# Recharge Acquired Skio: What It Means for Your Subscription Stack (and What to Do Now)

URL: https://www.usegro.co/blog/recharge-acquired-skio
Updated: 2026-09-27
Category: Subscriptions

## Short answer

On 30 April 2026 Recharge bought Skio for $105M in cash. The combined company powers 20,000+ merchants and processes over $20B a year. Nothing changes for existing Skio merchants today. But two products with overlapping features and different pricing never stay separate for long. If you are on Skio, you have time, not forever. If you are choosing between them now, understand you are choosing Recharge's roadmap either way.

## What's confirmed

- **The deal:** $105M cash, announced 30 April 2026. Skio had raised only about $8M, so this was a strong outcome for the founders.
- **The message to merchants:** Recharge says Skio continues to operate and current Skio merchants keep running as normal.
- **Scale:** the combined business claims 20,000+ merchants and $20B+ in annual order volume.
- **Skio's rating** sits at 5.0 from around 240 merchants. Its standout features were passwordless SMS login and a clean, fast portal.

## What's happened since

Nothing further has been publicly announced as of September 2026. We will update this section as things change.

## What usually happens after a deal like this

We cannot tell you Recharge's plan. We can tell you the pattern that plays out in almost every SaaS acquisition where the buyer already has a competing product:

1. **"Nothing changes" (months 0 to 6).** True at the time. Both teams keep shipping, both brands stay live.
2. **Roadmap consolidation (months 6 to 18).** Engineering effort shifts to one codebase. The smaller product gets fewer new features and its best ideas get ported to the bigger one.
3. **Pricing alignment.** Two price lists for the same buyer is confusing and leaves money on the table. Expect Skio's pricing to drift toward Recharge's, not the other way.
4. **Migration nudges.** Eventually merchants on the smaller product are offered a "seamless" move to the main platform, then encouraged, then given a date.

Recharge has said none of this, and it may handle it differently. But if you are a Skio merchant, plan as though steps 2 to 4 are likely over the next two years.

## If you are on Skio: stay, wait, or move?

**Stay** if you are on Shopify Plus, use Skio's specific features heavily, your integration stack is wired in, and Recharge's platform would meet your needs anyway if a migration came. You are already inside the acquirer's ecosystem. The eventual move, if it comes, will be white-glove.

**Wait** if you are happy with Skio today but uncertain about Recharge pricing. Set a calendar reminder for three months out. Watch for: pricing page changes, feature announcements landing on Recharge but not Skio, and any "migration" language in emails. Do a trial import of your data into one alternative now so you know how long a real move would take.

**Move** if any of these are true:

- You chose Skio specifically to avoid Recharge's fee structure. Recharge Starter is $99 + 1.49% + $0.19 per order. See our [Recharge pricing breakdown](https://www.usegro.co/blog/recharge-pricing-explained).
- You need a specific capability Recharge is weak on ([delivery scheduling for perishables](https://www.usegro.co/blog/fresh-product-subscriptions), for example).
- You dislike renegotiating your billing platform under time pressure. Moving now, on your schedule, is easier than moving later on theirs.

## If you are choosing a platform right now

Do not evaluate Skio as an independent option. Evaluate Recharge, and ask whether you want to be on the Skio product line inside it. For most new merchants the honest answer is to compare Recharge against the platforms that are still independent. We keep an updated list in [Skio alternatives now that Recharge owns it](https://www.usegro.co/blog/skio-alternatives) and a broader comparison in [best Shopify subscription apps 2026](https://www.usegro.co/blog/best-shopify-subscription-app).

Quick read on where the independents sit:

**Where the independent subscription platforms sit after the Recharge-Skio deal**

| Platform | Position after the deal | Pricing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Loop | Largest independent Shopify subscription platform | From $99/mo + 1% |
| Appstle | Highest-rated, flat fees, 0% transaction | From $10/mo |
| Seal | Cheapest predictable bill | From $5.95/mo |
| Stay AI | Enterprise retention | From $499/mo |
| Gro | Delivery-first, for fresh, frozen and perishable products | 0.9% of revenue, $250/mo minimum, no per-order fee |

_Prices checked September 2026._

## How to move a subscription base safely

If you decide to leave, the process is the same for every modern app:

1. Export contracts from Skio (or let the new team pull them via API).
2. Map selling plans in the new app first.
3. Import a test batch of 20 to 50 subscribers. Check renewals, discounts, delivery dates.
4. Import the rest.
5. Run both platforms for one billing cycle so no renewal slips.
6. Uninstall Skio only after every active subscription has renewed once on the new platform.

Payment methods are vaulted with Shopify, so customers almost never need to re-enter cards. Loop, Appstle, Seal and Gro all do assisted migrations for free.

## One more to consider

Full disclosure: we build Gro, a Shopify subscription platform built around the delivery rather than the charge. If your product spoils, or your customers need to move a specific box rather than pause a billing date, that is the problem we solve. Pricing is 0.9% of subscription revenue with a $250 a month minimum and no per-order fee, free under 10 active subscriptions. Migration from Skio and Recharge is free. [See how Gro works](https://www.usegro.co/subscriptions).

## Frequently asked questions

### Did Recharge buy Skio?

Yes. Recharge acquired Skio on 30 April 2026 for $105M in cash.

### Will Skio shut down?

Recharge says Skio continues to operate and nothing changes for current merchants. No sunset date has been announced. Plan for eventual consolidation anyway.

### Will Skio pricing change?

Nothing announced. In most acquisitions of this type, the smaller product's pricing moves toward the acquirer's over one to two years.

### Should I still choose Skio for a new store?

Only if you would be happy on Recharge's roadmap, because that is what you are buying. If you picked Skio to avoid Recharge, look at the independents.

### What are the alternatives to Skio and Recharge?

Loop, Appstle, Seal and Stay AI cover most needs. Gro is built for fresh, frozen and delivery-sensitive brands. Full comparison in our Skio alternatives guide.