With most Americans spending the last year stuck indoors, many filled their time by signing up for at-home virtual fitness memberships, meal kit deliveries and streaming services. Without a doubt, subscription services like Peloton, Blue Apron and Netflix make our lives easier and more enjoyable.
But these recurring payments that get automatically withdrawn from our bank account each month can add up fast — especially when we forget about canceling that one free trial (or two or three). It's only normal that some subscriptions get forgotten about.
In fact, in a recent survey, Chase found that two-thirds of consumers admit to forgetting about at least one recurring payment they've signed up for in the last year.
Luckily, there are plenty of tools out there that can track recurring payments for you, plus some that will even negotiate bills on your behalf. Signing up for one can help you keep tabs on those unwanted subscriptions that you may no longer need but forgot you were still paying for.
To determine which tools are the best overall, Select reviewed and compared over a dozen mobile apps and websites. While the more robust options offer free versions or free trials, you often have to pay a fee to get the most value out of them. We also included two options from credit card issuers that come at no cost to cardholders and can be a great perk to watch out for when shopping around for your next credit card.
To rank our top selections, we narrowed down the choices by looking for trackers that people can access in a variety of different ways, whether it be by texting with a third-party service, using an app or getting notifications from their credit card issuer. We compared their pricing, features, availability and ease-of-use.
Below, we review the top five subscription trackers. (See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best subscription trackers.)
Compare offers to find the best savings account
Best for tracking and saving
Rocket Money
Cost
Free, with the option to upgrade to Rocket Money Premium for a fee of $4 to $12 per month (with 7-day free trial). Bill negotiation costs between 30% to 60% of the 12-month savings achieved as a result of the negotiation.
Standout features
Easily cancel unwanted subscriptions, track your spending and credit score, automate savings and get help lowering bills
Categorizes your expenses
Yes, Rocket Money instantly identifies your top spending categories
Links to accounts
Yes, bank and credit cards
Availability
Offered in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android), as well as online
Security features
Rocket Money accesses users' transaction data via an encrypted token, uses Plaid API so user credentials are never stored, provides bank-level 256-bit encryption and hosts servers on secure Amazon Web Services (AWS), which is used by the Department of Defense, NASA and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
Terms apply.
Pros
- Negotiates cell phone and cable bills, plus helps you get refunds for some bank fees
- Free version available
- Syncs to your bank accounts and credit cards
- Instantly finds and tracks your subscriptions
- Website says 80% of people save money by using Rocket Money (formerly Truebill) to find and cancel unwanted subscriptions
- Provides breakdown of user spending and notifies of upcoming charges and low balance alerts
- Helps users create a budget
- Users can see their Experian VantageScore 3.0 credit score and get access to their credit report
- Provides an interest-free pay advance up to $100 directly to qualifying users' checking accounts
- Users can set goals, save money with autopilot Smart Savings feature
- Concierge service available to identify bills to be lowered and, for a fee, Rocket Money (formerly Truebill) will negotiate on users' behalf for the best rates (non-refundable negotiation fee is anywhere from 30% to 60% of the 12-month savings achieved as a result of the negotiation)
- Rocket Money (formerly Truebill) Premium Service features include free access to Smart Savings feature, unlimited budgeting categories, custom spend categories, real-time account balance updates, premium chat, subscription cancellation concierge, “Truebill Offers" and educational material
- Coming soon: Users can track their net worth
- High Trustscore rating of 4.3/5 stars (from 392 reviews)
Cons
- Costs between $4 and $12 per month to upgrade to Rocket Money Premium Service
- Non-refundable negotiation fee anywhere from 30% to 60% of the 12-month savings achieved as a result of Rocket Money's bill negotiation on users' behalf
- Less than 10 Better Business Bureau reviews
- Does not negotiate internet, landline phones, cable/phone/internet bundles, alarm and security systems, satellite radio/TV or electric bills
Best for texters
AskTrim.com
Cost
Offers 14-day free trial, after it's $99 per year; one-time bill negotiation fee is 33% of total annual savings
Standout features
Communicates via SMS text: Scans users' bills and texts them to get permission to cancel any subscriptions it finds. Users can easily ask questions
Categorizes your expenses
No
Links to accounts
Yes, bank and credit cards
Availability
Offered online and via SMS text
Security features
Trim uses major bank 256-bit SSL encryption and Plaid API so user credentials are never stored, hosts servers on secure Amazon Web Services (AWS), which is used by the Department of Defense, NASA and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), plus two-factor authentication or OAuth when signing in
Terms apply.
Pros
- 14-day free trial available
- Syncs to your bank accounts and credit cards
- Makes it easy to cancel unwanted subscriptions
- Website says customers save over $600 in their first year on average
- Trim negotiates cable, internet, phone and medical bills, plus credit card interest rates, for a fee (Trim works with Comcast, Time Warner, Verizon and most other providers)
- You can also ask Trim (via SMS or Facebook Messenger) questions like how much you spent with a certain merchant or for info on your credit card balance
- Offers a FDIC-insured high-yield savings account called Trim Simple Savings with a 4% annualized bonus on users' first $2,000 saved and .001% on any amount saved after that
Cons
- $99 annual subscription
- One-time bill negotiation fee is 33% of total annual savings
- Does not negotiate satellite radio, electric or utility bills
- Has less-than-average Better Business Bureau score (2.53-star BBB rating with 46 customer reviews with 79 customer complaints in the last three years)
Best for app users
PocketGuard
Cost
Upgrade to a Pocketguard Plus monthly subscription, for $12.99 per month, or a yearly subscription for $74.99 per year, which broken down equals $6.25 per month giving members an over all 50% savings.
