I know the usuals like Spotify and Netflix will be answers but I’m interested what other people think are actually worth it considering we live in age where everything is a subscription.
What Subscriptions Do You Think Are Actually Worth It?
JAF on 23/10/2021 - 14:06
Comments
YouTube Premium Family - Youtube with no ad's, Youtube Music and share across the family.
AmazonPrime - Free Postage on many items, including international over a certain value. Prime video is good. Haven't really used Prime gaming.
Xbox gamepass - Keeps the boys amused, lots of games available to download
Make sure you link Twitch to your Prime account and you can give a streamer about $5 once a month at no extra cost to you.
Thanks. My son will like that.
Woolworths delivery - free delivery on orders over $50.
If you’re a family spending a few hundred a week on groceries this is great value as you can get items just in time / or as you run out. (Apart from the ones you’ve stockpiled when on sale, ozbargain-style)
Just keep adding to your cart then checkout when you hit $50 - it reduces your mental load! Plus no need to step inside a supermarket again (so many benefits just there)
+1 for Amazon prime
Also Fetch TV via Optus we get great value fromWhat about perishable such as fruit/vegetables, bread, yogurt?
I would say fruit and vegetables would be his and miss
When I go to the store I always pull from the back so get the longest expiry item.
With delivery, getting something that has a few days to a week expiry, as opposed to 2-3 weeks can be frustratin
I’ve found it depends on the product. Capsicum and lettuce are great but apples and berries no good (from the store that delivers to me I guess). I also support our local fruit veg delivery service who charge $5 delivery.
Re expiry dates, if I buy for next day(s) use it’s fine. Or sometimes I’ll buy one of an item I’m thinking of stocking up on to see expiry life, then the next day buy multiples.
Amazon prime and netflix.
Apple arcade is pretty excellent if you have kids with iPads. One subscription covers the whole family.
M365 family plan for onedrive storage
For me (not including insurances and memberships like RACQ):
- OneDrive additional storage (still looking for a cheap Microsoft Family subscription)That is all.
Past subscriptions that were totally worth it at the time…
- PC Powerplay
- Atomic MPC
- Hyper Magazine
I got
Amazon Prime
Netflix
Youtube Premium
Tradingview Pro
Doordash
NordVPN cos of cashback dealDoordash pass will stop at the end of October
Netflix and Youtube are grouped with some fellow Ozbargainers here. I don't even know how much I paid for it HAHAHAHA
dash pass was weird. I had pretty good offers before i purchased it, but afterwards they became shit offers and eventually i cancelled it after 2 months
It depends what is important to you and what you use on a regular basis, everyone has their own taste and likes
AFR
Amazon prime (mostly for shopping)
Netflix
Spotify
Youtube (mainly to stop seeing the ads)
Hiking/Riding appsFor me it is:
Netflix
New York Times ( best news for the money, perhaps even best news altogether)
The Economist (Expensive but very informative)
Spotify
Prime
Disney+
The Age
Google One (This is awesome)
Plex (still on the one month trial, might cancel)
Arrgh the Age! Why pay for a government cheerleader? Use DuckDuckGo and clear the cache after every 5 views.
PS+
Prime is almost too obvious so…prime.
My $2USD monthly subscription to Windscribe was pretty good - unlimited data but you only choose 1 location (you can add extra locations for $1 each). Not bad, alright speeds, and was fine when cancelled because I didn't use it - reverted back to the free 50GB.
Syncler+ and real debrid is all you will ever need
Amazon Prime (I’m on the Optus free 12-month subscription but will definitely stay on as a subscriber) - the fast shipping and Prime Video were a breath of fresh air.
Spotify - sharing with an Ozbargainer.
Sweat app and Peloton digital app monthly subscriptions - comes to about $32/month total - I workout at least 5 days a week and at anytime I want, to me it’s a no brainer and I’d be paying much more to access a gym and would probably work out less frequently if I had to plan my gym trips and travel to and back.
Edit: also an AFR subscription for work and general interest purposes.
