How to Sell Subscriptions with WooCommerce (A Complete 2026 Guide)

Subscriptions are the future of eCommerce. 

From Netflix and Amazon Prime to curated subscription boxes and SaaS products, the subscription economy has grown by over 435% and 4.6x faster than the S&P 500 in the past decade. [Source: ERP Today]

This explosive growth shows that customers love the convenience of automated recurring purchases, and businesses thrive on the predictable revenue.

As a team that has helped thousands of WooCommerce stores grow, we’ve seen firsthand that WooCommerce, while powerful, isn’t built for smart recurring billing out of the box. You need the right tools to manage it.

In this guide, we’ll show you the step-by-step process for launching a successful subscription model. 

To make it practical, we’ll walk you through the entire setup, covering the exact process, pricing strategies, and best practices.

By the end, you’ll have a clear blueprint to launch a subscription model product that keeps customers coming back and builds a reliable revenue stream for your store.

What Are Subscriptions in WooCommerce?

In WooCommerce, subscriptions are a product type that allows you to charge customers on a recurring schedule, such as weekly, monthly, or yearly, without requiring them to place a new order each cycle.

When a shopper purchases a subscription product, WooCommerce automatically creates a subscription record that manages all future renewals, payments, and access permissions.

A WooCommerce subscription typically includes:

• A recurring billing schedule: Defines how often the customer is charged.
• Automatic renewals: WooCommerce triggers renewal orders and processes payments through your chosen gateway.
• Customer self-management: Subscribers can update payment methods, change plans, pause their subscription, or cancel their subscription from their account.
• Lifecycle events: Handling of free trials, signup fees, failed payment retries, plan upgrades/downgrades, and proration.

Store owners use subscriptions for physical goods, digital memberships, software licenses, and service retainers because they generate predictable, recurring revenue rather than one-off sales.

This model is incredibly flexible. With the right tool, you can implement several different structures to fit your exact business needs.

It’s a complete system for selling and managing recurring payments inside a WordPress store, helping businesses increase customer lifetime value and stabilize monthly income.

Why Sell Subscriptions in WooCommerce (The 6 Key Benefits)

Adding subscriptions to WooCommerce not only generates revenue but it transforms your business. 
Here are the biggest advantages: 

• Predictable recurring revenue: Subscriptions bring in steady, reliable income every billing cycle, making it easier to plan and grow your business.
  
• Higher customer lifetime value (CLTV): Instead of one-off purchases, subscribers generate revenue month after month, maximizing profitability per customer.
  
• Improved customer loyalty: Subscribers are less likely to switch to competitors since they’re already committed to your brand and products.
  
• Scalable business growth: Scale your business without extra manual work by handling billing, renewals, and notifications automatically.
  
• Upselling and cross-selling opportunities: Loyal subscribers are more receptive to premium tiers, add-on products, and seasonal offers, thereby increasing your average order value.
  
• Better inventory and cash flow management: With predictable renewals, you can plan stock, shipping, and expenses more effectively, reducing risk and waste.

In short, WooCommerce subscriptions don’t just improve sales. It creates a sustainable, repeatable revenue model that keeps your store growing month after month.

Prerequisites Required to Sell Subscriptions in WooCommerce

To start selling subscriptions in your WooCommerce store, you’ll need a few essentials. 

Along with WooCommerce, you need these tools to ensure smooth recurring billing, flexible payment options, and easy subscription management:

1. WooCommerce: Your Ecommerce Foundation

Ensure the WooCommerce plugin is installed and that your store is set up with products and shipping options.

2. Sublium: The All-In-One Subscription Plugin for WooCommerce

By default, WooCommerce doesn’t support recurring billing. That’s where Sublium steps in.

Unlike traditional plugins that force you into rigid structures, Sublium gives you complete flexibility:

• Subscribe-and-save discounts to boost customer retention
• Recurring payment plans with customizable billing cycles
• Installment options for high-ticket items
• Free trials and down payments to reduce purchase friction
• Automated email notifications for renewals, payment reminders, and failed payments
• Churn analysis and payment recovery system

Sublium has a free version available on WordPress. Its premium plan starts at $99.50 a year.

With Sublium, you can design subscription plans in WooCommerce tailored to your business needs.

3. A Reliable Payment Gateway

You need a payment gateway that supports tokenization, a secure method for storing a customer’s payment details for future recurring charges. 

Your best options include credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and more.

Sublium has built-in payment integration with Stripe, PayPal, and Square.

How to Sell Recurring Subscriptions in WooCommerce (Step-by-Step)

Now that you understand the basics and types of subscription models, let’s walk through the exact steps to set up and start selling subscriptions in your WooCommerce store.

