Enterprises seek adaptable, easily integrated platforms with AI-enabled features to meet customer demand for new purchasing options, new research says
Subscription management software is becoming a crucial element of enterprise operations as more companies adopt subscription business models, according to new research from global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III).
The ISG Buyers Guides™ for Subscription Management, produced by ISG Software Research, provide the rankings and ratings of 27 software providers and their products to support the management of subscription operations. The research finds that purchasing methods have changed dramatically over the last five years as more customers demand flexible purchasing options, including subscriptions, consumption-based pricing and on-demand access. Subscriptions allow customers to spread out expenses over time and companies to establish recurring, predictable revenue streams. The proliferation of subscription models in many consumer and business markets has spawned more complex pricing, rating and billing, making advanced management software even more essential.
"Enterprises are implementing subscriptions, and ways of monetizing digital and physical services, that require more intelligent and flexible software," said Mark Smith, partner and chief software analyst, ISG Software Research. "Subscriptions must be designed for optimal subscriber experience throughout a lifecycle that spans engagement, commerce and billing. This research continues to provide trusted insight and guidance to enterprises seeking the most effective subscription strategy and software."
Subscription management software enables companies to deliver a seamless subscription experience to business or consumer customers, from selection through billing, payment and fulfillment. This requires support for automation, analytics, pricing and loyalty programs, often across diverse monetization methods, including flat-fee, usage-based and one-time sales, the research finds.
These systems enable diverse business models through either built-in capabilities or integration with enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM) and third-party platforms, ISG finds. They must smoothly integrate customer, product, pricing and vendor data to align contracts and orders with existing accounting systems. Companies adding subscriptions to a traditional one-time sales model need to integrate a new platform, and whether that becomes the consolidated subscription and billing hub or simply feeds data into legacy systems, interoperability is essential.
Revenue allocation is a critical, often overlooked function of subscription management, especially in B2B use cases, the research finds. Enterprises that partner with third-party suppliers of complementary products or services, such as travel companies that pay commissions to airlines and hotels, need to properly account for subscription revenue owed to those partners. They require software platforms that can use complex revenue allocation formulas tied to the pricing models used for customer charges.
Subscription management solutions increasingly use predictive and generative AI to streamline operations and enhance productivity, ISG finds. Use cases for AI include recommending collection strategies for overdue accounts, detecting expired cards or invalid addresses and introducing virtual assistants. Companies are also gradually adopting AI-powered pricing optimization and bundle recommendation features.
For its 2025 Buyers Guides™ for Subscription Management, ISG evaluated software providers across five platform categories — Subscription Management, B2B Subscription Management, B2C Subscription Management, Subscription Billing and Subscription Platforms — and produced a separate Buyers Guide for each. A total of 27 providers were assessed: Advantagecs, Aria Systems, BillingPlatform, Certinia, Chargebee, Cleverbridge, Conga, Fastspring, Gotransverse, keylight, Logisense, Maxio, Netsuite, OneBill, Oracle, Paddle, PayPro Global, Recurly, RecVue, Sage, Salesforce, SAP, Stripe, Verifone, Younium, Zoho and Zuora
ISG Software Research rates software providers for their product experience across platform and capability, and for their customer experience. Providers ranked in the top three for each evaluation category are named as Leaders. Those with the most Leader rankings are named as Overall Leaders within their platform category. New for 2025 is the Subscription Billing Buyers Guide.
The Overall Leaders of the 2025 Buyers Guides™ for Subscription Management were the following:
Subscription Management: Zuora was the top Overall Leader, followed by Oracle and BillingPlatform. Zuora was designated a Leader in seven evaluation categories, Oracle in six and BillingPlatform in four. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Gotransverse and Salesforce. Aria Systems, keylight and SAP were rated Innovative.
B2B Subscription Management: Zuora was the top Overall Leader, followed by Oracle and BillingPlatform. Zuora was designated a Leader in seven evaluation categories, Oracle in six and BillingPlatform in five. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Certinia, Conga, Gotransverse, NetSuite and Salesforce. Aria Systems, keylight and SAP were rated Innovative.
B2C Subscription Management: Zuora was the top Overall Leader, followed by Oracle and BillingPlatform. Zuora was designated a Leader in seven evaluation categories, Oracle in six and BillingPlatform in four. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Aria Systems, Chargebee, Gotransverse, NetSuite, Salesforce, Stripe and Zoho. AdvantageCS, keylight and SAP were rated Innovative.
Subscription Billing: Zuora was the top Overall Leader, followed by Oracle and BillingPlatform. Zuora was designated a Leader in seven evaluation categories, Oracle in six and BillingPlatform in four. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Aria Systems, Conga, Gotransverse, NetSuite, Salesforce and Zoho. The providers rated Innovative were keylight and SAP.
Subscription Platforms: Zuora was the top Overall Leader, followed by Oracle and BillingPlatform. Zuora was designated a Leader in seven evaluation categories, Oracle in six and BillingPlatform in four. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Conga, Gotransverse, Salesforce and Zoho. Aria Systems and SAP were rated Innovative.
"Enterprises need subscription solutions that not only meet current needs but can scale for the future," said Robert Kugel, executive director, Business Research, ISG Software Research. "This research rates and ranks subscription management software to help enterprises choose products with the features and flexibility they need for emerging business models and AI-enabled operations."
The ISG Buyers Guides™ for Subscription Management are the distillation of more than a year of market and product research efforts. The research is not sponsored nor influenced by software providers and is conducted solely to help enterprises optimize their business and IT software investments.
Visit this webpage to learn more about the ISG Buyers Guides™ for Subscription Management and read executive summaries of each of the five reports. The complete reports, including provider rankings across seven product and customer experience dimensions and detailed research findings on each provider, are available by contacting ISG Software Research.
About ISG Software Research
ISG Software Research provides authoritative coverage and analysis of the business and IT software industry. It distributes research and insights daily through its user community, and provides a portfolio of consulting, advisory, research and education services for enterprises, software and service providers, and investment firms. Its ISG Buyers Guides™ help enterprises evaluate and select software providers through tailored assessments powered by ISG's proprietary methodology. Visit http://research.isg-one.com/ for more information and to sign up for free community membership.
About ISG
ISG (Nasdaq: III) is a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm. A trusted partner to more than 900 clients, including 75 of the world's top 100 enterprises, ISG is a long-time leader in technology and business services that is now at the forefront of leveraging AI to help organizations achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm, founded in 2006, is known for its proprietary market data, in-depth knowledge of provider ecosystems, and the expertise of its 1,600 professionals worldwide working together to help clients maximize the value of their technology investments.
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