Comparison
Stripe Smart Retries vs RetryFi
Stripe already provides retries and failed-payment emails. RetryFi's value is in opinionated recovery UX, visibility, and founder-focused defaults.
Why RetryFi
Most Stripe accounts already have Smart Retries on. It's a card retry scheduler — Stripe attempts the failed charge on a schedule it tuned across the network.
RetryFi runs alongside Smart Retries and adds an opinionated four-email sequence (0h / 72h / 96h / 120h), auto-branded with your company name and linked to Stripe's hosted card-update page.
RetryFi also adds a purpose-built recovery dashboard. You don't disable Smart Retries to use RetryFi — they coexist by design.
About Stripe Smart Retries
Stripe Smart Retries is built into Stripe Billing and is enabled by default for many accounts. Stripe schedules retries using machine learning trained across the network. It's included with Stripe Billing and can be configured in the Dashboard (retry counts, duration windows, and automation rules).
Feature comparison
| Feature | RetryFi | Stripe Smart Retries |
|---|---|---|
| Retries failed charges on a tuned schedule | YesDecline-code aware | YesML-tuned |
| Sends customer email when payment fails[2] | Yes4 branded emails | YesBuilt-in Billing recovery emails |
| Customer-facing recovery dashboard / portal for you | Yes | No |
| Skips retries on hard declines (expired card, lost/stolen) | YesGoes straight to dunning | Partial:Limited control |
| Slack alert when a payment fails / is recovered | YesPro plan | No |
| Historical scan to see what you've already lost | YesLast 90 days | No |
| Cost | YesFree up to 50 actions/mo | YesFree, built into Stripe |
Pricing
| Plan / tier | RetryFi | Stripe Smart Retries |
|---|---|---|
| Default behavior | Free (50 actions/mo) | Free, built-in |
| Customer emails | Included | Included in Billing recovery suite |
| Dashboard / visibility | Included | Stripe dashboard only |
When Stripe Smart Retries is the better choice
If you've already built your own dunning email pipeline (with Customer.io, Loops, or transactional email + Stripe webhooks), Stripe Smart Retries plus your custom emails may be all you need. RetryFi's value is in saving you that build.
If you have very low payment volume (a handful of failed charges per quarter), the default Stripe Smart Retries behavior may be sufficient on its own.
Try RetryFi free
50 recovery actions/month, forever. No credit card required.
FAQ
No. Smart Retries keeps running. RetryFi adds branded customer emails on top — it doesn't disable or interfere with Stripe's built-in retry logic.
Potentially, yes, if both systems are sending failed-payment reminders. Stripe Billing has built-in recovery emails. If you use RetryFi for messaging, you should review your Stripe customer-email settings so the customer gets one clear sequence instead of overlapping reminders.
RetryFi schedules its own retries based on the decline code: soft declines get retried at 4h / 3d / 4d / 7d; hard declines (expired card, lost/stolen) skip retries entirely and go straight to dunning emails. Stripe's Smart Retries uses Stripe's network-wide ML; the two can coexist without colliding.
Last verified: . Pricing and features change; please check each vendor's site for the current details.