Only one mistake IMO , you should have gone a NordicTrack with iFit over Peloton, iFit has Sweat now 😅. Each to there own and fully agree with you on the gym/workout at home
I’ll check out iFit, thanks! I am a monthly subscriber for Sweat and Peloton so am not locked in. Don’t use a treadmill or bike.
Do you use iFit? I assume you can without having to own/use Nordictrack equipment?
None
Piracy covers music and movies (some games too)
YTV for free YT premiumSave hundreds/thousands yearly like this
My driver's licence is a pretty useful subscription to have.
The multi year renewal fees are generally a worthwhile discount!
Lifetime Plex Pass.
Woolworths Delivery Unlimited is the only subscription I pay for. $15 a month you get any order over $50 delivered for free the next day. As someone who doesn't own a car I used to have to carry all my groceries home with me on public transport. Buying groceries online is way better.
~ $130 for 3 years of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is excellent value
Agreed! And I've stacked 6 months extra just from Microsoft Rewards points.
Get cinema hd from free on your smart tv and then subscribe to real debrid. Say good buy to every other streaming service.
Syncler+ with real debrid is much better. Cinema hd layout is trash
Amazon for sure. I found Apple News plus to be a good value during lockdown. (So many magazines for only $15 /month)
A hell of a lot of free magazines online with your local library membership
Prime for the free delivery and the odd movie tv show
VPN for all the shows I want to watch from netflix apple TV etc from a certain place that has raised the jolly rodger
Obviously differs person to person
Subs I value
Netflix
Amazon Prime (barely)
VPN (CyberGhost currently, though pick your poison)
Xbox Game Pass
Office 365 familySubs I have that are crap
Disney+ (just don't get the value with its minimal new content and huge amount of censoring old content)
Apple Storage for wife (this is one massively overpriced sub, more expensive than Office 365 and provides less storage than Office 365 without any of the extras).Zwift
Malaysian IPTV and half priced Spotify from Indonesia.
Mind PMing me the Malaysian IPTV?
Spotify. I pay 6$, student discount.
You're paying extra
TVB anywhere. Very expensive but couldn't find an alternative for my cantonese speaking in-laws who wants to stay on top of Australian news.
Amazon Prime because it combines an exhaustive catalogue of things to buy with free RELIABLE postage and a decent TV streaming service to boot. Also some extra benefits on twitch and loot drops if you're a gamer. Hard to beat their single offering for me.
Gym
I torrent
From what I've tried over the years
Good:
- Netflix - Has had a few bangers recently (Squid Game, You season 3).
- Prime - Great value for $60 with delivery, video and a few other things
- YT Premium - Great for music (always have adblock so YT vids were never a problem)
- Game Pass - Great for new releases and saving money. Keen for Forza Horizon 5
Average:
- Stan - Can be good, but there's nothing on there interesting at the moment. Netflix
- Kayo - Can be great if you watch a lot of sports. I'm only into the NRL so only use it 6 months of the year.
- Disney+ - Good for classic animations and Marvel. Otherwise nothing groundbreaking
Crap:
- Foxtel Now - Murdoch + bugger all good content
- Paramount Plus - VERY limited. $6 was almost too much for this, but it has Dexter, and Stan lost it a few months ago.
- Acorn TV - Not British enough to enjoy it
Stan - Can be good, but there's nothing on there interesting at the moment
Stan Sports has UEFA Champions League
I don't know whyic subscription has the best value but Ebay Plus has the worst.
I disagree I have saved hundreds of dollars on postage alone when sending goods out to customers.
There have been promotion where items have been free to send or for only $5.
+1 pays for itself if eBay is your go to.
Is that only sendle however or auspost? I charge them anyway for postage so whatever
Optus sport for the premier leagure
Splice (music production samples and Serum presets)
Netflix
Spotify
Amazon Prime
eBay Plus
Apple storage
Google storage
ChoiceDownvote likely due to piratEBAY Plus
Rough! eBay Plus is definitely the worst of the lot don't get me wrong, but it paid for itself when I signed up, and you can get historic low prices from places like Manny's for music gear when they run 10-15% eBay Plus specials.
Especially during COVID supplier pricing for gear has been hit hard compared to US/EU pricing.
