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A while ago, I decided to take a closer look at my monthly bank statement. At first, nothing seemed unusual. Then I started adding up all the small subscription charges that had become part of my routine. Netflix. Spotify. Adobe Creative Cloud. Microsoft 365. iCloud+. Amazon Prime. A password manager. A VPN. A cloud backup service. Individually, none of them looked expensive. Together, they were quietly costing me more than €150 every month.
If that sounds familiar, you're far from alone. In 2026, the average person pays for five or more digital subscriptions, and many popular tech services have increased their prices significantly over the past few years. The days of inexpensive, all-in-one subscriptions are largely behind us. Instead, monthly payments have become so common that it's easy to lose track of how much you're really spending.
So I decided to review every subscription I was paying for. Some weren't worth keeping anymore. Others had surprisingly capable free alternatives. A few still earned their place. In this guide, I'll show you which subscriptions I canceled, which ones I kept, and the free tools that can help you save money without sacrificing the features you actually use.
Why 2026 Is the Year Subscriptions Finally Hit the Wall
Subscription prices didn't skyrocket overnight—they crept up little by little. Netflix increased its monthly fees several times. Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps now costs around $660 a year. Microsoft 365 Personal rose to $99.99 per year, with business plans set for another increase in mid-2026. Spotify became more expensive, and even iCloud storage now costs roughly twice as much as it did just a few years ago.
The impact is becoming impossible to ignore. More than half of consumers say they're considering canceling subscriptions, while many have already reduced their monthly spending. Beyond the cost itself, there's the constant hassle of managing renewal dates, forgotten free trials, and services you no longer use but continue paying for.
This isn't about avoiding subscriptions altogether. It's about making sure you're paying only for the services that genuinely add value—especially now that many free alternatives have become powerful enough for everyday use.
The 5 Subscriptions Worth Cutting (And What to Use Instead)
Adobe Creative Cloud is an outstanding collection of creative tools, but for many people it's also one of the most expensive subscriptions they keep paying for year after year. Since it's subscription-based, you never actually own the software—you keep paying to maintain access. After using Creative Cloud for several years, I eventually switched to other tools, and in hindsight I realized I didn't need most of what I was paying for.
Unless you're a professional designer or photographer who depends on Adobe's ecosystem every day, chances are you're only using a small fraction of the available features. Many casual creators mainly open Photoshop for photo editing or Illustrator for the occasional logo or graphic. That's a significant annual expense for software that often sits unused.
The good news is that things have changed dramatically. In 2026, free and affordable creative software has become remarkably capable. Most users can edit photos, create illustrations, design graphics, and even produce professional-quality videos without paying a monthly subscription.
- Krita — One of the best free applications for digital painting and illustration, with a fantastic brush engine. It also includes solid photo editing tools. Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android.
- GIMP 3.0 — A mature, open-source image editor with layers, masks, filters, RAW support through plugins, and a much more polished interface than previous versions.
- Inkscape — A powerful vector graphics editor that's ideal for logos, icons, illustrations, and SVG artwork. A great replacement for Illustrator for most users.
- DaVinci Resolve (Free) — An industry-leading video editor that includes professional color grading, visual effects, audio production, and editing tools—all available in its generous free version.
- Affinity Suite — If you prefer commercial software, Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher are available with a one-time purchase instead of a recurring subscription, making them a much more cost-effective long-term investment.
Microsoft 365 is still one of the best productivity suites available, but for many home users it's no longer the obvious choice it once was. Over the years, the subscription price has increased while free office suites have become faster, more polished, and compatible with the file formats most people use every day.
After relying on Microsoft 365 for several years, I eventually realized I wasn't taking advantage of most of its premium features. My daily work mainly involved writing documents, creating spreadsheets, and putting together presentations—tasks that modern free alternatives handle surprisingly well. The only occasions when I truly needed the desktop Office apps were for complex Excel spreadsheets containing advanced VBA macros, and those situations were extremely rare.
Another factor is that Microsoft's ecosystem keeps expanding with premium services such as Copilot AI and additional cloud features. While these can be valuable for power users, they also make the subscription more expensive than many people actually need.
- LibreOffice — A complete open-source office suite that includes Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base, and Math. It works entirely offline, doesn't require an account, and offers excellent compatibility with Microsoft Office documents.
- Google Docs, Sheets & Slides — Perfect for cloud-based work, real-time collaboration, and sharing documents with others. Changes are saved automatically, making it an excellent choice for teams and students.
- Microsoft Office for the Web — Microsoft's own free browser-based version includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, along with 5GB of OneDrive storage. It's more than capable for everyday editing and document creation.
- ONLYOFFICE — A modern office suite with outstanding compatibility for DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX files. It's an excellent choice if you frequently exchange documents with Microsoft Office users.
