How do you compare recurring prices with different billing periods?
Held constant: Unchanged prices, 12 monthly or 52 weekly charges, and no refunds or cancellation fees.
Four weeks is only 28 days. Multiplying a weekly subscription by four understates a typical annualized monthly comparison. Our subscription tool uses 52 weekly payments per year, so a $5 weekly charge becomes $260 per year, or about $21.67 per monthly equivalent.
| Item | Charge | Annualized | Monthly equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streaming | $15.00 / monthly | $180.00 | $15.00 |
| Cloud storage | $120.00 / yearly | $120.00 | $10.00 |
| Fitness app | $5.00 / weekly | $260.00 | $21.67 |
Download this example’s CSV · Load the inputs in the calculator
Put three billing schedules on one basis
The example has streaming at $15 monthly, cloud storage at $120 yearly and a fitness app at $5 weekly. Their annualized costs are $180, $120 and $260. Together they represent $560 per year, or $46.67 per monthly equivalent. Those monthly equivalents help comparison; they do not predict the amount billed in a particular month.
Why weekly billing can be different in a real year
Exactly 52 weeks contain 364 days. Depending on the first billing date and the dates being examined, a calendar year can contain 53 weekly charge dates. Our tool is deliberately an annualized comparison with 52 charges, not a renewal calendar. Check actual charge dates when forecasting cash flow.
Model a cancellation without inventing a refund
Uncheck Keep for the weekly fitness app. The annualized kept cost becomes $300 and the potential future annualized reduction is $260. The tool has not contacted the service or canceled anything. If a plan is prepaid or subject to a cancellation fee, the cash effect depends on the provider’s terms.
A yearly plan can change the decision
Suppose a service offers $12 per month or $100 prepaid for a year with no partial refund. Eight monthly payments cost $96; nine cost $108. Under those specific assumptions, the annual option becomes cheaper at the ninth paid month. If you only use it for four months, monthly payments total $48, much less than the upfront $100.
Reproduce and check
Use the three example rows and leave only the first two checked. Verify $15 × 12 + $120 + $5 × 52 = $560. Then verify $560 − $300 = $260. Keep taxes, price increases and trial periods out of this simplified comparison unless you explicitly add them to the charges you enter.
A future annualized cost reduction is not a refund for a prepaid bill. Cancellation timing and provider terms determine actual cash effects.
Check your understanding
A $3 weekly charge is $12 per monthly equivalent. True or false?
Show the reasoning
False under this convention. $3 × 52 ÷ 12 = $13. Using four weeks per month omits four weeks across a year.