Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Paywall Software

Cleeng vs Zephr

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Cleeng #2 in Paywall Software 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit Cleeng
Zephr #4 in Paywall Software 8.9/10 Pricing on request ✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Zephr

Cleeng leads on 0 checks, Zephr on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreCleeng · 9.2/10
  • Free planonly Cleeng
  • Most featuresCleeng · 2 of 4

Cleeng scores higher on our rubric for paywall software: 9.2 against 8.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #4.

Cleeng is the better fit for multichannel subscription businesses. Zephr is the better fit for enterprise publishers optimizing conversion.

  • Cleeng fits best

    Multichannel subscription businesses

  • Zephr fits best

    Enterprise publishers optimizing conversion

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Cleeng 9.2/10 Visit ↗ Zephr 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.9
Ranking #2 in Paywall Software #4 in Paywall Software
Best for Multichannel subscription businesses Enterprise publishers optimizing conversion
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price — Pricing on request
Free plan ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Mobile Cloud
Platforms Web, iOS, Android Web
Support Tickets, Docs Docs
Compliance SOC 2, GDPR, PCI DSS, 2FA SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS
Integrations 15 integrations 30+ integrations
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Cleeng 2/4 · Zephr 0/4
Metered paywall Not checked yet Not checked yet
Registration wall Not checked yet Not checked yet
One-time payments ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Entitlement rules ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Included pageviews Not checked yet Not checked yet
Supported CMS Not checked yet Not checked yet
Payment processors Adyen, PayPal, Stripe, Primer, dLocal Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Supports web, mobile and connected-TV billing
  • Combines entitlements, billing recovery and hosted checkout
  • Offers subscriptions, passes, live events and one-time purchases
  • AI-powered optimization across soft, metered, hard, and dynamic paywalls
  • Low-code rules, personalized offers, identity, and first-party data activation
  • Broad billing, CRM, marketing, CDP, API, SDK, and webhook integrations
Cons
  • Enterprise pricing is tailored rather than publicly specified
  • Full platform configurability is limited to Enterprise
  • Merchant services are split across separate plan options
  • Pricing requires a sales conversation
  • Platform coverage centers on web and API
  • Its enterprise publishing focus may exceed simpler paywall needs
Our verdict

Cleeng is a cloud-based subscriber retention management platform for digital subscription businesses. It brings together subscriber accounts, identity management, subscription offers, recurring billing, payment processing, entitlement…

Read the review →

Zephr is Zuora’s subscription experience platform for media companies, publishers, and other subscription businesses. It brings paywall configuration, personalized subscriber journeys, identity and access management, first-party data…

Read the review →
  1. CleengPaywall Software 9.2Free plan
  2. ZephrPaywall Software 8.9Pricing on request

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Cleeng — where it wins

    • Supports web, mobile and connected-TV billing
    • Combines entitlements, billing recovery and hosted checkout
    • Offers subscriptions, passes, live events and one-time purchases

    Where it doesn't

    • Enterprise pricing is tailored rather than publicly specified
    • Full platform configurability is limited to Enterprise
    • Merchant services are split across separate plan options

  • Zephr — where it wins

    • AI-powered optimization across soft, metered, hard, and dynamic paywalls
    • Low-code rules, personalized offers, identity, and first-party data activation
    • Broad billing, CRM, marketing, CDP, API, SDK, and webhook integrations

    Where it doesn't

    • Pricing requires a sales conversation
    • Platform coverage centers on web and API
    • Its enterprise publishing focus may exceed simpler paywall needs
  • Cleeng9.2/10 · Free plan

    A multichannel paywall platform covering offers, billing, entitlements and retention.

    Visit CleengFull verdict →
  • Zephr8.9/10 · Pricing on request

    Zephr combines flexible paywalls, personalization, identity, and analytics for publishers.

    Visit ZephrFull verdict →

More comparisons

All paywall software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update