In today’ssubscription-saturated world, it can be difficult to determine which services are worth signing up for, and which are simply a recurring drain on your wallet. Whether we’re talking about news, productivity, video games, movies and TV, music, books, podcasts,AI, and everything else in between, you can be sure that major companies are vying for your attention – and for your credit card information.
For me personally, a deep-seated sense ofsubscription fatiguehas set in. Nevertheless, I can’t deny the utility, practicality, and approachability of a select few services in particular. Here are five subscription services that I feel are actually worthwhile, and that I have signed up for and make use of in my day-to-day life.
You can thank Fortnite for this Spotify change
Spotify is the first to update its iOS app following a new ruling from the Epic v. Apple legal battle.
1Spotify Premium
Music, podcasts, and audiobooks galore
Spotify Premium
Spotify is a popular audio streaming platform that offers music, audiobooks, and podcasts. It can be used on mobile and on desktop, allowing you to listen to music in a ton of different places. You can even download music to your smartwatch.
Despite strong competition from the likes of Apple, Amazon, and others,Spotifyarguably remains the de facto streaming service for all things music, podcast, and audiobook related. Spotify’s digital library is downright massive, with international content a single tap away. Lyrics, time stamps, download for later, cross-fading, a sleep timer, an equalizer, and tons of other options are all on deck, making for a well-rounded experience that remains worth its salt to this day (despite price creep). If you happen to be a student, then the deal is even sweeter at half-off - for $6 per month, it’s a no-brainer choice, whether you’re listening to tunes on your phone, tablet, computer, car, or even smartwatch.
Apple TV+’s small library is actually its biggest asset
Apple TV+’s limited, highly curated library of original programming is why it’s the best streamer.
2Apple TV+
A small-but-mighty selection of original content
Apple TV+ is a global streaming service which offers on-demand access to a growing list of exclusive content, including Severance, Ted Lasso, Slow Horses, and much more.
Within the context of film and TV service providers, Apple TV+ is a relatively small player when compared to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and a few others. That being said, TV+ offers a high-qualitylibrary of original programming, including major hits like Severance, Ted Lasso, and For All Mankind. With TV+, you’re getting quality over quantity, and I consider that to be a major win: other streaming services are filled with content of middling quantity in order to artificially pad out their offerings. If you find yourself purchasing a new Apple product, the company will gift you six months of free access to TV+. Beyond this, I’d recommend consideringApple One, which bundles TV+ together with iCloud+ storage, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, and Apple News+.
My top Canva design tips and tricks for any experience level
Canva’s popularity exploded due to its user-friendly design, but a few extra tips can take you from average to expert.
3Canva Pro
Pro-level tools for powering up your digital canvas
Canva is a powerful digital platform for creating visual content, with AI features, access to stock imagery, slideshow and website templates, and much more.
Sydney, Australia-basedCanvahas been around since 2013, but the online design and publishing service has only more recently exploded in popularity. Canva serves as an all-in-one digital solution for designing documents, presentations, whiteboards, business cards, logos, flyers, brochures, and just about everything else under the sun. Unlike more traditional software programs, Canva is online-first, and is designed with collaboration in mind. The Pro subscription tier is of great value, unlocking access to thousands of stock images, a background generator, a conversational AI assistant, and other useful perks. If you need a streamlined service for light photo editing and other creative works, Canva is an excellent choice, with its approachable interface,its embrace of AI, and its surprisingly powerful set of tools.
OpenAI’s CEO says kindness comes with a price
You don’t want to see OpenAI’s water bill.
4ChatGPT Plus
ChatGPT Plus
The flagship chatbot and large language model (LLM) service from OpenAI, which can answer complex queries and leverage generative AI skill sets.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT burst onto the scene back in 2022, hurlinglarge language models(LLMs) into the mainstream in a big way. As a generative AI chatbot, ChatGPT is at the top of the game with the latest model breakthroughs, competing head-on with Google, Microsoft, Meta, and other tech giants. OpenAI offers several tiers of ChatGPT, each with its own set of features and AI model access. For my money, the Plus subscription is the way to go, offering unlimited access toGPT-4o, extended access to deep research andSoravideo generation, and more. Without breaking the bank, Pro is perfect for aiding in research, supplementing the process of content creation, generating code, and ideating topics.
Looping you in: I wanted more from this Microsoft tool
Microsoft Loop can be great if you are a dedicated Microsoft Suite user, but there’s not as much functionality.
5Microsoft 365 Copilot (Office 365) Personal
Still the best suite for word processing, number crunching, and more
Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft 365 Copilot, formerly known as Office 365, is a flagship workspace suite consisting of cloud storage, productivity apps, ad-free email, and data security.
These days, it’s tougher to justify paying a recurring fee for Microsoft 365 Copilot (formerly known as Office 365) than it once was. With free web-based alternatives likeGoogle Workspaceon the market, and open-source alternatives likeOpenOfficeandLibreOfficegradually gaining steam, the once mighty collection of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote has lost at least some of its shine. However, if you’re a power user when it comes to word processing, number crunching, email triage, and other productivity tasks, then there’s a real benefit to having access to Microsoft’s full-fat desktop programs. This is especially true if you happen to be aWindows 11user, or if you’re someone who simply doesn’t want to rely on web-based alternatives. Aside from the standard apps included within the suite, a Personal subscription nets you free OneDrive cloud storage, Copilot AI integration, ad-free email, and security tools via Microsoft Defender.
Microsoft makes passwords a thing of the past for new users
Microsoft is making passkeys the default sign in method for new accounts.
