Churnfree and Paddle Retain (formerly ProfitWell Retain) both put a retention flow in front of your cancel button, and both work with Paddle, but not with the same Paddle. Retain’s cancellation flows run on Paddle Billing; Churnfree’s Paddle integration runs on Paddle Classic. They are also built for different jobs. Paddle Retain is Paddle’s retention toolkit: failed-payment recovery (dunning), cancellation flows and upgrades to annual plans, included with Paddle Billing at no extra cost and run largely by Paddle’s own logic. Churnfree is a focused, no-code cancellation flow tool: you write the survey, choose the offers, design every screen and track saved vs cancelled requests, across one or several websites.

In short, if you sell on Paddle Billing and want dunning plus a hands-off cancel flow, start with Retain, because you already have it. Pick Churnfree if you are on Paddle Classic, where Retain offers Payment Recovery only, if you want to control the cancel flow yourself, run several websites or brands, or bill through Stripe as well as Paddle.

This comparison uses only what each company states on its own website. Paddle Retain details were checked on paddle.com and developer.paddle.com on September 25, 2026. Features and prices change, so confirm on churnfree.com and paddle.com/retain before you decide.

Churnfree vs Paddle Retain at a Glance

ChurnfreePaddle Retain
What it isAI customer retention software built around no-code cancellation flowsPaddle’s retention toolkit: Payment Recovery, Cancellation Flows and Term Optimization
Cancel flowYes: survey, offers, feedback form, confirmation step, custom designYes: cancellation reason, satisfaction question, salvage attempt, salvage offer, feedback and cancel
Who builds the flowYou, in a no-code editor: your own reasons, one offer mapped to each answerShared: you choose the rescue options and discount; Retain targets the salvage attempt to the product and customer
Save offersDiscounts (a Stripe coupon or a Paddle percentage discount), pauses, and a link to a page you choosePause, switch plan or contact support (email or a Calendly meeting), then an optional temporary discount
Exit feedbackCustomizable survey and feedback forms, filterable by flow and dateCancellation reason, what the customer liked, and a feedback step
Failed-payment recovery (dunning)NoYes: retries over a 30-day window, email, in-app and SMS messages, no-login card update form
Annual plan upgradesNoYes: Term Optimization offers one-click upgrades to longer plans
Billing integrationsStripe and Paddle Classic (live), “Other” mode with no processor; Recurly and Braintree coming soonPaddle Billing built in; also Braintree, Chargebee, Chargify (Maxio), Recharge, Recurly, Stripe Billing and Zuora
Paddle ClassicSupported: cancel flow with discounts and pausesPayment Recovery only; Cancellation Flows and Term Optimization are listed for Paddle Billing
Paddle BillingNot supported by Churnfree’s Paddle integrationBuilt in
Multiple websites or brandsYes, each with its own flows and dashboard (1, 3 or 7 websites by plan)Not described on Paddle’s Retain pages
SetupCode snippet on your site, connected to your cancel buttonPaddle.js on Paddle Billing (no extra script), or a JavaScript snippet for other billing platforms
Testing“Connect Test” option for test environmentsPaddle says Retain works with live data only and cannot be tested with sandbox accounts
PriceBasic $49/month, Professional $99/month, Business $199/month, Enterprise custom; 14-day free trial, no credit cardIncluded with Paddle Billing at no extra cost (Paddle’s standard pricing is 5% + 50¢ per Checkout transaction); no public price for other billing platforms, book a demo
Compliance statedGDPR and CCPA compliantSOC 2 certified, GDPR compliant; adds a direct cancel link in regions that require one-click cancellation

Want to write your own cancel flow for your Paddle Classic customers? Connect Paddle, build a reason survey with one targeted offer and a pause option, and see which cancellations you save. Try Churnfree free for 14 days, no credit card required.

How Churnfree Works With Paddle

Paddle is one of Churnfree’s live payment integrations, next to Stripe. It is built on the Paddle Classic API: you connect with your Paddle vendor ID, auth code and public key, and customers are identified by their Paddle Classic subscription ID. Paddle Billing accounts, which use API keys and sub_ subscription IDs, cannot be connected. You connect your Paddle account in Churnfree’s integrations screen, with a “Connect Live” button for production and a “Connect Test” button for testing, then pick the payment processor for each retention flow. On Paddle, Churnfree can pause a subscription for a set number of months and resume it automatically, apply a one-time or recurring percentage discount as a subscription modifier, or cancel the subscription.

