A music plan here, a cloud storage plan there, the gym, the phone bill, an app you tried once. Each charge is small, and they land on different days, so it's hard to say what they add up to. This guide covers what to write down for each one, where to find the ones billed through Apple, and how to keep them all in one list with Subs Cat, our subscription and bill list for iPhone and iPad.
What to note for each subscription
For every charge that comes back on its own, you need four things:
- The name. Whatever you'll recognise later: "Music", "Gym", "Rent".
- The amount. What comes out each time, not a monthly guess.
- How often. Weekly, monthly, yearly, or every few weeks, months or years.
- The next charge date. The day the money goes out next.
Where to find them
Subs Cat doesn't connect to your bank or your Apple Account, and it can't see your subscriptions by itself. You type each one in. To gather the list:
- Subscriptions billed through Apple. On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name at the top, then Subscriptions. That shows what's billed to your Apple Account and the date each one renews.
- Everything else. Look through a month or two of your bank or card statements for charges that repeat, and check your email for renewal receipts.
Add them to Subs Cat
- Open Subs Cat and tap Add, the + button at the top right. On an empty list there's also an Add a subscription button in the middle.
- Type the name in the first field (Name, like Music or Rent) and the amount in Amount.
- Pick Subscription or Bill. Bills, like rent or the phone, sit in the same list.
- Under How often, pick Week, Month or Year. For a plan billed every three months, tap + on the stepper until it says Every 3 months.
- Set Next charge to the next day it's billed. Each later charge is counted from that date, so a plan billed on the 31st comes back to the 31st after a short month.
- Pick when you'd like to hear about it in Remind me: Off, On the day, 1 day before, 3 days before or A week before. It starts on 1 day before.
- Tap Add.
Repeat for each one. There's no limit on how many you add, and it's all free.
Read the list
The black panel at the top shows A month, what everything comes to a month, with the yearly total and the number of items under it. A yearly plan counts as a twelfth of its price each month, and a weekly plan as 52 charges a year spread over 12 months.
Below it, Next up lists every item with the soonest charge first. Each row shows the amount, how often, and the next date, like "Next Oct 28 · in 4 days". If you're on a free trial, the row says Trial ends with the date, in orange.
Tap a row to change anything, then tap Save. To remove one, tap it, then Delete: Subs Cat asks first and tells you its reminders stop too. You can also swipe a row away in the list.
On iPad, a side column also shows The next 30 days: what goes out in that window, and the three soonest charges.
Reminders before each charge
Reminders are notifications from your iPhone at 9:00 on the day you picked, like "Music renews tomorrow", with the amount and date. Subs Cat asks for permission when you add the first item that has a reminder, not when you first open it. If you say no, you get no reminders, and the list and totals still work.
The app plans the next reminders again each time it starts or you change the list, so keep it on your iPhone and open it now and then.
Print or share a summary
Tap Summary, the page button at the top left, then Print summary or Share summary PDF. The summary is titled "Subscriptions and bills" and shows the monthly and yearly totals, what's due in the next 30 days, and every item with its kind, amount, how often, next charge and what it comes to a month. It's on Letter or A4, depending on your region.
It's handy to go through with a partner, or to keep with your bills. For one-off spending, like receipts for work, see how to track business expenses on iPhone.
What Subs Cat doesn't do
- It doesn't read your bank, cards or Apple Account. Every item is typed in by you.
- It can't cancel anything. To cancel, go to whoever bills you, or to Settings for subscriptions billed through Apple. Then delete the item in Subs Cat.
- It doesn't tell you which subscriptions to keep. It shows the dates and the totals, and the choice is yours.
What it costs
Subs Cat is free for as many subscriptions and bills as you have, with reminders, the monthly and yearly totals, and the summary to print or share. There's no account and no ads. Your list is kept on your phone and in your own backups, and leaves only when you print, share or export it.
Subs Cat Pro is an optional one-time purchase that adds categories and charts (what each category comes to a month, and what goes out in each of the next 12 months), custom icons, more currencies with their own totals, and export to CSV for a spreadsheet. More on the Subs Cat page.
Quick answers
Can Subs Cat find my subscriptions automatically?
No. It doesn't connect to your bank or Apple Account. You add each one by hand, with its amount, how often and next charge date.
Can I see my monthly total for subscriptions?
Yes. The panel at the top of the list shows what everything comes to a month and a year, free.
Can I track bills like rent too?
Yes. Pick Bill when you add it. Bills go in the same list and the same totals.
What if I pay some in another currency?
The free app keeps one currency, any you choose for the first item. Pro adds more currencies, each with its own totals; they're never added together.
Does it work on iPad?
Yes. On iPad the totals and the next 30 days sit in a column beside the list.
Try Subs Cat
Try Subs Cat: free, no ads, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/subs-cat