If you're seeing a discrepancy between ClearSync and Stripe’s MRR numbers, you're not alone, and there’s a good chance you're not looking at a bug. This article explains exactly why the numbers differ and what each actually represents.
A big difference that you will notice is that Stripe calculates MRR from forward-looking subscription data, while ClearSync calculates MRR from paid invoices (what's actually hit your account).
We believe that ClearSync’s MRR logic is a marked improvement over Stripe's for recurring revenue businesses.
Why Stripe's MRR is Almost Always Higher than ClearSync’s
If you're comparing the two numbers and Stripe is higher, that's expected. Here's why:
- Stripe evaluates upcoming invoices before they're real and paid
- Stripe includes tax by default in MRR calculations
- Stripe doesn't subtract discounts by default
ClearSync strips all of these out. The result is a more realistic MRR number that reflects actual recurring revenue transactions and what you'd report to an investor or finance team.
The Core Difference: What Data Source Each Tool Uses
Stripe | ClearSync | |
Data source | Active subscription pricing | Paid, open, and past due invoices |
Timing | Forward-looking (upcoming, unpaid invoices) | Finalized invoices (finalized, paid invoices) |
Discounts | Discounts not subtracted from MRR calculations unless configured | Always reflects actual discounted price paid |
Tax | Included by default | Always excluded |
One-time charges on Subscription invoices | Not separated from subscription price | Always excluded |
Past due invoices | May count as active | Counted as MRR unless subscription is canceled |
Canceled subscriptions | Can be configured to count at billing period end or immediately (immediately is default) | Churn recorded when subscription is canceled (can be at billing period end or immediately depending on how you have set up cancellation for a particular customer) |
Why Each Difference Exists
1. Data Source: Subscriptions vs. Invoices
Stripe calculates MRR by summing the monthly-normalized amounts of all active subscriptions. This means it looks at what a subscription is set up to charge, not what has actually been collected. If a customer has an upcoming annual invoice for $1,056, Stripe will show MRR of $88/month ($1,056 ÷ 12) before that invoice is ever paid.
ClearSync uses a hybrid model - historical invoices for accuracy, subscriptions for real-time updates. For MRR calculations, we count invoices that represent real committed revenue (paid, open, or past due). We do not count upcoming invoices that haven't been finalized yet.
What this means in practice: If a customer is on annual billing and has an upcoming renewal in 11 months for a larger amount, Stripe will already be factoring that higher amount into today’s MRR calculation. ClearSync won't show the updated MRR until the invoice is generated and paid. Once billing occurs, ClearSync will reflect the updated MRR.
Conversely, if a customer just started a $1,200/year annual subscription set to cancel in 11 months because they turned off auto-renewal, Stripe will reflect $0 MRR today, whereas ClearSync would reflect the actual $100 MRR through the year.
2. Discounts
Stripe shows MRR at full list price by default, meaning one-time and recurring discounts are not subtracted unless you manually configure the setting in your Billing Overview settings. Even after configuring it, the change takes 24-48 hours to process and still doesn't affect how Stripe handles upcoming invoices.
ClearSync always reflects the actual discounted price the customer is paying at every level (invoice-level, line-item level, and subscription-level). We never double-count discounts, and we never miss them.
Example: A customer on a $1,200/year plan with an 80% discount:
Stripe (default) | ClearSync | |
Annual invoice | $1,200 per year | $1,200 per year |
Discount applied | ❌ Not subtracted by default | ✅ -$960 (80% off), so the subtotal is $240 ($1,200-$960) |
Tax applied | ✅ Included in MRR (let’s say it’s $8, so the subtotal is $1,208) | ❌ Excluded from MRR |
MRR shown | $100.67/month ($1,208/12) | $20/month ($240/12) |
ClearSync's $20/month reflects what the customer is actually paying after discount, before tax. Stripe's $100/month reflects the list price before discounts and including tax.
3. Tax
Stripe includes VAT and sales tax in its MRR calculations by default.
