The best way to track subscriptions: spreadsheet, bank app or tracker?

What a good tracking system needs

Whatever you choose, it should do five things. If it misses one, you’ll feel it the first time a renewal surprises you.

• One list for every subscription, whatever card, store or account it’s billed to.
• Price, cycle and next date for each one.
• A monthly and yearly total, with weekly and yearly plans converted fairly.
• Reminders before renewals and before free trials end, early enough to act.
• Low effort, so you keep it up after the first week.

Option 1: a spreadsheet

A spreadsheet is free, private and completely flexible. It’s a good choice if you have a handful of subscriptions, mostly on one card, and you enjoy keeping things tidy.

Use one row per subscription with these columns: name, price, cycle, next date, billed by, and monthly equivalent. These formulas work in both Google Sheets and Excel, assuming the price is in column B, the cycle in column C and the next date in column D:

The first gives the monthly equivalent, the second the next monthly renewal after the date in D2, and the third your monthly total if column F holds the equivalents. If your spreadsheet writes decimals with a comma, as many European setups do, use semicolons instead of commas between the parts of each formula.

The weakness is what a spreadsheet can’t do: it won’t remind you, it won’t notice new subscriptions, and it’s only as current as the last time you opened it.

Option 2: your bank app

Many banking apps now group recurring payments, show upcoming direct debits or let you block a merchant. If almost everything you pay for comes from one account, that can go a long way.

The limits are structural. Your bank sees only its own accounts, so plans on another card or on PayPal are missing. App store subscriptions show as Apple or Google, not the app. A free trial isn’t visible until it has already charged you. And a yearly plan may not be recognised as recurring until it has charged twice, two years apart.

Option 3: a subscription tracker

A dedicated tracker brings every subscription into one list, across cards, stores and accounts, with totals and reminders. Some connect to your bank, others work from subscriptions you add or import yourself.

The trade-offs are effort and cost. You add your subscriptions once, by hand or from an import, and keep the list current as you sign up for new ones. And many trackers are subscriptions themselves, which adds a line to the very list you’re trying to shorten.

Side-by-side comparison

What a year without reminders can cost

The real difference between the methods is what happens when you forget. Here’s a realistic year for someone tracking by memory or with a spreadsheet they rarely open:

Which one should you choose?

• Fewer than five subscriptions, all monthly, on one card: a spreadsheet or a simple note is enough.
• Almost everything paid from one bank by direct debit: your bank app may do, as long as you also check your App Store or Google Play list now and then.
• More than five subscriptions, several cards or stores, free trials, or shared and work plans: a tracker will save you time and money.

What to look for in a tracker

• No bank login required, or at least optional, if you’d rather not share it.
• Reminders you can trust, including a separate one before free trials end.
• Every currency, with the amount you’re billed kept visible next to the converted figure.
• Separate lists for personal, family and work subscriptions.
• A way to export your data, so you’re never locked in.
• A price model that fits the job. A tracker that charges every month adds to the problem it’s meant to solve.

Common mistakes

• Choosing a system that’s too complex, then abandoning it after a month.
• Not adding new subscriptions on the day you sign up. The list is only useful if it’s complete.
• Tracking only monthly plans, and getting surprised by the yearly ones.
• Forgetting free trials, which are subscriptions from their first charge.
• Never reviewing the list. A 15-minute quarterly audit keeps any system honest.

How Billbase does it

Billbase is a subscription tracker built around those five needs. You add subscriptions yourself, or drop in a bank statement PDF or CSV and review what it finds before anything is saved. It never logs in to your bank. Every currency works, with daily exchange rates and the billed amount shown beside the converted one.

You get your monthly and yearly total, a renewal calendar, and reminders three days before each renewal and before free trials end. Pro unlocks unlimited subscriptions, separate workspaces, custom reminder times and Billy, an AI analyst that answers questions about your own list.

Starting from scratch? Find all your subscriptions first, then add them in one go. And if free trials are your weak spot, this guide stops them charging you.