Software Subscription Audit Worksheet to Copy and Fill In

Step 1: Copy these columns

Paste this row into the first line of a spreadsheet. Each heading is separated by a tab, so it lands in its own column.

Tool	Job it does	Owner	Users	Paid seats	Seats used in last 90 days	Monthly cost	Billing	Annual cost	Renewal date	Notice to cancel	Can export data	Has API	Overlaps with	Decision	Review by

Fill in "Billing" as monthly or annual. For "Annual cost", multiply a monthly price by twelve, or enter the annual price as billed. Keep the sheet in a place more than one person can open.

Step 2: Answer five questions for each tool

Answer yes or no. Do not skip a row because you are sure about it.

1. Used in the last 90 days? Check the tool's own sign-in or activity report if it has one.
2. Does a job nothing else does? If another tool or a spreadsheet does the same job, answer no.
3. Could we export our data in a standard format? Test it with a small export, not by reading the help page.
4. Does more than one person know how to administer it? One person holding the only login is a risk.
5. Is the cost in proportion to the value? Your judgment is enough. Write the number you compare it with.

Step 3: See how it looks filled in

This example uses made-up tools and prices, to show the shape only. Do not read anything into the numbers.

Tool A  | email campaigns | 5 seats, 2 used in 90 days | $40/month  | exports yes | overlaps Tool B  -> Merge
Tool B  | email campaigns | 3 seats, 3 used            | $30/month  | exports yes | overlaps Tool A  -> Keep
Tool C  | file storage    | 10 seats, 4 used           | $120/month | exports yes | no overlap       -> Review (seats)
Tool D  | design          | 1 seat, 0 used             | $15/month  | exports n/a | no overlap       -> Cancel

Tool A and Tool B both send email campaigns, so one of them is the one to merge. Tool C passes the questions but holds ten seats when four people use it, so it goes to review before renewal with a note to reduce the seat count. Tool D has no users, so it is a cancel candidate once you check nothing important is in it.

Step 4: Work out the savings

1. Add the "Annual cost" of every row marked Cancel.
2. For rows marked Merge, add the annual cost of the tool you are dropping.
3. For rows with unused seats, multiply the unused seats by the price per seat per year.

The total is a rough annual saving. It is not a promise: switching costs time, and a cheaper tool can cost more in effort than it saves. If you are weighing a larger move, read how to decide whether the pain of migrating is worth it.

Step 5: Put the dates in a calendar

For every row you keep or review, put two entries in a calendar that you actually look at: the renewal date, and a reminder 45 days before it, or earlier if the notice to cancel is longer than that. Many tools renew automatically, so a decision made after the renewal is a decision for next year. The reminder is the part of the audit that pays for itself every year.

The U.S. Small Business Administration's Manage your business page lists, among its steps for pivoting a business: "Streamline operations. Evaluate business operations to find opportunities to work smarter and more cost-efficiently." (SBA: Manage your business, page undated). A yearly subscription audit is one practical way to do that, in any year.

When to ask for a second opinion

A worksheet shows you the overlap and the unused seats. It cannot tell you whether the tools you keep fit together, or which one to choose when you merge. Part of that is how well each tool connects to the others, which is why we look at whether software has an API before recommending it. If you would like a second set of eyes, contact us. The first conversation is a general get-to-know-each-other.