TrialHero vs CustomSubs — which one saves you more?
Both are private, both track subscriptions, both skip the bank login. But one is built to kill free trials before they charge you — and the other wants $0.99/month to do basically the same thing.
The honest comparison
We include their wins too. You deserve the full picture — not a marketing page disguised as a review.
TrialHeroData sourced from the App Store and developer websites, March 2026. We update this page regularly.
A subscription tracker that's… a subscription?
Here's the irony: CustomSubs charges $0.99/month to track your subscriptions. That's another recurring charge on top of the ones you're trying to manage. TrialHero flips this with a one-time $19.99 lifetime purchase.
Built for trials vs. tacked on
TrialHero was designed around one problem: you signed up for a free trial and forgot about it. The escalating 3-day → 1-day → same-day alert system is the core of the app. Critical last-day alerts make it nearly impossible to miss.
CustomSubs has trial reminders too (7 days, 1 day, morning of), but it's one feature among many in a generic subscription tracker. Trials aren't the focus — they're a checkbox.
169 guides that actually help you cancel
TrialHero includes 169 step-by-step cancel guides with deep links that drop you directly on the cancellation page. No navigating through dark patterns. Plus, these guides are available as web pages — searchable on Google — so you can find help even before installing the app.
CustomSubs has direct cancel links and checklists inside the app, which is solid. But there's zero web presence — no SEO pages, no blog, nothing you can find from a Google search.
One app, everywhere you look
TrialHero runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac (Apple Silicon), and Apple Watch — with full iCloud sync across all devices. It's localized in 15 languages for users worldwide.
CustomSubs is iPhone-only (it runs on Mac via iOS compatibility, not a native Mac app). And it's English-only — no localizations at all.
A rare tie — both are excellent
This is genuinely a tie. Both apps have Apple's "Data Not Collected" privacy label. Neither requires a bank login, account creation, or any personal information. Both work 100% offline with on-device data storage.
Credit where it's due: CustomSubs takes privacy just as seriously as TrialHero. In a market full of subscription trackers that want your bank credentials, both of these apps get it right.
🏅 Where CustomSubs wins (honest take)
- 329 pre-loaded templates — massive service library for quick setup. If your subscriptions are common, you'll find them instantly.
- 30+ currencies — slightly more than TrialHero's 27. Great for international travelers.
- Cancellation progress tracking — track steps through complex cancellation processes. A unique feature we don't have yet.
- Pause subscriptions — mark a subscription as temporarily paused. Handy for seasonal services.
- More export options — Files, iCloud Drive, email, and AirDrop. TrialHero has CSV + iCloud.
- $0.99/mo impulse pricing — low barrier to entry. If you're not sure, it's cheap to try.
The bottom line
If you just need a general subscription tracker and you're OK paying monthly — CustomSubs is a decent, private choice.
But if you want a dedicated free-trial killer with 169 cancel guides, multi-platform support, 15 languages, and a one-time price that stops costing you money after 20 months — TrialHero is the better deal.
Pay once. Save forever. That's the whole point.
Common questions
For free trial tracking, yes. TrialHero is purpose-built to catch trials before they charge you, with escalating 3-day/1-day/same-day alerts. It also offers more platforms (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch), 15 languages, and a one-time price. CustomSubs is better if you want 329 pre-loaded templates or cancellation progress tracking.
CustomSubs charges $0.99/month ($11.88/year, recurring forever). TrialHero is $19.99 one-time — pay once, own it forever. After ~20 months, TrialHero becomes the cheaper option and stays that way permanently.
CustomSubs has in-app direct cancel links and checklists. TrialHero has 169 step-by-step cancel guides with deep links — both in-app and as web pages you can Google. If you want to find cancellation help before installing an app, only TrialHero has that.
Yes. Both have Apple's "Data Not Collected" privacy label. Neither requires bank access or an account. Both work 100% offline. This is a genuine tie — both respect your privacy equally well.
CustomSubs runs on Mac via iOS compatibility (Apple Silicon), but it's not a native Mac app. It has no Apple Watch app. TrialHero has native apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch with full iCloud sync across all devices.
No, CustomSubs is English-only as of March 2026. TrialHero is available in 15 languages including Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and more.
How TrialHero stacks up
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Free to start. Private by default. Yours forever.