Managing Mollie subscriptions
Mollie has a Subscriptions API and can therefore collect recurring payments on its own. Even so, almost everyone who starts with it runs into the same limits. This page sets out what is and is not included.
Last updated: 5 September 2026
In the Netherlands, Mollie is the obvious choice for recurring payments: iDEAL for the first payment, then SEPA direct debit, no direct debit agreement of your own needed. So far, so good. The question is what happens after subscription number fifty.
What the Mollie Subscriptions API does do
The API is solid and does exactly what it promises:
- Recording mandates, usually through a first payment by which the customer authorises you.
- Recurring debits at an interval you decide: monthly, quarterly or yearly.
- Pausing and ending a running subscription.
- Webhooks that inform you when a payment succeeds or fails.
For a developer, a first working debit is a matter of hours. That is exactly why the trap is so big: the start is easy, the tail is long.
Where the API stops
Four things are not included, and they all land on your plate.
Following up failed debits. Mollie sends a webhook when a debit fails. What happens next is up to you: retry (when? how often?), email the customer, send a payment link, and keep track of who is still outstanding. This is by far the most work, and it is work that costs you revenue directly if you let it slide.
Invoices. The API debits money, but creates no invoice and puts nothing in your accounting. Without an integration, you are creating invoices every month that exactly match debits that have already taken place.
Subscriptions with more than one amount. A customer with a fixed monthly price plus a variable usage component is, via the API, two separate subscriptions that you tie together yourself in your own administration.
An admin screen. Everything your colleagues need to be able to do, such as looking up a customer, adjusting an amount or pausing a subscription, you build yourself. Otherwise it goes through a developer.
Mollie Recurring plus a management layer
The practical conclusion: you need two layers, and Mollie supplies the bottom one.
| Mollie | Management layer | |
|---|---|---|
| Authorisations and debits | ✅ | n/a |
| Retries and customer follow-up | ⚠️ build yourself | ✅ |
| Invoices and accounting | ❌ | ✅ |
| Multiple amounts per subscription | ⚠️ combine yourself | ✅ |
| Bulk price changes | ❌ | ✅ |
| Admin screen for colleagues | ❌ | ✅ |
RCUR is that management layer, and is a Mollie Gold Partner. The integration runs through your own Mollie account: your collections, your payouts, your account.
Subscriptions with multiple lines
The most requested thing the API does not know is subscriptions with multiple lines. In RCUR you put multiple amounts within one subscription, for example a base rate, a surcharge per extra user and a one-off setup fee. The customer gets one debit and one invoice; you keep the overview per line.
Changing prices without a project
An annual indexation via the API is a script you run over all your subscriptions, with all the edge cases that entails. In RCUR it is a bulk change: you select who is affected and apply the new price.
Invoices and accounting
RCUR integrates with Moneybird, Exact Online, WeFact, e-Boekhouden, HostFact and Teamleader. With every collection run, the matching invoice is created and sent, so your accounting stays in step with what was debited. For everything outside those, there is a public API, a Zapier integration and a WooCommerce integration.
What it costs
RCUR charges a fixed subscription from € 10 per month, with no fee per transaction and no percentage of your revenue. You pay Mollie's ordinary transaction fees on top. Accounting integrations and API access are in the Professional plan (€ 35 per month).
Seven days free to try, no credit card required.
Frequently asked questions
Can Mollie collect subscriptions by itself?
Yes. With the Subscriptions API you attach an amount and an interval to a customer with a recorded authorisation, and Mollie debits automatically. What is not included is everything around it: following up failed debits, invoices, price changes and an admin screen.
What is the difference between Mollie Recurring and a subscription tool?
Mollie Recurring is the payment layer: mandates and debits. A subscription tool is the management layer on top: who pays what, when, with which invoice, and what happens when it goes wrong. You need both; Mollie only supplies the first.
Can I have one customer pay multiple amounts?
With the Mollie API you set up multiple separate subscriptions on the same customer, which you have to keep together yourself. In RCUR you use subscription lines: multiple amounts within one subscription, with one overview and one invoice.
How do I apply a price increase to existing customers?
Via the API, that means making a change per subscription. In RCUR you can apply price changes in bulk across your customer base.
Does the money keep arriving in my own account?
Yes. RCUR connects to your own Mollie account; the debits run through your account and the payouts arrive in your own account. RCUR does not act as an intermediary for your money.
Do I need a developer?
For the Mollie API, yes. For RCUR, no: you connect your Mollie account, create a subscription and send a payment link. For those who still want to integrate, there is a public API and Zapier.