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The Cancel Button Report 2026

How Hard 1189 Companies Make It to Unsubscribe

February 2026 · Updated live from our database · Full cancel guide directory →

We analyzed 1189 subscription services to answer a simple question: how hard does each company make it to cancel?

The results are damning. While 59% of services let you cancel online with a few clicks, 13% make it deliberately difficult — requiring phone calls, in-person visits, or navigating intentionally confusing interfaces.

1189
Services Analyzed
13%
Hard to Cancel
95
Require Phone Calls
203
Use Retention Tricks

Difficulty Breakdown

Every service in our database is rated on a 4-point difficulty scale:

🟢 EasyCancel online in 2-3 clicks
701 (59%)
🟡 MediumCancel online but with friction (hidden buttons, extra steps)
328 (28%)
🔴 HardRequires phone call, chat, or multiple steps
143 (12%)
⛔ Very HardRequires mail, in-person visit, or extreme persistence
17 (1%)

Dark Patterns We Found

46% of services (543 out of 1189) use at least one dark pattern to make cancellation harder than it needs to be.

Retention Offers (203 services)
Guilt-trip screens, discount offers, and "are you sure?" loops designed to change your mind
Phone-Only Cancellation (95 services)
No online cancel option — you must call during business hours and often wait on hold
Hidden Cancel Button (77 services)
Cancel option buried deep in settings, requiring 4+ clicks to find
Chat-Only Cancellation (3 services)
Must contact support via chat — no self-serve cancel option

The 20 Hardest Services to Cancel

These companies make cancellation the most difficult, often combining multiple dark patterns:

1. ADT Securityphone required, long contract, early termination fee, retention offers
VERY HARD
2. Brinks Home SecurityLong-term contract (36-60 months), Early termination fee (75-80% of remaining contract), Must send certified letter, 30-day cancellation notice required
VERY HARD
3. ZoomInfoAnnual contracts only, Auto-renews 60 days before end, Must send written notice, No self-service cancellation
VERY HARD
4. Noomauto renew trap, hidden cancel, retention flow
VERY HARD
5. ADTforced call, early termination, auto renewal
VERY HARD
6. Salesforcephone only, long hold times, retention offers
VERY HARD
7. GongAnnual contracts, Auto-renewal, Must contact account manager
VERY HARD
8. Vivint Solar (now SunRun)long contracts, early termination fee, buried cancel
VERY HARD
9. Comcast / Xfinityretention offers, phone required, early termination fee
VERY HARD
10. Vivint Smart Homeroach motel, forced continuity
VERY HARD
11. SiriusXMphone only, retention offers
VERY HARD
12. HP Laptop Subscriptionearly termination fee, forced return
VERY HARD
13. HughesNet (Satellite Internet)phone only, early termination fee
VERY HARD
14. Frontpoint Securityphone only, early termination fee
VERY HARD
15. SunRun Solarlong contracts, early termination fee
VERY HARD
16. Sunnova Solarlong contracts, early termination fee
VERY HARD
17. SiriusXMphone required
VERY HARD
18. RingCentral12-month contract auto-renews, Must call to cancel, 30-day notice required, Early termination fee
HARD
19. Cox Communicationsphone only, retention offers, long contracts, early termination fee
HARD
20. TotalAVauto renewal, price increase, buried cancel, retention offers
HARD

By Industry

Some industries are systematically worse than others. Fitness and telecom companies are the most likely to use dark patterns, while streaming and software services tend to make cancellation straightforward.

Business & Professional
67% hard
Home Services
55% hard
Career & Resume
50% hard
Telecom & Internet
43% hard
Dating
43% hard
People Search
40% hard
Health & Fitness
38% hard
Home & Security
31% hard
Parental Control & Monitoring
29% hard
Fashion & Clothing
29% hard

Methodology

We manually tested the cancellation process for each of the 1189 services in our database. Each service was rated based on:

Our database is updated continuously. Individual service ratings are available on each cancel guide page. Raw data is available via our public API.

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FAQ

What percentage of subscriptions are hard to cancel?

13% of the 1189 services we analyzed are rated "hard" or "very hard" to cancel.95 require a phone call, and 203 use retention offers to pressure you into staying.

What are dark patterns in cancellation?

Dark patterns are deceptive design choices that make cancellation intentionally difficult — hiding the cancel button, requiring phone calls, guilt-tripping with "are you sure?" screens, or offering discounts to delay your decision.

Is the FTC doing anything about hard-to-cancel subscriptions?

Yes. The FTC's "Click-to-Cancel" rule (effective 2025) requires companies to make cancellation as easy as sign-up. However, enforcement is still catching up. Read our analysis of the FTC rule.

More research: Subscription Spending Statistics · Cancel Difficulty Index · Dark Patterns Hall of Shame