Recurring billing: Stripe Billing vs Chargebee vs custom build (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

Up to roughly 3 to 4 million euros of annual recurring revenue, Stripe Billing remains the most cost-effective choice for a B2B SaaS, provided you connect it to an accredited e-invoicing platform. Chargebee becomes attractive when finance handles negotiated contracts, amendments and complex revenue accounting. A custom build (20,000 to 50,000 EUR excl. VAT) is only justified for truly unusual pricing rules or a volume that makes fees prohibitive.

The three approaches compared

The CFO of a B2B SaaS with 2,000 customers and an average of 120 EUR excl. VAT per month handles about 2.9 million euros of annual volume. Requirements: annual and monthly contracts, launch discounts, proration on plan changes, automated dunning, intra-EU VAT with reverse charge and accounting export.

A custom build does not remove the payment gateway: it only replaces the subscription layer, which reduces the real saving.

3-year cost and e-invoicing

The next table estimates the full 3-year cost for the SaaS with 2.9 million euros of annual volume, excluding payment fees common to all three options.

In France, the e-invoicing reform requires all companies to receive electronic invoices from 1 September 2026, and large and mid-sized companies to issue them from that date; SMEs and micro-businesses will issue from September 2027. Domestic B2B invoices must go through an accredited platform in Factur-X, UBL or CII format. Neither Stripe nor Chargebee is an accredited platform: you need a connector. Intra-EU invoices fall under e-reporting, with a reverse-charge mention and the customer's VAT number checked via VIES.

Mini case study

Camille, CFO of a fleet management SaaS in Nantes, bills 2,000 customers, 30 % of them elsewhere in the EU. On Stripe Billing, the 0.7 % fee comes to about 20,300 EUR a year. Her team spends 3 days a month fixing credit notes and manual discounts, i.e. 36 days a year at 450 EUR, 16,200 EUR. Moving to Chargebee at 850 USD a month, about 9,400 EUR a year, plus a residual fee, cuts manual work to 1 day a month. Estimated net saving: 7,000 to 9,000 EUR a year, with a 15,000 EUR integration project paid back in under 2 years. Camille keeps Stripe as the payment gateway.

FAQ

At what volume does a custom build pay off?

As an order of magnitude, above 5 to 8 million euros of annual volume, when the 0.7 % fee exceeds 35,000 to 55,000 EUR a year. Below that, maintenance cost and the risk of billing errors outweigh the savings.

Does Stripe Billing handle intra-EU VAT?

Yes with Stripe Tax, billed at about 0.5 % per transaction, which calculates VAT and applies reverse charge when the VAT number is valid. You still need to configure the mandatory invoice mentions correctly.

Do we need to change tools for e-invoicing?

No, you need to add a connector to an accredited platform. Count 3,000 to 12,000 EUR of integration and 100 to 300 EUR a month depending on invoice volume.

How long does a migration from Stripe to Chargebee take?

Usually 4 to 8 weeks, including 2 weeks to migrate active subscriptions and double-check amounts. Stored payment methods can be kept if Stripe remains the gateway.

Does a custom build avoid payment fees?

No, card fees (about 1.5 % in Europe) or SEPA fees (about 0.35 EUR per debit) are still owed to the gateway. Only the subscription layer is brought in-house.

Let's scope your project. We integrate Stripe Billing or Chargebee into your application, with VAT handling and an e-invoicing connector, for a budget of 6,000 to 20,000 EUR excl. VAT delivered in 3 to 8 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.