I'm not saying you should give up Netflix or your favorite streaming platform altogether. The real money-saving trick is to stop treating streaming subscriptions as permanent monthly bills. With so many services competing for your attention, paying for several at the same time rarely makes sense.
A simple rotation strategy can cut your entertainment costs dramatically. Subscribe to one service, watch everything on your list, cancel before the next billing cycle, and switch to another platform the following month. Since most services let you keep watching until the end of your paid period, you lose nothing—and avoid paying for months when you're barely using the service.
It's also worth asking yourself how much of each catalog you actually watch. Most people spend more time browsing than watching, and only finish a handful of shows or movies every month. If that's the case, maintaining multiple subscriptions year-round is often unnecessary.
Before paying for another streaming service, don't overlook the growing number of legal free options. Several platforms now offer thousands of movies, TV series, documentaries, and live channels supported by advertising. If you have a public library card, you may even have access to premium streaming services at no extra cost.
- Tubi — A completely free, ad-supported streaming service with thousands of licensed movies, TV series, documentaries, and family content.
- Pluto TV — Offers hundreds of live TV channels alongside a large on-demand library, all without requiring a subscription.
- YouTube — Beyond creator videos, you'll find free movies, documentaries, educational content, concerts, and classic TV shows depending on your region.
- Kanopy & Hoopla — Available through many public libraries, these services provide free access to high-quality films, documentaries, TV series, audiobooks, and more with a valid library card.
- Subscription Rotation — Instead of paying for four or five services every month, keep only one active at a time. You'll still watch everything you want while spending a fraction of the money over the course of a year.
Cloud storage is incredibly convenient, but it's also one of those subscriptions that quietly grows over time. Apple's free 5GB fills up almost immediately once you start backing up photos, videos, messages, and your iPhone. Many people upgrade to 50GB, then 200GB, and before long they're paying every month without giving it much thought. The same thing happens with Google One, Dropbox, and other cloud services.
Before paying for more space, ask yourself whether you actually need it. In many cases, the problem isn't a lack of storage—it's years of duplicate photos, old videos, forgotten downloads, and files you'll probably never open again. A thorough cleanup can free up tens of gigabytes and delay, or even eliminate, the need for a paid plan.
If you still need extra space after cleaning up, there are several excellent free alternatives. You can also combine multiple free services or keep older files on an external SSD while using the cloud only for your most important documents and recent photos.
- Google Photos — Includes 15GB of free Google storage shared across Photos, Drive, and Gmail. Excellent for backing up photos and videos, especially if you use Android or multiple devices.
- Proton Drive — A privacy-focused encrypted cloud storage service that offers a free plan and end-to-end encryption for your files.
- MEGA — Known for its generous free storage allowance and built-in encryption, making it a solid option for storing larger files securely.
- External SSD or USB Drive — A one-time purchase can store years of photos, videos, and backups without any recurring monthly fees. It's one of the most cost-effective long-term solutions.
- Clean Up Before You Upgrade — Remove duplicate photos, blurry images, old screenshots, downloaded files, and unused backups first. Many people discover they already have more than enough space once the clutter is gone.
Spotify Premium is one of those subscriptions that's surprisingly hard to cancel. Once it becomes part of your daily routine—whether you're commuting, working, or exercising—you barely notice the monthly charge. That was certainly true for me. I paid for it for years without giving it much thought until another price increase made me stop and ask whether I was really getting my money's worth.
When I looked at my listening habits, I realized I kept coming back to the same playlists, favorite albums, and a relatively small group of artists. If your music habits are similar, paying for a premium plan every month may not be as essential as it seems. You could switch to a free service, buy the albums you genuinely love, or support your favorite artists directly.
Spotify's free plan has improved a lot over the years. While it includes advertisements and a few playback restrictions on mobile devices, it's still an excellent option for casual listening—especially on a desktop computer, laptop, or smart speaker. After switching back to the free tier, I got used to the ads much faster than I expected.
- Spotify Free — Enjoy Spotify's full music catalog with occasional ads, making it a great choice if you don't mind a few interruptions.
- YouTube Music Free — Offers millions of songs, live performances, remixes, covers, and music videos that aren't available on many other streaming platforms.
- SoundCloud — Perfect for discovering independent artists, DJs, podcasts, remixes, and new music before it reaches mainstream services.
- Last.fm — Tracks your listening habits and recommends new artists and albums based on the music you already enjoy.
- Bandcamp — Buy DRM-free music directly from artists, keep it forever, and support the creators with a much larger share of the purchase price.
