5 app subscriptions actually worth paying for

1 Spotify Premium

Music, podcasts, and audiobooks galore

• Spotify Premium Individual -- $12 per month
• Spotify Premium Student -- $6 per month
• Spotify Premium Duo -- $17 per month (functions as two premium accounts)
• Spotify Premium Family -- $20 per month (up to six Premium or Kids accounts)
• Spotify Audiobook Access -- $10 per month

Despite strong competition from the likes of Apple, Amazon, and others, Spotify arguably 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.

2 Apple TV+

A small-but-mighty selection of original content

• Apple TV+ -- $10 per month
• Included as part of Apple One -- $19.95 per month (Individual), $25.95 per month (Family), $37.95 per month (Premier)

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-quality library 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 considering Apple One, which bundles TV+ together with iCloud+ storage, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, and Apple News+.

3 Canva Pro

Pro-level tools for powering up your digital canvas

• Canva Pro -- $15 per month (personal use)
• Canva Teams -- $10 per month (minimum of three people)
• Canva Enterprise -- monthly price varies

Sydney, Australia-based Canva has 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.

4 ChatGPT Plus

Stay ahead of the AI curve, without access limitations

• ChatGPT Plus -- $20 per month
• ChatGPT Pro -- $200 per month
• ChatGPT Team -- monthly price varies
• ChatGPT Enterprise -- monthly price varies

OpenAI's ChatGPT burst onto the scene back in 2022, hurling large 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 to GPT-4o, extended access to deep research and Sora video 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.

5 Microsoft 365 Copilot (Office 365) Personal

Still the best suite for word processing, number crunching, and more

• Microsoft 365 Copilot Personal -- $10 per month (for one person)
• Microsoft 365 Copilot Family -- $13 per month (up to six people)

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 like Google Workspace on the market, and open-source alternatives like OpenOffice and LibreOffice gradually 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 a Windows 11 user, 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.