How do you track all the digital tools, domains & subscriptions you’ve bought over the years?
Over the past few years, I’ve ended up with a scattered stack of tools — domains, SaaS subscriptions, plugins, licenses, hosting, etc.
Some are in Google Keep, some in emails, and others I forgot I even signed up for.
I’m curious — how do you track everything you’ve purchased for your projects or startup?
Do you use a password manager?
Manual spreadsheet?
Some kind of custom-built dashboard?
I’m exploring ways to improve this process and would love to learn how others keep their digital assets organized. Bonus if you’ve built your own system or hacked something together!
Replies
I know Rocket Money tackles something similar for mainstream subscriptions, but I really like the broader scope you're aiming for with this.
@chaosandcoffee Yes, exactly! Rocket Money is great for Netflix/Spotify type stuff, but when it comes to domains, tools I bought from AppSumo, or random plugins, it all gets messy.
I can definitely see a use case for what you're building. It's only going to get harder to keep track of all the different subscriptions with how scattered AI is and how many new tools/products launch every day.
@chaosandcoffee totally, the AI boom has made it even worse. One day I’m testing a plugin, next day it’s renewing on my card, and I’ve forgotten about it 😅 just a single dashboard to remember what, where, why, and when, simple.
Your question maybe this is the inspiration for the next product
@onbing Haha that’s exactly what I’m hoping for! It started as a personal pain point, and now I’m thinking maybe I’m not the only one fumbling through old emails and spreadsheets 😅
minimalist phone: creating folders
Before "reviewing" the subscription plan, I have scheduled an autoemail with the subject line, e.g. Twitter Premium, renewing 21. 4. (and I sent it to myself one week before the subscription is reviewed). I never miss it.
But I do not have many subscriptions, so it is easy to manage them.
Passwords are typically stored in a password manager.
@busmark_w_nika aha smart, I like the low-friction approach. I tried something similar with calendar events, but forgot to update them when the tools changed
minimalist phone: creating folders
@khawaja_asim That's tricky tbh, are u building anything for management?
@busmark_w_nika Not yet, but I’m planning to! I’ve been talking to others who face the same problem and sketching out what a lightweight dashboard could look like, just enough to track tools, domains, and subscriptions without spreadsheet hassle.
Thinking to build it in public, happy to share once there’s something to show!
minimalist phone: creating folders
@khawaja_asim Do you share your building journey somewhere? :)
The manual spreadsheet includes:
Storage passwords, record in the notes field:(Billing Period & Price/Purpose of use/Alternatives to consider)
If I had more subscription plans would consider using a password manager.🤔
@partick_support That's a thoughtful way to do it. If you had one dashboard that could handle that plus alerts, would that be useful, or do you prefer the flexibility of spreadsheets?
@khawaja_asim Sounds good, I like the simplicity and intuitiveness of a spreadsheet, maybe I'll consider a dashboard in the future.😄
Hey, I'm maybe not a good example but I keep and track my subscriptions in a Google Sheets, it helps me to understand where my money goes each month and how much it coast me yearly, maybe not the best but tbh it works for me ahah
And yeah, I use Bitwarden as a password manager for me and my team.
@jean_willame aha your approach is simple but effective. I’m the same: my Google Sheet has 20 tabs and still somehow misses things. Do you ever hit friction when you need to find stuff quickly, or does your setup feel pretty smooth day-to-day?
@khawaja_asim Hey sorry I miss your message ! Not that much, since all my others stuffs are in Notion. So in my mind it's kind of clear, all accountability stuffs are in google sheets and the rest of documents related to my company are in a specific category in my Notion. I and my team actually work well like this I would say ! :)
I’ve been through the same struggle. At one point I was paying for 4 domain names I completely forgot about and a few SaaS tools I hadn’t logged into for over a year. I ended up building a simple Airtable system with categories like domain, login email, renewal frequency, price, and notes. I added reminders using Google Calendar and connected a Zapier automation to nudge me a week before any renewals. It’s not super pretty, but now I actually know what I’m paying for and what needs canceling.
@dick_carville That’s a smart setup. Feels like everyone’s had to duct-tape their system just to keep track.
I’m thinking of turning that kind of workflow into a simple, all-in-one tool. Will definitely share once I have something ready, would love your thoughts!
