Cost planning · 4 min READ

What does your marketing software really cost?

A lower headline subscription price does not automatically mean a lower operating cost. Start by identifying which bills would actually disappear after a switch.

The short answer

Start with the subscriptions that would actually disappear. If $199 of replaceable tools becomes $47 of replacement software plus $15 of new extras, the ongoing saving is $137 a month. Transition costs still need to be deducted. If $199 is your whole-stack total, retained costs must be counted on both sides consistently.

Compare the current pricing snapshot and limits →

Build a replaceable-cost baseline

List the tools used for landing pages, email campaigns, course delivery and basic automation. Next to each, record its monthly equivalent, renewal date and owner. Mark each bill as replaceable, retained or uncertain. Only put the replaceable total into the savings calculator. Keeping a specialist analytics tool is entirely reasonable; counting its cost as a saving would distort your decision.

Compare capacity before price

A contact count is only one constraint. Count active funnels, courses, domains and the automation rules you actually use. Include the next project you have already committed to, rather than an imagined five-year business. Our calculator checks contacts, funnels, courses and automated webinar needs. It does not certify that every workflow will transfer.

Make the decision in two passes

First compare recurring subscriptions. Then use the migration calculator to add one-time work, retained tools and parallel subscriptions. For example, replacing a $180 stack with a $50 subscription saves $130 monthly before other costs. If transition costs are $390, that difference takes three months to recover. These are illustrative inputs, not quoted vendor prices.

Your decision checklist

  • Separate replaceable and retained tools
  • Convert yearly invoices to monthly equivalents
  • Test one complete customer journey before cancellation

Common questions

Sources & calculation method

Product prices and limits checked 25 September 2026. Our cost scenarios are illustrative. Live product terms: provider pricing, detailed limits table, migration eligibility and process. See our formulas and limitations.

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Only include subscriptions you could actually replace.
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We check four capacity limits to find a starting plan. Integrations and advanced features need a separate check. How it works

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