Cancel Difficulty Index 2026
We analyzed 1189 subscription services across 67 industries to rank which make it hardest to cancel. 160 services (13%) are rated "hard" or "very hard" to cancel. 543 use dark patterns to prevent cancellation.
1189
Services Analyzed
701
Easy to Cancel
328
Medium Difficulty
143
Hard to Cancel
17
Very Hard
543
Use Dark Patterns
Industry Rankings
Sorted by average cancel difficulty score (1 = easy, 4 = very hard).
#1 News & Media4 services
2.8/4.0
🟢 0 easy🟡 1 medium🟠 3 hard⚠️ 4 with dark patterns📞 4 require calling
#2 Home Services11 services
2.5/4.0
🟢 3 easy🟡 2 medium🟠 3 hard🔴 3 very hard⚠️ 8 with dark patterns📞 9 require calling
#3 Business & Professional6 services
2.5/4.0
🟢 1 easy🟡 1 medium🟠 4 hard⚠️ 5 with dark patterns📞 4 require calling
#4 People Search5 services
2.4/4.0
🟢 0 easy🟡 3 medium🟠 2 hard⚠️ 5 with dark patterns📞 4 require calling
#5 Home & Garden4 services
2.3/4.0
🟢 1 easy🟡 1 medium🟠 2 hard⚠️ 3 with dark patterns📞 2 require calling
Hardest: HomeAdvisor (Pro Membership) Hard, Handy (Home Services) Hard, Angi (formerly Angie's List) Medium
#6 Career & Resume10 services
2.2/4.0
🟢 3 easy🟡 2 medium🟠 5 hard⚠️ 8 with dark patterns📞 4 require calling
#7 Telecom & Internet35 services
2.1/4.0
🟢 12 easy🟡 8 medium🟠 13 hard🔴 2 very hard⚠️ 23 with dark patterns📞 30 require calling
Hardest: HughesNet (Satellite Internet) Very Hard, Comcast / Xfinity Very Hard, Xfinity (Comcast) Hard
#8 Health & Fitness72 services
2.1/4.0
🟢 20 easy🟡 25 medium🟠 26 hard🔴 1 very hard⚠️ 48 with dark patterns📞 17 require calling
#9 Internet & Cable9 services
2.1/4.0
🟢 1 easy🟡 6 medium🟠 2 hard⚠️ 8 with dark patterns📞 9 require calling
#10 Dating7 services
2.0/4.0
🟢 3 easy🟡 1 medium🟠 3 hard⚠️ 7 with dark patterns📞 2 require calling
#11 Other50 services
1.9/4.0
🟢 15 easy🟡 24 medium🟠 10 hard🔴 1 very hard⚠️ 33 with dark patterns📞 30 require calling
#12 Home & Security13 services
1.9/4.0
🟢 8 easy🟡 1 medium🟠 1 hard🔴 3 very hard⚠️ 5 with dark patterns📞 5 require calling
#13 Fashion & Clothing14 services
1.9/4.0
🟢 6 easy🟡 4 medium🟠 4 hard⚠️ 8 with dark patterns📞 10 require calling
#14 Security & Antivirus6 services
1.8/4.0
🟢 2 easy🟡 3 medium🟠 1 hard⚠️ 5 with dark patterns📞 3 require calling
#15 Legal & Business Services5 services
1.8/4.0
🟢 1 easy🟡 4 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 4 with dark patterns📞 5 require calling
#16 Finance & Banking85 services
1.8/4.0
🟢 32 easy🟡 42 medium🟠 11 hard⚠️ 53 with dark patterns📞 49 require calling
#17 Health & Wellness28 services
1.8/4.0
🟢 11 easy🟡 13 medium🟠 4 hard⚠️ 17 with dark patterns📞 21 require calling
#18 Genealogy & Records4 services
1.8/4.0
🟢 1 easy🟡 3 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 3 with dark patterns📞 3 require calling
#19 Shopping & Marketplace4 services
1.8/4.0
🟢 1 easy🟡 3 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 3 with dark patterns
#20 Parental Control & Monitoring7 services
1.7/4.0
🟢 4 easy🟡 1 medium🟠 2 hard⚠️ 3 with dark patterns📞 4 require calling
#21 Dating & Social33 services
1.7/4.0
🟢 14 easy🟡 16 medium🟠 3 hard⚠️ 17 with dark patterns📞 8 require calling
#22 Security & Privacy24 services
1.7/4.0
🟢 14 easy🟡 5 medium🟠 4 hard🔴 1 very hard⚠️ 13 with dark patterns📞 12 require calling
#23 Family & Childcare3 services
1.7/4.0
🟢 1 easy🟡 2 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 2 with dark patterns📞 2 require calling
#24 Beauty & Personal Care6 services
1.7/4.0
🟢 2 easy🟡 4 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 4 with dark patterns
Hardest: Lookfantastic Beauty Box Medium, IPSY Glam Bag X (now BoxyCharm) Medium, Lookfantastic Beauty Box Medium
#25 Technology37 services
1.6/4.0
🟢 21 easy🟡 10 medium🟠 4 hard🔴 2 very hard⚠️ 18 with dark patterns📞 9 require calling
#26 Business & Productivity149 services
1.6/4.0
🟢 85 easy🟡 42 medium🟠 19 hard🔴 3 very hard⚠️ 71 with dark patterns📞 34 require calling
#27 Creative & Design7 services
1.6/4.0
🟢 4 easy🟡 2 medium🟠 1 hard⚠️ 3 with dark patterns📞 1 require calling
#28 Food & Meal Kits49 services
1.5/4.0
🟢 27 easy🟡 18 medium🟠 4 hard⚠️ 25 with dark patterns📞 6 require calling
#29 Retail & Shopping53 services
1.5/4.0
🟢 30 easy🟡 19 medium🟠 4 hard⚠️ 24 with dark patterns📞 17 require calling
#30 Food & Meal Delivery4 services
1.5/4.0
🟢 2 easy🟡 2 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 3 with dark patterns📞 1 require calling