I’ve been trying to figure this out too. I started with Google Sheets and Notion, but honestly, it just felt like too much friction to open the app every time I wanted to update or check something. Recently, I found an app called Bobby. It’s a mobile app that helps track subscriptions, and it has iCloud sync with one-time payment, which is super handy. You might wanna give it a try!
@nigarsafarova That’s super helpful, thanks Nigar, I’ve tried both Notion and Sheets too, but they end up feeling like overhead rather than help
I’ll check out Bobby, love that it’s mobile-first and iCloud synced. I think there’s still room for something a bit broader (domains, licenses, plugins, etc.) but with that same low-friction vibe.
Appreciate you sharing this 🙌
Couple ways:
If it's a subscription I know I'm just testing, I will IMMEDIATLY set a calendar notification to review it a day or two before the renewal date
I go through my credit card statements every Sunday, so there is nothing I'm paying for that I'm unaware of
I keep a list of paid tools in a Notion sheet in my business workspace. I have a checkbox that toggles individual subscriptions on and off so I can see my monthly and annual SaaS fee burn rate in real time. Screenshot attached.
@emikes919 That’s a really solid system, especially the Sunday card review and that live SaaS burn tracker in Notion. Curious, do you think there’s room for a simpler tool that could handle this without stitching together Notion, calendar, and Zapier? Or is the DIY route still the best way in your view?
@khawaja_asim thanks! I believe the DIY route is the best here. It's not that hard, and it forces me to stay on top of it. Once I'm in stride, it does not reduce my overall productivity.
Also, I think many modern banks/fintech apps have built in features that notify you of recurring subscriptions, which is another way the problem is already solved.
I think if there was a tool exclusively dedicated to solving this problem, it wouldn't solve it for the people who needed it most because it's in their nature to not be on top of it.
Just my 2 cents!
@emikes919 fair points and I really appreciate the perspective. You're right, DIY keeps you engaged, and once the habit is in place, it's probably the most reliable way to stay on top of things.
Also agree that modern fintech apps are doing a better job catching recurring subscriptions, though they're usually limited to standard consumer tools (not stuff like domains, plugin licenses, or tools paid via Stripe links or Gumroad, which is where I’ve felt the gaps personally).
Still early days, but hearing your take helps ground what’s worth solving.
Out of curiosity, have you ever considered turning that Notion system of yours into a tiny public template or even a paid product? Feels like a lot of people would find value in something already well thought out.
@khawaja_asim yeah agreed on the "standard consumer tools" limitation. catching everything else is tricky, and I honestly feel like it's a relatively low frequency problem. Like most of the subscription cost leakage is coming from the stuff that's already covered by the fintech space.
on the notion template thing... I actually a lot of stuff like this for different use cases, some more robust than others. I could do that! I just haven't gotten around to it. Honestly a pretty good idea, and I would likely host them for free behind an email wall to build my list.
Have you done this and had any success driving downloads?
It would be cool if there was a way for people to optimize their subscriptions based on projects they're working on. I’ve had the same issue — bought a domain for one idea, a plugin for another, then forgot which email I even used to register. Would be cool if anyone built a working system that analyzes what tools you’re paying for per project (especially for folks juggling multiple SaaS projects or startups).
@indukeys That’s such a solid insight, I’ve had that exact pain too. Bought a plugin or domain for one side project, then months later can’t even remember what it was for lol
Google Sheet
I did not do the research but I wish there was a chrome plugin that will automatically record every time I make a subscription and track all of them. I don't know how to sync it with mobile subscriptions though
@nikita_polovinkin Aha a lightweight Chrome plugin that logs subscriptions, domains, tools, etc. could save a lot of mental load.
Mobile is definitely trickier, especially when subscriptions come through App Store/Play Store with little visibility.
Curious, if a plugin like that existed, what would make it feel trustworthy and useful enough for you to actually rely on it? Would love your take as I shape the early direction.
@khawaja_asim For me the main thing would be the consistency between devices and accounts. But this is probably pretty hard to solve. I'm not sure that you can sync an app with the apple's id subscriptions for example.
@nikita_polovinkin Yeah, that would be tricky, especially with Apple ID and app store barriers.
I’m leaning toward covering the 80% (tools, domains, plugins) and keeping the rest simple/manual for now.
Between multi-device sync and auto-detection, which would you prioritize first? Curious how you see it.
@khawaja_asim I think auto-detection has more value, as I don't have to remember type in things and can purely rely on the extension.