We admire Stripe… but your billing deserves more
Stripe is a payments platform that expanded its product suite
Stripe is one of the first choices of billing platforms - it's the default choice of companies using Stripe payments. It does handle simple billing use cases well. It has most of the features small ticketed companies, SMBs and e-commerce businesses need.
Zenskar is a billing platform built for complex billing use cases
Zenskar is a flexible, enterprise-grade solution that automates all your financial operations - billing, collections, revenue recognition and more - for subscriptions and usage based pricing models. It improves efficiency and lowers costs by reducing manual efforts and developer intervention.
Limitations of Stripe
- Limited features to manage modern subscription plans
- Missing critical integrations outside the Stripe ecosystem
- Transaction fees inflate your costs as you grow
- Inability to handle usage data without code
- Lacks customizability in the invoice template
When to choose Zenskar over Stripe
Why is Zenskar better for you
Implement any pricing structure without restrictions, without code
Stripe billing is great for vanilla subscriptions. But like most billing tools, it is configured to handle limited complexity and finite variations. So the only work around is for developers coding the intricacies for your advanced pricing models.
Zenskar is built to override this limitation. Its graphical data model builds complex pricing models as a series of nodes and connectors to accommodate advanced logic. All through a drag-and-drop editor without requiring any code.
- Go beyond simple subscriptions: Configure variable recurring payments, create contracts with custom billing periods, discounts, tax components, prepaid or postpaid options, and more.
- Price for value with usage-based pricing: Align your pricing with your customer needs and stay ahead of the competition. Offer minimal commitment and total flexibility with usage-based pricing.
- Configure complex pricing models: Zenskar’s graphical data model allows you to create complex pricing models with ease as a cascade of simpler pricing nodes.
Handle your usage data like a pro
Like most legacy billing tools, Stripe’s usage data handling is not as advanced as dedicated usage based billing platforms. It treats usage data as a mere input to process invoices, which reflects in its limited usage capabilities - rate limits, aggregation at source, limited reporting capabilities and range of connectors with data sources.
Usage metering and monitoring is one of Zenskar’s core offerings. Here’s why Zenskar can be the source of truth for your usage data:
- It can reliably ingest data from data warehouses without any code. You can pull data via APIs too or simply upload spreadsheets or manually enter data.
- You can send raw data or usage data aggregates. Zenskar supports complex aggregation through SQL query or a no-code visual query builder.
- Decoupling usage from billing and pricing enables pricing experimentations at any time and independent from metering.
- Set up usage monitors, create alerts and email updates based on your usage trends. Get valuable insights from usage analytics and reports.
Developer free billing experience
Stripe billing’s platform limitations can be augmented with the help of custom development. The robust API, extensive developer documentation and communities mean you can tailor it to your needs if you have developer support. If not, you’re better off not trying.
Zenskar is built with the vision to reduce human dependency in the billing process. This includes providing a developer-free billing experience for those who need it. The platform is designed for non-tech users and is intuitive and easy to use, without steep learning or coding skills.
Some of our features that empower non-tech users to own and manage billing include - drag-and-drop pricing model configuration, point-and-click contract creation with advanced terms and provisions, no-code usage aggregation.
(FYI, we also have API access, documentation for developers to code their way through with minimum effort.)
Personalize, automate and customize to your scale
Stripe billing is a one size fits all solution that works well for small businesses and e-commerce. There is very little customization and personalization possible.
Zenskar is designed to cater to the needs of large businesses and enterprises, and offers customizations at every step.
- Create your invoice templates based on your branding needs. Generate invoices dynamically based on the invoice templates.
- Customize communication schedules - with invoice emails, payment reminders, and receipts - based on specific user segments.
- Configure your own RevRec rules to reconcile your finances.
Bill without burning pockets
Stripe’s pricing structure gets punishing as you grow and expand. You pay by feature. The restrictive ecosystem means low choice of tools often overpaying for the convenience of the other products in Stripe’s product suite.
Zenskar is growth first. Pay for the platform once, not for every invoice you send or payment you collect. We don’t charge a percentage of your revenue.
Our pricing is tailored to your needs and scale; it reflects the impact we create and our operational costs. This is estimated based on proxy metrics such as # of customers, # of invoices, # of usage events, collection value of billings, etc.
We value long-term partnerships, striving for mutual benefit. Learn more about our pricing here.
Connect seamlessly with any stack
Choose your stack to best fit your needs, not due to platform rigidity. Unlike Stripe’s limited integrations that restrict you to its own product suite, Zenskar seamlessly integrates with most common tools across all categories.
- Connect your CRM with Zenskar to sync your customer data, contracts, and communication emails.
- Automatically send customer invoices, credit notes, payment status, and refund information into your ERP.
- Add your tax computations to the invoices automatically with integrations with tools like Avalara.
- Collect payments via Adyen, Razorpay or offline payments methods. With Zenskar, you’re not tied to Stripe payments - its pricing structure or its limited reach to global markets.
Get the best of both worlds with Zenskar billing + Stripe payments
Integrate your Stripe payments with Zenskar to enjoy Stripe’s payment security and success rate without compromising due to its billing capabilities.
- Connect with payment methods of choice with Stripe payments
- Redirect your customers from invoices to Stripe checkout
- Track all your payments on a single dashboard with Zenskar
Explore our sandbox at zero cost
Customize Zenskar to fit your needs
Customize the platform as you need, or reach the team for specific requests.
Reliable support when and where you need
Get prompt support 24 x 7 over email, Slack or Zoom with dedicated account managers.
Extension of your
in-house team
Work with a team as invested in your success. We’re with you at every step.
Frequently asked questions
As a platform built to solve existing gaps in the billing process, we offer several key features and USPs that streamline and automate your billing. While the impact you experience depends on your problem and use case, our clients have seen a marked improvement in several key areas. See more here.
Zenskar offers a commitment-free pilot at zero charge. You can use the sandbox to experiment, develop and test the environment extensively and experience the platform in action.
It usually takes 6-10 weeks to go live. The timeframe can vary based on the complexity of pricing models, existing state of data and other related factors. This includes migration, integration and implementation. We offer live support via email, Slack and Zoom to ensure smooth transition through the migration and implementation process.
We safeguard your sensitive information with the highest standards of confidentiality and integrity. We are GDPR and SOC 2 compliant and adhere to industry best practices to keep your data safe and secure. Learn more about our security standards and compliance here.
Our pricing depends on your billing needs, complexity and scale. It takes into account variables like # of customers, # of invoices, # of usage events, collection value of billings. We share a customized quote based on your specific requirements.