Is Maxio cheaper than Recurly and Orb?

For SaaS businesses, managing billing is a critical aspect that can have a huge impact on growth and customer satisfaction. Platforms like Maxio, Recurly, and Orb each offer distinct solutions to address the challenges of subscription and billing management. 

When comparing these companies, you may wonder, “Is Maxio cheaper than Recurly and Orb?” In this guide, we’ll answer that question and show you why there are more cost-effective alternatives. 

What do Maxio, Recurly, and Orb offer?

Maxio

Maxio is a billing and financial operations platform. It's designed to automate and simplify complex billing processes for B2B SaaS companies. It allows businesses to handle the finer financial aspects of their SaaS operations. They help companies do this with features like subscription management and recurring billing.

Maxio software’s particular strength lies in automating and streamlining complex billing processes. It is a valuable tool for B2B SaaS companies navigating complicated billing scenarios.

Recurly

Recurly is a subscription management platform focused primarily on recurring payments and subscriptions. It streamlines setting up pricing plans, invoicing, handling payments, and tracking customer data. 

Recurly's strength lies in its ability to manage the entire subscription lifecycle. This benefit makes it a good fit for businesses heavily reliant on subscription-based revenue models.

Orb 

Orb is a billing management platform designed for B2B SaaS businesses that use usage-based billing. Its strength lies in its ability to accurately track and bill customers based on their actual product or service usage.

Orb is a compelling choice for SaaS companies that use consumption-based pricing models. It's also very useful for those that offer products with variable usage patterns.

‍An Overview: Is Maxio cheaper than Recurly and Orb?

Dissecting the pricing tiers

• Maxio's pricing is tied to your annual billing volume, which can be great if you're scaling rapidly. However, its starting price of $5,000 per year might be a hurdle for smaller businesses or those just starting out.
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• Recurly offers a lower barrier to entry with its $249/month Starter plan. But, keep in mind the 0.9% fee on revenue, which can add up as your business grows.
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• Orb takes a more personalized approach, offering custom pricing based on your specific needs. Tailor-made pricing allows for greater flexibility and guarantees you're only paying for what you truly need.

Hidden costs and transparency

• Maxio and Recurly both have overage fees that can significantly impact your overall costs. They can get pretty costly especially if you experience unexpected growth.
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• Orb's tailored, usage-based pricing model eliminates the surprise of overage fees. A pay-as-you-go model such as this one offers you greater predictability and control over your billing expenses.

While Maxio might seem appealing due to its feature set, its high starting price and potential for hidden costs make it less attractive. Smaller businesses or those with simpler billing needs might feel deterred. 

Recurly's lower starting price is tempting, but the percentage-based fee can escalate as your revenue grows.

Orb's custom pricing and focus on transparency make it a compelling alternative. It’s the all-round best option for businesses prioritizing cost control and predictability in their billing.

Features offered at each pricing level

Maxio

Maxio's base plan, starting at $5,000 per year, provides basic features. These include subscription management, recurring billing, revenue recognition, basic analytics, and integrations with popular CRMs and accounting tools. 

Note: Keep in mind that the price is just for businesses with up to $1 million in annual billings. 

For those who need more tools, Maxio offers custom plans that can offer advanced analytics and dunning management.

Recurly

Recurly pricing structures are tiered and divided into three distinct plans:

• The Starter plan, priced at $249/month plus a 0.9% fee on revenue, covers core functionalities. Think subscription management, recurring billing, basic analytics, and a customer self-service portal. 
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• The Performance plan, at $599/month with a 0.75% fee on revenue, adds more analytics, dunning, and international support to the mix. 
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• For businesses with extensive requirements, Recurly provides a custom-quoted Enterprise plan that encompasses all the features of the Performance plan, along with dedicated account management, custom integrations, and priority support.

Orb

Orb's pricing structure consists of three tiers: 

• The Core tier includes fundamental features. These are usage tracking, custom SQL metrics, invoicing automation, and accounting integrations. 
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• The Advanced tier builds upon these features. It offers advanced workflows, real-time alerting, data exports, and SSO and admin controls. 
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• The Enterprise tier caters to businesses with the most demanding needs. It does so by providing enterprise workflows, priority onboarding, and premium SLAs & support.

Support levels offered at different pricing tiers

Maxio

• Base plan: Email and chat support during business hours.
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• Custom plans: Higher-tier plans can include phone support and dedicated account management.

Recurly

• Starter plan: Email and chat support during business hours.
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• Performance plan: Email, chat, and phone support during business hours.
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• Enterprise plan: Dedicated account management and priority support.

