Best Subscription Tracker for Self-Employed (2026)
For self-employed users in 2026, the best subscription trackers are LemSubs (per-charge CSV at the actual paid amount, custom 'rebilled to' field, Xero/QuickBooks-friendly), Bonsai (US 1099 focus), and Monarch (multi-account PFM).
In short
Best self-employed pick: LemSubs (workspaces split personal vs business, tax-ready exports). Best free iPhone backup: Bobby. Best US-only PFM: Rocket Money. Tested April 2026.
Last reviewed 2026-05-02. First published 2026-05-02.
The ranking
| Rank | Tool | Score | Bank login | Free plan | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LemSubs | 37/40 | No | 10 subs | Free (10 subs); Pro $7.99/mo |
| 2 | Rocket Money | 27/40 | Required | None | $6–$12/mo |
| 3 | Monarch Money | 26/40 | Required | None | $14.99/mo or $99.99/yr |
| 4 | Bobby | 33/40 | No | Unlimited | Free (one-time $1.99 unlock) |
| 5 | Wallos | 32/40 | No | Unlimited | Free (self-hosted) |
1. LemSubs
Best self-employed pick — split workspaces + tax exports
Verdict: LemSubs is the best fit for self-employed users because it solves the part most trackers don't: clean separation between personal and business subs, with receipts attached and exports the accountant can actually use. The Pro plan is cheaper than most accounting subscriptions and you can deduct it.
Strengths: Workspaces split personal vs business cleanly; Receipts attached to each sub; Tax-aware CSV/PDF/JSON exports; Multi-currency.
Trade-offs: Manual entry; No native bank link.
Best for: Self-employed sole traders and freelancers who want to cleanly separate personal vs business subs and export tax-ready CSV/PDFs.
Skip if: You want auto-detection from your bank — LemSubs is manual.
Pricing: Free (10 subs); Pro $7.99/mo (verified 2026-04-28). Bank login: No. Free plan: 10 subs.
2. Rocket Money
Best US auto-detection if you only have a business bank account
Verdict: Rocket Money works for self-employed users who can keep a clean business-only bank account. The personal/business separation is rule-based and brittle. US only.
Strengths: Auto-detection; Categorization rules; Polished apps.
Trade-offs: Plaid required; Doesn't separate personal vs business well; US-only.
Best for: US sole traders with a single business bank account who want auto-detection.
Skip if: You mix personal and business in the same account — Rocket Money won't separate them.
Pricing: $6–$12/mo (verified 2026-04-28). Bank login: Required. Free plan: None.
3. Monarch Money
Best PFM for sole traders mixing personal + business
Verdict: Monarch's tagging model is the best in the PFM category for separating personal and business. Worth it only if you want full PFM, not just a tracker.
Strengths: Strong tagging model; Joint + business accounts; Polished apps.
Trade-offs: $14.99/mo; Plaid required for full features; Overkill if you just want a tracker.
Best for: Sole traders who want a single PFM tagging some subs as business.
Skip if: You want a focused tracker — Monarch is full PFM.
Pricing: $14.99/mo or $99.99/yr (verified 2026-04-28). Bank login: Required. Free plan: None.
4. Bobby
Best free iPhone backup
Verdict: Bobby works as a quick personal backup. It does not separate personal vs business and the export is not tax-ready, so it's a complement to a real tool — not the primary tracker for self-employed work.
Strengths: Free; On-device, no signup; No bank link.
Trade-offs: No real personal/business split; iPhone only; No tax exports.
Best for: Self-employed iPhone users who want a free, on-device list as a backup to their accounting tool.
Skip if: You need real personal/business separation or tax exports.
Pricing: Free (one-time $1.99 unlock) (verified 2026-04-28). Bank login: No. Free plan: Unlimited.
5. Wallos
Best self-hosted pick — categories cover personal vs business
Verdict: Wallos is right for self-employed users who already run a homelab. Categories handle personal/business and there's nothing recurring to pay. The export is fine but not structured for accountants the way LemSubs's is.
Strengths: Free, open source; Categories work for personal vs business; Multi-currency.
Trade-offs: You run the server; No mobile app; No structured tax export.
Best for: Technical self-employed users who want to self-host on their own server.
Skip if: You don't run Docker or want a polished mobile experience.
Pricing: Free (self-hosted) (verified 2026-04-28). Bank login: No. Free plan: Unlimited.
Self-employed tracking has tax-deductibility as the whole point
For a sole trader or 1099 contractor in the US (or Schedule C / SA103 in the UK), the subscription tracker doubles as a deduction log. HMRC and the IRS both accept categorised, dated, vendor-named CSV exports as supporting evidence for SaaS deductions, and a tool that produces a clean export matters more than one that produces pretty charts.
What 'clean export' means in practice is one row per charge (not one row per subscription), with vendor, date, gross amount, currency, FX rate (if applicable), and category. The major PFMs (Rocket Money, Monarch) export at the transaction level which is good. The subscription-only tools sometimes export at the subscription level which is the wrong shape for tax purposes — the deduction is the actual paid amount, not the listed monthly price, and those diverge for usage-metered services.
LemSubs and TrackMySubs both export at the charge level with currency conversion. The other tools on this list need a manual reshape step before the export goes to the accountant — workable but worth knowing.
Self-employed users care about three things this category usually ignores: clean separation of personal vs business, tax-deductible export columns, and receipts attached to each sub.
Frequently asked questions
Can I claim my subscription tracker as a business expense?
Yes — if you're self-employed, the cost of a tool used for business administration is generally deductible. Check with your accountant. LemSubs Pro at ~$95/yr is well within typical software-tools deduction.
How do I separate personal and business subs cleanly?
Use two workspaces in LemSubs (personal + business) or two tags in Monarch. Bobby and Subly don't have a real separation model.
What export do accountants prefer?
CSV with explicit columns for vendor, amount, currency, billing date, category, and receipt link. LemSubs exports in this exact shape; most others miss the receipt link column.
Do I need to attach receipts to each sub?
If you want to claim the sub as a business expense, yes — most tax authorities require either an invoice or the email receipt. LemSubs lets you attach the receipt directly to the sub.
What's the cheapest tax-ready option?
LemSubs free tier (10 subs) covers most sole traders. Beyond 10 subs, Pro at $7.99/mo is cheaper than the time spent maintaining a spreadsheet.
What changed since the last update
- 2026-05-02: First publication. 5 self-employed-friendly trackers ranked.