The Real Numbers: How Much Could You Really Save?
| Subscription | Typical Annual Cost | Smarter Alternative | Potential Annual Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Creative Cloud | ~$660 | Krita + GIMP + Inkscape | ~$660 |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | ~$100 | LibreOffice + Microsoft Office for the Web | ~$100 |
| Netflix | ~$216 | Tubi + Subscription Rotation | ~$150 |
| iCloud+ | ~$36 | MEGA + External SSD | ~$36 |
| Spotify Premium | ~$132 | Spotify Free / YouTube Music | ~$132 |
| Total Potential Annual Saving | ~$1,078 | ||
When you look at each subscription individually, the monthly cost doesn't seem all that significant. But together, they add up to more than $1,000 a year—money that could be put to much better use.
Whether you invest it in a new laptop, upgrade your smartphone, build an emergency fund, or simply reduce your monthly expenses, reviewing your subscriptions once a year is one of the easiest ways to free up money without making major lifestyle changes.
How to Cut Your Subscription Costs Without the Hassle
For most people, the hardest part isn't canceling subscriptions—it's remembering what they're paying for in the first place. Automatic renewals make it easy to forget about services you no longer use. I set aside one afternoon each year to review everything, and it's surprising how much money that simple habit saves.
Step 1 — Make a complete list. Check your bank and credit card statements for recurring charges, then look through your Apple ID and Google Play subscriptions as well. Don't forget PayPal if you've used it for online purchases. Write down every subscription and what it costs each month or year.
Step 2 — Be honest about how often you use it. Ask yourself two questions: Have I actually used this in the last month? If the answer is no, it's probably time to cancel it. If the answer is yes, consider whether a free or lower-cost alternative would still meet your needs.
Step 3 — Try the alternative before you cancel. If you're replacing paid software, spend a few days with the free option first. Whether it's LibreOffice instead of Microsoft 365 or Krita instead of Photoshop, testing it in your normal workflow helps you avoid unpleasant surprises later.
Step 4 — Don't skip the cancellation page. Many companies would rather keep you at a lower price than lose you completely. Before confirming the cancellation, take a minute to see if they're offering a temporary discount or a cheaper plan. It doesn't always happen, but when it does, the savings can be worthwhile.
Over the years, I've received several discounted renewal offers simply by starting the cancellation process. Streaming services, cloud storage providers, and software companies often try to keep existing customers by offering a lower price for a few months. If you see a deal that makes sense, great. If not, you can simply continue with the cancellation.
My Personal Experience With This Switch
I didn't cancel every subscription overnight. Instead, I replaced them one by one and spent a few weeks with each alternative before deciding whether it could become part of my daily workflow. That approach made the transition much easier than I expected.
The biggest change was leaving Adobe Creative Cloud. After using it for years, I switched to Krita for image editing and digital artwork, while Inkscape became my go-to tool for vector graphics. Learning a different interface and new keyboard shortcuts took a little time, but after a couple of weeks it felt completely natural. Today, I create nearly all the graphics for this blog without paying a monthly subscription.
I also stopped paying for Microsoft 365. These days, LibreOffice handles almost everything I write, while Google Docs is my first choice whenever I need to collaborate with someone else. The only feature I occasionally miss is full support for advanced Excel macros, but that's something I rarely need.
Streaming was an easy win. Rather than keeping Netflix active all year, I subscribe only when there's enough content I actually want to watch. Once I've finished it, I cancel and come back a few months later. I still watch the same shows—I just pay for far fewer months.
Spotify turned out to be the easiest adjustment of all. The ads on the free plan were slightly annoying at first, but after a week I barely noticed them. Saving more than €130 every year is a trade-off I'm happy to make.
Looking back, these small changes have reduced my software and entertainment spending by roughly €80 each month. That's close to €1,000 every year—without feeling like I've given anything up.
Subscriptions I'd Keep Without Hesitation
Not every subscription is a waste of money. Some genuinely save time, improve security, or make everyday tasks easier, and those are usually worth paying for.
A password manager is a good example. Bitwarden Premium costs very little but adds useful features such as encrypted file attachments, emergency access, security reports, and support for hardware security keys. It's one of the few subscriptions I never question.
The same goes for a reliable VPN if you regularly connect to public Wi-Fi, an online backup service if your files are important, or any specialist software you depend on for work. If it saves you time, protects your data, or helps you earn money, it's usually money well spent.
Whenever I'm reviewing my subscriptions, I ask myself one simple question: If this disappeared tomorrow, would I genuinely miss it? If the answer is yes, I keep it. If replacing it would only be a minor inconvenience, I start looking for a better value alternative.
That's the mindset that has helped me cut unnecessary spending without sacrificing the tools I actually rely on. You don't have to cancel everything—just make sure every subscription has earned its place.
