Example 1
- VOD, music, cloud
- Fitness at 0 uses
- Threshold 2, year
105 a month, 1,260 a year
At a threshold of 2 the low-use rows are VOD 45, cloud 20, and fitness 40. Music 25 at 12 uses stays outside the sum.
Subscriptions · budget · usage
Unused subscriptions calculator
The calculator uses the numbers you enter: a name, a monthly fee, uses in the month, and a low-use threshold. At a threshold of 2, a VOD plan at 45 with 2 uses, cloud storage at 20 with 1 use, and a fitness app at 40 with zero uses give 105 in low-use fees for the month and 1,260 for the year. Music at 25 with 12 uses stays outside that sum. The calculator does not read your bank or the provider.
This is an estimate from the rows you enter. The calculator does not connect to your bank. Twenties: cost of your twenties. Solo: cost of living alone.
One subscription is usually a small monthly fee. When several plans stay in the background for months while you barely use them, the total grows. The calculator shows the cost of low-use plans and the cost of one use.
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Result
Add subscriptions, then click Calculate.
How this estimate works
Each row has a name, a monthly cost, and a use count. A threshold of 2 means two uses or fewer. At that threshold the low-use list includes VOD 45 at 2 uses, cloud storage 20 at 1, and fitness 40 at zero. News 15 at 3 uses stays outside the sum, and so does music 25 at 12 uses. Low-use fees are 105 a month and 1,260 a year.
Cost per use is the fee divided by the number of uses. VOD 45 at 2 uses is 22.50 each. At zero uses the calculator does not divide by zero: fitness 40 appears as the full fee on the low-use list. A meal kit at 280 with zero uses over 10 years is the full fee across that horizon.
All five rows in example 1 are 145 a month and 1,740 a year. A 5-year or 10-year horizon multiplies that amount. An optional save line of 50 percent of the low-use fees at a fixed 5 percent for 10 years shows what that pool could become. It is a fixed rate, with no taxes and no fund.
A threshold of 3 also includes rows with three uses. A threshold of 0 leaves only unused plans. High use at a threshold of 3 can bring the low-use total near zero. A second VOD at 2 uses has a higher cost per use than family streaming at 20.
You enter name–cost–uses rows, a threshold of 0, 1, 2, 3, or a custom value, a month, year, 5-year, or 10-year horizon, and an optional save percent, rate, and invest years. The custom threshold field appears after you choose that option. A comma and a period both work in the fee.
The calculator does not import account history and does not tell you to cancel. A seasonal stretch of heavy use or a family plan can be a second set of rows. When you quote a result, name the threshold and the horizon.
What this calculator shows
- the total cost of all your subscriptions,
- how much the ones you barely use are costing you,
- the cost per use for each one,
- what that adds up to over a few years,
- a simple scenario for what happens if you saved that money instead.
How to read the result
- A small monthly charge is not such a small deal if you keep paying it for years.
- The highest cost per use is often not the most expensive plan, but the one you keep paying for while barely using it.
- Cost per use is a fast way to spot which subscriptions still earn their keep and which ones have quietly become a fixed cost.
What usually hurts the budget most
- several small charges adding up every month,
- subscriptions left active “for later”,
- services you come back to only once in a while,
- plans that used to make sense but no longer do.
Assumptions and limits
- This calculator runs on a simple model: monthly cost and how often you actually use something.
- It does not decide whether a subscription is worth it for you. It only shows the numbers.
- The save/invest scenario is just illustrative: it is not a forecast.
How to use
- Add rows: name, monthly cost, and uses. In example 1: VOD 45 and 2, music 25 and 12, cloud 20 and 1, fitness 40 and 0, news 15 and 3.
- Set the low-use threshold. Two times or fewer is the cutoff in example 1. A custom threshold appears after you choose that option.
- Choose a horizon: month, year, 5 years, or 10 years.
- Optionally turn on saving, a percent, a rate, and years: 50 percent, 5 percent, 10 years.
