> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.peoplevine.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.peoplevine.com/products/control-panel-overview/reports-overview/subscription-vs-transaction-report.md).

# When to Use a Subscription Report vs a Transaction Report

### Two exports, different questions

Peoplevine has two main data exports for membership billing analysis. Each answers a different set of questions.

* **Subscription reports** are your book of business — a forecast of what is expected.
* **Transaction reports** (filtered for Membership Billing) show what was actually collected.

|                   | Subscription export                                                                          | Transaction export                                                                                  |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Where**         | SELL > View Subscriptions > EXPORT DATA                                                      | SELL > View Transactions > EXPORT DATA                                                              |
| **What it shows** | One row per subscription — the ongoing billing relationship                                  | One row per transaction — each individual charge, payment, or refund                                |
| **Best for**      | "Who is enrolled?", "What is each member paying?", "When is the next billing date?"          | "What was charged?", "What actually came in?", "What was refunded?"                                 |
| **Revenue data**  | Estimated: ARR and MRR based on subscription rates                                           | Actual: what was charged, processed, and refunded                                                   |
| **Key columns**   | Subscriber, Subscription For (program), Rate, Last Charge, Next Charge, Renewal date, Status | transaction\_no, reference\_type, transaction\_amount, paid\_on, payment\_type, transaction\_status |

### When to use each

**Use the subscription export when you need to:**

* See all active (or failed, cancelled, etc.) subscriptions and their current rates
* Identify members with upcoming billing or expiring credit cards
* Review ARR/MRR estimates
* Find subscriptions with no payment method on file
* Prepare for a batch billing adjustment (e.g., price increase)

**Use the transaction export when you need to:**

* Reconcile actual revenue collected over a date range
* Identify declined, refunded, or invoiced transactions
* Match transactions to Stripe or GoCardless payouts (using `transaction_id` and `batch_id`)
* Break down revenue by category using `reference_type` (membership, order, service, etc.)
* Investigate a specific charge or payment

> **Tip**: The subscription page also shows a **To Be Collected** summary broken down by status (Active, Pending/Failed, Cancelled, Expired, Suspended) — useful for a quick snapshot without exporting.

### What Happens Next

* **Related**: [Transaction Export Field Reference](/products/control-panel-overview/reports-overview/transaction-export-fields.md) for the full CSV column reference.
* **Related**: [How to View Financial Reports](/products/control-panel-overview/reports-overview/view-financial-reports.md) for pivot reports and revenue summaries.

*Last updated: 2026-05-24*


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