In this article
A subscription is a payment that repeats until you stop it. Each one looks small, which is the point. Added together, they are a fixed cost that leaves your account every month whether you used the service or not. The first step to controlling them is to see the total.
How the numbers are worked out
Convert everything to one period, then multiply. If a price is yearly, divide it by 12 to get the monthly cost. Then multiply the monthly total by 12 for a year and by 60 for five years.
- 1List each price per monthNetflix ₹649 · Spotify ₹119 · Cloud storage ₹130 · Gym ₹1,500
- 2Add the monthly prices₹2,398 per month.
- 3Multiply by 12₹2,398 × 12 = **₹28,776** per year.
- 4Multiply the yearly figure by 5₹28,776 × 5 = **₹1,43,880** over five years.
The calculator reads one subscription per line, with the price at the end of the line, and shows per month, per year, in 5 years and the number of items.
Where the money goes
The gym is 63% of the monthly total. The three small digital plans together cost ₹898 a month, about 37%.
The lesson from the chart is that the biggest bill is usually not the one you worry about. One large, rarely used plan can cost more than all your app subscriptions together.
Five years is a big number
The last figure is a what-if. Investing ₹2,398 every month at an assumed 12% a year grows to about ₹1.98 L in five years. Returns are never guaranteed, and some subscriptions are worth their cost.
Monthly or annual: which plan is cheaper?
Many services offer a discount if you pay for a year in advance. A plan at ₹129 a month costs ₹1,548 over 12 months. If the annual plan is ₹1,299, you save ₹249, which is 16.1%. Divide the yearly price by 12 to compare: ₹7,188 a year equals ₹599 a month.
- ₹129 × 12 months
- Costs ₹249 more over a full year
- Cancel any month, no lock-in
- Saves ₹249 (16.1%)
- Paid in one go
- Usually non-refundable if you stop early
The annual plan wins only if you will use the service for the whole year. If you stop after five months, the monthly plan would have cost less.
Cost per use
A cheap-looking monthly fee can be expensive per use. A gym membership of ₹1,500 used 8 times a month costs ₹187.50 per visit. At 20 visits it is ₹75 per visit. The same plan is a bargain or a waste depending only on how often you go.
| Visits or uses per month | Cost per use of a ₹1,500 plan |
|---|---|
| 2 | ₹750 |
| 4 | ₹375 |
| 8 | ₹187.50 |
| 12 | ₹125 |
| 20 | ₹75 |
Cost per use = monthly price ÷ number of uses. Halving your usage doubles what each visit costs.
A five-step subscription audit
- Find them all. Check your bank and card statements, UPI history and app-store subscription pages for the last three months.
- Write one line for each, with the name and the price, and put them in the calculator.
- Mark each one as keep, review or cancel. Cancel what you have not used in 30 days.
- Switch to annual plans only for services you are sure to use all year.
- Set a reminder to repeat the audit every six months.
Questions people ask
How do I calculate the total cost of my subscriptions?
Convert every price to a monthly amount, add them up, then multiply by 12 for a year. If you pay annually for something, divide that price by 12 first. The calculator does this when you choose whether the prices are monthly or yearly.
How do I enter my subscriptions?
Type one subscription per line with the name first and the price at the end, such as Netflix 649. The calculator takes the number at the end of each line as the price.
Is an annual subscription cheaper than a monthly one?
Often, but only if you use it for the whole year. Compare the annual price with 12 monthly payments. If you might stop early, the monthly plan may cost less overall.
How much do subscriptions cost per year?
Multiply the total monthly cost by 12. A set of subscriptions costing 2,398 a month comes to 28,776 a year and 1,43,880 over five years at the same prices.
How can I find subscriptions I forgot about?
Scan the last three months of bank, card and UPI statements for repeated charges of the same amount. App-store subscription pages on your phone also list every active plan.
Does the calculator account for price rises?
No. It uses the prices you enter and assumes they stay the same. Many services raise their prices from time to time, so treat the five-year figure as a minimum. Use the Subscription Cost Calculator again whenever a price changes.