The 7 Monthly Subscriptions I Can’t Live Without

Source: Medium, Carla Martins
Photo: Box photo created by Mego-Studio — www.freepik.com

The era of online subscriptions is here to stay, at least in the near future. For those who are used to, like and look for online services, it becomes increasingly difficult to find free services that meet the needs with maximum connectivity and comfort. In this article I will present the 7 services that I pay for monthly, and why.

1. Tidal

I am a music lover, and I like to listen Hi-Fi music, so that’s why Tidal wins over Spotify. I also like how playlists are organised and music suggestions are made, with preference for full albums over singles. This allows me to discover more new music and more artists, knowing their work better by listen more musics from the same artist. Daily mixes are also great for me, as they include a wide variety of my “liked” musics without being boring. The Tidal Hi-Fi monthly subscription costs me 6.99 euros with 50% student’s discount.

2. Google Photos

I started using Google Photos several years ago when the service was still free. Then I became a huge fun. Then Googles started charging. Now I can’t leave it… True story. There are other cheaper platforms that provide similar service, but the fact that I already use Google Photos for several years, I have more than 15 years of life in Google Photos, and cool highlights and memories I like to review make it rethink a lot before taking a decision to change service. In fact, Google Photos is so easy to use and manage, allows a lot of personalisation and organisation that the only drawback is the price being a little expensive (at least compared with other services such as Microsoft). I pay 2.99 euros every month for only 200GB of storage, but I am running out of space.

3. Microsoft Office 365

I have been using Microsoft Office less and less everyday, but when I need compatibility in a text editor or for a presentation, I know no better than Microsoft Office. O know I can use pages or Keynote but it is not the same. Another dirty confession is that I still use Excel sometimes to visualise tabular data and make fast changes. Microsoft provides 1TB of online storage with OneDrive for Office subscribers, which is pretty good and I use as my cloud storage service for everything except for photos. The online versions of Word, PowerPoint or Excel are really subpar in my experience. The price is 7.00 euros every month, or 69.00 euros if billed yearly (my choice).

4. Netflix

I don’t have a lot of free time, between work, study and being a mother of a 14 months baby, but when when I have it I like to watch movies, preferable action and trillers, and comedy when I need something to lift me up. Netflix is an excellent source for movies, series and documentaries, and I love the fact that I can have a home cinema (well, not exactly the same experience). There are other streaming services such as Amazon Prime or HBO. I used HBO free trial period to watch “Chernobyl” and I am thinking to pay one month to watch “And just like that”. About Amazon Prime, I have never tried it.

5. Medium

I am sure you know why I pay for Medium subscription. There are so many interesting, educative and powerful readings in Medium that is impossible not to fall in love with the platform. I started my Medium membership when I found that most of my Google searches when I was trying to solve a specific task related to Data Science come from Medium publications. After reading my 5 free articles I realise that a subscription was totally worth it. Then, with the access I gained I discover other authors, other publications and other topics to read, learn and think about. Later, I started writing too. Writing on Medium is an amazing experience for those who like writing, with the bonus of the side hustle that allows me to cover my membership.

6. Quizlet

If don’t know Quizlet, it is a study app that allows you access study cards, books solutions with explanations from certified teachers, build your own study, crate study groups, create online quizzes, among other features that I haven’t full explored. I like this app for study, especially because of Calculus, Computer Science and Physics exercises explanations. What works best for me is to follow a book (for example, Calculus by Anton Howard), solve the exercises, and when I feel I need an extra help I search for the exercise on Quizlet. There are a free version with limited access to solutions and flashcards, a student’s version and a teacher’s version. I have a student’s account, it costs me 4.99 for an early subscription.

7. Glovo

I am a fan of home office, home cinema, home eating… However, I don’t like to cook, so the best option is to order. Each Uber Eats or Glovo order costs me between 1.99 and 2.50 euros. But the Glovo Premium tariff is 4.99 per month and allows me to place an unlimited number of orders. So it is easy to understand why I have chosen the subscription option.

So, these are my monthly subscriptions basics. Let me know your thoughts or if you would add something to this list in the comments.

https://cdanielaam.medium.com/the-10-monthly-subscriptions-i-cant-live-without