Inspiration
A few months ago, a friend building a SaaS tool in Latin America told us he couldn’t monetize his product — not because people didn’t want to pay, but because they didn’t have cards or PayPal. In another case, a content creator in Nigeria had thousands of fans willing to support him in Bitcoin, but no simple way to collect recurring payments. That’s when we realized: recurring subscriptions — one of the internet’s most powerful business models — is still missing from the Bitcoin economy. And while BTC is the world’s most trusted digital asset, it hasn’t been programmable… until sBTC.
What it does
sBTC-Pay is the first decentralized subscription protocol that lets anyone accept recurring Bitcoin payments using sBTC, a 1:1 Bitcoin-backed asset on the Stacks network. Whether you’re: a YouTuber offering monthly behind-the-scenes content, a DAO charging members dues, or a dev launching a paid API or SaaS tool — sBTC-Pay lets you plug in monthly billing with no banks, no middlemen, and no friction. Each subscription is secured by a Clarity smart contract that automates payment flows. If a user stops paying, access is revoked automatically. For users, the UX is simple: connect wallet, approve, done.
How we built it
A Next.js frontend where users can subscribe or create plans A Clarity smart contract to handle plan creation, recurring payment tracking, and access control Integration with Wallet for users to authorize payments Admin dashboard for creators to track and manage subscribers
Challenges we ran into
Designing recurring billing logic in Clarity, which has no native timers Making UX intuitive for people unfamiliar with sBTC or Stacks Finding the right balance between decentralization and usability (e.g., notifying users off-chain without compromising privacy)
Accomplishments we’re proud of
Built a working subscription protocol that actually processes monthly sBTC payments Made Bitcoin feel usable — not just holdable — for real creators and devs Created an MVP that supports gated content, tipping, and membership APIs
What we learned
Bitcoin users are eager to use their BTC — not just hold it — when given tools that feel native and respectful of their privacy Programmable money becomes powerful when paired with user-friendly interfaces sBTC unlocks a new layer of functionality — it’s the “Stripe” Bitcoin never had
What’s next for sBTC-Pay
Test with real creators and indie tool developers who want to monetize their work in sats Launch plug-and-play embeddable subscription buttons for websites and dApps Expand to support usage-based billing (e.g., pay-per-API call, or pay-as-you-go access) Explore integration with Lightning wallets for cross-compatibility
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