Subscription Cost Calculator
Add up your monthly subscriptions to see the yearly total — and what a year of it could grow to invested.
How it works
monthly total = sum of each subscription · yearly = monthly × 12 · invested = yearly × 1.07⁵
Each subscription is a small monthly charge, but they stack: the calculator adds them up and multiplies by 12 for the annual bite. The opportunity-cost figure takes a single year of that spending and grows it at 7% a year — a common long-run stock-market average after inflation — for five years, showing what one year of subscriptions could become if invested instead. It’s a nudge, not a verdict: subscriptions you actually use are money well spent.
Worked example
Three subscriptions at $15.99, $10.99 and $4.99 come to $31.97 a month — $383.64 a year. A single year of that spending, invested at 7%, would grow to about $538 after five years.
Frequently asked questions
Why measure against 7%?
US stocks have returned roughly 10% a year long-term, about 7% after inflation, so 7% approximates growth in today’s buying power. It’s a rough benchmark — any five-year stretch can land well above or below it.
How do I count an annual subscription?
Divide its yearly price by 12 and enter that as the monthly cost. A $120/year plan is $10 a month here, so it lines up with your monthly billers.
What’s the fastest way to cut the total?
Sort by cost and question the largest and the least-used first. Free trials that converted, duplicate streaming services, and apps you opened once are the usual suspects — cancelling one $15 service beats trimming three $2 ones.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.