ClearSync always excludes tax. Taxes are pass-through amounts that vary by location and can change independently of your pricing. Including them inflates your MRR with numbers that have nothing to do with your product revenue.
This is the standard investors and finance teams use for ARR/MRR reporting. A $108 charge to a customer with 8% VAT represents $100 MRR, not $108.
4. One-Time Line Items on Subscription Invoices
Stripe allows one-time charges — setup fees, consulting, hardware, penalties — to be attached to a subscription invoice.
Stripe calculates MRR from subscription price data rather than invoice line items, it doesn't naturally separate these out.
ClearSync excludes all one-time line items from MRR. If you have a $1,000 setup fee on a $100/month subscription, ClearSync shows $100 MRR, not $1,100.
Why this matters: If you include setup fees in MRR, the following month looks like a massive downgrade when the customer is actually renewing normally at the same price.
5. Invoice Statuses
Stripe works from subscription data rather than invoice data, so it doesn't distinguish between invoice statuses when calculating MRR. As long as a subscription is active, Stripe factors it into MRR regardless of whether the underlying invoice has been paid, is past due, or hasn't been finalized yet.
ClearSync works from invoice data, so invoice status matters. Here's how we handle the statuses most likely to cause a visible discrepancy:
- Draft invoices: Stripe factors these into MRR before they're finalized. ClearSync does not. This is the single biggest driver of discrepancies you'll see in practice. If a customer has an upcoming renewal, Stripe is already counting it and ClearSync isn't yet.
- Past due invoices: ClearSync counts these as MRR because the subscription is still active and the customer is still committed. MRR only drops if the subscription is canceled.
- Void and uncollectible invoices: ClearSync excludes these entirely. If a subscription is also canceled, MRR drops to $0 and a churn event is recorded.
6. The Stripe Subscription Export "Amount" Field is not MRR
This one catches a lot of people. When you export from Stripe's Subscriptions page, the Amount field is the unit price, not MRR. Multiplying it by quantity gives you the pre-tax, pre-discount subtotal for the billing period, which is not monthly recurring revenue.
Example: A yearly subscription showing Amount: $48, Quantity: 22, with an 80% discount:
- $48 × 22 = $1,056 → this is the annual pre-discount subtotal, not MRR
- Correct MRR = ($1,056 - 80% discount) ÷ 12, excluding tax = $17.60/month
Always use Stripe's MRR per subscriber export from the Billing Overview page for accurate MRR comparisons, not the Subscriptions page export.
How to Reconcile the Numbers
If you’re looking to compare ClearSync’s MRR data to Stripe’s, we recommend first updating a few crucial settings in Stripe:
- In Stripe, go to Billing Overview → Configure and turn on "Subtract recurring discounts from MRR", "Subtract one-time discounts from MRR.", Count canceled subscriptions as churn “At the billing period end”, and Count subscriptions as active “When the first payment is received”. Allow 24-48 hours to process.
- Export MRR per subscriber per month from Stripe's MRR Growth chart, not the Subscriptions export.
- Compare to ClearSync's Subscription export, which you can export from HubSpot, matched by Stripe Customer ID.
- For any remaining differences, click into the specific Stripe invoice (not the subscription record or the upcoming invoice preview) and check for tax and timing differences.
Even after configuring Stripe's discount settings, some differences will remain because Stripe works from subscription data while ClearSync works from invoice data. Timing differences around billing dates are expected and will resolve once invoices are generated and paid.
The Bottom Line
ClearSync's MRR represents actual committed revenue, net of discounts and taxes, and is the number that holds up when reporting to investors, finance teams, and board members.
Stripe's MRR is a useful operational metric for understanding what your subscriptions are set up to charge, but it is not designed as a finance-grade reporting standard.
For further reading on how ClearSync calculates MRR across all edge cases, see our full methodology post: The Hidden Complexity of MRR
For comparison, Baremetrics documents their methodology differences with Stripe and makes similar calculation choices that we made at ClearSync: Why Baremetrics Doesn't Match Stripe
Still seeing a discrepancy you can't explain? Book a call with us, and we'll walk through it together.