Orb

Orb provides white-glove assistance to its customers at all tier levels. Assistance includes direct access to agent support through an exclusive Slack channel.

Customizability options for each platform

Maxio

Maxio offers some customization options, such as the ability to add custom fields to invoices and reports. However, it is not as customizable as Orb.

Recurly

Recurly lets you personalize some elements like creating custom subscription plans and add-ons. Since it’s mostly for subscription-based billing, customization is lacking for other models. 

Orb

Orb is highly customizable. You can define your own billable metrics using custom SQL, and you have granular control over things like invoicing and workflows.

The long-term value for money

When investing in a billing platform, it's key to consider upfront costs and the long-term value it brings to your business. Let's dive into the ROI, scalability, and potential long-term costs of each platform:

Assessing the ROI

Each platform's return on investment hinges on how well it aligns with your business needs and growth trajectory. Let’s look at each platform individually: 

• Maxio, with its focus on complex billing and operations, can be a solid tool for larger enterprises with intricate revenue streams. Its high starting price and potential for steep overage fees might limit its ROI for scaling businesses or those in their early stages.
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• Recurly's subscription-centric approach can deliver good ROI for companies reliant on recurring revenue. The catch is that the percentage-based fees can become a costly expense as your revenue scales. Ever-increasing expenses will obviously have a direct negative impact on long-term profitability.
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• Orb's usage-based billing model offers a unique advantage in terms of ROI. By aligning costs with customer usage, businesses can optimize their pricing strategies. They're capturing the full value of their product or service

Furthermore, Orb's transparent pricing structure eliminates the risk of unexpected overage fees. Less risk of said fees translates into greater financial predictability.

Scalability of pricing models

As your business grows, so will your billing needs. It's vital to choose a platform whose pricing model can scale alongside you. Let’s see how these three platforms handle scalability:

• Maxio's pricing can be advantageous for rapidly scaling businesses because its pricing is tied to annual billing volume. However, the overage fees can become a burden if growth surpasses expectations.
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• Recurly's percentage-based fees can also pose a challenge for scaling businesses. As your revenue increases, so does the fee. 
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• Orb's usage-based pricing model offers inherent scalability. As your customer base and usage grow, your billing costs adjust accordingly. There’s a consistent and predictable relationship between revenue and expenses.

Exploring long-term costs

Beyond the initial price tag and overage fees, it's crucial to consider the long-term costs associated with each platform. Let’s take a closer look: 

• Maxio and Recurly's complex feature sets require more investments in training and onboarding. Requirements such as these can be a big issue for companies without technical teams.
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• Orb's design and intuitive interface can cut onboarding time and reduce the need for extensive training. Orb is easy to use for the non-tech-savvy, which leads to higher cost savings in the long run.

User satisfaction and pricing

Let’s now see how Maxio, Recurly, and Orb fare in the eyes of their users on pricing: 

• Maxio is often lauded for its feature set, but costs associated with implementation have made users lose money. Some users have even experienced loss of talent because of Maxio’s unintuitive implementation process. 
  
  As one user put it, "Because the implementation dragged out to almost a year, one of my most talented employees was constantly tied up in communications, troubleshooting, and firefighting. This was expensive monetarily... but more importantly, it was a HUGE misallocation of her considerable talent."
  
  For this particular user, the question “Is Maxio cheaper than Recurly” would be a resounding no. 

• Recurly users generally appreciate the lower barrier to entry with its Starter plan. But, the percentage-based fee structure can be a point of contention, especially for growing businesses. 
  
  One user commented, "....Months before resolution (that we had to make a workaround for ourselves). Loss in profit to us because of issues between them and first data."

• Orb, with its strong focus on usage-based billing, also supports hybrid pricing models. Orb covers subscription and usage-based options, offering unparalleled pricing flexibility.
  
  A key testimonial by the CEO of Knock, Sam Selly, says it all. He said: “Good pricing, good invoicing, and real customer visibility into that process is part of the product experience. And with Orb, we get all of that.” 

Pricing flexibility

Your pricing model needs to evolve with your business. It needs to be one that can adapt to market trends, and cater to the unique needs of your customers. So, how do Maxio, Recurly, and Orb fare when it comes to pricing flexibility? Let’s go one by one and find the answer:

Maxio

Maxio allows for some degree of customization through its add-on modules. It enables businesses to tailor their plans to some extent. 

However, its core pricing structure remains tied to annual billing volume. It’s not the most adaptable solution for businesses with changing revenue or those testing out pricing strategies.

