The Churn Blog
Practical strategies, metrics deep-dives, and hard-won lessons on reducing SaaS churn. No fluff, just stuff that works.
Stripe Billing vs Recurly in 2026 (When to Pay Extra)
Recurly costs around $1500/month at $1M ARR. Stripe Billing costs $7K/year for the same revenue. Here's when Recurly's premium actually makes sense.
Stripe Billing vs Chargebee in 2026 (Real Test)
Stripe Billing has caught up to Chargebee on most things. Here's where each one wins, and the specific use cases where Chargebee is still worth $299/month.
Custify vs ChurnZero in 2026 (Budget vs Established)
Custify is $199/month. ChurnZero is $849/month. The question isn't which is more powerful — it's whether you actually need the depth.
Vitally vs Gainsight in 2026 (Modern vs Enterprise)
Vitally is winning customers from Gainsight every quarter. But Gainsight still owns enterprise. Here's the honest line between the two.
Vitally vs ChurnZero in 2026 (Modern vs Incumbent)
Vitally is the modern CS platform. ChurnZero is the established incumbent. Here's the honest breakdown of who actually fits which one.
ChurnZero vs Gainsight in 2026 (Honest Head-to-Head)
ChurnZero and Gainsight are the two big enterprise CS platforms. I've seen 30+ teams pick one. Here's the honest breakdown of who each one actually fits.
Best Recurly Alternatives in 2026 (Real Pricing)
Recurly is solid subscription billing but expensive and complex. Here are 7 alternatives ranked by who they actually fit, from Stripe Billing to Chargebee to Paddle.
Best ChartMogul Alternatives in 2026 (Compared)
ChartMogul is the enterprise SaaS metrics standard but starts at $129/month. Here are 5 alternatives ranked by use case, including the free option.
Best ProfitWell Alternatives in 2026 (Honest Review)
ProfitWell is free and very good. But the paid Paddle products (Recover, Retain) lag behind specialists. Here are 6 alternatives ranked by who they actually fit.
Best Baremetrics Alternatives in 2026 (Tested)
Baremetrics is solid SaaS metrics software but starts at $129/month and has slow data refresh. Here are 6 alternatives ranked by who they actually fit best.
Best Totango Alternatives in 2026 (With Real Pricing)
Totango has the best free tier in CS software, but the paid tiers fall behind Vitally and ChurnZero. Here are 7 alternatives, ranked by who they actually fit.
Best Vitally Alternatives in 2026 (Honest Breakdown)
Vitally is the modern CS platform default for mid-market SaaS, but it's not always the right fit. Here are 7 alternatives ranked by who they actually work for.
Tools to put these strategies into practice
The retention tools I recommend most often.
ChurnHalt
Analytics & Insights
You're finding out about churn after it happens. ChurnHalt analyses your Stripe history, finds the patterns behind cancelled subscriptions, and flags who you should focus on.
Retention Email Snapshot
resurrectionRetention & Loyalty
A 15-minute diagnostic call that surfaces exactly where your lifecycle emails are losing users. $249 value - ChurnTools users pay $149 with code CHURNTOOLS40.
UniqueSide
activationRetention & Loyalty
Rapid prototyping platform that helps teams ship retention experiments in days instead of months.
Intercom
activationCommunication
Customer messaging platform that drives growth through better customer relationships
ChurnZero
engagementCustomer Success
Real-time customer success platform designed to help subscription businesses fight churn
Gainsight
engagementCustomer Success
Customer success platform that helps drive product adoption and reduce churn
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