The subscription business model has exploded in popularity in recent years. Companies in all industries are shifting from one-time purchases to recurring subscription payments. This new model requires robust billing and monetization platforms to manage the unique workflows.
Two leading solutions in the space are Zuora and Aria Systems. But with overlapping features, how do you determine which platform is best for your subscription business?
This comprehensive guide compares Zuora and Aria Systems across key criteria to help you make the right choice. We’ll analyze pricing, features, ease of use, scalability, and more to name the top subscription management platform.
| Feature | Zuora | Aria Systems |
| Starting Price | $99/mo | $295/mo |
| Free Trial | 30 days | 30 days |
| Key Features | Billing, quoting, revenue recognition, accounting automation, subscription management | Billing, payment processing, dunning, subscription management, usage tracking |
| Ease of Use | Moderate learning curve | Low learning curve |
| Scalability | Enterprise-level | Mid-market focused |
| Support Options | Phone, email, portal | Phone, email, portal |
| Mobile Optimization | Zuora Mobile app | Responsive web interface |
Zuora was founded in 2007 by CEO Tien Tzuo, who previously worked at Salesforce. They are headquartered in California and have raised over $240 million in funding. Zuora focuses on enterprise subscription businesses and has over 1,000 customers worldwide.
Aria Systems was also founded in 2007 by CEO Brendan O’Brien. The San Francisco company has raised around $150 million in capital. Aria targets mid-sized subscription businesses, with 400+ global customers.
Both platforms have been leading innovators in the subscription management space. But Zuora gears their product toward large enterprise clients, while Aria caters more to growing mid-market companies.
The core features of Zuora and Aria Systems are similar, centering on billing, subscription management, and revenue recognition.
Key features include:
Both platforms are robust for managing the entire subscription order-to-revenue lifecycle. Where they differ is the extensiveness and flexibility of the feature set.
Zuora offers more advanced capabilities like multi-dimensional billing, complex usage pricing, global taxation, and deeper data insights. The platform is highly customizable to match unique business needs.
Aria provides a solid feature foundation but trails Zuora in some advanced functionality. Yet Aria often yields faster implementation for less complex subscription use cases.
For dynamically scaling global enterprises, Zuora shines. For straightforward subscription scenarios, Aria streamlines deployment.
Aria Systems markets itself as the most flexible and user-friendly billing solution on the market. Their visual interface allows non-technical users to quickly configure subscriptions, billing, payments and more. Extensive documentation and how-to resources reduce the learning curve.
Zuora’s interface exposes the platform’s deep capabilities, requiring some training to leverage fully. Less technical users may find the software complex to configure without consulting services. But Zuora offers extensive admin training and support to ramp clients up.
For subscriptions with simple pricing and workflows, Aria Systems delivers greater out-of-the-box ease of use. But Zuora enables extensive customization for advanced subscription scenarios, albeit with more complexity.
Zuora built their platform from the ground up to support massive enterprise scale. The distributed cloud architecture effortlessly handles huge volumes of transactions, traffic spikes, and data. High availability, redundancy, and security measures meet enterprise standards.
Aria Systems also runs on secure cloud infrastructure and is scalable into the millions of subscribers. But larger clients may require customization to reach Zuora-level scale. Aria’s sweet spot is mid-market businesses under $1 billion versus Zuora’s enterprise focus.
Both platforms provide robust scalability and security for most subscription use cases. At hyper-scale, Zuora has proven enterprise reliability, availability and compliance.
As an enterprise platform, Zuora brings extensive implementation services and training resources. These accelerate deployment for large complex clients. But professional services fees add cost, typically $10,000+ for enterprise projects.
Aria Systems positions their platform as quick to deploy out-of-the-box. The product documentation is strong, and onboarding support is included for getting started. But less hand-holding for advanced configuration or customization.
In general Aria beans faster implementation for mid-market use cases, while Zuora’s seasoned consultants optimize for the largest deployments.
At their core, Zuora and Aria both excel at handling billing and payment processing for recurring revenue businesses. This includes:
Zuora rates higher for global taxation capabilities and some advanced billing like time-tiered pricing. But Aria covers the core billing needs of most subscription businesses very well.
For basic to moderately complex billing models, Aria keeps up with Zuora. At the highest end, Zuora has more advanced options.
As enterprise software, Zuora offers 24/7 worldwide support via phone, email and support portal. Response times vary based on client, with enterprise SLAs guaranteeing rapid response. But phone support starts at highest tier only.
Aria Systems provides solid email, phone and chat support during business hours. But enterprise-grade 24/7 global support is lacking. Documentation is robust for common use cases but thinner for advanced configuration.
Zuora’s superior support coverage suits mission-critical enterprise clients. Aria’s customer service meets the needs of most mid-sized companies.
Zuora pricing scales in tiers based on features needed, starting at $99/month for their basic tier. Discounts are available for annual prepay, but contracts lock you in. Professional service fees for implementation and customization add significant costs.
Aria’s starter pricing is $295/month but scales affordably. Though less discounts for annual prepay. No minimum contract lock-in provides more flexibility to pause or cancel. Fewer add-on fees for implementation and training.
Zuora carries higher long-term costs but can optimize revenues tremendously for enterprise clients. Aria offers strong ROI potential for mid-market with greater pricing flexibility.
Also watch the video about Zuora!
Here is a quick summary of when to choose Zuora or Aria Systems for your subscription management platform:
For enterprise subscription leaders like media, SaaS, IoT, Zuora provides extremely robust capabilities to support advanced use cases. The specialization on large global clients is unmatched.
For mid-market companies with out-of-the-box subscription needs, Aria Systems delivers faster time to value and intuitive workflows. The platform seamlessly scales to millions in revenue with solid support options.
Overall the two solutions overlap significantly, but with different ideal customer targets. Assess your business size, growth stage, billing complexity, and budget to make the right choice for your subscription management needs.
Both Zuora and Aria Systems are leaders in the space, so you can’t go wrong aligning with either platform long-term. Pick the best fit today, knowing you can expand to the other solution down the road if needed.
Aria Systems has approximately 275 employees according to LinkedIn. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and has raised $150 million in funding since their founding in 2007.
As a private company, Aria Systems does not disclose their detailed revenue numbers publicly. However, some reports estimate the company’s annual recurring revenue at between $50-100 million per year.
Aria Systems is a privately held independent company, founded by CEO Brendan O’Brien in 2007. The company has received funding from several venture capital firms and investors over the years, but it is not owned by any single majority entity.
There are several key reasons to consider using Aria Systems for subscription billing and monetization: easy to implement, intuitive interface, robust billing and payment processing, seamless scalability, lower costs than competitors, pre-integrated with leading CRMs and ERPs. The platform is designed for subscription and usage-based businesses.
Also Read: Is Apigee Better Than IBM API Connect?
In closing, both Zuora and Aria Systems are capable subscription billing and monetization platforms. Zuora is better suited for complex enterprise scenarios, while Aria provides an easy-to-use system for mid-market needs. When choosing between the two, weigh factors like your business size, billing models required, implementation timeframe, and budget.
This will determine whether enterprise-scale Zuora or mid-market Aria is the right subscription management solution for driving recurring revenue growth. With smart product selection and execution, companies can thrive in the flourishing subscription economy.
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