Subscribely knowledge base

Documentation

Everything needed to configure products, process renewals, protect downloads, and manage the subscription lifecycle.

Quick start

Launch your first subscription in minutes.

Install Subscribely, choose the subscription product type, set a price and interval, then publish. PRO adds automatic supported-gateway renewals and advanced controls.

01

Before you begin

Use a current WordPress installation with WooCommerce active, HTTPS enabled, and scheduled actions working normally.

  • WordPress 6.4 or newer
  • WooCommerce 8.5 or newer
  • PHP 8.1 or newer recommended
  • HTTPS for secure payment methods
02

Install and activate

Free edition

  1. Install or upload Subscribely.
  2. Activate it from Plugins.
  3. Confirm WooCommerce is active.

PRO edition

  1. Keep the Free edition active.
  2. Upload and activate the Subscribely PRO ZIP.
  3. Enter your license key under WooCommerce → PRO License.
PRO features become available after successful license validation.
03

Create a subscription product

  1. Open Products → Add New or edit a product.
  2. Select the Subscribely subscription product type.
  3. Enter the recurring price and choose daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly billing.
  4. Optionally add a free trial, sign-up fee, or renewal limit.
  5. Publish or update the product.

The storefront price appears clearly, such as $69.99 per year.

04

Payments and renewals

Customer-paid renewal invoices can use any enabled WooCommerce gateway. PRO can automatically charge a saved method through compatible official gateways:

StripePayPal PaymentsSquare

If an automatic attempt fails, Subscribely can schedule recovery attempts, update subscription status, notify the customer, and provide an invoice fallback.

05

Secure subscriber downloads

  1. Make the WooCommerce product downloadable and attach its protected file.
  2. Open the Subscribely download settings.
  3. Set the download limit and expiry window.
  4. Choose whether successful renewal resets access.
  5. Save the product.

Paid renewals extend access; cancelled, expired, revoked, or otherwise ineligible subscriptions can lose it automatically.

06

Customer controls

Customers see their subscriptions in My Account. Depending on merchant settings and edition, they can review renewal dates, pay invoices, pause or resume, and renew early. Account actions verify that the subscription and saved payment method belong to the authenticated customer.

07

Store management

Use Subscribely administration to review status, next payment, renewal orders, recovery state, and history. PRO supports additional lifecycle controls while preserving WooCommerce order notes and audit history.

08

Troubleshooting

Renewal did not run

Check WooCommerce → Status → Scheduled Actions and confirm WordPress cron is running.

Automatic payment was unavailable

Confirm the customer used a supported gateway, token storage is enabled, and the saved method belongs to that customer. Invoice renewal remains available.

PRO tools are hidden

Confirm both editions are active, the license is valid, and the site can reach the licensing service over HTTPS.