Choosing between Automatic Pix and Subscriptions

Subscriptions and Automatic Pix both handle recurring billing, but they address different needs.

The main difference lies in how payment happens: Subscriptions generate recurring charges; Automatic Pix performs recurring debits via Pix after the payer's authorization.

Compare the features

How to choose

%%{init: {"flowchart": {"nodeSpacing": 28,"rankSpacing": 32,"diagramPadding": 8,"padding": 10}}}%%
flowchart TD
A["Define the recurrence model"] --> B{"Do you need recurring debits via Pix?"}

B --> BSim(("Yes"))
B --> BNao(("No"))

BSim --> C["Use Automatic Pix"]
BNao --> D["Use Subscriptions"]

C --> E["Create the authorization"]
D --> F["Create the subscription"]

classDef inicio fill:#DBEAFE,stroke:#2563EB,color:#1E3A8A,stroke-width:3px,font-size:17px
classDef decisao fill:#FEF3C7,stroke:#D97706,color:#78350F,stroke-width:3px,font-size:17px
classDef validacao fill:#E0F2FE,stroke:#0284C7,color:#0C4A6E,stroke-width:2px,font-size:17px
classDef sucesso fill:#DCFCE7,stroke:#16A34A,color:#14532D,stroke-width:3px,font-size:17px

classDef respostaSim fill:#22C55E,stroke:#15803D,color:#FFFFFF,stroke-width:3px,font-size:16px
classDef respostaNao fill:#EF4444,stroke:#B91C1C,color:#FFFFFF,stroke-width:3px,font-size:16px

class A inicio
class B decisao
class C,D validacao
class E,F sucesso

class BSim respostaSim
class BNao respostaNao

linkStyle default stroke:#94A3B8,stroke-width:2px
linkStyle 1 stroke:#22C55E,stroke-width:4px
linkStyle 2 stroke:#EF4444,stroke-width:4px

Subscriptions

Use Subscriptions when your operation needs to generate recurring charges via bank slip (boleto), Pix or credit card.

After the subscription is created, Asaas generates the next charges according to the configured cycle.

With credit card, payment can be processed automatically on the due dates. With bank slip or Pix, Asaas generates the charge and the payer makes the payment.

Charges belonging to the subscription have their own lifecycle and should be tracked through Payment events. Changes to the recurrence itself can be tracked through Subscription events.

Learn about Subscriptions.

Automatic Pix

Use Automatic Pix when your operation needs to perform recurring debits via Pix after prior authorization by the payer.

In Journey 3, the initial QR Code combines the first payment and the authorization for the following cycles. After activation, the authorization changes to ACTIVE.

The creation of future charges depends on paymentCreationMode:

MANUAL is the default mode.

When paymentCreationMode = SUBSCRIPTION, the value field must be provided in the authorization.

Learn about Automatic Pix.

How the amount is controlled

Subscriptions

The amount is configured in the subscription.

When needed, the subscription can be updated to change the next charges. Supported changes can also be applied to pending charges with updatePendingPayments.

See the Update existing subscription endpoint.

Automatic Pix

The behavior depends on the authorization.

When value is provided, linked charges must respect the authorized fixed amount.

In MANUAL mode, authorizations without a fixed amount allow the integration to provide the amount of each charge according to the authorization's conditions.

In SUBSCRIPTION mode, value is required.

See the Create an authorization endpoint.

Track each flow via Webhook

In both models, prefer Webhooks to keep your application in sync and avoid frequent queries just to check for status changes.

For Subscriptions, track:

• Subscription events
• Payment events

For Automatic Pix, track authorizations, payment instructions and charges through the Automatic Pix Webhook Flows.

Next steps

• Create a subscription
• Create a subscription with credit card
• Track subscription events
• Learn about Automatic Pix
• Implement Automatic Pix
• Track the Automatic Pix Webhook Flows