Media/content
1. Prime - shipping/etc. The video service is a bonus. I don't really care for the other random Prime benefits.
2. Netflix - large range of shows, good UI, works seamlessly
3. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate - great range of titles, lots of AAA titles including new releases on my XSX and PC, etc
4. Youtube Premium - worth it to stop the adds and have downloadable video support in all my native apps without having to use a third party video downloader
5. Spotify - it just works. I'm sure I could potentially get a better deal by using Amazon music, but I'm too invested in Spotify and it works on all our non Homepod smart speakers/etc
6. Apple TV+ - good for certain shows (eg Tad Lasso), and I feel each ATV series is of very high quality, but once I run out of content I'll probably pause my subscription and wait for them to accumulate since I'm not a huge fan of the commercial TV style releases of a new episode each week.
7. Apple Arcade - some good fun casual titles like Mini Motorways, as well as some oldies eg. Professor Layton. I probably won't continue my subscription though as I've played through everything sufficiently enough and nothing else catches my attention for now.Storage/sharing/utilities
1. Office 365 - Best value in terms of 1TB per person in the family, plus latest Office apps. Sure it's not as cheap as the old HUP but given that's no longer an option anyway, Office 365 seems to work well for my family.
2. Apple iCloud - I appreciate the extra storage for backups, and the family sharing feature allows me to help ensure my parents phones are all backed up too. The new features
3. Google One - Photos and Gmail are two massive Google services I use. Even though I have a NAS and Office 365 with 1TB, I appreciate both the safety of another backup, and also the AI/smarts of Google Photos.
4. Tinybeans - Got hooked on it when it was a free service and family members across the world use it to check on daily photos of our daughter. I appreciate the simplicity of the interface (vs Facebook) and that it allows us to see a calendar view with photos from every day since she was born.
5. 1Password Families - I didn't want to sign up for this given I had previously bought the standalone apps but after buying a new Mac and not having a Mac licence, and realising that I kept paying the Dropbox charge to add a new device each time, and my parents needed something to use, it made sense to get the families subscription.Cancelled
1. Dropbox - after switching to 1Password families I no longer have a need to keep paying the $16 or so each time I need to upgrade to premium so I can add another device (since I exceeded 3 devices).
2. Stan - didn't really watch much on it other than finishing the NannyNetflix, Kayo, Amazon Prime here. Am considering Google one as I'm probably going to run out of space for google photos soon.
Would be great if Google One included (or offered discount on) YouTube Premium
Youtube Premium from an Indian or Russian VPN/address
eBay PlusHaven't been able to justify anything else.
Choice is free btw. Search Ozb for the how.
How do you justify Youtube Premium?
I don't see any reason?~$3 a month for entire family of 5.
No ads on YouTube on all devices.
YouTube Music. Basically Spotify/Apple music but better.
- larger library
- no ads
- downloads to device for going out of cell range
- works on Chromecast, Home and phone.
I literally got called a bootlicker for this advice earlier, at least I'm not alone in my gold coin oppression haha
Just use Brave browser on your device. It blocks ads. I support some content creators on Youtube instead : subscribe and support the channel. Although they do get revenue through number of views of course.
I like the ads gone with music playback on Youtube Music. When in the car or on the Google Home.
Same with watching on the TV's built in Youtube player.
Personal preference in order based on what i use / cost:
1. Amazon Prime - Free delivery plus the streaming service for $60 a year. Save hundreds in postage costs a year, especially stuff i get from the US plus the streaming is a decent bonus.
2. Apple Music - Family plan across myself, wife and 2 kids.
3. Hulu - Our most used streaming service in the house.We also have Netflix, Disney+ and Paramount + US and basic Foxtel Now. All up, paying just over half what i used to pay for just Foxtel about 4 years ago with so much more choice and flexibility.
Hulu - Our most used streaming service in the house.
But it's not available in Australia?
How Do you get Hulu
Getflix and a subscription through a US apple account. Getflix had the initial instructions. Whirlpool also has info about paying for Hulu.
Paramount + US is also through Getflix but i pay direct with an amex.
