Clarification on Billing Requirements — App Using Stripe for Subscription & One-Time Charges

Shopify App Store
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Hi Shopify Support Team,

We have developed a Shopify app that is ready for submission to the Shopify App Store. Before we begin the submission process, we would like to confirm a specific aspect of the billing requirements, as our current implementation may need to be revised.

Our Current Billing Implementation:

Our app currently uses Stripe as the payment processor to handle all billing. Specifically, our Stripe integration manages the following:

  1. Monthly and annual subscription plans — Merchants select a plan within our app and are billed recurring charges through Stripe.
  2. One-time bundle purchases — Merchants can purchase specific feature bundles or add-ons as a single one-time payment, also processed through Stripe.
  3. Free trial periods — New merchants receive a free trial before being charged for their selected subscription plan.

All payment flows, invoicing, plan upgrades/downgrades, and cancellations are currently managed through Stripe’s billing infrastructure within our app.

Important Context:

Our app is built exclusively for Shopify. And it does rely on our other standalone SaaS platform for its functionalities and ecosystem.

Our Questions:

  1. Given that our app is built specifically for Shopify and all billing is currently handled through Stripe, does this conflict with the Shopify App Store requirement to use the Shopify Billing API for all app-related charges?

  2. Are we required to migrate all subscription charges, one-time bundle purchases, and trial period management from Stripe to the Shopify Billing API before we can submit and be approved for the Shopify App Store?

  3. Is there any exception or special permission process that would allow us to continue using Stripe for billing within a Shopify-exclusive app, or is migration to the Shopify Billing API mandatory in our case?

  4. If migration is required, can we submit the app for an initial review while the billing migration is in progress, or must the Shopify Billing API integration be fully implemented before submission?

We want to ensure full compliance with Shopify’s Partner Program Agreement and App Store requirements before submitting. Any guidance on the above would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

Kind Regards
~Satish

1 Like
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Hey @devs_chatinc, great questions.

It is required for all public apps to use Shopify billing. This means you will need to implement managed billing or the billing API for merchants finding and installing your app through the Shopify App store. If you don’t have this configured it won’t pass the app review.

For your existing clients that already have billing set up with you, you will not need to migrate those merchants.