What this calculator does
See what all your subscriptions really cost you each month and each year. Subscriptions are designed to be easy to forget. Each one is a small amount, billed on its own schedule. The yearly ones disappear from view for eleven months at a time. But put a streaming service, a music plan, a yearly software license and a gym app side by side. The total is often far bigger than anyone guesses.
This calculator turns every subscription into a monthly cost, whether it's billed weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly. Then it adds them into a monthly, yearly and multi-year total. Tick the ones you rarely use, and it shows what they cost on their own and what share of your spending they take. If you like, it also shows what that same money would grow to if you invested it instead.
Where it's used
Why this math matters outside the classroom:
- Household budgeting. A family finds that $15.49, $11.99 and $9.99 a month plus $139 a year adds up to $588.64 a year.
- Comparing billing plans. A student compares a $9.99 monthly plan with a $99 yearly plan, which works out to $8.25 a month.
- Classroom unit rates. Students convert a $5 weekly charge to $5 × 52 ÷ 12, about $21.67 a month, before adding it to monthly bills.
- Cutting expenses. Someone saving for a deposit totals the subscriptions they rarely use to see how much a year they could redirect.
- Small business software. A shop owner adds up monthly and yearly software licenses to budget the true yearly cost of tools.
Grade level and standards: Grade 6; Common Core State Standards for Mathematics 6.RP.A.3.b, 6.NS.B.3. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
How to use it
- Enter the price of each subscription and choose how often it's billed. Leave unused rows blank.
- Tick “I rarely use” for any subscription you seldom open.
- Choose how many years to total. You can also add a yearly return for the money you could put elsewhere.
- Read the monthly and yearly totals. Then check the table and the rarely used figures to decide what to keep.
What the inputs mean
- Subscription 1 price
- Use the price you actually pay, including tax if it's added at checkout. For a bundle, enter the bundle price once. If you have more than six subscriptions, combine a few into one row.
- I rarely use subscription 1
- A subscription you've used only once or twice in the last couple of months is a good candidate. Free trials that will turn into paid plans count too, at their paid price.
- Years to total
- Totals over several years use today's prices. Subscription prices often rise, so the real figure is likely to be higher.
- Return if the rarely used money were invested (optional)
- This shows what you give up by keeping the subscription (the "opportunity cost"). The rarely used monthly amount is saved at the end of each month and grows at this effective yearly rate, meaning the total growth over a full year.
Formula and method
monthly cost = weekly price × 52 ÷ 12 monthly cost = quarterly price ÷ 3 monthly cost = yearly price ÷ 12 yearly total = monthly total × 12 invested instead = monthly amount × ((1 + i)^n − 1) ÷ i, where i = (1 + yearly return)^(1/12) − 1
First, every price is turned into what it costs per month. That way a $139 yearly plan and a $5 weekly plan can be added to monthly ones. A year counts as 52 weeks, so a weekly price works out to a little more than four times a month. The monthly costs are then added up and multiplied by 12 for the yearly total.
For the investment comparison, i is the monthly growth rate and n is the number of months. The yearly return is turned into the monthly rate that grows to the same amount over 12 months. Then a standard formula adds up all the monthly deposits plus the growth on each one. It's the usual "future value" formula for a series of equal payments.
Worked example
You pay $15.49 a month for streaming, $11.99 a month for music, $139 a year for a software plan and $9.99 a month for an app you rarely open. You want five-year totals, and a 5% yearly return for the comparison.
- The yearly plan works out to $139 ÷ 12 = $11.58 a month.
- Monthly total: $15.49 + $11.99 + $11.58 + $9.99 = $49.05.
- Yearly total: the unrounded monthly figure, $49.0533, × 12 = $588.64, and over five years $2,943.20.
- The rarely used app costs $9.99 × 12 = $119.88 a year, about 20.4% of the total.
- Invested at 5% a year instead, $9.99 a month for 60 months grows to $677.46.
Result: The four subscriptions cost $49.05 a month and $588.64 a year. Cancelling the one you rarely use saves $119.88 a year, which could grow to $677.46 in five years.
Understanding the result
The yearly total is usually the most useful number. Compare it with something real, such as a trip, a month of groceries or an emergency-fund goal. That makes it easier to decide which subscriptions are worth keeping.
The rarely used share shows how much of your spending buys little in return. It's often cheaper to cancel and sign up again later, when you actually want the service, than to pay through the months you don't use it.
The invested-instead figure isn't a promise of returns. It shows the size of the trade-off. Small repeating amounts add up over the years, especially once growth is included.
Assumptions and limitations
- Prices stay the same over the period you choose.
- A year is 12 months or 52 weeks. The per-day figure divides the yearly total by 365.
- The investment comparison uses deposits at the end of each month and a yearly return that doesn't change.
- The calculator doesn't track renewal dates, free trials or price changes. It totals what you enter.
- There are six rows. If you have more subscriptions, combine smaller ones into one row.
- Investment returns vary and aren't guaranteed. This is a budgeting tool, not financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is a yearly plan cheaper than paying monthly?
Often, yes, because yearly plans are commonly discounted. Enter the yearly price and compare its monthly cost with the monthly price. The saving only counts if you'd have kept the subscription all year anyway. If not, flexible monthly billing can be the cheaper choice.
Why does a weekly price come out to more than four times as much per month?
A month averages about 4.33 weeks (52 weeks ÷ 12 months), not exactly 4. So a $5 weekly plan costs $21.67 a month on average and $260 a year.
How do I find all my subscriptions?
Look through a couple of months of bank and card statements for repeating charges. Also check the subscription settings in your phone's app store and any online accounts. Yearly renewals are easy to miss, so scan a full year of statements to catch them.
What counts as rarely used?
That's your call. A practical test: would you sign up again today at the current price? If the answer is no, mark it and see how much it adds up to.
How this calculator is checked
Method: Conversion of each billing period to a monthly equivalent (52 weeks or 12 months per year), summed; the investment comparison uses the future value of an ordinary annuity with a monthly rate equivalent to the effective yearly return (src/lib/finance/growth.ts). The calculation is covered by automated tests with known reference values and edge cases. Last updated 2026-10-18. Found a problem? Tell us.
Embed this calculator
Put this Subscription Cost Calculator on your own website or blog for free. Paste this code where you want it to appear: