Build a subscription tracker app without bank access

What each entry holds

Name and category: Streaming, software, news, fitness, cloud storage, utilities, insurance. Categories make the totals meaningful.
Price and cycle: Weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly or every N months. Price can change; keep a history so increases are visible.
Next renewal: A date, from which the app rolls forward by the cycle. Store the original start date too, because monthly renewals on the 31st need a rule for shorter months.
Payment method: Which card or account it comes from, as a label you choose ("joint account", "work card"). Never a card number.
Status: Active, trial (with an end date), paused, cancelled with the date. Cancelled items stay in history so savings are visible.
How to cancel: A link to the account page and a note. Finding the cancel button is half the work.

Totals that tell the truth

A list of prices in mixed cycles hides the real cost. Normalise everything to a monthly equivalent and a yearly equivalent: a yearly plan divided by 12, a weekly one multiplied by 52 and divided by 12. Show both totals, a breakdown by category, and the cost per person if a household shares some services.

Upcoming renewals: the next 30 days in date order, with yearly ones highlighted because they're the large, surprising ones.
Trials ending: a separate list with days remaining, at the top of the screen.
Price rises: entries whose price has gone up since you added them.
Savings so far: what cancelled subscriptions would have cost since you cancelled them.

Why it doesn't read your bank

Commercial subscription managers often find subscriptions by connecting to your bank and scanning transactions, through an open-banking provider. That needs a server, an authorised connection and your consent to share data. Apps built with Anticode run in a sandbox with no network, so this one can't connect to anything. Entries are typed in, and they stay in the browser on your device.

There's a practical way to make the first pass quick: go through two or three months of bank and card statements and add anything that repeats. Ask for a paste box that takes rows from a spreadsheet (name, price, cycle, date) so you can bring in a list you already have. After that, keeping it current is a minute when something new starts.

Describing it to Anticode

"A recurring payments tracker for our household. Entries with name, category, price, cycle (weekly to yearly or custom months), start and next renewal date, payment method label, status (active, trial with end date, paused, cancelled) and a cancel link. Monthly and yearly totals normalised, by category and per person. Upcoming renewals for 30 days, trials ending, price rises and savings from cancelled items. Paste from a spreadsheet. Saves on this device with CSV export. Clean, technical design, dark mode."

It sits well alongside a budget tracker and a debt payoff calculator. Businesses tracking software seats might prefer the internal tool builder approach.

Limits

No automatic detection. It doesn't see your transactions, so it only knows what you add.
No cancelling for you. It can link to a provider's account page; you cancel there.
No reminders when closed. Renewal and trial dates show when you open the app; it can't notify you. Put important trial end dates in your phone's calendar too.
One device. A household sharing the list needs to keep it on one device or pass an export file.
No prices looked up. Current prices for services aren't fetched; update them yourself when they change.

Questions people ask

Is a subscription tracker app safe for financial details?

It only holds what you type, and it stores it in your browser on your device. Don't enter card numbers; a label like 'joint account' is enough.

Can it track bills that vary, like electricity?

Yes, as a bills tracker with an estimated amount and the option to record each actual bill. Totals then use the average of recent bills.

What about subscriptions billed in another currency?

Record the amount in that currency with a conversion rate you set. The app can't fetch live exchange rates.