Chargebee Technology Intelligence

What is Chargebee?

Chargebee is a subscription billing and revenue management platform for SaaS and subscription businesses. The platform handles complex billing scenarios, revenue recognition, and subscription lifecycle management.

Used by thousands of subscription companies, Chargebee integrates with payment gateways like Stripe and Braintree to provide a complete billing infrastructure.

Key Features

Billing

• Subscriptions: Recurring billing
• Usage: Metered billing
• Hybrid: Mix recurring + usage
• Invoicing: Automated generation

Revenue Operations

• Recognition: ASC 606 compliance
• Taxes: Avalara integration
• Reporting: MRR, churn metrics

Subscription Management

• Trials: Free period handling
• Upgrades: Plan changes
• Dunning: Failed payment recovery

Use Cases

SaaS Companies

Software companies manage subscription billing. Handle upgrades, downgrades, and prorations automatically.

Usage-Based Pricing

API and infrastructure companies bill by usage. Metered billing with end-of-period invoicing.

Enterprise Deals

Sales teams handle custom contracts. Flexible pricing with custom terms and invoicing schedules.

Global Expansion

Companies support multiple currencies and tax jurisdictions. Localized pricing and compliant invoicing.

Code Examples

Create Subscription

const chargebee = require('chargebee');
chargebee.configure({ site: 'your-site', api_key: 'API_KEY' });

const result = await chargebee.subscription.create({
    plan_id: 'pro-monthly',
    customer: {
        email: '[email protected]',
        first_name: 'John',
        last_name: 'Doe'
    }
}).request();

Hosted Checkout

const result = await chargebee.hosted_page.checkout_new({
    subscription: { plan_id: 'pro-monthly' },
    customer: { email: '[email protected]' }
}).request();

const checkoutUrl = result.hosted_page.url;

Webhook Handler

app.post('/chargebee/webhook', (req, res) => {
    const { event_type, content } = req.body;
    if (event_type === 'subscription_created') {
        provisionAccess(content.subscription);
    }
    res.sendStatus(200);
});

Comparison

vs Stripe Billing

• Features: Chargebee more robust
• Dunning: Chargebee superior
• Integration: Stripe more native

vs Recurly

• Pricing: Chargebee competitive
• Features: Both comprehensive
• UI: Chargebee modern

Why Chargebee

• Advanced subscription logic
• Revenue recognition built-in
• Gateway agnostic
• Strong dunning management