Step 1: Install and activate Sublium

Sublium offers a free version available on WordPress.org. To unlock its full capabilities, get access to its premium plan.

Make sure you’ve already installed and activated Sublium on your WordPress website.

Step 2: Create a subscription plan

Navigate to Sublium ⇨ Plans and click on the ‘Create Plan’ button.

Enter the name and select the type of your subscription plan in WooCommerce.

You can choose between:

• Recurring Subscriptions: Customers are billed automatically on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis for digital or virtual products or services. For example, $29/month for access to premium workout plans.

• Subscribe and Save: Customers get a discount when they commit to regular purchases of physical products and deliveries. For example, buy daily milk on subscription and save 10% compared to one-time purchases.

• Installments (Pay Over Time): Instead of paying up front, customers can split high-ticket items into smaller recurring payments. For example, pay $600 in six $100 monthly installments.

Here, we’ll create a Classic Fitness Subscription for $15 per month, which offers a 3-day free trial.

So, we’ll enter the name and select ‘Recurring’ for our monthly fitness plan.

Clicking on ‘Create’ will add a new subscription plan to your WooCommerce store.

Step 3: Configure your recurring subscription plan in WooCommerce

After creating your subscription product, the next step is to configure the recurring subscription plan. This setup ensures your customers are billed automatically according to the cycle you define.

When you enter the subscription settings, you’ll be directed to the Selling Plan screen. 

Since this product will be subscription-only, we won’t offer any one-time purchase option.

Then, click the edit (pencil icon) next to the monthly selling plan to customize your details.

Billing Frequency

Set how often your customers will be billed. For a monthly subscription, choose 1 Month.

You can also set daily, weekly, or annual billing cycles depending on your product or service.

Free Trial

Offering a free trial helps reduce friction for new customers. 

For instance, a 3-day or 7-day trial lets users test your product or service before committing.

Set the trial duration based on your business model.

Signup Fee

This is a one-time charge applied when a customer first subscribes. It can help cover onboarding or initial setup costs.

We won’t charge any signup fees here and leave this option blank.

Expiry

Set expiration date for your recurring subscriptions here.

For recurring subscriptions, set it to ‘Until User Cancels’ for ongoing subscriptions.

Plan Information

Include clear details about what the plan entails, such as the features and benefits customers will have access to, billing cycles, applicable discounts, and more.

Transparency builds trust and prevents surprises for your subscribers.

Once done, hit ‘Update’ to save your subscription plan.

Step 4: Assign a product to the new subscription plan

Once your subscription plan is configured, the next step is to assign products to it. This connects your chosen items to the recurring billing structure you just created.

Go to the Products section and click on the ‘Add Product’ button.

Choose the individual virtual products you want to include in your subscription selling plan. You can search for your product name by entering the initial letters or by browsing its category.

This is perfect for digital goods such as online courses, software licenses, or premium content.

Sublium can convert any simple product(s) in your WooCommerce store into a subscription plan. 

Click on the product and hit ‘Add’.

Your fitness product is now linked to the subscription plan.

You can offer discounts on your subscription by entering the selling price of the product:

You also have the flexibility to enable the one time purchase option.

When you’re done, hit ‘Save’ to lock your changes.

To make your subscription active, just turn the toggle to ‘Active’.

This will launch your recurring subscription product and customers will be able to purchase it with recurring billing enabled.

Step 5: Configure payment gateways for recurring billing

To successfully run subscriptions in WooCommerce, you need to connect your store with a payment gateway that supports recurring payments. 

Set it up from the Payment Gateways section in Sublium.

You’ll see Stripe, PayPal and Square. Activate and connect the payment gateway you prefer.

Before going live, test your payment setup in sandbox/test mode to verify that recurring billing triggers are correct and that free trials or signup fees work as expected.

With payment gateways properly configured, your WooCommerce store can now automatically process recurring billing.

This way, you can give customers a seamless subscription experience and ensure reliable cash flow for your business.

Testing Subscriptions in Your WooCommerce Store

Go to the product page in WooCommerce and this is what your subscription plan will look like:

Add this item to the cart and head to the checkout page.

See the $0 price with a 3-day free trial on the checkout page. The recurring price of $13.99 will be charged after 3 days when the trial period ends:

Upon successful order, you’ll be directed to the thank you page:

Your subscription plan works perfectly in your WooCommerce store. You’re now ready to sell!

7 Best Practices When Offering Subscriptions in WooCommerce

Selling subscriptions is more than just enabling recurring billing. Present your offers in a way that attracts new customers, builds loyalty, and maximizes long-term revenue. 

Here are some best practices to maximize the benefits of your WooCommerce subscription business.

1. Use subscribe and save discounts

Discounts tied to subscriptions create a win-win for both you and your customers. 