I've got FetchTV with two $6 channel packs, I get Optus Sport for free, I've got a cheap South African NBA league pass and Amazon prime (free from Optus Star Hub for 12 months).
The best thing I've found on Amazon is the 15% off subscription service. I found my daughter's nappies for $8.50 a pack. At the supermarket they are now $15 each. I get 4 packs every 5 weeks. I signed up for Omo 2L for $9.50 every 2 months. It's normally $22 at the supermarket. The best price is when it's half price at $11. I'm still in front. I keep checking to see what other products are on the list. I've already got some huge savings. I like the flexibility to be able to change the frequency of the deliveries too. I will probably end up re-signing with AmazonBased on my usage I should get prime and ebay plus but I have just been copping the delivery fees so far and the difference is not mega.
Netflix, YouTube Premium, Spotify is a must.
Disney Plus is just for safe keeping in case I feel like a marvel movie or something old like the Simpson's.
I initially got it for star wars and the mandalorian but that's over now so it is just sitting there but I got it cheap with a family plan so it's not a huge problem cost wise and is nice to have options when Netflix is not streaming anything nice and worthy.
Can Costco memebership be count as a subscription? It's pretty close to Prime and eBay Plus :)
Real debrid.
Best $5 a month you could ever spend.
Prime
Netflix
Google one
Stan - about to unsub
Spotify
Bodybot - workout app, absolutely excellent $60us pa from memory
YNAB
Good pair days - get a box every 3 months or soI need to check out these hacks, have been gone from OzB too long.
Does this site have any subscription services?
Prime - saved $100s on postage alone and yes decent TV program.
Netflix for the huge content and new releases specifically for Netflix
Tesla premium connectivity. It is $10 per month for unlimited mobile internet in your car.
Yes after the 100k deposit
60k and low running costs . Very good deal
Nat Geo Kids magazine 6 months subscription for 8000 Qantas Point for my 5yo… So far so good.
Amazon Prime - very cheap at $59 a year (or free with optus). For that price you get the free shipping and exclusive offers, the prime video and prime music subscription services.
YouTube premium - yeah i know i could just use an adblocker on my browser but the thing is for $2.30 a month (via India) i don't have ads on my TVs YouTube or my Phone's YouTube - it also comes with access to YouTube music streaming service.
Funimation/anime lab are also good choices if you are into anime
My list of subscriptions and my personal ranking of them
Worth
Amazon Prime ($59/y)
- Sub & Save 10% off after pricematching Coles / Woolies is great
- Monthly 1-2 books from first reads is nice, but some of the books are hit and miss
- Free shipping is also nice. Used to get 1-2 day shipping on pretty much everything back when the posties weren't overloaded
NBA League Pass ($58/y via South Africa)
- Watch all the NBA games in 1080p
- Cheaper than getting something like Kayo where ESPN only shows a few games
YouTube Premium ($2/m via India)
- No ads while still supporting the creators
Kinda Worth
Netflix UHD ($10/m via Turkey)
- Decent catalog, don't have to shuffle files between my server and local NAS
- Find myself spending more time finding what to watch than watching shows
Google Workspace ($17/m)
- Unlimited domains, so I can use it as a catchall w/ decent spam filtering
- Unlimited* storage to store backups and other misc files. Works well to backup my local backups
- Expensive for what I'm using it as
Bugs [Korean Music Streaming] ($17.99/m via iTunes)
- New release are made available straight away unlike Tidal / QoBuz where some releases take ~12hrs to become available
- FLAC quality (16-bit only)
- Expensive for what it is
- I still find myself signing up to Qobuz / Tidal trials occasionally to play around with 24-bit / MQA respectively
GamePass Ultimate ($130/3y via Turkey)
- XCloud gaming is smooth, able to play a game while they're being download locally
- Haven't "recouped" the value yet, but will do so post Halo: Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 releases
Not Worth
- Random yearly VPSes (<$12/y each)
- All they do is idle
Surprised no one has said it, but my favourite subscription is Xbox Gamepass Ultimate. Plenty of ways to get full access really cheap ($50/ year in some instances) and you get access to Xbox Live Gold, EA Games (generally added after 6 months) and all Xbox game studios new releases day one. Ok top of that you get tonnes of great games to play from 3rd party devs (ie Marvel's Avengers just got added and while it's a pretty average game for the good old price of free you can't really complain).
