting: If in-depth historical data, precise handling of near-simultaneous events, and highly tailored reports are critical, Chargebee's limitations may be a deal-breaker.
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• Companies needing easy subscription cancellations and write-offs: Businesses that prioritize quick and efficient cancellations and write-offs may find Chargebee's manual processes very time-consuming.

Chargebee alternatives

Here’s a quick list of Chargebee alternatives you should consider:

• Orb: The overall best Chargebee alternative, Orb has a user-friendly and usage-based billing platform with detailed invoicing features.
• Stripe: This well-rounded payment processing platform includes subscription features.
• Recurly: A developer-friendly subscription billing platform that runs recurring billing.
• Sage Intacct: Get accounting software with integrated subscription management.
• Zoho Billing: This budget-friendly subscription management is for Zoho users.
• Maxio: Get a feature-rich platform for subscriptions and high-growth businesses.

For a more in-depth analysis, read our full Chargebee alternatives article that compares Chargebee with its top competitors. 

Ready to solve billing?

Now that you’ve read our Chargebee review and understand what Chargebee is capable of, you should have a better idea of whether it’s the right tool for the job or not. 

If you’ve decided to look for better alternatives, Orb stands out as one of the best options for your billing needs. 

Orb is a done-for-you billing management platform for highly complex usage-based and hybrid billing models. Orb’s suite of features edges out Chargebee on many fronts: 

• Event ingestion capability: Orb is designed to handle a significantly larger volume of event ingestion compared to Chargebee. This fact makes it an ideal choice for businesses with high transaction volumes or those charging based on usage metrics.

• Precision in invoicing: With Orb, companies have the advantage of invoicing with decimal points, a critical feature for businesses that charge fractions of a dollar. This level of precision is not found in Chargebee. 

• Advanced tracking and reporting: Unlike Chargebee, Orb offers more detailed usage tracking and superior billing insights. This allows for a deeper understanding of billing processes and customer usage patterns, which is invaluable for strategic decision-making.
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• Built for Usage-Based Billing: For businesses heavily reliant on usage-based pricing, Orb offers a more robust and user-friendly approach to Chargebee metered billing. 
  
  Its flexible pricing engine allows you to easily implement various pricing structures, including tiered pricing, volume discounts, and prepaid credits. Chargebee, while capable of handling subscriptions, is not as well-equipped to handle usage-based billing.
  

• User-friendly interface for all teams: Orb's intuitive interface makes it accessible to both technical and non-technical teams. Engineers can easily configure complex billing logic, while finance teams can access and analyze financial data without needing specialized technical skills. 

Chargebee's interface is more challenging to navigate, particularly for non-technical users.

Still on the fence about Orb? Make sure to check out our 30-day free trial to test drive Orb yourself through direct hands-on experience. Once you corroborate Orb’s efficiency, see our flexible pricing options to find a plan that suits your company’s needs and budget.