By offering a percentage discount for recurring orders, such as 10% or 15%, you encourage customers to make regular purchases, while your business benefits from predictable recurring revenue.

This model works particularly well for physical consumable products, such as daily essentials, supplements, or personal care items.

2. Reduce churn with smart payment recovery

Failed payments are among the top reasons subscriptions are canceled. 

To maintain a steady revenue stream, it’s essential to set up automatic payment retries and send reminder emails when a customer’s card is about to expire.

You can find these options under Retain ⇨ Payment Recovery inside Sublium.

With proactive dunning flows, you can recover up to 30% of failed transactions and prevent unnecessary churn.

3. Personalize the subscriber experience

Retention is just as important as acquisition, so make subscribers feel valued with personalized emails that highlight milestones, savings summaries, and relevant product recommendations.

Offer exclusive perks, such as bonus content or loyalty rewards, to deepen engagement.

Clear communication is essential. Keep subscribers informed about renewals, payments, trials, and cancellations to avoid confusion and reduce failed payments.

WooCommerce provides automated emails, and pairing it with a reliable SMTP plugin (like WP Mail SMTP) helps ensure deliverability.

Sublium’s visual builder lets you design emails with drag-and-drop blocks, preview them, send test emails, and run an email audit to catch missing URLs, broken links, and sizing issues.

Follow the same process to set up all essential subscription emails: renewals, failed payments, cancellations, and card-expiry reminders.

4. Pitch upsells during shopping journeys

Once a customer has subscribed, they are more open to buying additional products. 

This is where FunnelKit comes in. 

By adding order bumps on the checkout page, you can pair complementary items with subscriptions. 

FunnelKit Cart lets you pitch smart add-ons before checkout, while one-click post-purchase upsells allow you to present higher-value offers, such as an annual plan upgrade, without disrupting the buying experience.

Here’s a classic example of offering upsells on the checkout page:

Together, Sublium and FunnelKit create a seamless system to increase average order value and boost profits.

5. Provide flexible billing cycles and installments

Every customer has different payment preferences. 

Offering monthly, quarterly, and annual billing options gives them the flexibility to choose what works best for them. 

For high-ticket items, installment plans can make purchases more affordable without overwhelming buyers. 

Clear communication about savings, such as “Save 20% when billed annually”, helps nudge customers toward longer commitments.

6. Set up relevant upgrades for different subscription plans

Customer needs may evolve over time, and your subscription system should adapt with them. 

Sublium enables customers to effortlessly upgrade from a lower-tier plan to a higher-tier plan or switch from monthly to annual billing. 

The best part is that billing adjustments (proration) occur automatically, making the upgrade process feel seamless and ensuring customers feel secure about their money.

You’ve full display controls to show customers relevant upgrade offers smartly.

With these settings, you can show upgrade offers on the cart page, FunnelKit mini cart, and checkout page.

You can even show your offers inside the ‘My Account’:

Making upgrades easy reduces cancellations and encourages customers to grow alongside your business.

7. Monitor subscription metrics that matter

To continually improve your subscription strategy, it is essential to regularly measure performance. 

Metrics such as monthly and annual recurring revenue (MRR and ARR), churn rate, subscription revenues, and upcoming payments, among others, reveal how well your plans are performing and where adjustments are needed. 

By keeping an eye on these numbers, you can fine-tune pricing, refine offers, and focus on customer retention.

Common Challenges When Handling Subscriptions in WooCommerce (and How to Solve Them)

Running a subscription business in WooCommerce can be highly profitable, but it comes with specific challenges. 

Sublium is designed to address these issues directly, ensuring your recurring revenue remains consistent and your subscribers stay happy.

Recurring payment failures

Issue: Failed payments are a leading cause of subscription cancellations. Common causes include expired credit cards, insufficient funds, or declined transactions. Without recovery, these failures lead to lost revenue and frustrated customers.

Solution: Use smart dunning flows to automatically handle failed payments. 

When a transaction fails, Sublium retries the payment on a schedule you define (for example, 1, 3, and 7 days after failure).

Simultaneously, it sends automated email notifications to customers, prompting them to update their billing details. 

Merchants can use the analytics section to track all retries and recoveries directly in the WooCommerce dashboard, ensuring maximum revenue retention without manual intervention.

High customer churn

Issue: Even satisfied customers may cancel if they feel locked into inflexible billing or aren’t reminded of renewals. High churn directly impacts recurring revenue.

Solution: Reduce churn by offering flexible billing cycles, including daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and fully custom options. 

Sublium offers automated reminders and engagement emails that keep customers informed about renewals, upcoming charges, and the benefits of their subscription. 

This proactive communication increases retention and keeps more subscribers active for longer periods.

