Every service we publish a cancel guide for gets a score between 0 and 100. Higher means harder to leave. Here's exactly how we compute it.
Last methodology change: May 25, 2026 · Back to all services
Each dimension is scored 0-10 from the cancel-guide data and three classification fields. The total is the weighted sum, normalized to 0-100.
| Dimension | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Steps required | 20% | How many non-optional steps the cancel flow demands. Counted directly from the published guide. |
| Retention friction | 25% | How many save offers, pause prompts, downgrade nudges, and discount bribes you face on the way out. |
| Channel restrictions | 25% | Can you cancel from the web, or are you forced to call, email, or show up in person? |
| Refund policy | 15% | Prorated refund, you finish the billing period you paid for, or nothing at all. |
| Recovery hostility | 15% | What you lose by cancelling — cloud saves, library access, credits, your data. |
| Score | Tier | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 0–24 | Click-to-Cancel Compliant | A few clicks. No retention guilt-trip. You keep what you paid for until period end. |
| 25–49 | Mostly Compliant | One or two save offers on the way out, but the cancel button is where you'd expect. |
| 50–74 | Friction-Heavy | Multiple save prompts, possible channel restrictions, or a refund policy that punishes you for leaving. |
| 75–100 | Dark Pattern Territory | Phone or in-person cancellation, no refund, lost data, or all of the above. |
If we haven't audited a service's refund policy or recovery behavior yet, we apply conservative defaults: web cancellation, period-end refund, no recovery penalty. These are the most common values in the catalog. Services without an explicit audit will show a score that may understate how hard they actually are to cancel — we update as we verify.
The rubric is deterministic — change one of the input fields and the score recomputes. If you've cancelled a service we publish and your experience differs from what's documented, tell us at hello@recurdash.com with what happened. We update guides quarterly or when something material changes.