How the Subscription Cleanup Helper works

Subscription spending is tricky because billing cycles don’t match. One service charges weekly, another bills monthly, and a third renews once per year. Your brain naturally “anchors” on the smaller number (like $9.99) and ignores the fact that it repeats forever.

This calculator fixes that by translating every subscription into a monthly equivalent and a yearly equivalent. Once everything is on the same timeline, you can see your real total and make smart cleanup decisions.

• Monthly subscription: monthlyCost = price
• Yearly subscription: monthlyCost = price ÷ 12
• Weekly subscription: monthlyCost = price × 52 ÷ 12
• Daily subscription: monthlyCost = price × 365 ÷ 12
• Quarterly subscription: monthlyCost = price ÷ 3
• Custom cycle (every N days): monthlyCost ≈ price × 30.4375 ÷ N

The “30.4375 days” value is the average days per month (365.25 ÷ 12). It keeps the conversion consistent so you can compare plans fairly. Once monthlyCost is known, yearlyCost is simply:

• yearlyCost = monthlyCost × 12

• Total monthly spend: what subscriptions cost you in a typical month.
• Total yearly spend: what you’re paying over a full year if nothing changes.
• Top leaks: the 3 subscriptions with the highest yearly cost (usually the best cleanup targets).
• Cancel savings: check “Cancel?” on any subscription to estimate instant savings.
• Negotiation savings: optional “discount %” applied to the subscriptions you keep, to estimate the impact of downgrades or negotiating.
• Wallet Leak Score: if you add monthly income, the tool estimates your subscription spend as a % of income (capped at 100).

Subscription creep is universal — everyone has a few “I forgot I pay for that” services. The scoreboard-style Wallet Leak Score, plus the quick cancel toggles, makes it easy to screenshot and share. (And yes, the results are private unless you choose to share.)

Imagine you pay: Netflix $15.49/month, iCloud $2.99/month, a gym $240/year, and an app that’s $4.99/week. The tool converts everything to monthly equivalents:

• Netflix: $15.49/month → monthlyCost = $15.49
• iCloud: $2.99/month → monthlyCost = $2.99
• Gym: $240/year → monthlyCost = $240 ÷ 12 = $20.00
• Weekly app: $4.99/week → monthlyCost ≈ $4.99 × 52 ÷ 12 ≈ $21.62

Total monthly spend ≈ $15.49 + $2.99 + $20.00 + $21.62 = $60.10/month. Total yearly spend ≈ $60.10 × 12 = $721.20/year. That’s the “real number” you can act on.

• Step 1: Cancel duplicates and unused subscriptions.
• Step 2: Downgrade the “nice to have” ones (cheaper tier, yearly promo, student plan).
• Step 3: Replace one expensive subscription with a free alternative for 30 days and see if you miss it.
• Step 4: Repeat quarterly. Subscription budgets are not “set and forget”.

If you want a quick win, try this rule: cancel one subscription today and move that monthly amount into a savings goal. Even a $9.99 cancel becomes ~$120/year. Do that 3–5 times and you’ve built a meaningful “found money” fund without changing your lifestyle.

Another underrated win: rename subscriptions with intent. Instead of “Adobe,” label it “Adobe (for freelance invoices).” If you can’t justify it in parentheses, it’s a candidate for downgrade or cancellation.

Finally, watch out for the “annual trap.” A $99/year plan feels small because it hits once — but it might be one of your biggest leaks. That’s why this helper always ranks by yearly cost. It’s the fairest comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is this subscription calculator accurate?

  It’s accurate for estimating costs across billing cycles. Real bills can differ due to taxes, regional pricing, discounts, currency conversion, and proration. Use it to see the big picture, then verify your exact billing totals in your account settings.

• Why do you use 52 weeks and 365 days?

  Those are standard year-length approximations to normalize weekly and daily billing. The goal is fair comparison across cycles. Over long periods, the difference is tiny compared to the clarity you gain.

• What if a subscription bills every 2 months or every 90 days?

  Use the “Custom (every N days)” option and type the number of days. For every 2 months, use about 61 days. For 90 days, enter 90. The tool converts it into a monthly equivalent.

• What’s the “Wallet Leak Score”?

  If you enter your monthly take-home income, the tool estimates subscription spend as a percentage of income. Example: $60/month subscriptions on $3,000 income = 2%. The bar is capped at 100% to keep it readable.

• How should I decide what to cancel?

  Start with “low usage + high cost” subscriptions, duplicates, and anything you kept by inertia. If you’re unsure, pause/cancel for one month and see if you actually miss it. If not, the decision is easy.

• Do you store my subscriptions?

  No. Everything runs in your browser. If you save a snapshot, it’s stored locally on your device via your browser’s localStorage. You can clear it anytime.

• What’s the fastest way to cut subscription costs?

  First, cancel trials you forgot. Second, downgrade anything you use “occasionally.” Third, rotate subscriptions: keep one streaming service this month, switch next month, and repeat. Rotation keeps your entertainment fresh and your budget lean.

• Can I use this for business SaaS subscriptions too?

  Absolutely. It works for personal and business tools. For business use, add a note in the subscription name (e.g., “Slack (team)”) so your cleanup decisions are tied to real usage and revenue impact.