A spreadsheet is the classic way to track subscriptions — and it works, as long as you remember to update it. Below is the exact column layout to use, a free template structure you can copy in minutes, and an on-device alternative that does the totaling for you and exports back to CSV so you keep your spreadsheet anyway.
A good tracker isn't about fancy formulas — it's about the right columns. Use these and you'll catch the things that usually slip:
yearly ÷ 12, weekly × 4.33. Now every row is comparable.Sum the Monthly cost column for your true monthly total, and multiply by 12 for the yearly figure that actually motivates a cleanup.
Open a blank Google Sheet or Excel file and set row 1 to these headers, left to right:
| Name | Amount | Cycle | Monthly cost | Category | Last used | Renews on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music app | $10.99 | Monthly | $10.99 | Streaming | This week | Jul 3 |
| Cloud storage | $59.88 | Yearly | $4.99 | Software | Last month | Mar 12 |
| Fitness app | $29.00 | Monthly | $29.00 | Health | 6+ months ago | Jul 19 |
For the Monthly cost cell, a quick formula keeps it honest: something like =IF(Cycle="Yearly",Amount/12,IF(Cycle="Weekly",Amount*4.33,Amount)). The row in red — unused for months — is exactly the kind you want to cancel.
The spreadsheet is fine on day one. The problem is week three, when a new trial starts and the sheet doesn't know. Manual trackers go stale because nothing reminds you to update them, the cycle math is easy to get wrong, and there's no nudge when a charge you forgot is about to renew. That's the gap an on-device tracker closes — without taking your data anywhere.
| Spreadsheet | SubScan | |
|---|---|---|
| Cycle normalization | Your formula | Automatic |
| Forgotten-charge flag | You eyeball it | By last-used date |
| Renewal reminders | None | Pro |
| Export to CSV / spreadsheet | It is the spreadsheet | CSV export (Pro) |
| Bank login | No | No |
| Cost | Free | Free; optional one-time Pro |
Add your subscriptions to SubScan and it normalizes every cycle, shows your true monthly and yearly total, and flags the ones you've forgotten. Prefer to keep a sheet? Pro exports everything back to CSV so it opens straight in Excel or Google Sheets. No bank connection, no account, nothing uploaded.
Open the free trackerAt minimum: Name, Amount, Cycle (monthly/yearly/weekly), Monthly cost (normalized), Category, Last used, and Renews on. The Cycle and Monthly cost columns are the important pair — without normalizing annual and weekly plans to a monthly figure, your total will be wrong.
Normalize each row to a monthly figure first: divide yearly plans by 12 and multiply weekly plans by about 4.33. Then sum that Monthly cost column. Multiply the result by 12 to see the yearly number, which is usually what motivates a cleanup.
A spreadsheet is free and flexible but goes stale because nothing reminds you to update it or warns you before a renewal. An on-device app like SubScan does the cycle math and forgotten-charge flagging automatically and can still export to CSV, so you get the upkeep benefits without giving up a spreadsheet.
Yes. SubScan Pro exports your full subscription list to a CSV file that opens directly in Excel or Google Sheets, so you can keep or share a spreadsheet copy. The free tracker handles the totaling on-device; CSV export is part of the one-time Pro unlock.
No. SubScan never asks for a bank or card login. You add subscriptions yourself, it calculates locally, and your list stays only in your browser with no account and no upload.
For informational purposes only. SubScan is a free, on-device tool and does not provide financial advice. Example figures and formulas are illustrative and may vary by source and region. Spreadsheet software names are referenced only to describe general steps.