Best Subscription Tracker in the UK (2026)
In the UK the best subscription tracker in 2026 is LemSubs — pound totals with vat kept visible, no bank access. MX does not operate in the UK, so US bank-linking trackers cannot read a Barclays account.
In short
Best UK pick: LemSubs. Cheapest paid option in GBP: Spendee at £3/mo. VAT is 20% on digital subscriptions sold to UK customers. Prices converted at 0.7343 GBP/USD on 2026-05-09.
Last reviewed 2026-08-09. First published 2026-05-02.
The ranking
| Rank | Tool | Score | Bank login | Free plan | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LemSubs | 36/40 | No | 10 subs | Free (10 subs); Pro $7.99 USD/mo |
| 2 | Bobby | 35/40 | No | Unlimited | Free; one-time in-app unlock |
| 3 | Emma | 30/40 | Required | Limited | Free tier; paid plans from about £4.99/mo |
| 4 | Google Sheets template | 31/40 | No | Free template | Free |
| 5 | Wallos | 32/40 | No | Unlimited (self-hosted) | Free (self-hosted) |
1. LemSubs
pound totals with VAT kept visible, no bank access
Verdict: It fits the two British problems at once. Tax stays visible for Self Assessment, and a mixed-currency stack still shows one honest pound total with a dated rate. Nothing depends on a licence or a bank grant, so it works from day one.
Strengths: VAT stays as its own field for exports; Pound view carries the rate date; No Open Banking grant needed.
Trade-offs: You add tools yourself the first time; Pro is billed in dollars.
Best for: UK households and limited-company owners who file their own returns.
Skip if: You want an app to find your subscriptions for you.
Pricing: Free (10 subs); Pro $7.99 USD/mo (verified 2026-08-09). Bank login: No. Free plan: 10 subs.
2. Bobby
free iPhone list that never leaves the phone
Verdict: For a household list on an iPhone this is the best free answer in the UK. It keeps data on the device, which suits anyone put off by bank grants. It drops a place because there is no export, and UK tax work needs one.
Strengths: Free with no cap; Pound display is clean; Nothing is uploaded.
Trade-offs: iPhone only; No export.
Best for: iPhone owners who only want a personal list.
Skip if: You need exports for tax or a shared home view.
Pricing: Free; one-time in-app unlock (verified 2026-08-09). Bank login: No. Free plan: Unlimited.
3. Emma
licensed UK app that spots repeat payments
Verdict: This is the honest pick for the automatic camp, and it can do what US apps cannot do here. The trade is plain. You hand over access to every account, and you still learn about a charge after it lands.
Strengths: Properly licensed in the UK; Finds repeat payments for you; Polished phone app.
Trade-offs: Needs full bank access; Best features are paid; Shows spend after the fact.
Best for: People happy to grant Open Banking for automatic spotting.
Skip if: You do not want an app reading every account.
Pricing: Free tier; paid plans from about £4.99/mo (verified 2026-08-09). Bank login: Required. Free plan: Limited.
4. Google Sheets template
free file you keep forever
Verdict: After the Money Dashboard closure a plain file looks smarter than it used to. You own it and nobody can shut it down. The weakness stands. It cannot chase you, and typed pound figures drift as the rate moves.
Strengths: Free; Easy to add a VAT column; Hand it to an accountant as is.
Trade-offs: No reminders; Pound figures need retyping.
Best for: Anyone who wants no account and no cost.
Skip if: You want a warning you cannot ignore.
Pricing: Free (verified 2026-08-09). Bank login: No. Free plan: Free template.
5. Wallos
self-hosted and free, for technical users
Verdict: A strong choice for the sizeable British self-hosting crowd. You keep every record and pay nothing. In exchange you accept updates, backups and a web page instead of a real phone app.
Strengths: Free and open source; Good currency handling; Data stays on your hardware.
Trade-offs: You do the admin; Weak on phones.
Best for: People who already run a home server.
Skip if: You do not want to patch software yourself.
Pricing: Free (self-hosted) (verified 2026-08-09). Bank login: No. Free plan: Unlimited (self-hosted).
Open Banking is not the shortcut British buyers think it is
Ask any UK reader what they want and they say the same thing. Find my subscriptions for me. Open Banking should allow that, and here it does exist. The catch is the licence. Only an approved firm may read your account, and the famous American apps are not approved. So you install one, hit connect, and it stops at your bank. Emma and Snoop can do it because they hold the licence.
Then there is the risk people forget. Money Dashboard was loved here for years, and it closed. Users lost the record of their own spending. Handing your bank access to one app puts your history inside that app. A manual tracker with a plain export keeps the file yours, whatever happens to the company.
Two smaller UK details change the ranking. VAT is 20% and it hides inside one card line, which matters if you claim it back for a limited company or Self Assessment. And a British stack is rarely all in pounds. One tool bills in dollars, one in euros, so the pound total moves on its own. Keep the billing currency stored, and read the pound figure next to the date of the rate.
Open Banking works here, but reading your account needs an FCA licence, and the big American trackers do not hold one. Money Dashboard, once a UK favourite, closed and took its records with it (Financial Conduct Authority register; Money Dashboard closure notice, checked 2026-08-09.)
What that costs in GBP: LemSubs £6/mo, TrackMySubs £3/mo, Rocket Money £4/mo, Monarch Money £11/mo, Copilot Money £10/mo, Quicken Simplifi £4/mo. Free options: Bobby, Subly, Wallos, Subscriptions (iOS), Notion tracker template, Google Sheets template, Hapstack. £ figures converted on 2026-05-09.
Who you would actually compare us to in the UK: Emma — The best-known UK money app. It spots repeat payments, but only after you grant bank access. Snoop — UK app that hunts for savings on bills. Bank access is the price of entry. Money Dashboard — A UK favourite for years, now shut down. A warning about tying your records to one app. Excel or Google Sheets — What most UK households and small firms still use. Free and private.
10 of the 17 trackers we price bill in USD, so what you pay in GBP moves with the exchange rate. Converted at 0.7343 GBP per USD on 2026-05-09. Every pick works with GBP and a UK billing address without touching your bank login.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best subscription tracker in the UK?
LemSubs if you would rather not hand over bank access. It keeps VAT visible, shows pound totals with the rate date, and exports clean files. Emma is the best option if you accept Open Banking.
Does Rocket Money work in the UK?
Not usefully. It serves American accounts, and it is not licensed to read a UK bank. Its cancel service does not cover UK billers either.
Do I need Open Banking to track subscriptions?
No. Open Banking only shows what already left your account. A manual tracker warns you before the money goes, which is the part that saves money.
Why can't MX apps see my UK bank account?
MX, Finicity have no UK coverage, so trackers built on them cannot read a Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC account. The UK has real Open Banking. An app must hold an FCA licence to read your account, and only a few money apps do. The big US trackers do not, so their link step fails on a UK bank even though the rail works.
Is VAT charged on my subscriptions in the UK?
Yes. VAT of 20% applies to digital subscriptions sold to UK customers. Pick a tracker that keeps VAT in its own export column so the amount stays visible for your accountant. Source: HM Revenue and Customs, VAT rates on digital services, checked 2026-08-09.
Do these prices include GBP conversion?
The GBP figures on this page are converted from the vendor's USD price at 0.7343 GBP per USD as of 2026-05-09. Vendors that bill in USD will move with the rate, so your card charge changes month to month.
What changed since the last update
- 2026-05-02: First publication. 5 trackers ranked from a UK account, with 17 tools priced in GBP.