Recommend a subscription tracking app

Wakrak on 09/01/2022 - 10:09
Last edited 09/01/2022 - 10:10

I've been looking for an app that allows me to track a variety of subscriptions and send me a notification when they're about to renew. Thought I'd ask here to see if you guys use any app in particular. Be nice if it was free. I'd rather create an Excel spreadsheet than pay $5 for an app. But I am open to persuasion.

Want

  • ability to set custom renewal date
  • add cost (and custom icons, bonus)
  • variety of notification options
  • add more than 5 subscriptions

So far I've tried Bobby and Subscription Manager. Both were good to begin with but then I had to pay if I wanted to add more than 3/4 subscriptions to the list.

Device: iPhone XR

Subscriptions: Amazon Prime, Patreon, Real-Debrid, YouTube Premium, Apple TV, Blokada Cloud, Plant Projects Oat Milk, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, NBA International League Pass, Kaspersky, Driver Booster 9, Survey Monkey, Skinny Broadband (6 months free), and a couple others.

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  • NovaAlpha on 15/01/2022 - 00:43
    +2

    Why not use Google Calendar with Google App Script?

    I track a lot of my bills and subscriptions by using my Google Calendar. Generally, bills and subscriptions expire at around the same date every month. So you should be able to set a recurring event reminder and only need to do this just once. Then, have Google App Script automatically read your Google Calendar and either send you email reminders 1~2 days before your bill or subscription is due, or create a Task in Google Task.

    Regarding my bills, they're all sent to me via emails and so I can make Google App Script read my emails in my Gmail (based on labels that are automatically applied to the emails), then automatically create calendar entries for me.

    Google App Script can pretty much talk to every Google service and is super powerful. Of course, you'd need to know a bit of coding, but just Google for tutorials, there are plenty out there and that's how I learned.

    I can easily check my email, my calendar or Google Task for any reminders on anything that I want. The nice thing is that I can easily get my Google Nest Mini or my Amazon Echo to read out my reminders on my calendar, which again are created by Google App Script and so I don't have to do anything. The reminders are configured 1~2 days before the due date, so whenever my Google Nest Mini or Amazon Echo announces something bill related, I'll know that it's about to be due and double check that I've paid them.

    I also use this app called Wallet, which can sync bank transactions from ASB, ANZ, etc and are synced as read-only. You get to see a lot of info on a web portal dashboard, as well as within the app. It shows you so much detail, finance and budget related forecasts, based on your account balance.

    It also allows you to set recurring reminders for bills and subscriptions. You can pay a lifetime fee for this and it's worth it.

    I mean, there are heaps of solutions out there and I am super forgetful, which is why I have the current setup.

  • Drcspy on 09/01/2022 - 11:35

    Use Excel with conditional formatting to change a cell colour at a predetermined date. It's really pretty easy. I set one up to remind me when competitions I've entered are ending and their notification dates also. Handy. You can see at a glance what's happening.

    • Wakrak on 09/01/2022 - 11:40

      Might have to ask my partner then (uses it everyday for work). Just be nice to have a lil phone notification appear or an app that has all of my subscriptions listed since I'll probably forget to open Excel. I guess I could set myself a calendar notification as well but it's not quite what I'm after.

  • jxnc on 09/01/2022 - 11:59

    I use notion - you can pretty easily set up something like this using it and it's free. The interface is more designed for use on a computer but you can use the app on your phone just fine

  • Alan6984 on 09/01/2022 - 12:59

    I would do it in Excel myself, but you could add it into a calendar instead.

    Obviously lots of ways to do that, but if you want to keep it out of your normal calendar, then maybe something like this:

    1) Create new GMail account
    2) Put reminders in the calendar and have them emailed to you
    3) If easier, have the emails (all emails maybe) forwarded to your real / main email account

    Advantage is that you are not adding / using yet another app - its just email which everyone already has.

    HTH,

    Alan.

  • Wakrak on 09/01/2022 - 13:49

    Thanks everyone for the feedback thus far. I went ahead and downloaded a bunch more apps to try out and eventually found one that is free, customisable and able to send notifications.

    https://files.cheapies.nz/upload/9216/3448/271037894_3493411ā€¦

    Takes a bit more work compared to more prominent apps but I'm able to manually fill in the gaps anyway (mainly icon and website link).

    • User on 09/01/2022 - 15:07

      Hi @wakrak, $2 for real-debrid account!? Cheap. How?

      • Wakrak on 09/01/2022 - 15:19

        Oh no no šŸ˜… I wish. I entered in the wrong amount (forgot I pay 6 months not 12) and the screenshot is organised my monthly cost. So it's more like $4.30 a month roughly.

        • User on 09/01/2022 - 15:25

          Ah.. I get it now. Thanks!

      • Juliankiwi on 10/01/2022 - 09:19
        +1

        Do you know if there's an Android equivalent of this?

        • Wakrak on 10/01/2022 - 09:38

          This particular app looks to only be available on iOS. If you have a spare hour, I recommend downloading a bunch of subscription apps, add more than 4 subscriptions within the app, and see if it asks you to pay. Bit of an annoying process.

          I also went through a bunch of Reddit recommendations but a lot of them were these same apps that require payment after a certain number of subscriptions, or were apps that focused more on budget tracking.

    • bigcheese on 09/01/2022 - 15:15

      Thanks Wakrak.
      Might have to give it a try.

  • Splashyminion on 19/01/2022 - 15:43

    Use Tilla if you have an Android phone

  • Wakrak on 14/03/2023 - 11:45

    The app I was originally using has been removed from the Apple App Store. I've since switched to an app called Subscriptions - Track Expenses

    https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/subscriptions-track-expenses/iā€¦

    App left - widget right
    https://files.cheapies.nz/upload/9216/4222/dd.jpg

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