Once a customer accepts an offer, Churnfree executes it instead of sending the customer to the payment processor’s website. A Churnfree flow has up to five steps:

  1. Survey. A customizable list of multiple-choice reasons, so you learn why each customer is cancelling.
  2. Offers. A discount, a pause, or a link to a page you choose, with one offer matched to each survey answer.
  3. Feedback. A form with a text area for anything the survey missed.
  4. Confirmation. A last screen that reminds the customer what they keep by staying.
  5. Design. Every window and button can match your site’s look.

Results feed a dashboard with cancellation requests, saved requests and cancellations, filterable by flow and date. See how to build a cancel flow or the step-by-step Churnfree setup guide.

What Paddle Retain Does

Paddle describes Retain as “Paddle Billing’s built-in retention toolkit,” and its product page is now titled “Dunning Software.” It has three parts:

  • Payment Recovery. Automated dunning over a 30-day window by default: payment retries timed by “Tactical Retries,” plain-text recovery emails, in-app notifications and optional SMS, and a no-login page where customers update their card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal details. When all attempts fail, Retain pauses or cancels the subscription.
  • Cancellation Flows. The customer gives a reason, says what they liked about your product, and is offered a salvage attempt: pause, switch to a cheaper plan, or contact your support team, with an optional Calendly meeting link. If they decline, Retain can show a temporary discount, which you can turn off. The last step collects feedback and cancels the subscription.
  • Term Optimization. One-click upgrades from monthly to longer-term plans for customers Retain identifies as ready.

On Paddle Billing, Retain applies the outcome for you: plan switches replace the price on the subscription, pauses are scheduled for the next billing period, discounts are created and applied, and cancellations are scheduled. Recovery messages are translated automatically, and in regions that require one-click cancellation, such as the EU, every page of the flow includes a direct cancel link.

Key Differences Between Churnfree and Paddle Retain

Control Over the Cancel Flow

This is the main difference. Retain’s flow follows Paddle’s five-step sequence: you choose which ways to rescue customers and whether to offer a discount, and Retain targets the salvage attempt based on the product and the customer’s answers. That suits teams that want a flow running without much design work. Churnfree gives you the editor: you write the reasons, decide which offer appears for each answer, and style every screen. If you want a discount for customers who say the price is too high and a pause for those who are taking a break, Churnfree gives you those controls.

Failed Payments

Retain includes Payment Recovery for involuntary churn. Churnfree focuses on voluntary churn at the cancel button and has no failed-payment recovery. The two can work side by side: Paddle lets you choose which Retain interventions to turn on, so you can keep Payment Recovery for card failures and run Churnfree on your cancel button. Keep only one cancel flow attached to the button. Our guide to dunning management covers what a good recovery sequence includes.

Price

On Paddle Billing, Retain costs nothing extra; Paddle includes its churn prevention tools in its standard 5% + 50¢ per Checkout transaction pricing. Paddle does not publish a price for using Retain with other billing platforms. Churnfree is a separate subscription priced by websites, active workflows and dynamic offers: Basic $49/month, Professional $99/month, Business $199/month and custom Enterprise plans, after a 14-day free trial with no credit card.

Try a cancel flow you control before you commit. Churnfree’s 14-day trial needs no credit card, and you can connect Paddle in test mode first. Start your free trial.

Billing Platforms and Multiple Stores

Retain covers more billing systems: Paddle Billing natively, plus Braintree, Chargebee, Chargify (Maxio), Recharge, Recurly, Stripe Billing and Zuora. Churnfree supports Stripe and Paddle Classic today, with Recurly and Braintree listed as coming soon, and an “Other” mode that runs a flow without any processor. If you sell several products or brands, Churnfree lets you manage 1, 3 or 7 websites by plan, each with its own flows, code snippet and dashboard, from one account.