Recurly

Recurly falls short when it comes to highly complex or usage-based scenarios. We do want to clarify they offer various pricing models like tiered, volume, and stairstep pricing — but it’s not enough. 

The issue is that companies with unique billing needs can find themselves limited by Recurly's predefined models. 

Orb

Orb, with its usage-based billing at its core, truly shines in terms of pricing flexibility. It helps businesses define their own billable metrics. 

Orb is especially valuable for companies with complex pricing models or those looking to use usage-based pricing. Orb's ability to handle changes in pricing without complex migrations shows we’re experts in pricing flexibility.

Consider industry-specific pricing needs

Let's see how Maxio, Recurly, and Orb cater to diverse, industry-specific needs: 

Maxio

Maxio is well-suited for industries with intricate billing requirements. For example, enterprise software or professional services could find it useful. Companies from those industries might choose Maxio due to its strength in handling complex contracts and revenue recognition.

However, its focus on subscription billing might not be the best fit for industries heavily reliant on usage-based pricing. Think of industries like telecommunications or cloud infrastructure.  

Recurly

Recurly naturally caters well to industries with recurring revenue models. These would be SaaS, media, or e-learning businesses. 

The problem is its capabilities for usage-based billing are limited. The fact that Recurly lacks in-depth usage-based billing hinders its appeal for industries where consumption-based pricing is prevalent.  

Orb

Orb is a natural fit for industries where pricing is tied to consumption. We’re talking cloud infrastructure, API platforms, or IoT services. Plus, Orb's support for hybrid billing models allows it to cater to businesses that blend subscription and usage-based pricing. It provides a versatile solution across various industries.  

When it comes to adaptability, Orb again takes the lead. Its ability to define custom billable metrics lets businesses tailor their models to the nuances of their industry. 

Potential cost savings with Orb

In the quest for a cost-effective billing solution, Orb emerges as a beacon of potential savings. Its pricing structure can alleviate the financial burden often associated with billing platforms.

Pay-as-you-go model

At its core, Orb's usage-based pricing model aligns costs directly with your business's activity. Unlike subscription models that charge a fixed fee, Orb's pricing scales with your customer base and usage patterns. 

You only pay for what you actually use. By using Orb, you eliminate the risk of overpaying for unused features or capacity.

Supporting growth and financial predictability

The pay-as-you-go approach is particularly beneficial for startups and growing businesses. As your customer base expands and your product usage increases, your billing costs grow proportionally.

You can manage your expenses more effectively. It also helps avoid unexpected financial surprises, fostering a sense of financial control.

Transparent pricing

Orb's commitment to transparency extends beyond its usage-based model. The platform offers a free trial. You can explore its features and assess its suitability for your business without any upfront payments. 

Also, Orb provides custom quotes upon request. The done-for-you billing platform makes sure that you have a clear understanding of the costs involved before choosing.

Cost-effectiveness and scalability

Compared to Maxio's high starting price and potential for steep overage fees, or Recurly's percentage-based fees that can escalate with revenue growth, Orb's pricing structure presents a compelling alternative for cost-conscious businesses.

Orb's cost-effectiveness means sustainable growth because it aligns your billing costs with your business's actual performance. As your business expands, Orb's pricing model guarantees that your billing expenses align with your revenue. It lets you invest your resources strategically and fuel even more growth.

Efficiency and automation

Orb's focus on efficiency and automation can lead to more cost savings. By simplifying your billing processes, Orb frees up valuable time and resources.

More time and resources translate to increased productivity, improved operational efficiency, and a healthier bottom line.

Explore Orb’s billing platform for more billing flexibility

We've examined the pricing structures, features, and value propositions of Maxio, Recurly, and Orb. Now that you have an answer to the question: "Is Maxio cheaper than Recurly and Orb?" It's time to translate this knowledge into action and empower your business with the billing flexibility it needs.

That's where Orb comes in.

Product leaders at innovative companies like Perplexity and Vercel trust Orb. We’ve helped them build a pricing engine that propels their growth and aligns with their business objectives.

With Orb, you can:

• Design a pricing strategy that works: Explore different pricing models and fine-tune your approach. These explorations can help boost revenue and customer lifetime value.
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• Show your profitability: Get real-time visibility into your financial metrics. It enables you to confidently present a clear path to profitability to stakeholders.
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• Make informed decisions with data: Harness the power of granular usage data to uncover upsell opportunities. You can also refine your pricing tiers, and make strategic decisions backed by trustworthy insights.

Ready to unlock the full potential of your SaaS pricing?

See our pricing plans with options for a free trial and schedule a demo with Orb today.