Standout features
Taking into account your estimated income, upcoming expenses and savings goals, "In My Pocket" feature uses an algorithm to show how much you have available for everyday spending
Categorizes your expenses
Yes, but users can modify
Links to accounts
Yes, bank and credit cards
Availability
Offered in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android)
Security features
Major bank-level encryption, PIN codes and biometrics like Touch ID and Face ID
Terms apply.
Pros
- Syncs to your bank accounts and credit cards
- "In My Pocket" feature uses an algorithm to show how much you have available for everyday spending
- Users can create savings goals
- Has bill payment tracker and bill negotiation feature (negotiated bills cost a fee)
Cons
- Basic version costs $74.99/year and premium version costs $155.88/year
- Some user reviews report that transactions are categorized incorrectly on occasion
Best for Chase credit card users
Chase Saved Account Manager
Cost
Free to use as Chase credit cardmember
Standout features
Cardmembers can see where they've saved credit card information online and in digital wallets, plus monitor their recurring payments and receive notifications if there's an irregular charge
Categorizes your expenses
Yes, Chase can provide customers with a personalized spending report that shows how much they spent in each merchant category so far this year or the entire previous year
Links to accounts
Yes, Chase credit cards
Availability
Offered in the Chase Mobile® app
Security features
Multiple authentication checks, suspicious activity alerts, secure chase.com windows and 128-bit encryption technology to protect username, password and other personal account information
Terms apply.
Pros
- Free to use if you have a Chase credit card
- Syncs to your Chase credit cards
- Track where credit card information has been used online for payments and where merchants are storing it for future transactions
- Monitor recurring monthly payments and receive notifications if there is an irregular charge
- See which businesses recently saved payment information and update card details with a quick tap in the Chase Mobile app; this provides an opportunity to review or delete credit card information merchants are retaining
Cons
- Doesn't have budgeting features that other subscription tools might offer
- Only tracks your Chase credit card(s)
- There is no bill negotiation feature
Best for Capital One credit card users
Eno®—Capital One® Assistant
Cost
Free to use as Capital One credit card user
Standout features
Notifies users about duplicate transactions or increases in subscription charges
Categorizes your expenses
Yes
Links to accounts
Yes, Capital One credit cards
Availability
Offered 24/7 online, in the Capital One® Mobile app, via email alerts and over SMS text
Security features
Multi-factor authentication like SwiftIDSM by Capital One
Terms apply.
Pros
- Free to use if you have a Capital One credit card
- Syncs to your Capital One credit cards
- Looks out for free trials and can remind users before they end
- Notifies users when it spots a bill that’s higher than usual
- Alerts users about suspicious charges and helps to resolve them
- Checks in with users if it detects a tip that’s more than their usual amount
- Users can text Eno questions about their Capital One checking, savings, credit card and auto loan accounts, such as account balances, available credit, minimum payment amounts, due dates and transaction history
Cons
- Doesn't have budgeting features that other subscription tools might offer
- Only tracks your Capital One credit card(s)
- There is no bill negotiation feature
Subscription tracker FAQs
How much do people spend on subscription services?
According to the Chase survey, 71% of respondents estimate that they waste more than $50 each month on subscription services/recurring spends.
Over the course of a year, that's more than $600. That's similar to what budgeting app Mint learned in a 2019 analysis of subscription costs, where it found that Americans spent an average of $640 annually on digital subscriptions.
Knowing just how much your recurring expenses cost you every month and year can help you save money when you need it most. These subscription services are often low-hanging fruit, meaning they are the first costs you can easily look to trim when trying to save.
What's the best way to pay for subscription services?
When you have a subscription service that you deem worth keeping, pay for it with a credit card that rewards those types of purchases.
A good place to start is by looking at Select's top credit cards for gym memberships, streaming services, video games and food delivery. A credit card that rewards you in these subscription categories is key to maximizing your recurring monthly spend.
For example, with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, you can earn 6% cash back on over 20 U.S. streaming subscriptions, including popular services like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, Apple Music, Disney+ and Prime Video, as well as services that are typically not included among other cards, such as ESPN+, Audible and YouTube.
Read more
Why trust CNBC Select?
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every subscription trackers app review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of personal finance products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best subscription trackers.
Our methodology
To determine which subscriptions trackers offer the best user experience, CNBC Select analyzed over a dozen mobile apps and websites credit card issuers. We compared them on pricing, features, availability and ease-of-use.
We narrowed down our ranking by looking for trackers that people can access in a variety of different ways, whether it be by texting with a third-party service, using an app or getting notifications from their credit card issuer. The five tools we selected for this ranking all have free versions or free trials. For credit cardholders, our picks come at zero cost to use if you're a card member.
Other factors we looked at included bill negotiation perks, budgeting tools, user customization and security features offered.
