Spendwise
Why annualising is the only honest view
Subscription pricing is designed to be read per month. Ten a month feels like a coffee; it is also 120 a year, and that is the number to compare with a purchase, a holiday, or the emergency fund you have not started. The calculator exists to do one multiplication you will not do in your head.
Yearly charges are divided by twelve rather than listed separately, because a mixed list needs one common unit. The catch is real and worth saying: a 99.99 annual cloud plan shows as 8.33 a month, but the bank statement in March will show 99.99. Budget the average, and keep enough in the account for the month it lands.
Annual versus monthly billing
A discount for paying a year up front is common, but it is a price with conditions, not a gift. Three questions decide whether it is worth taking:
- What is the actual discount? Multiply the monthly price by twelve and compare. A year for the price of ten is roughly 17%; a year for the price of eleven is about 8%, which may not be worth locking the money away.
- Will you still be using it in month eleven? The saving is only real if the subscription survives. A service you would have cancelled in month four costs more on annual billing, not less.
- Can you afford the float? Paying 120 in one month is not the same as paying 10 a month, even when the totals are close. If it would sit on a credit card, the discount is probably negative.
A fifteen-minute audit that actually cuts cost
- Find the charges. Search twelve months of statements for the same merchant appearing monthly or yearly, then check the app store's own subscription list and your email for renewal receipts.
- Write down the real price, including tax. Prices quoted in dollars often exclude local tax, and a trial that converted may be charging a rate you never chose.
- Rank by cost per use. A 12 monthly service used daily is cheap; a 5 one opened twice a year is not, whatever the badge says.
- Cancel the bottom of the list first. The goal is not zero subscriptions; it is that every recurring charge is one you would sign up for again today.
- Set a renewal check. Re-run this page when a free trial is about to convert, or once a quarter. Creep is gradual by design.
The sharing trap
Family plans and annual prepay are where subscription totals hide. A family plan at 179 a year shared with four people is cheaper per head than four individual plans — but only if someone collects the shares, which is a small ledger of its own. Note who owes what when the plan renews, or the plan becomes a gift with an unclear duration.
The same applies to annual billing across a household: one person's card, several people's benefits. Spendwise's people balances exist for exactly that, and a group ledger keeps a shared plan separate from personal spending.
Turning the total into a budget line
The number this page produces is a good candidate for a recurring bill in Spendwise. Enter the schedule once, and the monthly budget reserves it, so the figure left on the dashboard is money you can spend rather than money that is already promised. There is no bank connection and no subscription detection: the app knows only what you enter, which is also why it leaves the phone with no account and no tracking ID.
Frequently asked questions
Is annual billing always cheaper?
No. Compare the annual price with twelve monthly payments. A common pattern is ten months' worth for a year, about a 17% discount, but some services charge a premium for the annual plan or remove a monthly feature. Do the multiplication rather than trusting the badge.
Why do subscriptions feel cheaper than they are?
Because the price is quoted per month and charged quietly. Three services at 9.99 each read as roughly ten a month, not 360 a year. Annualising is the only view that compares a subscription with a purchase.
How do I find subscriptions I forgot about?
Search your statements for the last twelve months for repeating charges, then check the app store's subscription list and your email for renewal receipts. Free trials that converted are the usual culprits, because the first charge arrives after the decision moment.
Does the calculator send my subscriptions anywhere?
No. Entries are computed in the page and never leave the browser. There are no cookies, no third-party scripts and no server storing a list.
Can Spendwise remind me before a subscription renews?
Spendwise keeps recurring schedules for known bills and reserves their amount against the monthly budget, with per-category reminders. It does not connect to a bank, so a subscription must be entered once and then appears as a bill due rather than being detected automatically.