Who should use Paddle Retain
- You already use Paddle Billing as your payment platform.
- You want retention workflows tied to Paddle's merchant-of-record stack.
- You need active cancellation saves as well as involuntary churn recovery.
Alternative guide
Dunlo vs Paddle Retain
Paddle Retain is built for companies using the Paddle Billing platform. Dunlo is for SaaS teams that already run on Stripe and want failed-payment recovery without moving to a merchant-of-record stack.
Conversion path
Not ready to connect Stripe?
Use the benchmark first. It gives visitors a useful estimate before signup and keeps the next step lighter than connecting an account immediately.
Dunlo fit
You use Stripe and do not want to migrate payment infrastructure.
You mainly need failed-payment recovery rather than a full MoR platform.
You want a lightweight beta tool with founder-visible recovery workflows.
Comparison
What changes in practice
This comparison is based on public product pages and documentation. Dunlo details reflect the current beta offer.
| Criteria | Paddle Retain | Dunlo beta |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Paddle's product page presents Retain as built into Paddle Billing at no extra cost; older Retain help pages reference performance-based and flat-fee plans. | Free during beta. Planned tiers are flat by MRR, with no percentage of recovered revenue. |
| Recovery focus | Active churn intervention plus involuntary churn tools such as card updates and delinquent emails. | Failed Stripe payment recovery, failure-aware email sequences, and founder escalation. |
| Payment stack | Designed for Paddle Billing and merchant-of-record workflows. | Designed for Stripe-first SaaS teams. |
| Setup time | Paddle says dunning sequences can be set up in roughly 20 minutes. | Designed for a short beta setup: connect Stripe, review defaults, start monitoring. |
| Percent of MRR | Depends on Paddle Billing and Retain plan context; not positioned as a Stripe add-on. | No percentage of MRR or recovered revenue during beta. |
| AI-drafted founder escalation | No. Paddle Retain is built around Paddle-managed retention and billing workflows. | Yes. Dunlo drafts a personal founder email for high-value failures so you can review and send in one click. |
Who should use Dunlo
- You use Stripe and do not want to migrate payment infrastructure.
- You mainly need failed-payment recovery rather than a full MoR platform.
- You want a lightweight beta tool with founder-visible recovery workflows.
Public proof
Trust built from visible mechanics, not vague uplift claims.
Dunlo is still in beta, so the page shows what can be verified today: assumptions, recovery mechanics, and a clear policy for publishing customer proof.
SignalEvidenceSource
Benchmark
Failure-rate ranges are visible before signup.
The public calculator shows MRR bands, estimated failed MRR, and recovery assumptions without asking for an email first.
Mechanics
The workflow is failure-code first.
Dunlo is built around Stripe decline reasons, timed emails, hosted update links, and founder escalation.
Policy
Proof is published only when it is approved.
Customer screenshots, recovery stories, and beta metrics stay private until the sample is useful and the customer signs off.
Free beta
Recover failed payments before they become churn.
Choose Paddle Retain if Paddle Billing is already your payments platform. Choose Dunlo if Stripe is your source of truth and you want a focused recovery layer on top of it.