shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Chargebee?

Chargebee powers billing, pricing, and revenue operations for 6,500+ businesses. From recurring subscriptions to usage-based AI monetization - every model, one platform. - chargebee.com

Depends. Buy if you run a scaling subscription business with usage-based pricing or revenue-recognition needs. Skip if simple recurring charges on Stripe Billing would cover you.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 30+ public sources; many review snippets were truncated at capture.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Starter

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
PerformanceFrom $249/mo

Best for

  • Scaling SaaS with complex pricing
  • Usage-based and AI monetization
  • Finance teams needing ASC 606/IFRS
  • Multi-entity, multi-region billing

Not for

  • Early-stage startups with simple flat plans
  • One-time-payment or non-subscription products
  • Teams wanting self-serve simplicity
  • Anyone without dev resources for integration

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Performance plan starts at $249/mo; total cost climbs with usage and add-ons. Quote early.

high

Support quality is the loudest complaint theme; test responsiveness before signing annual contracts.

medium

Leaving hurts: multiple Reddit threads document painful migrations away from Chargebee.

medium

Third-party security scanners rate the domain C+ (48/100) despite PCI Level 1 status.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Deep billing stack: usage-based pricing, ASC 606/IFRS reporting, multi-entity support
  • Rated 4.4/5 on G2 across 1,000+ reviews
  • PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant; runs an active bug bounty
  • Used by 6,500+ businesses including HSBC and Freshdesk
  • Free access for qualifying startups

Cons

  • Support complaints recur across Reddit and Trustpilot
  • G2 reviewers flag pricing concerns
  • Community threads question aggressive sales tactics
  • Complexity is real; founders ask for a simpler Chargebee
  • Third-party scanners grade C+ (48/100)

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/20/2026 - 14 sources - PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant with an active bug bounty; third-party scanners grade the domain C+ (48/100).

official x2review x5security x4news x3
  • Critical urllib3 vulnerability in tap-chargebee connector, Affects a third-party Singer data-extraction connector built on Chargebee, not Chargebee's core platform.
  • Third-party security grade C+ (48/100), scores 48/100, even as Chargebee maintains PCI-DSS Level 1 compliance.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 2/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 14

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 2/5. G2 reviewers flag pricing concerns; rivals undercut it
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Capable but complex; founders ask for simpler
  • Feature depth: 5/5. Usage-based, ASC 606/IFRS, multi-entity, fraud tools
  • Support quality: 2/5. Reddit threads cite poor support repeatedly
  • Security posture: 4/5. PCI-DSS Level 1, bug bounty; scanner grade C+
  • 4.4/5 G2 rating 1,000+ reviews across Chargebee products
  • $249/mo Starting paid price Performance plan
  • Yes Free tier Starter plan plus startup program
  • $3.5B Valuation After $250M raise

Pricing

Starter

Free

  • For early-stage SaaS
  • Basic subscription billing
  • Revenue caps apply

Performance

From $249/mo

  • Full billing and pricing features
  • Usage-based billing
  • Priority support

Security

PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant with an active bug bounty; third-party scanners grade the domain C+ (48/100).

  • Critical urllib3 vulnerability in tap-chargebee connectorAffects a third-party Singer data-extraction connector built on Chargebee, not Chargebee's core platform.
  • Third-party security grade C+ (48/100)scores 48/100, even as Chargebee maintains PCI-DSS Level 1 compliance.12

What users say

Users praise deep features and stay for years, but Reddit threads repeatedly cite weak support, pricing gripes, and painful migrations.

“I've used Chargebee for 6 year…”
Trustpilot reviewer
“Chargebee support sucks”
Reddit, r/SaaS
“Frustrated with Chargebee. Better SaaS Subscription …”
Reddit, r/SaaS (thread title)

Alternatives

Compare Chargebee with each alternative.

  • Stripe Billing

    Native if you're already on Stripe; simpler for standard subscriptions.

  • Paddle

    Merchant of record; handles global tax compliance for you.

  • Recurly

    Strong pick for high-volume DTC and consumer subscriptions.

    Chargebee vs Recurly

Companies that use it

  • HSBC14
  • Corteva14
  • Freshdesk
  • CodeRabbit
  • Sesame HR
Full analysis

Based on 30+ public sources; many review snippets were truncated at capture.

Powerful, deep subscription billing for scaling SaaS. Overkill and pricey if plain Stripe Billing covers you.

Methodology

Based on 30+ public sources; many review snippets were truncated at capture.

Sources

  1. Chargebee — Billing & Monetization for SaaS and AI Companieschargebee.com
    official
  2. Chargebee Plans and Pricingchargebee.com
    official
  3. Chargebee Pricing explained (Togai)togai.com
    news
  4. Chargebee Reviews on G2g2.com
    review
  5. Chargebee G2 seller reviewsg2.com
    review
  6. Chargebee on Trustpilottrustpilot.com
    review
  7. Sick and tired of Chargebee (Reddit)reddit.com
    review
  8. Is Chargebee the shadiest sales org in the world? (Reddit)reddit.com
    review
  9. Chargebee Securitychargebee.com
    security
  10. Chargebee PCI DSS Responsibility Matrixchargebee.com
    security
  11. Chargebee Bug Bounty Programbugbase.ai
    security
  12. Chargebee Security Rating C+ (saasposture)saasposture.com
    security
  13. Chargebee valued at $3.5B following $250M raisefintechfutures.com
    news
  14. List of Chargebee Customersappsruntheworld.com
    news

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