What belongs in “productivity SaaS”
| Category | Examples | Overlap trap |
|---|---|---|
| Docs / wiki | Notion, Coda, Confluence | Two wikis for the same team |
| Design | Canva Pro, Adobe CC, Figma | Canva + Adobe for one social channel |
| Office | Microsoft 365, Google Workspace | Paying personal + employer copy |
| Storage | Dropbox, iCloud+, OneDrive | Same files synced three places |
| AI add-ons | Notion AI, Canva Magic | Stacked on top of AI tool subs |
Seat and family math
Per-seat billing explodes when you add a spouse “just in case.” Rules:
- One paid seat per household for creative tools unless both publish weekly.
- Use guest / viewer free tiers for collaborators.
- Employer-provided M365 or Google → cancel personal duplicate immediately.
Family plans (Apple, Google, Microsoft) belong in family subscriptions — do not double-buy individual SaaS on the same Apple ID.
Annual vs monthly decision
Use annualize math:
annual_cost = monthly_price × 12
effective_monthly = annual_prepay ÷ 12
Prepay only if:
- You used the tool weekly for the last 90 days, and
- Cancel path is documented before renewal (see cancel playbook).
Otherwise stay monthly — productivity churn is high; annual traps fund unused features.
Cut list (SubAudit standard)
Cancel or downgrade when both are true:
- No export, publish, or client deliverable in 45 days.
- Another tool in your stack already covers 80% of the workflow.
VPN and security overlap
Do not count VPN here — it’s a privacy category with different renewal psychology. See VPN privacy guide.
