vs
Subbly vs Cratejoy
Cratejoy puts your box on a marketplace shelf or a template storefront. Subbly is AI-native: your agent builds your own store around your brand, checkout included, and your customers stay yours.
3 days free, then $1/wk for 4 weeksNo card needed14 days freeCancel anytime
20,000+ merchantson Subbly over 11+ years
Startups and brands like these, launched or switched here.
and 1,000s moreThe short answer
Choose Subbly if…
you want your own brand and store, you plan to grow beyond one marketplace, and you want subscribers who stay yours if you ever move.
Start for freeChoose Cratejoy if…
you're testing demand for a box and want marketplace traffic before you build a brand of your own.
You don’t need to be big to be great
Agency output at software prices. Your agent does the design and build work you would otherwise hire for, so a great store is where you start, not what you save up for.
Look like you have a designer
A store designed around your brand and vision, not a template.
Move like you have a developer
Any change, checkout included, is one message away.
Run like you have an ops team
Billing, portal and automations on one platform, with nothing to babysit.
In an expert’s hands, it’s a superpower
You don’t need an agency to build something great, but agencies and freelancers get even more from it. The agent does the build hours, so they take on more clients with the team they have, and the benefits grow with every store.
Subbly and Cratejoy at a glance
How each platform is built, which changes slowly, rather than a feature list, which changes every quarter.
| Area | | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you sell | Your own store, one-off and subscription | Cratejoy marketplace, with an optional website |
| Pricing | Subbly plans, on your own store | Marketplace from $24.99/mo + 1.25% + $0.10 per transaction + referral fees; website plan from $59/mo + transaction fees |
| Store design | Your agent designs it around your brand | Responsive themes |
| Changing the store or flow | Describe it to your agent | Theme settings |
| Payment tokens if you leave | Yours; subscribers come with you | Ask Cratejoy in writing |
| Migration in | Free, done by our team | Not applicable |
Cratejoy facts checked on 26 September 2026. Sources: Cratejoy pricing, Cratejoy for sellers. Prices are in US dollars and change; check them before you choose.
“We had a free trial with Cratejoy but we quickly ran into problems with their web builder. Eventually we came across Subbly and we were very impressed. Countless features have been added to Subbly since which I find essential if you want to grow to thousands of subscribers. - commitment terms and 2-week trials don’t appear on other platforms.”
Liam BrennanFounder, BusterBox4.8/5 from 220+ reviews, 4.9/5 for support. Read more on Capterra
Why brands move from Cratejoy to Subbly
The differences that matter once your store is live.
Your customers, not the marketplace's
On a marketplace, the shopper came for the marketplace. On Subbly they come for you, and your customers, data and payment tokens are yours. If you ever leave, your subscribers come with you.
A store that looks like your box
Next to a hundred other boxes, the listing looks like the others. Your agent designs a store around your brand, your products and your subscription model: the unboxing, the tiers, the gift flow. Your subscribers see your store before they see your box.
Read the manifesto
Change it in one message
New tier, a gift option, a build-a-box page, a holiday landing page. Describe it and your agent builds it.
Launch Club, live every weekday
Bring your store and we'll build the next part with you, live. Support is rated 4.9/5 on Capterra.
Built into every Subbly store
What other platforms add with apps or extra tools, Subbly has in the platform. No apps to install or keep in sync.
Recurring billing
Weekly, monthly or custom schedules, prepaid plans and commitment terms.
Build-a-box and bundles
Customers choose what goes in each box, priced by tier, items and frequency.
Gifting
Gift subscriptions and gift messages, designed into your checkout.
Customer portal
Subscribers skip, swap, pause or update their details themselves.
See the customer portal- And so much more: see all 100+ features
Is Subbly right for you?
Answer six questions in 1-2 minutes and get an instant answer.
No email requiredBuilt for all of ecommerce
Subbly started with subscriptions, the hardest kind of commerce to get right. The same platform runs one-off stores, and stores that sell both.
- One-off productsSingle products and bundles, in a store designed around your brand.
- SubscriptionsRecurring billing, build-a-box, gifting and a customer portal, built in.
- Both, in one checkoutCustomers buy once or subscribe from the same product page.
Founders and operators love Subbly.
From Capterra reviews and the notes merchants send us.
“The AI website builder confused me at first, but one free demo changed everything and I dove in head first. There was a learning curve, and the help docs and chat support carried me through it.”
“I did not expect building my website to be this easy and I never would have dreamed that I could have this nice of a website without paying designers a lot of money.”
“The builder has taken my website to a place I thought wasn't achievable without employing someone to build it for me. Within a matter of hours I had something that was so much more functional.”
“Setting up recurring subscriptions, tiered protocol pricing, and custom add-ons usually takes hours of developer work, but the AI handled the structure effortlessly.”
Moving from Cratejoy
We migrate your subscribers for free.
Your agent builds your own store around your brand.
Launch Club is live every weekday for the build.
What we move for you
- Products
- Customers
- Subscribers
- Payment tokens
- 4.9/5
- support rating from 220+ merchants on Capterra
- 24/7
- support, by chat and email
- 9,000+
- subscription founders in the community
Frequently asked questions
Is Subbly a good Cratejoy alternative?
Yes, if you want your own store and brand rather than a marketplace listing. Your agent designs the store around your box, and your customers, data and payment tokens are yours. Cratejoy is the better fit while you're testing demand and want marketplace traffic first.
How much does Cratejoy cost?
The marketplace plan starts at $24.99 a month plus 1.25% + $0.10 per transaction and referral fees. The website plan starts at $59 a month plus transaction fees.
Is Subbly good for subscription boxes?
It's what Subbly was built for. Build-a-box, gifting, memberships, churn tools and a customer portal where subscribers skip, swap or pause are all part of the platform, which has run subscription stores for over 11 years.
Is Subbly only for subscriptions?
No. Sell one-off products, subscriptions, or both, in one store and one checkout. Subscriptions are where Subbly started, so build-a-box, gifting, memberships and a customer portal are there when you want them.
Do I need to be technical to use Subbly?
No. If you can describe what you want to a designer, you can build it with your agent. Launch Club is live every weekday if you'd rather build it with a person.
How do I move from Cratejoy to Subbly?
Our migration team moves your products, customers and subscribers for you, for free. Your agent designs the new store around your brand, using your current site as a reference if you like, and Launch Club is live every weekday while you settle in. Switch to Subbly
Will my subscribers have to re-enter their cards?
Not if their cards are stored in Stripe or PayPal, or your current platform can transfer them to your Stripe account: we import them and billing carries on. If your platform keeps the cards, our Subscription Switch emails each subscriber a secure link to add their card in one step, with no login or checkout, and has brought back up to 84% of subscribers within 11 days.
How much does Subbly's agent cost?
Credits, included on every plan, with top-ups when you need more. You pay for the work your agent does at software prices, not agency rates, so making your store great is no longer the expensive part.
Can my agency or developer work on Subbly?
Yes. You don't need one to build a great store, but in an expert's hands Subbly is a superpower: the agent does the build hours, so they spend theirs on design, strategy and you. See the Agency Program
Build a store of your own
Your own store, designed around your box, with subscribers who are yours.
3 days free, then $1/wk for 4 weeksNo card needed14 days freeCancel anytime