#31 Home Security7 services
1.4/4.0
🟢 5 easy🟡 1 medium🟠 1 hard⚠️ 2 with dark patterns📞 4 require calling
#32 Web Hosting12 services
1.4/4.0
🟢 8 easy🟡 3 medium🟠 1 hard⚠️ 5 with dark patterns📞 2 require calling
#33 Design & Creative9 services
1.3/4.0
🟢 6 easy🟡 3 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 3 with dark patterns📞 3 require calling
#34 Entertainment3 services
1.3/4.0
🟢 2 easy🟡 1 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 1 with dark patterns📞 1 require calling
#35 Creator & Education29 services
1.3/4.0
🟢 20 easy🟡 9 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 12 with dark patterns📞 3 require calling
#36 Developer Tools17 services
1.3/4.0
🟢 12 easy🟡 5 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 6 with dark patterns
#37 Finance & Tax14 services
1.3/4.0
🟢 10 easy🟡 4 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 7 with dark patterns📞 8 require calling
Hardest: TurboTax Online Medium, TransUnion Credit Monitoring Medium, Equifax Credit Monitoring Medium
#38 Pet Services25 services
1.2/4.0
🟢 21 easy🟡 3 medium🟠 1 hard⚠️ 4 with dark patterns📞 10 require calling
Hardest: Banfield Pet Hospital (Wellness Plan) Hard, Petco Vital Care Medium, BarkBox Super Chewer Medium
#39 Insurance11 services
1.2/4.0
🟢 9 easy🟡 2 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 2 with dark patterns📞 10 require calling
#40 Entertainment & Media129 services
1.2/4.0
🟢 113 easy🟡 11 medium🟠 4 hard🔴 1 very hard⚠️ 22 with dark patterns📞 35 require calling
#41 Marketing & Email6 services
1.2/4.0
🟢 5 easy🟡 1 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 2 with dark patterns
#42 Transportation6 services
1.2/4.0
🟢 5 easy🟡 1 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 1 with dark patterns📞 5 require calling
#43 Education & Learning14 services
1.1/4.0
🟢 12 easy🟡 2 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 8 with dark patterns📞 2 require calling
#44 Education8 services
1.1/4.0
🟢 7 easy🟡 1 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 4 with dark patterns
#45 Shopping & Retail9 services
1.1/4.0
🟢 8 easy🟡 1 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 1 with dark patterns📞 1 require calling
Hardest: Armoire (Clothing Rental) Medium, Wayfair Professional (Trade) Easy, Amazon Business Prime Easy
#46 Gaming10 services
1.1/4.0
🟢 9 easy🟡 1 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 3 with dark patterns
#47 Streaming & Entertainment10 services
1.1/4.0
🟢 9 easy🟡 1 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 3 with dark patterns📞 1 require calling
#48 AI & Tech55 services
1.1/4.0
🟢 50 easy🟡 5 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 8 with dark patterns📞 8 require calling
#49 Web Hosting & Domains3 services
1.0/4.0
🟢 3 easy🟡 0 medium🟠 0 hard
#50 Cloud Storage5 services
1.0/4.0
🟢 5 easy🟡 0 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 1 with dark patterns📞 1 require calling
#51 Travel4 services
1.0/4.0
🟢 4 easy🟡 0 medium🟠 0 hard📞 1 require calling
#52 Software & Apps20 services
1.0/4.0
🟢 20 easy🟡 0 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 2 with dark patterns
#53 VPN & Privacy3 services
1.0/4.0
🟢 3 easy🟡 0 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 3 with dark patterns
#54 Mobile & Wireless3 services
1.0/4.0
🟢 3 easy🟡 0 medium🟠 0 hard📞 3 require calling
#55 Gambling & Betting5 services
1.0/4.0
🟢 5 easy🟡 0 medium🟠 0 hard
#56 Social Media4 services
1.0/4.0
🟢 4 easy🟡 0 medium🟠 0 hard
#57 Food & Delivery4 services
1.0/4.0
🟢 4 easy🟡 0 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 2 with dark patterns
#58 Productivity4 services
1.0/4.0
🟢 4 easy🟡 0 medium🟠 0 hard
#59 AI & Developer Tools4 services
1.0/4.0
🟢 4 easy🟡 0 medium🟠 0 hard⚠️ 2 with dark patterns
Methodology
Each service is rated on a 1-4 scale based on: number of steps to cancel, whether a phone call is required, presence of dark patterns (hidden buttons, guilt-trip language, confusing flows), retention offers that complicate the process, and whether a direct cancel URL exists.
Industry scores are the average of all services in that category. Only categories with 3+ services are shown. Data is verified by our team and updated monthly.
Want to check a specific service? Use our Cancel Score Checker or browse all 440+ cancel guides.
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