How to Cut Your SaaS Bill in Half This Month

The average startup spends $4,000+ per month on software. Most of that spend is on tools that have perfectly good free alternatives. Here is how to audit and cut it.

Step 1: List everything you pay for

Go through your credit card and bank statements for the last 3 months. Write down every recurring SaaS charge. Include tools team members expense themselves.

Step 2: Categorize by usage

For each tool, ask: is this used daily, weekly, or rarely? Be honest. Tools used rarely are the easiest to cut.

Step 3: Find free alternatives

For every tool, search the name on ShrinkBox. Focus on tools that cost $20 or more per month first — that is where the biggest savings are.

Step 4: Run parallel for 2 weeks

Do not cancel immediately. Run the free alternative alongside the paid tool for 2 weeks. If the free version works, cancel the paid one.

Common swaps that save money

- Notion → Obsidian or Anytype (save $8–16/month per user) - Figma → Penpot (save $12/month per editor) - Ahrefs → Google Search Console plus Ubersuggest free tier (save $99/month) - Slack → Discord (save $7.25/month per user) - Zoom → Google Meet (save $15.99/month) - Hotjar → Microsoft Clarity (save $32/month)

That is $170+ per month from 6 swaps alone.