{
  "slug": "subscription-audit",
  "title": "Subscription Audit Calculator",
  "heading": "Subscription Audit Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/subscription-audit",
  "summary": "The real annual cost of your software and streaming stack.",
  "description": "Small monthly charges hide a big annual number. Total the stack, see the yearly cost, and find out what cancelling the unused share is worth over five years.",
  "formula": "Annual = count × average price × 12. Waste = annual × unused share.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=subscription-audit",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "count",
      "label": "Number of subscriptions",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 14,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "avg",
      "label": "Average monthly price",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12.5,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "unused",
      "label": "Share rarely used",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 30,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "returnRate",
      "label": "Investment return if saved",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 7,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "annual",
      "label": "Annual subscription cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "monthly",
      "label": "Monthly total",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "wasted",
      "label": "Wasted per year",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "fiveYear",
      "label": "5-yr value if invested",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Number of subscriptions: 14",
      "Average monthly price: 12.5 $",
      "Share rarely used: 30 %",
      "Investment return if saved: 7 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Annual subscription cost: $2,100",
      "Monthly total: $175.00",
      "Wasted per year: $630",
      "5-yr value if invested: $3,623"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter number of subscriptions.",
      "Enter average monthly price ($).",
      "Enter share rarely used (%).",
      "Enter investment return if saved (%).",
      "Read your annual subscription cost on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "count": 8,
        "avg": 7.5,
        "unused": 20,
        "returnRate": 4.2
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "count": 14,
        "avg": 12.5,
        "unused": 30,
        "returnRate": 7
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "count": 22,
        "avg": 20,
        "unused": 50,
        "returnRate": 11.200000000000001
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the subscription audit calculator work?",
      "a": "Small monthly charges hide a big annual number. Total the stack, see the yearly cost, and find out what cancelling the unused share is worth over five years. The underlying maths is: Annual = count × average price × 12. Waste = annual × unused share."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "4 values: number of subscriptions, average monthly price, share rarely used, and investment return if saved. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the annual subscription cost result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/software-stack-cost-per-employee",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/annual-vs-monthly-billing"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Subscription Audit Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/subscription-audit)"
}