How to track all your subscriptions in one place
Collect your subscriptions from four sources (card statements, app store subscription pages, email receipts and your password manager), write each one into a single list with its price, billing cycle and next renewal date, and review that list once a month. A spreadsheet, an app or a browser extension can hold the list; what matters is that there is only one.
Where your subscriptions are hiding
Subscriptions are scattered because they are billed in different places. No single screen shows all of them, so start by checking the places below. Each one catches things the others miss.
1. Bank and card statements
Statements are the most honest source because they show what was actually charged. Look back through the last three months and mark every charge that repeats at the same amount. Scan the last 12 months if you can, because that is the only way to catch yearly renewals. Merchant names on statements are often abbreviated or show a payment company instead of the service, so search the web for any name you do not recognise before assuming it is a mistake.
2. App store subscription pages
Anything billed through Apple or Google Play is listed in one place per account. On an iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. On the Mac App Store, click your name, then Subscriptions (Apple Support). On Android, go to play.google.com/store/account/subscriptions or use the Google Play menu (Google Play Help). If you have more than one Apple ID or Google account, check each.
3. Email receipts and trial confirmations
Search your inbox for words such as receipt, invoice, subscription, renewal, trial and welcome. Trials in particular leave a sign-up email and sometimes a “your trial ends soon” message, which can reveal subscriptions that have not charged you yet. Check old addresses too, especially one you used for sign-ups.
4. Your password manager
Your password manager is a list of every service you ever created an account on. Scroll through it and flag the ones that might bill you: streaming, software, cloud storage, news, fitness, games, domain names. It will remind you of accounts you forgot you had.
A simple four-step method
- Gather. Go through the four sources above and write down every recurring charge or trial you find. Do not judge yet.
- Merge. Put everything into one list and remove duplicates (the same service often appears on a statement and in an email).
- Normalise. Convert each price to a monthly and yearly figure so you can compare them. Yearly price divided by 12 gives the monthly equivalent, and monthly price multiplied by 12 gives the yearly cost.
- Decide. For each line, choose keep, cancel or downgrade, and set a date to act on the ones you are unsure about.
What to record for each subscription
Keep the list short enough that you will actually maintain it. These fields are enough:
- Name of the service
- Price and currency
- Billing cycle (monthly, yearly, other)
- Next renewal date, or the trial end date
- Where it is billed (which card, app store or payment account)
- Category (entertainment, work, storage and so on), so you can see where the money goes
- A link to the page where you can cancel, which saves a search later
Spreadsheet vs app vs browser extension
There is no single right tool. The best one is the one you will open regularly. Here is how the three common choices compare:
| Option | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| Spreadsheet | Full control, works on any device, easy to add your own columns and formulas, easy to share with a partner | No automatic reminders unless you build them; you must remember to open it |
| Phone or desktop app | Built-in reminders and totals, designed for the task | Quality, pricing and privacy practices vary; some apps need an account or connect to bank data, so read what they ask for |
| Browser extension | Always one click away while you work; notifications appear in your browser; many keep data locally | Tied to one browser profile on one computer; reminders only fire while the browser is running |
If you are not sure, start with a spreadsheet for the first audit. It costs nothing and shows you how big your list is. If you want reminders without maintaining formulas, move the list into an app or extension afterwards. For the audit itself, the 15-minute checklist walks through it step by step.
Using SubTrack Pro as the list
SubTrack Pro is a free Chrome extension for the browser-extension option. You add each subscription by hand, or let optional auto-detect fill it in when you visit a supported site. It shows monthly and yearly totals and a spending chart by category, and sends reminders for trials (2 days, 1 day and on the day) and for payments (3 days, 1 day and on the day). It checks every 6 hours while Chrome is running.
There is no account, no ads and no cloud sync, and the data stays in your browser. There is an optional inbox scan for subscription receipts that is off by default; if you never switch it on, the extension never asks for access to your email. You can export the whole list as CSV at any time, which is also a handy way to move it into a spreadsheet. Because there is no sync, the list lives in the browser where you installed it, and it does not connect to your bank or cancel anything for you.
Keep your list where you already work
Add your subscriptions once and get reminders in your browser. Free, no account.
Add to Chrome — FreeWorks in Chrome; also installs from the Chrome Web Store in Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi. See the FAQ.
Keeping it up to date
A list is only useful if it stays accurate. Three small habits do most of the work:
- Add at sign-up. Put a new subscription or trial into the list the same minute you start it. See how to set a free trial reminder for the trial-specific routine.
- Do a monthly check. Ten minutes on the first of the month: compare the list with the latest card statement, and remove anything you cancelled.
- Review yearly plans separately. Annual renewals are easy to miss because they are rare. If you are deciding between monthly and yearly billing, read when the yearly plan is actually cheaper.