Best mobile apps to manage your subscriptions

Many smartphone users rely on digital subscriptions as a source of entertainment, physical fitness, and connection with others. You can sign up for most streaming services, exercise clubs, or dating apps in minutes — or seconds — and they conveniently charge you monthly or annually.

But these automatic payments can add up to a hefty bill. The average consumer spends $273 per month on subscription services, according to a recent survey. Although each subscription seemed like a good idea when you signed up, you may now be paying for some you no longer use. You can check your credit card statement and cancel them one by one, but a time-saving alternative is a subscription discount app that helps manage them. These six subscription management tools can help you save time and money.

Garnish

Trim scours your bank or credit card statements to find any recurring subscription charges, and it can then cancel any unused subscriptions for you. It can also be used to negotiate lower utility bills on your behalf and find better insurance deals.

Cost: Trim does not charge you for canceling your subscriptions, but charges a flat fee of 15% of the amount the service saves you each year for successful bill negotiation. (You will not be charged if no savings are generated.)

Availablity: Trim is not available through Google Play or the Apple App Store. You can register using Google or Facebook credentials, or you can register on the Trim website with an email address.

Truebill

Truebill is an app that monitors your credit card or bank statement and lets you view and manage your subscriptions from a single dashboard. You can choose to cancel subscriptions yourself, or Truebill can do it for you if you’re signed up for its paid service.

You can also choose to pay for other Truebill services, like one that helps you lower your bills. The company charges you a fee that is a percentage of the amount they saved you.

Cost: The app is free, but if you want Truebill to cancel subscriptions on your behalf, you will need to sign up for a premium subscription option, which costs $3 to $12 per month.

Availablity: Google Play (4.4 stars), Apple App Store (4.5 stars)

PocketGuard

The PocketGuard budgeting app connects to your bank account and then provides an overview of your income and expenses which can be viewed as a pie chart. You can also view a list of your bills and subscriptions, which you can use to identify and cancel subscriptions you no longer use.

Another feature offered by the app is the calculation of how much money you have left after paying your monthly bills, which can help you stick to your budget and save money.

Cost: The use of the application is free to consult the transactions of your credit card or your bank account. Additional features are available for a price, such as the ability to set savings goals and create unlimited budget categories. Paid subscriptions are available at $7.99 per month, $34.99 per year, and $79.99 for life.

Availablity: Google Play (3.8 stars), Apple App Store (4.7 stars)

mint

Mint is a personal finance and budgeting app that lets you view and monitor your credit cards, loans, and investments. It can alert you when the price of your subscription increases and identify those you are not using. A paid version available for Apple users lets you cancel subscriptions directly from the app.

With the basic version of the app, you can also track your expenses, create custom budgets, receive bill reminders, and calculate your net worth. You will also have free access to your credit score and credit monitoring through TransUnion.

Cost: Many of Mint’s offerings cost nothing, and there’s a premium option available to Apple users for $4.99 per month with no ads and a subscription cancellation service.

Availablity: Google Play (4.4 star stars), Apple App Store (4.8 star)

Police officer

Unlike many other subscription management tools that offer various additional budgeting features, Bobby’s sole purpose is to track your recurring subscription costs. You can choose from popular subscription services or add custom ones – and prices for popular services automatically appear in the app. You can create the list earlier to read it by setting the color of each item, as well as ordering the items however you want. The app can also remind you when an invoice is due.

Bobby does not yet offer a version for Android users.

Cost: You will have free access to a limited number of subscription ads. A 99 cent in-app purchase unlocks unlimited lists.

Availablity: Apple App Store (4.7 stars)

Subcontracting

Subby is an Android app that lists your subscriptions, the associated monthly charges, and the credit card charged for each. You can add an unlimited number of subscriptions to the list. The app lists a grand total of your monthly charges and you can notify it when bills are due. You can back up your subscriptions to the cloud using a Google Drive account.

Cost: Free, but you’ll have to make do with display ads. An ad-free version costs $2.99.

Availablity: Google Play (4.2 stars)

You’ve downloaded an app to manage your subscriptions, now what?

Once you’ve chosen the best app or service for you and signed up for it, get a clear and complete picture of your monthly subscriptions by making sure they’re all listed in the app. Decide if you want to take advantage of additional features for a fee, such as the ability for the service to cancel subscriptions for you. Periodically review your list to make sure new subscriptions are added and to determine if there are any subscriptions you no longer use.

At the end of the line

An app that provides a comprehensive list of your digital subscriptions can help you see which ones you no longer use and save you time sifting through your bank or credit card statements. Many are user-friendly and free, and some come with additional money management features for a nominal fee.