How we rate — the CancelCompass Score
Not every subscription is equally easy to leave — some cancel in one click, others hide the button, demand a phone call, and pop a “are you sure?” discount three times. The CancelCompass Score is our own 1–5 rating of that experience across the 88+ services we cover, so you know what you're walking into before you start. We are independent and not affiliated with any company listed.
Ease of cancelling
1–5How simply you can actually get out. A 5 is one-click, cancel-online, no retention gauntlet; a 1 forces a phone call, an in-person visit, or certified mail, often with a retention script designed to wear you down.
Refund fairness
1–5How fairly they handle your money when you leave. A 5 is a clear, prorated refund; a 3 lets you keep access to the period you paid for; a 1 keeps your money and may add an early-termination fee.
No dark patterns
1–5How trap-free the process is. A 5 is clear and honest with an easy-to-find cancel button; a 1 leans on hidden buttons, guilt pop-ups, fake discounts, and “call to cancel” walls engineered to keep you subscribed.
How we assign the scores
Each score is an editorial judgment, made consistently across every service by actually working through its cancellation flow and reading its official terms — not scraped numbers and not AI guesses. We look at which methods really work, how many steps and retention screens stand in the way, the refund policy, and the deadline that matters, then score all three axes on the same scale so the numbers mean the same thing from one service to the next.
They are a starting point, not a verdict. Companies change their flows and terms often, so we date every guide and link the official policy. Use the CancelCompass Score to know what to expect — then follow the step-by-step guide on each page to actually get it done.
Why we built our own system
Most “how to cancel” pages just repeat the company's own steps. That is useful, but it does not tell you which services fight dirtiest, which quietly keep your money, or which you can leave in seconds. By scoring every service the same way, we can rank the hardest and easiest to cancel and warn you about the retention traps before you hit them.
Cancelled something recently and the experience didn't match our score? Tell us — we update these as companies change their tactics.