Paddle Classic vs Paddle Billing

Paddle’s developer docs list Payment Recovery as the only Retain feature on Paddle Classic. Cancellation Flows and Term Optimization are listed for Paddle Billing. Churnfree is the other way round: its Paddle integration is built on the Paddle Classic API and does not connect to Paddle Billing. So on Paddle Classic, you can keep Retain’s Payment Recovery and use Churnfree for the cancel flow. On Paddle Billing, Retain’s cancel flow is the one that plugs into your account; Churnfree’s “Other” mode can still show a survey and link offers to pages you choose, but it cannot apply discounts or pauses in Paddle Billing for you.

Testing Before Launch

Paddle states that Retain works with live data, so you cannot integrate or test it with sandbox accounts. Churnfree offers a separate test connection, so you can try a flow in a test environment before it reaches real customers.

When to Choose Which

Choose Churnfree if you:

  • Want to write your own survey, pick your own offers and design every screen of the cancel flow.
  • Sell on Paddle Classic, where Retain offers Payment Recovery but no cancel flow.
  • Manage more than one website, product or brand.
  • Bill through both Stripe and Paddle, or want to test the flow before it goes live.

Choose Paddle Retain if you:

  • Sell on Paddle Billing and want dunning, a cancel flow and annual upgrades at no extra cost.
  • Prefer a hands-off flow where Paddle picks the salvage attempt.
  • Bill through Chargebee, Recurly, Zuora or another platform Retain supports and Churnfree does not yet.
  • Want a vendor that states SOC 2 certification.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Churnfree and Paddle Retain?

Both tools show a reason survey and an offer when a customer clicks cancel. Paddle Retain is Paddle’s retention toolkit, covering failed-payment recovery, cancellation flows and annual plan upgrades, and it is included with Paddle Billing. Churnfree is a focused no-code cancel flow tool where you control the survey, offers and design, priced by websites, workflows and offers from $49/month.

Is Paddle Retain the same as ProfitWell Retain?

Yes. Paddle acquired ProfitWell, and ProfitWell Retain is now sold as Paddle Retain. Paddle’s setup docs still use the ProfitWell name in places, for example “ProfitWell > Settings > Integrations.”

How much does Paddle Retain cost?

As of September 25, 2026, Paddle describes Retain as available “at no extra cost” to Paddle Billing customers, and its pricing page lists churn prevention tools as included in its 5% + 50¢ per Checkout transaction pricing. For other billing platforms, paddle.com does not publish a price; you book a demo.

Does Churnfree work with Paddle?

Yes, with Paddle Classic. Paddle is one of Churnfree’s live integrations, alongside Stripe, and it uses the Paddle Classic API; Paddle Billing accounts cannot be connected. You connect your Paddle account in Churnfree, choose Paddle as the processor for a retention flow, and accepted offers such as pauses and discounts are executed by Churnfree.

Is Churnfree a good Paddle Retain alternative?

Yes, for the cancel flow on Paddle Classic, if you want more control over the survey, offers and design, or run several websites. On Paddle Billing, Churnfree cannot apply offers in your Paddle account. It does not replace Retain’s Payment Recovery, so Paddle Classic sellers can keep Retain for failed payments and use Churnfree on the cancel button.

Can I use Paddle Retain and Churnfree together?

Yes, on Paddle Classic. Payment Recovery is the Retain feature available there, so you can run it for failed payments and Churnfree for cancellations. Attach only one cancel flow to your cancel button so customers do not see two.

Does Paddle Retain handle one-click cancellation rules?

Paddle says that in regions requiring one-click cancellation, such as the EU, Cancellation Flows adds a direct cancel link to every page of the flow. Whatever tool you use, read our guide to the FTC click-to-cancel rule to see where US rules stand.

How much does Churnfree cost?

Churnfree has four plans: Basic at $49/month (1 website), Professional at $99/month (3 websites), Business at $199/month (7 websites) and custom Enterprise plans. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial with no credit card.

The Bottom Line

If you sell on Paddle Billing, Retain is already in your account, and its Payment Recovery is worth turning on. Its cancel flow is built to run with little input from you. Churnfree is the choice when you sell on Paddle Classic or Stripe and the cancel moment deserves more control: your own reasons, your own offer for each answer, your design, and one dashboard across every website you run.

Build your first Churnfree retention flow on Paddle Classic today. Add a reason survey, one offer and a pause option, and see which cancellations you save in the first week. Try Churnfree free for 14 days, no credit card required.