Courses Plus vs Recurpay: Subscriptions appfor Shopify (2026)
Courses Plus and Recurpay: Subscriptions app both cater to Shopify merchants seeking to leverage subscription models, but their core functionalities and target audiences differ significantly. Courses Plus is primarily focused on enabling merchants to create and sell online courses, digital products, and coaching programs, incorporating features like quizzes, progress tracking, and certificate generation. It bundles subscription management as part of its offering to monetize access to educational content. Recurpay, on the other hand, is a dedicated subscription management platform designed for businesses offering recurring products or services beyond just courses. Its emphasis lies on providing robust subscription management tools, a customizable customer portal, and comprehensive support for diverse subscription models, including upfront payments and tiered discounts. The AI course and quiz creation in Courses Plus makes course creation easier, while Recurpay's API access makes it a more customizable and developer friendly solution. The key differentiator lies in their primary offering. Courses Plus integrates subscription functionality within a broader educational content management system. This makes it suitable for merchants prioritizing course creation and management with an integrated subscription model for access. Recurpay prioritizes powerful subscription management, customer self-service, and scalability, positioning itself as the go-to choice for merchants whose primary business model revolves around recurring revenue streams independent of educational content. Courses Plus is geared towards knowledge commerce, while Recurpay targets broader subscription-based businesses. Recurpay also offers 24/7 human support, making it ideal for those who want high-touch support.
At a Glance
Courses Plus
160 reviews
Recurpay: Subscriptions app
400 reviews
Detailed Overview
Courses Plus
Create online courses & digital products with your store. Sell more via bundles and subscriptions
Key Features
- Create and sell your own online courses
- Provide tests and exams with quizzes (AI course and quiz creation available)
- Monitor customers progress and quiz scores, verify students' assignments
- Generate PDF certificates for students who successfully completed your courses
- Offer bundles, membership subscriptions, add managers for team enrollments
Recurpay: Subscriptions app
Subscriptions app to unlock recurring revenue with intuitive customer portal & 24/7 human support.
Key Features
- Support upfront and pay-as-you-go plans with flexible renewal, 24/7 live support
- Design custom subscription widget for your brand in few clicks with full access.
- Let customers manage subscriptions: skip, edit, reschedule, or cancel anytime
- Renew subscriptions on a specific day or date, offer tiered discount, free gifts
- Developer-friendly setup with full access to APIs, code & technical support
Feature Comparison
| Rating | 4.9/5 | 5/5 |
Rating Courses Plus4.9/5 Recurpay: Subscriptions app5/5 | ||
| Reviews | 160 | 400 |
Reviews Courses Plus160 Recurpay: Subscriptions app400 | ||
| Core Functionality | Online Course & Digital Product Creation/Management with Subscriptions | Subscription Management |
Core Functionality Courses PlusOnline Course & Digital Product Creation/Management with Subscriptions Recurpay: Subscriptions appSubscription Management | ||
| AI Integration | AI course and quiz creation | Not Mentioned |
AI Integration Courses PlusAI course and quiz creation Recurpay: Subscriptions appNot Mentioned | ||
| Customer Portal | Not explicitly mentioned, but course progress tracking implies some customer-facing interface. | Customizable Portal for Subscription Management (skip, edit, reschedule, cancel) |
Customer Portal Courses PlusNot explicitly mentioned, but course progress tracking implies some customer-facing interface. Recurpay: Subscriptions appCustomizable Portal for Subscription Management (skip, edit, reschedule, cancel) | ||
| Support | Not specified | 24/7 Live Human Support |
Support Courses PlusNot specified Recurpay: Subscriptions app24/7 Live Human Support | ||
| Target Merchant | Those selling online courses, coaching, or digital products | Businesses with subscription-based products or services (e.g., curated boxes, SaaS, consumables) |
Target Merchant Courses PlusThose selling online courses, coaching, or digital products Recurpay: Subscriptions appBusinesses with subscription-based products or services (e.g., curated boxes, SaaS, consumables) | ||
| Developer Access | Not mentioned | Full Access to APIs, Code & Technical Support |
Developer Access Courses PlusNot mentioned Recurpay: Subscriptions appFull Access to APIs, Code & Technical Support | ||
| Bundling | Offers Bundles | Tiered Discounts, Free Gifts with Subscriptions |
Bundling Courses PlusOffers Bundles Recurpay: Subscriptions appTiered Discounts, Free Gifts with Subscriptions | ||
Our Verdict
For merchants whose primary focus is creating and selling online courses and digital products, Courses Plus provides a streamlined solution with integrated course management and subscription capabilities. The AI-powered course creation is a strong selling point. However, merchants seeking a dedicated and robust subscription management platform, especially those offering subscription boxes, software as a service (SaaS), or other recurring revenue streams outside of courses, should strongly consider Recurpay. The greater number of reviews and the higher rating (5/5), combined with 24/7 support and developer access, suggests a more mature and comprehensive platform for serious subscription businesses. Recurpay's customer portal self-service options are invaluable for reducing support burden and increasing customer satisfaction.
While Courses Plus can handle subscriptions, Recurpay is the stronger choice for dedicated subscription management. If course creation is a priority, Courses Plus might be a better initial option, but for long-term scalability and robust feature sets for subscriptions alone, Recurpay is likely superior. Furthermore, Recurpay's developer-friendly setup is ideal for those requiring custom integrations and advanced functionality.
Common Questions
Can I sell physical products with Courses Plus?
Courses Plus is primarily designed for digital products, courses and coaching. While you might be able to bundle physical products with courses, it's not the core focus. Recurpay would be more suited for physical product subscriptions.
Does Recurpay support one-time payments alongside subscriptions?
The description mentions upfront payments, suggesting support for some form of one-time payment integration within the subscription framework. Consult Recurpay's documentation for specific details.
Which app is easier to set up?
The data suggests that both apps strive for ease of use. Courses Plus mentions AI assisted course and quiz creation, which could make creating courses easier. Recurpay explicitly states 'quick and easy setup' which points to ease of setup.
Does Courses Plus offer a free plan or trial?
The provided data doesn't mention pricing or free plan availability for either app. You would need to check the Shopify App Store listing for each app to confirm.
Which app is better for managing a large number of subscribers?
Recurpay is likely the better choice for managing a large number of subscribers. Its focus on robust subscription management, customizable customer portal, and developer-friendly API access suggests a more scalable architecture and feature set compared to Courses Plus, where subscription functionality is secondary to course creation.
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