We live in the age of subscriptions. This isn’t ideal and the fatigue of recurring app payments ruins the smartphone experience for many. Even web browsers have firmly entered the subscription era, thanks in no small part to AI. But the burden of managing multiple subscriptions is a hassle in itself, beyond the obvious financial implications.
And if you’re like me and manage all sorts of sibling academic and creative subscriptions, it’s a major headache. Additionally, random emails about recurring automatic payments that land in the notification shadow out of the blue often cause an unpleasant surprise.
There is no shortage of subscription management tools anymore. However, most of them will charge you with their own in-app purchase. The few that are free will test your patience with poor interface or missing features. My long search for the perfect subscription manager landed me on Subpli, and I think I’ve finally found my digital nirvana here.
How Subpli stands out from the rest
Firstly, it’s free. Secondly, this freeware does not burden you with advertisements. There are no in-app purchases or paywall features. Thanks to Guest Mode, you can actually fully use the app without ever having to sign up for an account.
However, there is also the option to sign in directly with your Google or Apple account if you also run the app on Android devices. Depending on which account you select, all subscription details will be shared and synced. I love guest mode for another reason.
It’s an unspoken commitment to user privacy and offers a fully functional tool out of the box, something that most financial apps often lack. You do not store any credit card or bank details in the app. Subpli has no way of storing such details at all.
Now the app has an extremely clean and well-designed user interface. The homepage is divided into four hubs and adding new subscriptions is as easy as logging your fitness or food tracking data in health apps.
Subpli offers a long list of subscription templates that allow you to scroll through a vertical feed or search for a specific template using the universal search bar at the top. If you don’t see the option you want in the list, you can use the manual add option.
When you add a subscription, you have the flexibility to set the local currency, choose an appropriate currency, set a custom icon, set payment frequency, and even add a note. More importantly, you can set notification behavior before the next payment cycle. You can choose the exact hour and time slot to receive the subscription, which can be a day or a whole week.
This approach allows you to prepare for the next payment and not stress yourself with a last-minute decision because a random notification appears at an unexpected hour. You have full control over subscription reminders. It’s like a safety net that gives me the option to cancel a service I no longer need, rather than realizing seconds too late that I’ve been charged for an unwanted year.
Visibility above all
Subpli’s greatest strength is its easy tracking and control of subscriptions. Instead of taking a layered approach where detailed information is hidden behind taps and clicks, you get a hybrid approach in Subpli. Let’s start with the dashboard.
It is the default landing page in the app and gives you a clear overview of the current annual subscription amount at the top. With a single tap on this card, you can switch between annual and monthly expenses to get a better overview of short-term recurring expenses.
Next to it is the exact number of active subscriptions. This is followed by a carousel of these ongoing services, where you can click on any of the entries and be taken directly to a page where you can edit, cancel or delete the subscription for that particular app or service
The dashboard also provides a clear overview of upcoming subscriptions, making it easier to get an overview of upcoming subscriptions and take action accordingly. This strategy actually works, especially when you look at the numbers and decide to adjust the subscription load.
It’s almost like applying the principle highlighted in the fantastic paper “Lifting the Veil: The Benefits of Cost Transparency” from Harvard Business School. But instead of a company disclosing prices to its customers to build trust, it’s an app that gives you simple (and complete) transparency that guides you to make the right financial decisions about your subscription costs.
Subpli also has a stats page that gives you a graphical overview of subscriptions alongside a category-wide breakdown. The latter is another clever psychological tactic that can encourage you to take action by showing you the proverbial mirror.
Do you spend the lion’s share of the subscription fee on entertainment services? Why do productivity tools only account for 10% of your monthly digital spend? These are the questions that come to mind when you see a clear breakdown of the fees you pay monthly or annually.
This approach helped me cancel at least two active subscriptions after a few minutes of thinking. Subpli was the first time I looked at my digital spending in one place, and to put it bluntly, I didn’t like the amount I was spending each month or the predicted value for an entire calendar year.
I also really like the activity ring inspired look on the stats page. Next to it is the Settings page, where you can control notification styles on the device and see a breakdown of temporarily paused and permanently canceled subscriptions.
Overall, Subpli is the best option I can recommend if, like me, you struggle with the invisible subscription burden and want a no-frills solution. And the fact that it’s completely free, contains no ads, and doesn’t burden you with signups makes it an even better package, especially when you look at it from a privacy perspective.
