Essential Upsell & Cross Sell vs Skio Subscriptions (YC S20)for Shopify (2026)

Essential Upsell & Cross Sell and Skio Subscriptions (YC S20) both aim to increase revenue for Shopify merchants but take fundamentally different approaches. Essential Upsell focuses on immediate sales boosts through upsells, cross-sells, and bundles primarily on product and cart pages. It offers features like frequently bought together recommendations, product addons, and automatic discount promotions designed to encourage customers to add more items to their current purchase. Skio Subscriptions, on the other hand, is a platform for managing and optimizing subscription-based sales. While it includes upsell capabilities within its automated journeys, its core strength lies in improving the subscription experience with features like a no-code customer portal, build-a-box functionality, and multi-step cancellation flows. Skio targets brands looking to scale their subscription business by reducing churn and increasing customer lifetime value. Their marketing focuses on established brands graduating from basic subscription solutions to a platform prioritizing customer retention and engagement.

Essential Upsell & Cross Sell and Skio Subscriptions (YC S20) both aim to increase revenue for Shopify merchants but take fundamentally different approaches. Essential Upsell focuses on immediate sales boosts through upsells, cross-sells, and bundles primarily on product and cart pages. It offers features like frequently bought together recommendations, product addons, and automatic discount promotions designed to encourage customers to add more items to their current purchase. Skio Subscriptions, on the other hand, is a platform for managing and optimizing subscription-based sales. While it includes upsell capabilities within its automated journeys, its core strength lies in improving the subscription experience with features like a no-code customer portal, build-a-box functionality, and multi-step cancellation flows. Skio targets brands looking to scale their subscription business by reducing churn and increasing customer lifetime value. Their marketing focuses on established brands graduating from basic subscription solutions to a platform prioritizing customer retention and engagement.