Do I need to connect to users’ bank accounts?

No — start fully manual. Bank-linking (via Plaid or similar) adds cost, compliance, and trust friction. Manual entry ships this weekend and is a feature for privacy-minded users; add auto-detect only once you have demand.

How do the reminders work offline?

Schedule local notifications on-device for each renewal and trial-end date — no server needed. The whole app can run local-first, which is a real selling point for a finance-adjacent tool.

How to Build a Subscription Tracker App with AI (2026)

What a subscription tracker app needs

Add subscriptions with cost and renewal cycle
Renewal + free-trial-ending reminders
Monthly and yearly total spend
Spend breakdown by category
Upcoming renewals timeline

The screens

Screen	What it does
Overview	Monthly total, next renewals, quick add
Add Subscription	Name, cost, cycle, first bill, category, trial flag
Subscription Detail	History, next charge, edit/cancel-reminder
Insights	Spend by category, yearly projection
Settings	Currency, reminder lead time, subscription

The data model

Subscription: name, cost, cycle, nextBillDate, category, isTrial
Reminder: subscriptionId, fireDate, type
Category: name, icon

The build prompt (copy this)

Paste this into ShipNative and it becomes a working React Native app with these screens, navigable in a live preview, in about two minutes:

“A subscription tracker. Users add recurring subscriptions with cost and billing cycle, get reminders before renewals and free-trial ends, and see total monthly/yearly spend broken down by category. Screens: Overview with monthly total and upcoming renewals, Add Subscription (with trial flag), Subscription Detail, Insights (spend by category + yearly projection), Settings with reminder lead time. One-time unlock for unlimited subscriptions.”

Then iterate with small, screen-specific prompts (“make the primary button bigger”, “add an empty state”), preview on your own phone, and export the full Expo project whenever you want. The full method: how to build an app with AI.

How it makes money

One-time unlock ($8–15) suits the utility feel; a subscription only makes sense if you add bank-linked auto-detection later. The irony of charging monthly for this app is worth avoiding early.

Implementation and the revenue math for every model: how to make money from an app. When you’re ready to ship: App Store and Google Play publishing guides.

Build it now

The prompt above is free to run at shipnative.dev — working subscription tracker app on your phone today, full code export, no credit card.

How to Build a Subscription Tracker App with AI