PorchOps vs Paddle Retain
Retention inside Paddle Billing (formerly ProfitWell Retain).
Paddle Retain (formerly ProfitWell Retain) is a retention toolkit inside Paddle Billing: proactive dunning with tactical retries, cancellation flows, and term optimization.
| Paddle Retain | PorchOps | |
|---|---|---|
| Works on your existing Stripe | Yes, as a paid add-on (free only on Paddle MoR) | Yes, flat $47 |
| Price on Stripe | Revenue share | $47/mo flat |
| Recovery copy | Automated retries | AI-drafted, approved by you |
| Handles global tax/VAT | Yes (merchant of record) | No |
What each one costs.
Retain plugs into your existing billing, including Stripe. On Stripe it is a paid recovery add-on on a revenue share. It is bundled at no extra line item only when Paddle is also your merchant of record, because Paddle already takes a cut of every transaction it processes.
We did not confirm Retain's standalone revenue-share percentage on Stripe, nor Paddle's merchant-of-record fee; check paddle.com/retain and paddle.com/pricing.
PorchOps is $47/mo (Growth), published, no sales call.
Paddle Retain pricing, checked 2026-08-28The model is the difference.
- "Free" is the wrong frame for most people: Retain is bundled free only if Paddle is your merchant of record. On your existing Stripe it is a paid revenue-share add-on. PorchOps is a flat $47 on top of your Stripe either way, and takes no cut of what it recovers.
- Retain is automated retries and templated dunning; Lou is approve-before-send AI drafts.
- Lou is a named agent, one of five (Lou, Frankie, Hank, Dale, Inky), not a single-purpose dunning feature. Recovery is the wedge, not the ceiling.
- Drafts by default: Lou writes context-aware, per-customer recovery copy that you approve before it sends. The dunning tools send templated merge-field email automatically, with no operator in the loop.
- Flat, published price. No sales call to find out what it costs.
When to pick them instead.
Pick Paddle Retain if you are already on Paddle, or if you want a merchant of record: Paddle handles global sales tax and VAT, chargebacks, and compliance, and Retain rides along at no added line item. If you sell internationally and want tax and compliance off your plate, that is a legitimate reason to be on Paddle. PorchOps does not replace your payment stack or handle tax.
PorchOps is pre-launch and Stripe-first at launch, and we do not publish a recovery rate because we do not have a proven one yet. If you need a billing stack beyond Stripe today, or a track record of recovered dollars, that is a real reason to look elsewhere.