I’m usually against subscription services, but there are a few I use that I think provide enough value to justify the cost. Are there subscriptions you think are worth the money for you?
I donate about $5/month to a bunch of nonprofits that I benefit from.
- Debian project
- openbsd project
- wikimedia foundation
- EFF
- Internet Archive
My career wouldn’t exist without these folks, so it’s the least I can do.
Great selection. I feel if you have the means to do so, drop a few dollars their way each month. You’ll likely spend more on a night out drinking anyway 😜.
At the risk of being crucified, YouTube Premium.
I like having no commercials on something by legitimate means, and unlike most streaming services, the content stays there once it’s there. For the hours we use it, it’s still a hell of a deal.
I adblock and sail the seas, but Premium gives what it promises without any real hassle. We use it way more than we used Netflix or Disney+.
the content stays there once it’s there
my bookmarked/liked videos lists don’t agree. A lot of videos, and even a few complete channels have disappeared over time. This is not a new issue.
Premium gives what it promises
well it does not promise to respect you and your privacy
It isn’t perfect, and there are a number of reasons content can leave. I know a few of my favorite channels have had issues dealing with content getting pulled due to things like it having certain World War 2 imagery in historical context, or analysis of music theory of modern songs for having too many seconds of copyright music. People can also delete their accounts and things will disappear. Some is also just plain pirated content.
But for how much content there is on YouTube, the vast majority stays there, at least compared to more traditional media. Many things I’ve been watching lately have been over a decade old. It really helps in repairing older things for finding lessons on things that haven’t changed much in recent years.
As for privacy, we’re all at least moderately tech savvy people here. We know we’re dealing with an advertising company here and what that entails. That doesn’t thrill me, but that’s the deal to get the content. Google does make at least some data available to view and delete, so that’s still a bit better than most places tracking us.
While there is room for improvement, I still feel it beats most everything else legitimate on cost vs what you get.
Same, I have the Family tier and it just makes sense. At 23/month if all 5 slots are filled it works out too $4.60/month/person.
No ads AND no hassle with this and that instance going down or that app being blocked or browser shannigans
Every time I talked myself into it they ended up raising the rate. I’ve stopped trying to talk myself into it.
Same here. I’m mostly paying because at least some of the money goes to creators, and I don’t want to have to constantly be fighting with the adblocker stuff. I watch a lot of youtube (perhaps more than is healthy) and realistically it does cost Google money to host it.
This is mine too. I use the hell out of it and YouTube music that comes with it. If we look at $/hr, then this is a no-brainer for me.
I got Yt premium as a side effect of the Google one thing. I don’t necessarily need the extra space I got the Google one thing for, but I’ll probably keep it because I’m too lazy to clear out my storage and the side perks like Yt premium are probably worth more than I’m spending on one.
Bring in the downvotes, but Spotify. I listen to music several hours a day, both old and new and it helps me discover lots of new music and even genres. For me personally, that’s worth the money.
I feel the same. I like not having commercials in my music and being able to listen to a wide variety.
Also offline mode and list syncing. I would die on long flights if I didn’t have music to listen to and my tastes change frequently.
Same, I think it’s worth it. I rarely listen to the radio, so I get to discover new music with them. And the offline play saves on data when I’m just going around the corner or something.
Protonmail, MullvadVPN
I’ve been trying to unravel my Google workspace for months now to head toward proton. I’ve signed up for so many things that use my workspace for auth
Tons of amazing original content, and very cheap.
Joined for Dimension 20, stayed for basically everything else.
I joined for Game Changer, but Dimension 20 I’ve what made me keep my subscription lol
Same! And if anyone disagrees, feel free to get in the comments! 😉
I know this is the “wrong answer,” but YouTube. I watch it a lot, and mostly on my PS in the evenings. If I only watched it in my phone or PC, I wouldn’t bother.
I also pay for Spotify for my mom and I, and ProtonVPN/Mail for myself. Oh, and PS+, which I still think is bullshit. 🙄
It’s only a ‘wrong answer’ because people here downvote on an ideological basis. If it works for you, then it’s okay 👍
My domain.
$20/year for Nintendo Switch Online. That’s $20 more than it should be, but at least it’s not nearly as expensive as the other consoles.
Wait… It’s how much? For online access?
And others are more??
I’m a dedicated PC gamer, so I’m out of the loop on what’s happening with consoles, but this seems nuts to me
PSN Plus is $80/year, XBox Live is $60/year. And both of those are for the lowest tier.
My VPN.
Then I everything else for free.
Ground News because I want to see what’s going on in news across the media spectrum and they make it a lot easier.
Discord nitro classic because I don’t have a better alternative and I get the features I actually need at half the price I’d pay for the normal subscription.
A VPN because none of your goddamn business.
Apple Music. It’s just easier than pirating music. You also get Apple Classical which is awesome as classical music can’t be indexed in the same way as regular music.
And Atmos! And 4K music videos! Couldn’t agree more.
Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, protonmail / drive / vpn, Usenet, bitwarden
That’s about all I have.
Although I pirate 90% of what tv and movies we watch, I feel like I pay my fair share for internet stuff.
I might sub to a few local streaming sites from time to time. To catch up on tv.
Hulu. Best collection of shows for me, right now.
Spotify. I listen to music constantly, it’s a necessity.
Libro.fm for audiobooks, and supporting my local book store.
My gym membership (lumping Zwift in there too). I exercise a lot, like 15+ hours per week. These are part of my chosen lifestyle.
Opensnow. The only phone app I pay for. It’s a weather app but better if you’re a skier/snowboarder.
RuneScape. I love OSRS and I enjoy playing in my downtime. I’m an adult, I can do what I want.
osrs is the best
YouTube premium. Mostly for music but no-ads is nice.
I have the basic iCloud sub but it feels like a scam. I should at least get more storage if I buy more Apple products. If you have two devices your backups get too big for the free storage amount.
I offloaded a bunch of things from iCloud but it becomes a hassle for how cheap their subscription is.
Taxes. They pay fory wifes wage.