That and there's more content there than you could ever hope to play, plus there's now Cloud Gaming so you can buy the sub and not even need an actual Xbox just a fast internet connection with a large data cap (which many people have these days anyway).
Apart from the usual suspects of Prime, Netflix, Spotify and Google Drive, I also consider my AAMI content insurance as a subscription giving me access to discounted gift cards…$600 of groceries almost pays the full membership fees..not to mention regular purchases of Amazon GC, Bonds GC and so on…
Netflix, Stan and Binge. Some great content and, maybe more importantly, no need to ever watch dreadful Australian commercial TV channels.
Apple Music Student Subscription at $5.99/month. Can still use my uni email even though I have left 4 years ago. I just see it as a one way opal trip a month.
If you can join an Apple family, works out to $80 per year or just under $7pm for Apple Music, Apple TV+, news, arcade, iCloud. Works out to be excellent value.
Free Apple Music :)
I swap video provider subscriptions, so instead of having a Stan, Binge, Netflix etc.. All simultaneous, we switch from one to another when getting bored of the content.
Spotify family is alright for $19/month.
Agree Amazon prime is worth it.
Woolworths delivery subscription - do the shopping quickly and order from past orders. It's $120/year for unlimited delivery. I probably make that back in online code use and other Woolworths online benefits.
Playstation Plus because of the games and then further discounts you get on games. It's definitely not fantastic but I do try and get my moneys worth.
Thanks to whoever negged me 👍
Fishing license if you are good at catching fish
That would be called a catching licence. I don't have a boat so usually I go home empty handed!
Twitch Turbo & Prime
Kayo is excellent value particularly compared to the more expense Foxtel.
Another good one is Apple One Premier… once you split the cost with others it’s extremely good value.
Maybe it’s the ozbargainer in me, but I’m always thinking of cancelling my few subscriptions because they’re not worth it.
And I only have: Amazon, Netflix, Disney+, Tidal, Sam Harris.
Then I find after cancelling them I resubscribe a week or so later.Go with your gut feeling and cancel. You can always watch youtube and spend the rest of your day IRL. Sam Harris is interesting. Good that you support independent content creators.
None. I just watch YouTube with adblocker.
Actually, I have NordVPN, got it cheap for 3 years via this site and Cashback. Thanks!
I just can't believe that no one has listed Adobe subscriptions, shocker!
I've got quite a few. Some I have but trade off with someone.
Netflix (trade off the cost with Spotify and have got the Turkish pricing)
Spotify (trade off with Netflix) they transfer the money for Netflix and I pay it and I pay Spotify
Kayo (don't pay for) trade off with Disney+
Disney+ (I trade off with Kayo and my Sister in law pays half the year subscription)
Amazon Prime (don't watch but I do love the free deliveries from Amazon). Would get at least 2 packages a month from Amazon so worth the cost for me.Ebay+ only because it gave you a gift card (will not be renewing this service).
Stan Premium which i split 3 ways with other Ozbarginers (4th person trades off Binge)
Youtube Premium (Argentina pricing) and trade off and cost me very little.
Binge (don't pay for) trade off with Stan - probably wouldn't keep if I had to pay for it.
HBO Max paid for a year and sold off half. Was worth it when I went halves. Regardless I won't renew at this stage.
Optus Sport is a mates sub. He doesn't watch soccer so offered me the sub.
Paramount+ through the $5.99 annual cost glitch. Seeing how poor the content is I wouldn't have kept it had it cost more than that for a year.
AppleTV+ I have for free through the PS5 offer and had it previously for the free 1 year subscription when you bought certain devices. Won't continue.
Playstation+ and I stack when I sale. - Love gaming online. Playing solo I find is a little boring.NordVPN & Surfshark VPN but with the 90% cashback for 2 years.
I subscribe to treating others how I want to be treated. It’s a free subscription and a great way to live.