Chargebee vs. Maxio vs. Orb: Which is best?

Chargebee vs. Maxio vs. Orb — we'll help you decide which suits your needs best.

We’ve compared these three billing solutions to help you make an informed decision. 

In this blog post, we’ll highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each, followed by an overview of their key offerings:

‍Chargebee vs. Maxio vs. Orb: A quick comparison

Chargebee

Chargebee is a cloud-based subscription management platform designed to simplify the recurring billing process and act as a central hub for subscription-related tasks.

This includes setting up various pricing plans, generating customer invoices, overseeing free trials, and managing late payments.

Some of Chargebee’s core offerings

• Automated billing and invoicing: Chargebee automates the generation and delivery of invoices at specified intervals, streamlining the revenue collection process.
• Subscription management: The platform allows businesses to track essential subscription details, including start dates, plan changes, cancellations, and prorated charges. It also enables subscription updates and discounts.
• Trial management: Chargebee allows businesses to configure free or paid trials. This allows them to set trial durations and automate the transition to paid plans upon trial completion.
• Payment gateway integrations: Businesses can accept payments from customers through Chargebee's integrations with popular payment gateways such as Stripe and PayPal. 
• Dunning management: Chargebee automates sending email reminders for overdue payments. This feature reduces manual effort and saves time.
• Customer self-service portal: Chargebee has a dedicated customer portal. Customers can view past invoices, update payment information, and download receipts there.

Pricing

Chargebee offers three main pricing plans:

• Starter: This plan is free to start and follows a pay-as-you-go model. However, if cumulative billing surpasses $250,000, a 0.75% overage fee applies monthly to billing exceeding that threshold.
• Performance: This plan requires an annual commitment and costs $599 per month. Chargebee offers discounts for upfront payments. It also includes a 0.75% overage fee for monthly billing exceeding $100,000.
• Enterprise: This plan is customized to meet specific business needs and requires a quote from Chargebee.

Who is it good for?

Chargebee is a good option for subscription-based businesses aiming to expand globally. It simplifies managing subscriptions and revenue operations across different regions, currencies, and regulations.

Companies focusing on integrations will also find value in its compatibility with many accounting tools and CRMs. Additionally, organizations focused on improving payment collection can benefit from Chargebee's dunning management.

However, Chargebee may not be ideal for smaller businesses or startups with limited budget. This is due to its potentially high costs, particularly overage fees. Companies with simple or one-time billing needs might find its extensive features pointless. 

Furthermore, businesses requiring customized billing models or granular reporting will find Chargebee lacking. 

Maxio

Maxio is a billing and financial operations platform designed for B2B SaaS companies. It aims to automate and streamline complex billing processes, allowing businesses to focus on growth and innovation rather than getting bogged down in administrative tasks.

Some of Maxio’s key features: 

• Subscription management: Maxio lets businesses create and manage various subscription plans. This includes options for free trials, discounts, coupons, add-ons, and upgrades.
• Integrations: Maxio easily connects with existing CRM and accounting software. Maxio aims to create a smooth and efficient workflow across different departments.
• Revenue recognition: It automates revenue recognition in compliance with standards like ASC 606 and IFRS 15, guaranteeing accurate financial reporting.
• Analytics and reporting: Maxio offers detailed reports and dashboards to track key SaaS metrics, such as monthly recurring revenue, churn rate, customer lifetime value, and more.

Pricing

Maxio offers a flexible pricing model based on a business's annual billing volume. This allows customization by adding or removing modules:

• Base plan: Starts at $5,000 annually for businesses with up to $500,000 in annual billings.
• Custom plan: Quotes are available upon request.

Who is it good for?

Maxio is better for those who focus on accurate financial reporting and adherence to accounting standards. Its revenue recognition capabilities give it an edge in this area. 

Maxio also suits teams with financial expertise, especially those willing to invest time in learning the platform to leverage Maxio's feature set.

However, Maxio might not be best for smaller businesses with more straightforward billing needs. The cost and complexity might outweigh the benefits. 

Moreover, some users have said that Maxio's reporting interface can be confusing and its customer support can be unreliable. If a team lacks technical expertise or is on a tighter budget, they might want to consider other options.

Orb

Orb is a billing management platform for B2B SaaS businesses that use usage-based billing. It provides the necessary tools to create accurate invoices and track usage, all while integrating with your existing data warehouse. 

Orb is more than simple invoicing tools. It's a complete solution for managing the complexities of modern revenue operations.

Some of Orb’s standout features

• Flexible billing models: Orb adapts to various pricing structures, including recurring subscriptions, tiered pricing, usage-based billing, and one-time charges. This adaptability is crucial for businesses with diverse product offerings and even more so for those with evolving pricing strategies.
• Usage-based pricing engine: Orb's core strength lies in its ability to track and bill based on customer usage accurately. This is valuable for businesses offering infrastructure support or other services where consumption varies.
• Data warehouse-native: Orb's sits on top of your data warehouse, centralizing your financial and billing data in one place. This enables advanced analytics and reporting, giving you a complete picture of your financial operations.
• Detailed invoices and reports: Orb generates detailed invoices that clearly break down charges in granularity. It also provides robust reporting to track revenue, customer behavior, and other key metrics.

Pricing

Though Orb’s pricing isn’t publicly disclosed, there’s an interactive demo for those interested. This way, potential users can gauge Orb’s value through hands-on experience. 

Who is it good for?

Orb is an excellent fit for those seeking a scalable and adaptable billing solution that integrates with the modern tech stack. It's the ideal option if your company relies heavily on usage-based pricing models. 

It’s also suitable for those who value having billing data centralized within their data warehouse. This is especially useful for analysis and reporting. Orb caters to businesses that prioritize having granular visibility into their revenue streams.

Which should you choose?

Deciding between Chargebee vs. Maxio vs. Orb boils down to your specific needs and priorities. However, here’s a verdict based on what we’ve discussed so far:

Orb emerges as a strong contender for businesses with complex billing models. Particularly those relying heavily on usage-based pricing,

If you need a solution that sits on top of your data warehouse, giving you complete control and visibility over your financial data, Orb is the clear winner. Its user-friendly approach also makes it an excellent fit for the non-tech-savvy. This means teams of varying skill sets can use Orb. 

Chargebee and Maxio are both robust platforms with a wide array of features. However, they're more suitable for companies with intricate subscription management needs. 

They might be overkill for smaller businesses or those with less complex billing scenarios. Additionally, their pricing structures can be less transparent than Orb's usage-based model.

Next steps

After reviewing the Chargebee's strengths and weaknesses compared to Maxio and Orb, you're better equipped to determine the ideal platform for your business.

As stated above, Orb stands out with having more to offer. However, it’s better to verify Orb’s effectiveness by yourself. Apart from the SaaS/API sandbox, you can also get a custom demo for your use case. 

Check out the demo and learn how Orb can solve billing for you.