FREE TOOL · 2026 PRICING · NO SIGNUP

How much money are you
actually wasting on subscriptions?

Most Americans underestimate their subscription spend by 2 to 3 times. Add the services you pay for, rate how often you actually use them, and we'll calculate your annual waste plus the cheaper or free replacements you've been missing.

STEP 1 OF 2

Add the subscriptions you pay for

Start typing — we auto-match Netflix, Spotify, ChatGPT Plus, Adobe, NordVPN, gym memberships, and 145+ more.

Tip: rate each subscription 1–5 dots based on real usage. Apps you barely open = 1 dot. Things you'd cry without = 5 dots.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Subscription creep is the silent budget killer of 2026

$273

average monthly spend

2024–2025 surveys put average American subscription spend at $219–$273 per month. That's $2,600 to $3,300 a year before groceries.

3x

how badly we underestimate

When asked to guess their monthly subscription spend, Americans typically guess one third of the real number. The other two thirds is pure subscription creep.

42%

of services we forget we have

About 42% of US adults admit to paying for at least one subscription they completely forgot about. The average forgotten subscription costs $11.40/month.

Sources: C+R Research 2024 Subscription Survey · Bango Subscription Wars 2024 · Empower 2025 Subscription Spending Report.

FAQ

Subscription waste, answered

How much does the average American spend on subscriptions in 2026?

Independent surveys from C+R Research, Bango, and Empower in 2024–2025 found that the average American spends $219–$273 per month on subscriptions — about $2,600 to $3,300 a year. The number tends to creep up by ~$15/month annually as new AI and streaming services launch.

How does this subscription calculator work?

You type a subscription name. We fuzzy-match it against a curated database of 145+ services pulled from public American pricing pages, then ask you to rate real usage from 1 to 5 dots. The waste score is the dollar value of subscriptions you rated 1 or 2 dots — the ones you barely use — projected over a year.

Is the tool free? Are you going to email me?

It's free, anonymous, and runs entirely in your browser. We don't ask for your email and we don't have a database.

What if my subscription isn't in your list?

Click "Add custom" and type the name and monthly price. It'll be added to your tally — we just won't have curated alternatives for it.

What's the cheapest replacement for ChatGPT Plus?

Free Claude, free Gemini, and free Perplexity are all very competitive with paid GPT-4 for daily use. For pay-per-use, OpenRouter typically beats $20/mo subscriptions for most hobbyists. Run the calculator with ChatGPT Plus added to see a side-by-side comparison.

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