ProfitWell was acquired by Paddle in 2022, and their payment recovery tool — Retain — is now part of the Paddle offering.
If you use Paddle as your Merchant of Record, Retain is probably already included in your package. If you're on Stripe or another processor, you can't use Retain standalone.
What ProfitWell Retain does
Retain focuses on two things: smart retries and dunning emails.
The system analyzes your payment data to determine the optimal time to retry a transaction. The idea is simple: rather than blindly retrying every 24 hours, the algorithm picks the best moment based on error type, customer history, and global patterns.
On the email side, you get customizable templates that automatically fire when a payment fails. The tone is adjustable, but you're working within a fairly standard framework.
The limitations
No SMS. This is the major weak point. In 2026, limiting yourself to email for dunning means leaving 15-25% of additional recovery on the table. SMS has a 90%+ read rate, compared to 20-25% for email.
Locked to Paddle. If you're on Stripe — and the majority of SaaS are — Retain isn't an option. It's a tool for the Paddle ecosystem, full stop.
Unclear pricing. Since Retain is bundled with Paddle, it's hard to know how much you're actually paying for this feature. It's included in Paddle's fees (which take a percentage of each transaction), but calculating precise ROI is impossible.
No cancel flows. Unlike Churnkey which combines dunning and cancel flows, Retain focuses only on failed payments. For voluntary churn, you'll need another tool.
ProfitWell Retain vs Rekko
| Criteria | ProfitWell Retain | Rekko |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | No | Yes |
| Stripe | No | Yes |
| Paddle | Yes | No |
| Pricing | % included in Paddle | Flat-rate |
| Multi-channel | Email only | Email + SMS |
| Setup | Automatic if on Paddle | Stripe webhook |
If you're on Paddle and happy with their ecosystem, Retain does the job. It's already there, no extra setup, it works.
If you're on Stripe or want multi-channel (email + SMS), Retain isn't an option. Rekko is built for Stripe and includes SMS from day one.
Who is ProfitWell Retain for?
Good choice if:
- You already use Paddle as MoR
- You don't want to manage a separate dunning tool
- Email alone is enough for you
- You value analytics integration with ProfitWell Metrics
Bad choice if:
- You're on Stripe
- You want SMS
- You prefer transparent, predictable pricing
- You need flexibility in your sequences
The bottom line
ProfitWell Retain is a solid tool... if you're in the Paddle ecosystem. But it's a captive solution. You can't use it with Stripe, and you can't easily migrate your sequences if you change payment processors.
For SaaS on Stripe looking for a modern dunning solution with SMS and transparent pricing, Retain simply isn't in the running.