Zoho Subscriptions is a powerful billing platform built for managing recurring revenue. Whether you’re offering monthly service plans, digital products, or membership access, it provides the tools you need to automate billing, collect payments, and manage customer subscriptions—all from within the Zoho ecosystem.
In this in-depth tutorial, the Zenatta Consulting team walks through every step of setting up and using Zoho Subscriptions effectively. This article summarizes the key points covered in the video so you can get up and running quickly and confidently.
Why Use Zoho Subscriptions?
Zoho Subscriptions stands out for several reasons:
- No transaction fees: Zoho doesn’t charge any additional fees per transaction, unlike competitors like Recurly.
- Tight integration: Works seamlessly with Zoho Books, CRM, Desk, Analytics, and more.
- Full-featured system: Includes dunning management, hosted payment pages, coupon support, automation, and customer portals.
- Standalone or integrated: It functions well on its own or as part of the larger Zoho finance suite.
If you’re already using Zoho Books or CRM, adding Zoho Subscriptions is a natural next step.
Setting Up Zoho Subscriptions: Step-by-Step
1. Settings Overview
The settings panel is your starting point. Access it via the gear icon in the top-right corner. Many options mirror those in Zoho Books:
- Organization Profile: Upload your logo, set your portal URL, define business details, and configure fiscal year/tax settings.
- User Roles: Customize access by department or function—limit who can modify plans, customers, or reports.
- Preferences: Set invoice formats, calendar billing options, subscription naming rules, and enable features like “pause & resume.”
- Branding: Customize themes for your customer portal and sign-up pages.
- Retry Settings: Define how the system handles failed credit card charges, including timing, retries, and notification templates.
- Tax Configuration: Use Avalara for automatic sales tax calculations based on location.
- Email Templates & Reminders: Modify default emails for billing, renewals, failures, and overdue reminders with your branding.
2. Creating Products & Plans
Products act as containers for one or more plans. Plans are the actual subscription options your customers can purchase.
Example Setup:
- Product: Car Wash Services
- Bronze Plan – Monthly
- Silver Plan – Monthly & Yearly
- Gold Plan – Monthly & Yearly
Each plan can include:
- Billing frequency (monthly, yearly, etc.)
- Setup fees
- Free trial period
- Price
- Plan features (these appear in your widgets and customer-facing content)
💡 Tip: Use the “Include in Widget” checkbox to control which plans appear on your public subscription page.
3. Add-Ons & Coupons
Add-Ons
These are additional services customers can attach to their main subscription—for example, a hand-dry service for a car wash.
- Can be billed monthly or yearly
- Associated with specific plans
- Shown during checkout
Coupons
Used to offer discounts. You can control:
- Type (flat or percentage)
- Validity dates
- Maximum redemptions
- One-time or recurring use
- Which plans or add-ons the discount applies to
⚠️ Watch Out: If a coupon is applied to both a plan and its add-ons, the discount will apply to both. If that’s not the intent, limit the association to either plans or add-ons.
4. Widgets & Website Integration
There are two main ways to let customers subscribe:
Option 1: Use the Zoho Widget
- Auto-generates a branded subscription page with all visible plans.
- Toggle between monthly and annual billing.
- Customize button labels, colors, layout, and themes.
- Easy embed code for any website.
Option 2: Use Hosted Payment Pages
- Generate a direct URL or iframe embed for each individual plan.
- Great for custom-built subscription landing pages.
- Requires a payment gateway (e.g., Stripe or WePay) to activate.
5. Managing Subscriptions
From the dashboard, you can view and manage all subscriber data:
- Status (active, overdue, paused, canceled)
- Billing history and upcoming charges
- Applied coupons or add-ons
Key Features:
- Pause Subscription: Must be enabled in settings. Allows temporary suspension of service without canceling.
- Cancel or Delete: Cancel is commonly used; deletion is rare.
- Invoice History: View detailed billing and activity logs for each user.
- Custom Charges: Add one-time fees, enable metered billing, or apply ad-hoc credits.
Advanced Features & Integrations
Automation & Developer Tools
- Run custom Deluge functions
- Set up webhooks to connect with external systems
- Automate notifications and internal actions based on events (subscription created, invoice paid, etc.)
Integrations
- Payment gateways: Stripe (recommended), Authorize.net, PayPal, WePay
- Zoho ecosystem: Books, CRM, Desk, Analytics, Click, and more
- Third-party tools: Zapier, WordPress, Avalara, Slack, Zendesk
Use the integrations panel to activate any of these connections and extend your system’s capabilities.
Summary
Zoho Subscriptions is a robust, flexible platform for managing recurring billing at scale. It’s especially powerful when used alongside Zoho Books and CRM, allowing you to track payments, automate communication, and build a seamless customer experience from start to finish.
What You Can Do with Zoho Subscriptions:
- Create detailed plans and add-ons
- Automate retries, alerts, and invoices
- Design branded sign-up pages and widgets
- Manage customer lifecycles, upgrades, and pauses
- Analyze performance through dashboards and reports
FAQs
Q: Does Zoho Subscriptions integrate with Zoho CRM?
Yes. You can sync customer data, trigger workflows, and track subscription status directly in CRM.
Q: Can I use Zoho Subscriptions with Stripe?
Yes, Stripe is the most recommended gateway for auto-charging capabilities.
Q: What if I want to build my own checkout page?
You can use hosted payment page links or iframe embeds from Zoho Subscriptions.
Q: Are there automation tools available?
Yes. Use built-in automations, Deluge scripting, or webhooks to build custom workflows.
Conclusion
Whether you’re offering monthly memberships, product subscriptions, or service retainers, Zoho Subscriptions gives you everything you need to manage recurring billing with ease.
