Subscription tracker app: what to look for in your first place

A good subscription tracker app keeps one list of everything you pay for on repeat, with what each costs, how often it charges and when it next renews, adds them up into a real monthly figure, and nudges you before each renewal while there's still time to cancel. It suits anyone setting up on their own for the first time: a first flat, a new bank account doing more than it used to, and a handful of streaming, music, cloud storage and gym payments that crept in one at a time.

The useful part isn't the list itself. It's the warning before a renewal, and the monthly total that turns a dozen small charges into one number you can actually judge.

If you haven't done the first sweep yet, how to keep track of subscriptions covers where they hide. This guide is about choosing a tool to hold them once you've found them.

What to look for in a subscription tracker app

Here's a checklist that works for any tool, including a spreadsheet.

1. The four details. Provider, cost, how often it charges (monthly, yearly, every four weeks) and the next renewal date. If a tool only stores a name and a price, it can't warn you about anything.
2. A nudge before renewal, with lead time you choose. A couple of days for monthly ones, a couple of weeks for yearly ones, since those are the expensive surprises.
3. Trial end dates. You should be able to add a trial with the date it turns into a paid plan, so the nudge comes before the first payment rather than after.
4. A monthly total. Yearly subscriptions spread out across the months, added to the monthly ones. This is the figure that tells you whether the lot is worth it.
5. Fast to add. If adding one takes more than a minute, you'll skip the next one.
6. Doesn't need your bank login. Some trackers scan your accounts to find subscriptions. That's convenient, but you're giving a lot of access for a list of a dozen items. Decide whether you're comfortable with that.
7. Clear privacy. Where your data lives, whether it's sold or used for ads, and who else receives it.
8. Export and delete. You should be able to take the list with you or delete everything.

How to set one up in 20 minutes

You'll need your banking app and the subscriptions screen in your phone's settings.

1. Five minutes: your bank statements. Scroll back three months on every account and card. Note anything that repeats. If you have a yearly subscription, look back further, or search your email for "renewal" and "receipt".
2. Three minutes: your phone's subscriptions list. Anything billed through your phone's app store shows up in its settings, often under your account name. These are the ones people forget, because they don't show the real company name on a statement.
3. Two minutes: online payment accounts. If you pay for things through an online payment account rather than your card, check its list of automatic payments.
4. Five minutes: add each one. Provider, cost, frequency, next renewal date. Mark any you're not sure you want.
5. Two minutes: add any trials. Note the end date and set the nudge for two or three days before.
6. Three minutes: decide. Look at the monthly total. Anything you marked, and haven't used in a month, goes on a cancel list for this week.

That's it. From then on, every time you sign up for something, add it there and then. It takes thirty seconds at the moment you sign up and much longer if you leave it.

Habits that keep a subscription list honest

A tracker only works if what's in it matches what's leaving your account. A few habits make sure it does:

• Add at the point of sign-up. Before you close the confirmation email.
• Treat every trial as a paid subscription with a date. Add it on day one, with the date it would start charging.
• Check the list against your statement once a month. Ten minutes, same day each month, ideally just after payday.
• Watch for price changes. Providers do change prices. If the amount on your statement doesn't match your list, update it and decide whether it's still worth it.
• Take things off when you cancel. Then check next month's statement to make sure the charge actually stopped.

When you do want to cut some, cancelling unwanted subscriptions walks through where to cancel each kind.

How mylife/ tracks subscriptions

mylife/ keeps subscriptions in their own ledger, with the provider, what each one costs and when it next renews. They count towards the monthly total of what you're really paying, alongside your bills, and you get a nudge before each renewal in time to cancel, never during your quiet hours. A morning note flags anything coming up soon.

To be clear about what it doesn't do: mylife/ doesn't read your bank or email, and it won't find your subscriptions for you. You add each one yourself, or tell Slash in a sentence ("music streaming, monthly, renews on the 9th"). You can also show Slash a photo or PDF of a receipt and it fills in the details for you to check before anything is saved; the server deletes the photo or PDF once it's been read. A trial can go in with its end date so the nudge comes before the first payment.

That's a privacy plus, not just a limitation. Nothing is reading your accounts, nothing you keep is sold or used for ads, and your account is hosted in the EU, in Paris. You can read how privacy works, export everything or delete your account whenever you like.

Starting out with mylife/

If you've just moved into your first place, subscriptions are only one part of it. The same app keeps your bills, the tenancy dates in the home ledger, renewals and shared lists, and everything due shows on one calendar in the Diary tab. Every Sunday, Slash writes a weekly report that includes what's coming up. You can see how the five tabs fit together, or try mylife/ free for 3 days with your own subscriptions.

Common mistakes with subscription tracker apps

• Only tracking the monthly ones. Yearly renewals are bigger and easier to forget. They matter most.
• Not adding trials. A trial is a subscription with a start date you haven't hit yet.
• Setting the nudge for the renewal day. By then the money has gone. Give yourself a few days.
• Forgetting subscriptions billed through your phone. They often appear under a different name on your statement.
• Never checking the list against the statement. A tracker that's drifted out of date gives you false confidence.
• Assuming deleting an app cancels it. Usually it doesn't. Cancel the subscription itself, then remove it from your list.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an app that tracks all my subscriptions?

Yes, there are several kinds. Some scan your bank or email to find subscriptions; others, like mylife/, have you add each one or tell the app about it. Scanning is quicker to start, while adding them yourself means nothing needs access to your accounts.

Are subscription tracker apps safe?

It depends on how they work. An app that connects to your bank has access to a lot more than your subscriptions, so read what it can see and who it shares data with. A tracker you fill in yourself holds only what you give it.

How do I find subscriptions I've forgotten about?

Check three months of bank and card statements, the subscriptions list in your phone's settings and any online payment accounts. For yearly ones, search your email for words like "renewal" or "receipt". Most forgotten subscriptions turn up in one of those four places.

How often should I review my subscriptions?

A quick monthly check against your bank statement keeps the list accurate. Once or twice a year, go through each one and ask whether you'd sign up again today. If the answer's no, cancel it.