High upfront costs

Issue: High-ticket subscriptions can deter potential customers when they require payment in full upfront.

Solution: Offer installment plans with customizable down payments, allowing customers to spread payments over several cycles. 

This lowers the financial barrier for subscribers while securing guaranteed revenue from the initial payment, making high-value products more accessible.

Complex subscription management

Issue: Managing upgrades, downgrades, cancellations, and prorated billing can become overwhelming, especially for stores with multiple subscription plans.

Solution: Sublium simplifies subscription management with seamless plan upgrades and downgrades, automatic prorated billing, and a user-friendly dashboard to track all subscriber activity. 

Merchants can make changes without disrupting the customer experience.

Limited marketing integrations

Issue: Many subscription plugins don’t integrate easily with upsells, order bumps, or optimized carts, limiting opportunities to increase revenue per subscriber.

Solution: Integrate your subscriptions with marketing plugins like FunnelKit to implement order bumps, one-click post-purchase upsells, and cart optimization for your subscribers. 

This means every checkout can be leveraged to maximize average order value (AOV) while maintaining a smooth customer experience.

Gaps in customer communication

Issue: Subscribers often cancel because they don’t know about upcoming renewals, charges, or plan benefits. Poor communication reduces trust and increases churn.

Solution: Sublium automates all subscription-related communications. From welcome emails to renewal reminders, payment failure alerts, trial expiry notifications, and milestone messages, your customers are always informed, engaged, and less likely to cancel.

WooCommerce Subscriptions vs. Sublium

When it comes to selling subscriptions in WooCommerce, most store owners immediately think of the official WooCommerce Subscriptions plugin. 

While it’s a solid option, it has limitations that can limit your growth. 

Sublium, on the other hand, takes a more modern approach, offering flexible subscription models, installment plans, and built-in automation to maximize recurring revenue.

Here’s a quick comparison of the two:

Feature	WooCommerce Subscriptions	Sublium
Recurring billing	✅ Yes, supports standard recurring payments	✅ Yes, includes smart recurring and flexible billing options
Installments and down payments	❌ Not available	✅ Flexible installments with customizable down payments
Subscribe and save discounts	❌ Limited support	✅ Built-in subscribe-and-save functionality
Flexible billing cycles	✅ Monthly, yearly, etc.	✅ Fully customizable cycles (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and custom)
Free trials and signup fees	✅ Supported	✅ Supported with more flexibility
Subscription upgrades and downgrades	✅ Manual or plugin-dependent	✅ Seamless upgrades and downgrades with prorated billing
Automation and notifications	❌ Requires extra plugins	✅ Built-in email reminders, dunning flows, and renewal notifications
Marketing integrations	❌ Limited native options	✅ Native FunnelKit integration for order bumps, upsells, and optimized cart, along with LearnDash, Memberpress, and more
Ease of Use	Moderate, requires multiple add-ons for advanced use	Streamlined, all-in-one subscription plugin
Pricing	$199	Free version available. Pro starts at $99.50/year

Why Choose Sublium Over WooCommerce Subscriptions?

If you want a basic, limited option for recurring payments, WooCommerce Subscriptions is a suitable choice. 

But if you’re looking for flexibility, beginner-friendly, growth, and revenue optimization, Sublium is the clear winner. 

With features like installments, down payments, subscribe-and-save discounts, and built-in automation, Sublium gives you everything you need to scale your subscription business without relying on multiple plugins.

Sublium offers a free version that is powerful enough for many new stores. 

Our Pro plans start at a fraction of the cost, include all the advanced features like installments and payment recovery, and come with a 14-day money-back guarantee. 

It gives you everything you need to scale, all in one place.

Frequently Asked Questions About Selling Subscriptions in WooCommerce

Conclusion: The Smarter Way to Sell Subscriptions in WooCommerce

Subscriptions are undoubtedly the most powerful way to generate a predictable, recurring revenue in your WooCommerce store. 

Whether you’re selling physical products, digital goods, or memberships, offering flexible subscription models can turn one-time buyers into loyal customers who stick around for the long haul.

With Sublium, you’re no longer limited to rigid recurring billing. 

Instead, you can unlock advanced features such as installment plans with down payments, subscribe-and-save discounts, flexible billing cycles, free trials, and seamless upgrades, while keeping subscription management simple.

By addressing common challenges like payment failures, churn, and high upfront costs, Sublium makes it easier than ever to launch, manage, and scale a subscription-based WooCommerce business.

And when you pair that with the conversion-boosting tools in FunnelKit, you create an automated engine for maximizing customer lifetime value.

If you’re ready to stop chasing one-time sales and start building predictable, recurring revenue, it’s time to build your subscription business the smarter way.