It can be difficult to find the right subscription-tracking app to manage your finances. Many options require a subscription and access a risky amount of data about your finances, so it can be tricky to find the balance between privacy and convenience.

That's where Wallos comes in. The open-source subscription-tracking app has a very useful set of features, while also allowing you to host the software on a private server. For this and other reasons, it is the best subscription-tracking software for privacy-conscious users.

7 It's free and self-hostable

And you're not the product

Many subscription apps require a payment or a cut of the money the app is able to save you — but Wallos is completely free and open-source. The biggest drawback is that setting it up as a self-hosted app can be a bit daunting for those who aren't that acquainted with the practice.

Luckily, you don't need a bare metal server to get things working. I was able to set up and use Docker Desktop with WSL on Windows 11 to create a container on my computer that hosts the Wallos app. This lets me use Docker to launch the app in my browser.

I've been meaning to learn more about self-hosting, so trying out the app was a perfect way to get started. Despite a few hiccups, it proved to not be too complicated, and the process was completely free.

6 You can protect your personal data

No need for invasive data permissions

A few years back, I tried out a mobile app to track my subscriptions, but I was uncomfortable with the level of access it had to my financial data. Wallos offers a privacy-conscious option that is still effective at tracking your subscriptions.

Firstly, Wallos is self-hosted, meaning that the data you enter is only available on your private server. Data privacy is one of the reasons self-hosting software is gaining popularity again. You can technically set Wallos up on a custom URL for multiple users to access, but you can enable password protection and manually approve users.

Secondly, Wallos doesn't require you to add that much information. You use your email address to create a login and to give the app a way to send you subscription notifications. You can add details like your Discord profile to receive notifications on other platforms, but this is by no means compulsory, and I got along fine with just my email address.

When it comes to tracking your subscriptions, the app doesn't access your bank details or require you to upload financial statements. You have to enter the details manually. This is a bit of a drawback in terms of convenience. Still, I'm willing to spend 30 minutes setting up my subscription information rather than letting an app access sensitive accounts and credentials.

5 Adding subscriptions is easy and intuitive

The app itself is user-friendly

While it takes a bit of knowledge about self-hosting to set up Wallos, once you have it running, the app is incredibly user-friendly and intuitive to use. Your home view allows you to see an overview of all your added subscriptions, and you can choose the default sorting options.

When it comes to adding details about your subscriptions, you can use a built-in tool to search for logos on the web or upload your own thumbnail. A date picker lets you easily select when your subscription is due to renew,, and you can add new categories to your settings to account for subscriptions that don't fall into the default categories.

I recommend creating a backup of your Wallos data once you've set up your subscriptions. This will allow you to restore the information should Wallos not launch correctly.

If you leave something out, it's incredibly easy to go back and edit the fields. While it takes a bit of time to track down all your subscription information, once you've added each item, the tool provides a great overview that can be edited.

4 It supports multiple currencies and languages

You can also integrate currency conversions

Another drawback of some popular subscription-tracking apps is that they only support certain languages and currencies. If you live outside of the US, you may find that your currency and local language are not supported by a mainstream app.

But Wallos not only supports dozens of currencies but also allows you to integrate the Fixer API key to support currency conversions. The app includes the Norwegian Krone, Australian Dollar, Brazilian Real, Chinese Yuan, and South African Rand, among many others.

The app also supports over 21 languages. You can choose the language when you register your user account.

3 The data insights are surprisingly powerful

Yet they aren't overwhelming

Wallos includes a statistics page where you can get insights such as the number of active subscriptions you have, their monthly and yearly costs, and the amount due for the remainder of the month. It also provides charts that show your spending across categories and payment methods.

If you disable a certain subscription, the app will also give you an overview of how much money you're saving by no longer using that subscription. While some users may want more powerful insights, I think that these statistics are perfect for most people.

The app presents the information in an easily digestible format that doesn't overwhelm you. You can also use filters to look at certain categories and payment methods more closely.

2 The calendar view makes it easy to plan out expenses

For us visual learners

The calendar view is another useful feature in Wallos that makes me prefer it to tracking subscriptions in Notion. Wallos will add these dates and the total cost to the calendar tab based on the renewal dates you entered when adding subscriptions. In this tab, you can see the current month as well as future months.

It's useful to be able to see projected costs on a timeline so that you can plan ahead. For example, because of my WordPress plan renewal, my costs for January 2026 will be considerably higher.

1 You can use it to track other repeated financial transactions

I added my medical aid

Wallos is extremely customizable. It allows you to add custom categories and payment methods and adjust the app's theme. One benefit of this level of customization is that you can add recurring expenses that aren't necessarily subscriptions.

For example, I added my medical aid to the app as it's a monthly debit order. Because you manually enter the names of your subscriptions and can search the logos for the entry while setting custom categories, I didn't experience any issues with Wallos being unable to integrate this payment.

By adding this recurring transaction, I'm able to apply the insights to figuring out my monthly budget of recurring payments. Sure, the amount is eye-watering in comparison to my other subscriptions, but it's an important consideration for my monthly budget. So, if you have a recurring payment that you want to keep track of, Wallos lets you add it easily.

Wallos balances privacy and functionality

There's a lot to be said for apps that focus on one major feature or function and do it well. Wallos provides the features I need in a subscription-tracking app without requiring invasive permissions that put sensitive data at risk. Sure, there's a little more setup involved than an app that isn't self-hosted, but the rest of the app is incredibly user-friendly without being overly complicated.