Build a subscription inventory before you cut anything.
A lightweight SaaS inventory for the facts that matter before a renewal or stack audit: owner, purpose, real cost, paid seats, active users, renewal dates, overlap and the next decision.
CSV · headers only · opens in Excel, Google Sheets and most spreadsheet apps.
The 21 fields
| Field | What to record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Tool Name | The product you actually pay for. | One record per subscription/tool. |
| Vendor | Publisher or supplier. | Useful when one vendor owns several products. |
| Category | Primary job family: meetings, email, SEO, design, etc. | Makes category overlap easier to spot. |
| Plan / Edition | The exact paid tier. | Prevents comparing a free-plan feature list with a paid bill. |
| Owner | The person responsible for the subscription. | Every renewal needs an accountable human. |
| Business Purpose | One sentence describing the job it must do. | A tool without a clear job is hard to justify. |
| Billing Cycle + Amount + Currency | Use the current invoice or billing portal. | Do not guess sticker prices. |
| Monthly Equivalent | Normalized monthly amount if you want cross-tool comparison. | Helps compare monthly and annual subscriptions. |
| Paid Seats / Active Users | Purchased seats and recent actual users. | Shows potential seat waste without assuming cancellation. |
| Renewal Date / Notice Deadline | Exact dates where known. | The cancellation deadline can matter more than the renewal date. |
| Auto-Renew | Yes / No / Unknown. | Prevents surprise renewals. |
| Last Reviewed | Date you last verified the row. | Stale inventories become misleading. |
| Usage Signal | Daily / weekly / monthly / rarely / unknown, or your own metric. | Usage gives context to price. |
| Overlaps With | Other tools that perform the same job. | Overlap is a review signal, not automatic waste. |
| Decision | Keep / Compare / Downgrade / Review / Cancel with provider. | Turns inventory into an action queue. |
| Admin / Billing URL | The provider's billing or admin page. | Reduces friction when renewal day arrives. |
| Notes | Dependencies, migration risk, contracts or context. | Stops a “cheap” cancellation from breaking an important workflow. |
Copy-ready header row
A practical review sequence
1. Inventory
List what you actually pay for. Leave missing values blank rather than guessing.
2. Normalize cost
Convert annual charges to a monthly equivalent only when you know the real billed amount.
3. Check use and seats
Separate purchased capacity from recent usage. Low use is a reason to review, not proof that a tool is useless.
4. Map overlap
Write down duplicated jobs and dependencies before deciding whether consolidation is safe.
5. Review renewals
Record both renewal dates and notice deadlines so the decision happens before the contract locks in.
6. Make the decision explicit
Keep, compare, downgrade, review or cancel with the provider. Do not let “maybe later” become the default.
What to do after the inventory
- Calculate known monthly and annual stack cost.
- Map duplicated jobs across tools.
- Turn renewal dates into a review queue.
- Review paid seats, active users and access roles before cutting licenses.
- Check migration cost before replacing anything.
- Use the StackDiet audit workflow for keep/cut/replace context.
Use the inventory next
Audit spend
SaaS Spend Audit Guide to turn inventory data into savings decisions.
Build an AI budget
AI Tool Budgeting Guide to set recurring spend and experiment limits.
FAQ
What is a SaaS subscription inventory template?
A structured list of the subscriptions you use, who owns them, what they cost, when they renew, how much they are used and what decision should happen next.
Is this the same as the StackDiet audit calculator?
No. The inventory is the source list; the calculator focuses on cost and low-use review candidates.
Does the template automatically cancel subscriptions?
No. It supports the review. You remain in control and make changes with each provider.
Should I fill missing prices with public list prices?
No. If your actual bill is unknown, leave it unknown until you verify the invoice or billing portal.
Template design informed by practical SaaS review workflows and standard software-inventory principles. StackDiet does not claim this lightweight CSV replaces enterprise software asset management.
Next step: turn the inventory into a repeatable review process with the SaaS Subscription Management Guide.