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Yes, we hate subscriptions. However, which apps do you choose to subscribe to?

N

NJRonbo

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jan 10, 2007
3,239
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Thank Apple, for one, for encouraging software authors to stop charging a one-time purchase fee and go to a subscription model. Soon after Apple held a conference with developers and put that little gem into their heads, more and more software has become a subscription model to keep the money rolling in on an annual basis.

I have trashed many programs that I paid a lifetime subscription and then began charging me a subscription. I looked for cheaper alternatives.

However, there are a few that I chose to pay annually. Would love to know what "essentials" you deem worth subscribing to as well.

Here is my list (all prices are approximate):

1 Password ($34)
Forecast Bar ($18)
Carrot Weather ($25)
Mailbutler ($80) - this is my absolute favorite subscription as it greatly enhances Apple Mail

Apple Music (Free with Verizon cellular)
Amazon Prime Music Unlimited ($150 per year)
Qobuz Music ($150 per year)

- Will be canceling Amazon Prime Music and keeping Qobuz -

Private Internet Access ($60 for two years approx.)
SiriusXM


I know a lot of people like Innoreader, which is a subscription. However, under the free plan I can load it up with feeds and my ad-blocker keeps it ad-free.

I was paying for Raindrop.io and didn't think it was worth it
I also pay for Private Internet Access VPN and Qobuz Music Service
 
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  • Apple Music
    • I use iTunes giftcards (when they're 20% off) and pre-pay a whole years worth of Apple Music, so its only $6.66 a month.
  • Philo
    • I use iTunes giftcards (when they're 20% off) and pay via in-app purchase, so its only $16 dollars a month compared to $20.
 
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Just netflix monthly and disney+, xbox live and switch online are paid upfront for a year.
 
Apple Music, Lightroom/Photoshop combo, Amazon Prime Video and Bear. Trying my best to keep the number relatively low.
 
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FSMBP said:
None...Was a hobbyist who paid for Adobe's subscription for Photoshop. Ended up cancelling it and got Pixelmator (one-time fee).
Click to expand...
Pixelmator, for fast one-offs, is great. Even the iPad app, in conjunction with the desktop app, has its uses. If I just need to do something quick and easy, bang, pixelmator can do it faster than the time it takes to launch an Adobe application. I‘ve purchased, but haven’t gotten around to trying Affinity out.
 
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I don't hate subscriptions; for some apps, they're useful.

Spotify, Prime Video (I switch streaming services every month or so), iCloud, FileBrowserGo.
 
NJRonbo said:
Thank Apple, for one, for encouraging software authors to stop charging a one-time purchase fee and go to a subscription model. Soon after Apple held a conference with developers and put that little gem into their heads, more and more software has become a subscription model to keep the money rolling in on an annual basis.

I have trashed many programs that I paid a lifetime subscription and then began charging me a subscription. I looked for cheaper alternatives.

However, there are a few that I chose to pay annually. Would love to know what "essentials" you deem worth subscribing to as well.

Here is my list (all prices are approximate):

1 Password ($34)
Forecast Bar ($18)
Carrot Weather ($25)

I know a lot of people like Innoreader, which is a subscription. However, under the free plan I can load it up with feeds and my ad-blocker keeps it ad-free.

I was paying for Raindrop.io and didn't think it was worth it
I also pay for Private Internet Access VPN and Qobuz Music Service
Click to expand...

I have subscriptions for services (Netflix, iCloud storage, Spotify, etc).

If the app offers a one-time purchase price, I do that (TextExpander, 1Password), but these guys are going out of their way to make perpetual licenses more difficult to manage.

My employer pays for an Adobe CC subscription for me because I work for them... but everything else, I avoid like the plague.

Why do I need to pay for weather info, or to access my calendar (MY schedule)? We use Google Suite for non-profits, so I get access to Google Drive (bye, Dropbox)... I purchase MS Office through a non-profit portal for a perpetual license (no 365) for something like $39 ...
 
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Spotify Premium
The Disney+ bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+
Netflix
200GB of iCloud storage.
And, if this counts, I contribute to MacRumours which is technically an annual subscription.
 
Microsoft 365 (formerly named Office 365). $70/year (less than 20 cents per day) for multiple apps I use on a daily basis installed on all devices I own with regular updates and some exclusive features not available on the perpetual license versions AND 1TB of OneDrive storage included? No complaints from me! I could probably find at least 20 cents per day that someone dropped on the road/sidewalk ;)
 
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I don't hate subscriptions. I have no problem here with subscriptions for apps that I use and that are regularly updated and improved or for quality content.

Office365 and Creative Cloud: paid for by my university.
Box (proprietary version): paid for by my university

I subscribe to:

Entertainment: Apple Music, MLB AtBat (sigh), occasional channels via Prime Video

Productivity: Bear, Agenda, Amazon Prime (includes Prime Video, entertainment), iCloud

Creative work: Mylio and Ulysses

I also subscribe to two newsletters, one political one and one on the Yankees.
 
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I'm fine with paying for subscriptions to the apps I use on a daily basis.

Adobe Creative Suite
Fantastical
Airmail
1Password
Spotify
Setapp
Evernote
 
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Office 365 because it’s really useful and cheaper with family plan
Apple Music and iCloud
Amazon Prime
1password using their gift card for a little discount
 
I get paying a recurring fee for an ongoing service, but for an app that runs on-device? No thanks. I decided to go all-in on Ulysses shortly before it made the move, and while those versions of the app are still available, it's felt like a burn ever since. (Even with things like streaming services: if there's a series I'm dying to watch, I'll buy a month, watch the series, and cancel, accounting for the cost of the month as the cost of renting the series.)

The closest thing I've used to a subscription is Bryan Jones' CodeKit – he's introduced a model where the one-time purchase includes subsequent updates for a period; then you keep that version forever. At any point past that, you can buy a one-time "renewal" which upgrades you to the current version and entitles you to another period of subsequent updates. Unlike a subscription which may or may not align with use, and will renew if you're merely apathetic, the "renewal" is deliberate: it happens only when both the user and the developer think it over and say yes.
 
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Office 365 - Employer pays, but I would if they didn't
SetApp
Fantastical
Textexpander
1Password

VPN, DNS (Unlocator), Audible, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sky Go.
 
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