Subscription tracker spreadsheet: free template and how to use it

A subscription tracker spreadsheet is a list of everything you pay for on repeat, with what it costs, how often it bills and when it renews next. Done well, it answers two questions in seconds: what do we pay a year, and what is about to charge us.

You can build one in under an hour. Download the template below, open it in Google Sheets or Excel, add three formulas, and fill it from your last few statements. This post explains each column, the formulas to add, how to keep the sheet current, and the point where a spreadsheet stops being the right tool.

The template comes with eight example rows (Figma, Notion, Google Workspace, Adobe Creative Cloud, Zoom, a domain, business insurance and a server billed in euros) so you can see how each column is meant to be filled. Delete them once you add your own.

How do I open the template in Google Sheets or Excel?

In Google Sheets, create a blank sheet, then File, Import, Upload, and choose the CSV. Pick "Replace current sheet". In Excel, open the file directly. If the date columns arrive as plain text, select them and format them as dates; the template uses the YYYY-MM-DD format, which both programs read reliably.

A CSV cannot store formulas or formatting, so the template is just the data. You add the formulas once, in the next section, and then save the file as a Google Sheet or an .xlsx.

What columns should a subscription tracker have?

Each column earns its place by answering a question you will actually ask.

Two columns are easy to skip and worth keeping. Owner turns the sheet from a record into a decision list; if you work with a team, our post on who owns each tool explains how to pick owners. Cancel by catches annual contracts like insurance, where the deadline to give notice can be a month or more before the renewal, not the renewal itself.

Which formulas should I add?

Add three columns to the right of Notes. The formulas below assume the template's layout: Amount in column D, Billing cycle in F, Next renewal in G and Cancel by in I. Type each formula in row 2, then fill it down.

Yearly total (column K). Turns every plan into what it costs a year:

=D2*SWITCH(F2,"monthly",12,"quarterly",4,"yearly",1)

Monthly equivalent (column L). The same cost spread over a month, so a yearly plan and a monthly one sit side by side:

=K2/12

Days to renewal (column M). How long until the next charge:

=G2-TODAY()

Format column M as a plain number, not a date. If you want a countdown for the notice deadline too, add =IF(I2="","",I2-TODAY()) in column N.

Then add totals at the bottom: =SUM(K2:K100) for what you pay a year, and =SUMIF(B2:B100,"Design",K2:K100) for one category. If you pay in more than one currency, SUM adds euros and dollars together, so total each currency on its own with =SUMIF(E2:E100,"USD",K2:K100) and convert before you combine them. These formulas work the same in Google Sheets and in current versions of Excel.

With the example rows, the yearly totals come to about $3,760 in US dollars plus €114 for the server. Adobe Creative Cloud alone is $59.99 a month, about $720 a year, and it is the one row with no owner. That is the kind of line the sheet is meant to surface.

How do I handle subscriptions in other currencies?

Keep the amount in the currency you are charged in, and convert only for totals. In Google Sheets, =GOOGLEFINANCE("CURRENCY:EURUSD") returns a current rate you can multiply by. In Excel, keep one cell with the rate and update it by hand when you review the sheet. Your bank's conversion will differ a little from any published rate, so treat the converted total as an estimate. For a quick check, the currency converter gives you a rate without opening a sheet.

How do I keep the spreadsheet up to date?

A tracker is only as good as its last update. A short monthly routine is enough:

Most people need about 15 minutes a month once the sheet exists. Once a year, do a deeper pass; the SaaS subscription audit guide covers what to look for.

When does a spreadsheet stop working?

A spreadsheet is a good tracker as long as someone keeps feeding it. It tends to break in the same places:

• You have to find every charge yourself. The sheet knows only what you type. A new tool someone added in March is invisible until you notice it on a statement.
• No alerts. The sheet cannot tell you a renewal is coming; you have to open it, and a renewal slips through in any week nobody does.
• Price rises go unnoticed. Notion going from $10 to $12 a seat is a 20% rise, but the sheet still says $10 unless you compare every line.
• Currencies drift. Each foreign line needs a rate, and the totals are only as fresh as your last update.
• Teammates. Shared sheets get edited, sorted and filtered by several people, and owners still have to remember to look.

Spreadsheet or subscription tracker app?

Both are fine choices. Here is the honest comparison:

If you have a dozen subscriptions, all in one currency, and you enjoy a monthly check, a spreadsheet may be all you need. If you keep forgetting to open it, the alerts are what you are missing.

Whichever you pick, the habit is what saves the money: every charge on one list, a date next to each one, and a look at what renews before it does.