How Much Do Brits Spend on Subscriptions in 2026? A Data Study

How much does the average Brit actually spend on subscriptions? We analysed pricing data from 168 subscription services tracked on GoCancelIt to find out. The numbers are higher than most people expect.

The Headline Numbers

Based on our database of 168 UK subscription services:

Average cost per subscription: £9.50/month
If you subscribed to one service per category: £71.50/month (£858/year)
Most expensive category: Broadband & Mobile (avg. £28.50/month)
Cheapest category: Music & Audio (avg. £6.80/month)
The "typical" UK household: 7-8 active subscriptions, spending £55-75/month

Spending by Category

We broke down the average monthly cost across our nine service categories.

Streaming & Video

The most crowded category and the one that's seen the steepest price increases in recent years.

Average monthly cost: £9.20
Number of services tracked: 17
Price range: £4.99 (Apple TV+) to £26.00 (Sky TV)
If you subscribed to all: £156.40/month

Most UK households subscribe to 2-3 streaming services. The key question is content overlap — many shows are available on multiple platforms. Use our Overlap Detector to check yours.

See the full streaming price history to track how each service has increased over time.

Music & Audio

Relatively stable pricing, with most services clustering around £10.99/month.

Average monthly cost: £6.80
Number of services tracked: 8
Price range: Free (Spotify free tier) to £10.99 (most premium tiers)
If you subscribed to all: £54.40/month

The best savings here come from student discounts (typically 50% off) and family plans (up to 6 people for the price of 2). See our student discount page for current deals.

Software & Tools

The biggest variance in pricing, from free password managers to expensive creative suites.

Average monthly cost: £11.50
Number of services tracked: 22
Price range: £2.99 (basic VPN plans) to £54.99 (Adobe Creative Cloud)
If you subscribed to all: £253.00/month

This is the category where free alternatives save the most money. For every paid tool, there's usually a free or open-source option that covers the basics. See our guide to free alternatives.

News & Magazines

Digital news subscriptions have proliferated, and paywalls mean readers often need multiple subscriptions.

Average monthly cost: £9.80
Number of services tracked: 12
Price range: £4.99 (basic digital access) to £26.00 (premium bundles)
If you subscribed to all: £117.60/month

Many news outlets offer the most aggressive retention deals. Starting the cancellation process often triggers an immediate 50% discount. Check our retention offer database for recent deals.

Fitness & Health

A wide range from budget gym memberships to premium wellness platforms.

Average monthly cost: £15.20
Number of services tracked: 10
Price range: £9.99 (basic gym membership) to £39.99 (Peloton All-Access)
If you subscribed to all: £152.00/month

Fitness subscriptions are among the hardest to cancel, with many gyms requiring written notice or in-person visits.

Food & Drink

Meal kits and food delivery subscriptions offer convenience at a premium.

Average monthly cost: £25.50
Number of services tracked: 8
Price range: £3.99 (recipe apps) to £47.99 (premium meal kits for 4)
If you subscribed to all: £204.00/month

The most effective strategy here is to rotate between services, taking advantage of introductory offers. Most meal kits offer 50-60% off for the first 4 weeks to new (and returning) customers.

Gaming

Gaming subscriptions bundle online access with game libraries.

Average monthly cost: £8.90
Number of services tracked: 9
Price range: £5.99 (basic tiers) to £16.99 (premium tiers)
If you subscribed to all: £80.10/month

Annual plans save 15-20% across all gaming subscriptions. If you play on multiple platforms, check our comparison pages to see which service offers the best value for your setup.

Broadband & Mobile

The most expensive category, but also the one where negotiation saves the most.

Average monthly cost: £28.50
Number of services tracked: 13
Price range: £18.00 (basic broadband) to £60.00+ (fibre + TV bundles)
If you subscribed to all: N/A (typically one provider per household)

Users who negotiate at contract renewal save an average of £150-200 per year. See our broadband negotiation scripts and mobile negotiation scripts.

Other

Everything from cloud storage to dating apps to premium memberships.

Average monthly cost: £7.20
Number of services tracked: 69
Price range: £1.99 to £29.99
If you subscribed to all: £496.80/month

Price Increases Over Time

Subscription prices aren't static. Our price history data shows that the average subscription has increased by 25-30% over the past 5 years — well above the rate of inflation.

The biggest increases:

Netflix: +47% since 2017 (£7.49 → £10.99)
Disney+: +60% since launch (£5.99 → £9.99 with ads)
Amazon Prime: +83% since 2014 (£79/year → £95/year)
Spotify: +30% since 2023 (£9.99 → £12.99)
Sky TV: Multiple increases across all packages

Track how your specific subscriptions have changed on our price history pages, or use our Inflation Tracker to compare against UK CPI.

How to Reduce Your Subscription Spend

Based on our data, here are the most effective strategies:

Audit regularly — Use our Subscription Audit Tool to calculate your total spend
Cancel overlapping services — 40% of streaming subscribers pay for content available on another service they already have
Negotiate — Services with "high" retention offer likelihood discount 70%+ of customers who try to cancel
Switch to annual billing — Saves 15-20% on average. Use our Annual vs Monthly calculator
Use student and family plans — Can reduce per-person costs by 50-80%
Rotate rather than stack — Subscribe to one streaming service at a time, binge what you want, then switch

Methodology

All pricing data is sourced from our database of 168 UK subscription services, updated regularly. Prices reflect standard individual monthly plans in GBP as of April 2026. Average household spending estimates are based on industry reports and cross-referenced with our user community data.

For the most up-to-date pricing, check individual service pages in our cancellation guides.