About the box
Name and price
Consumer tool
Is My Subscription Box Worth It?
The average US adult spends $219/month on subscriptions but estimates only $86. This calculator gives you an instant value score for any subscription box you're considering keeping — based on what you pay, what arrives, and how much you actually use.
- $219/moUS adult subscription spendAll recurring services combined
- 1.10×Keep-it threshold$1.10 value per $1 spent
- 44%Cancel within 90 daysMost under-evaluate before joining
- FreeAlwaysNo sign-up needed
Live calculator
Enter your box numbers
Defaults reflect a typical $40 mid-tier box with 5 items, $65 retail value, and 70% usage. Edit any input — your verdict updates instantly.
What arrives in the box
Items and total retail value
How honestly you use it
The single biggest factor in your score
Keep it
This box is worth keeping
At $11.43 per item you actually use, this box delivers strong value. Keep it.
Value score1.14$1.14 value per $1 spent
The breakdown
Where your score came from
The four numbers that drive whether a box is worth keeping. Cost per item used is usually the most telling.
Cost per item used
$11.43
You pay this much for every item you actually use
Retail-to-price ratio
1.63×
Retail value per $1 spent
Annual cost
$479.88
12 months of this box at current spend
Annual value received
$546.00
Usable retail value over 12 months
Break-even usage
To clear the keep threshold, use at least 68% of items — 3.4 of 5 every month.
You're at 70% — 2% above the line. No usage problem here.
Need68%
Have70%
Gap+2%
Industry context
How your spend compares
Three benchmarks that put your single-box decision in context against US consumer data.
Average US adult spend
$219/mo
Across all subscriptions. Most people estimate $86 — 2.5× underestimate is typical.
Early cancellation rate
44%
Subscribers who cancel a new box within the first 90 days — usually because they didn't run the value math first.
Self-treat purchases
86%
Most subscription boxes are bought as self-treats — which means it's on you, not the brand, to decide when one stops earning its place.
What to do
Your next steps
Picked specifically for This box based on your score — 1.14.
No action needed
This box is earning its place — keep enjoying it.
Re-check the score every 3 months. The fastest way to lose a healthy score is a price increase or your usage rate dropping after the novelty wears off.
FAQ
Questions about value scoring
Seven questions consumers ask most when auditing a subscription box.
Q01What's a good value score for a subscription box?
1.10 or above is the 'keep it' threshold — you're getting at least $1.10 of usable value for every $1 spent. 0.90-1.10 is fair value (the box is breaking even on your spend). Below 0.90 means you're consistently losing money. The healthiest boxes for engaged subscribers score 1.20-1.50; anything above 1.50 is exceptional. If your score sits below 0.90 for 3+ months, the box almost certainly isn't worth keeping.
Q02What counts as 'items you actually use'?
Be ruthless: an item only counts if you've finished it, worn it more than once, or use it on a regular basis. Items that are still in their packaging six weeks after arrival don't count. The biggest mistake people make is rating themselves at 90-100% usage when they're realistically at 50-60% — and that's exactly the gap that turns a 'keep' score into a 'cut' score when you're honest about it. If you can't remember using it within the past 30 days, drop your usage percentage 10 points.
Q03How do I estimate retail value if I don't know it?
Three reliable methods: (1) Most box brands publish the total retail value on their website or in the unboxing email — start there. (2) Search each item's brand + product name on Amazon or the brand's site to get a real retail price. (3) For samples or smaller sizes, use the per-mL or per-oz rate of the full-sized product and multiply by what arrived. If you really can't pin it down, assume retail value equals 1.5× the subscription price as a conservative default — boxes that don't deliver at least 1.5× retail are usually below the break-even threshold.
Q04Should I cancel a box scoring 0.95 or 1.00?
Not automatically. Scores in the 0.90-1.10 range are fair value — you're getting roughly what you paid for. Three things to try before canceling: (1) Update your subscription preferences or quiz answers — most boxes let you bias toward your favorite categories. (2) Try the cancellation flow; most boxes offer a 25-30% discount, free shipping, or a pause option, which often pulls the score above 1.10. (3) Check whether a competitor in the same niche scores higher with the same inputs. Only cancel outright when none of those move the number.
Q05Why does the average US adult spend $219/month on subscriptions?
That covers all recurring subscriptions — streaming, software, gym, meal kits, beauty boxes, pet boxes, news, etc. — not just subscription boxes. Most people estimate they spend around $86/month, but the real figure is 2-3× higher because subscriptions accumulate one at a time. Each individual sign-up feels small ($15-$45), but six stacked become a meaningful monthly line item that doesn't get reviewed until a price increase or a financial event triggers an audit.
Q06What's the 90-day rule?
If a box has been in your rotation more than 90 days and still scores below 0.90, cancel it. The first 90 days inflate perceived value because of novelty — you're more generous in rating items you wouldn't normally buy. If a box hasn't earned a healthy score after 4 months of giving it a fair chance, it won't improve. Use the Multi-Box Tracker to flag any sub-0.90 box that's been active for more than three months.
Q07How is the value score actually calculated?
The score = (retail value × usage percentage) ÷ (monthly price + shipping). At a $40 box with $80 retail value and 70% usage: $80 × 0.70 = $56 of usable value ÷ $40 spent = 1.40 score. The formula weighs usable retail value against price — so usage matters as much as the box's retail premium. A box with $100 retail and 30% usage scores worse than a box with $50 retail and 80% usage at the same price.
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