- Click Calculate. At a threshold of 2, low-use fees are 105 a month and 1,260 a year. Fitness at zero uses enters as the full 40.
Fee, uses, and the low-use threshold
Low-use rows are those at or below the threshold. VOD 45 at 2, cloud 20 at 1, and fitness 40 at 0 give 105 at a threshold of 2.
- fee
- The row charge. VOD 45, cloud 20, fitness 40. Low-use sum 105, all fees 145 a month.
- uses
- How many times someone uses the service in the month. Two uses of VOD 45 is 22.50 each. Zero uses does not divide the fee.
- threshold
- The low-use cutoff. 2 includes 0, 1, and 2 uses. 3 also includes news 15 and lifts the sum to 120.
Example profiles
Example 2
- AI, games, online gym
- Low uses
- 5-year horizon
225 a month, 13,500 over 5 years
At a threshold of 3 all four rows are low-use: VOD 60, games 50, AI 80, and the online gym 35.
Example 3
- Streaming 8 uses
- Music 20 uses
- One magazine
18 a month, 216 a year
At a threshold of 1 only the magazine at 18 with one use is low-use. Streaming 30 at 8 uses and music 20 at 20 stay outside the sum.
Example 4
- Kit 280 at 0 uses
- Audiobooks at 1
- 10-year horizon
280 a month, 33,600 over 10 years
At a threshold of 0 only the meal kit at 280 with zero uses is low-use. Audiobooks 40 at 1 and VPN 12 at 2 stay outside the sum.
Example 5
- Family streaming
- Second VOD, photo cloud
- Threshold 3, month
95 a month
At a threshold of 3 the low-use rows are the second VOD 45 at 2 uses and the language app 50 at 1. Family streaming 70 at 20 stays outside the sum.
Example 6
- Music, streaming, cloud
- High uses
- No invest path
0 low-use at a threshold of 3
Music 22 at 30 uses, streaming 40 at 16, and cloud 10 at 8 are above the threshold. All fees together are 72 a month.
Example 7
- AI, design, storage
- Meetings add-on at 0
- 5-year horizon
175 a month, 10,500 over 5 years
At a threshold of 2 the low-use rows are design 120 at 2 uses and the meetings add-on 55 at zero. AI 90 at 6 stays outside the sum.
Example 8
- Gym 150 at 1 use
- Streaming 12 uses
- Threshold 1
150 a month, 1,800 a year
At a threshold of 1 the gym at 150 with one use is low-use. Streaming 35 at 12 uses stays outside the sum.
FAQ
Which rows fall under a threshold of 2 in example 1?
VOD (2 uses), cloud (1), and fitness (0). The sum is 105 a month, 1260 a year. News at 3 uses stays outside the threshold.
What is one use of VOD 45 at 2 plays?
22.50. Music 25 at 12 uses is about 2.08 per play.
What happens at zero uses?
We do not divide by zero. Fitness 40 or a 280 meal kit shows as the full fee on the rare list.
Does the calculator read my account?
No. The calculator uses the rows you enter. A refresh clears the table. Canceling stays your decision.
How does a threshold of 3 differ from 2?
3 also includes rows with three uses. In example 1, news 15 would join the rare sum and lift it to 120.
What is the full fee pile in example 1?
145 a month, 1,740 a year. The low-use 105 is part of that total, not all of it.
What does the save variant do?
The calculator applies a chosen percent of the low-use fees at a fixed rate. At 50 percent and 5 percent for 10 years this is an estimate, not a fund.
Should a family plan count as one use?
Enter uses the way someone at home actually uses the service. Two video plans with a low-use second line have a higher cost per use.
Why a 10-year horizon on a 280 kit at zero uses?
To see the full fee at decade scale. Zero uses does not split 280. Scale, not a cancel order.
Where do I pair this with the twenties page?
On the twenties cost page. Here you count subscription rows; there you count nights and trips.
Knowledge sources
The result comes from the rows you enter. It is not a bank read and not an order to cancel.
Page updated in 2026.