Chapter 1: Subscription Management

A few weeks back, I shared my journey of reducing expenses related to app subscriptions. After a thorough review, I narrowed it down to five essential applications I still wish to pay for. In response to inquiries about my previous subscriptions, this follow-up highlights the apps that didn’t make the cut, leading to savings of over £275 this year.

Bear (£13.99/year)

Bear was removed from my subscription list purely due to my transition to Obsidian. I had been a satisfied Bear user for around three years, appreciating its aesthetic and user-friendly design. Its method of tagging notes was enjoyable, and it introduced me to the benefits of Markdown. However, as I explored Obsidian, I realized the advantages of bidirectional linking and the rapid development supported by its community. The final decision was easier since Obsidian doesn’t charge a subscription fee (although I have made contributions to its development).

Blinkist (£59.99/year)

In recent years, I aimed to enhance the quality of my reading rather than simply increasing the number of books. I sought to reflect on what I read and incorporate key insights into my life. I thought Blinkist would assist me in this regard by helping me identify books that would resonate with me and summarizing essential points. Unfortunately, I found myself listening to Blinkist while driving, which made it difficult to take notes. Additionally, as I delved deeper into reading, I realized that listening to others' interpretations of books impeded my own critical thinking. Consequently, I opted to save £60 annually and canceled my subscription.

Calm (£34.99/year)

Calm is a visually appealing app, but my usage diminished as I shifted my meditation practice to Balance. Near the end of my subscription, I primarily used Calm for its Sleep Soundscapes, which I played overnight. The reasons for my transition from Calm to Balance could be explored in another article, but I hesitated to re-subscribe just for white noise, especially since Spotify (which survived the cull) offers similar playlists for free.

Day One (£32.99/year)

My aspiration to cultivate a journaling habit hasn't progressed as intended. Given that, one might wonder why I canceled my Day One subscription. At the time, I wanted to fully commit to Obsidian, where I spent a considerable part of my day, hoping it would aid my goal. I preferred having all my writings in Obsidian, where each note would link back to a specific date. Although I still desire this, I struggle to establish a journaling routine without Day One's prompts and reminders. I miss the notifications reminding me of my activities from a year ago—Day One's interface was simply more inviting for expressing my thoughts. Do I regret discontinuing my Day One subscription? It's not a definitive "yes," but it is the subscription I miss the most.

Drafts (£17.49/year)

As a fan of Drafts, I used to wonder where to jot down fleeting thoughts throughout my day. Now, I capture those snippets in Drafts, intending to process them each evening. Unfortunately, I haven't fully utilized the “Actions” feature to transfer text to other apps, which is what my subscription was for. Many pre-built Actions are outdated, and the ones I created were unreliable (which is on me, not Drafts). For now, I’ll keep working with Drafts, but until I can integrate it effectively into my workflow, maintaining the subscription doesn't make sense.

PDF Expert (£76.99/year)

My need for a PDF reader boils down to two primary functions: highlighting text and signing documents. With Readwise's growth, I find myself highlighting content in various other apps much earlier in my data workflow. Thus, the only feature I regularly used from the PDF Expert subscription was document signing, which simply isn't worth nearly £80 a year. While I primarily read PDFs on my iPad, I also use PDF Expert on my laptop due to its impressive file compression, allowing for significant reductions in the size of graphic-heavy presentations. However, the Mac version isn't subscription-based; it's a one-time fee, which my previous company covered.

Tripsy (£39.99/year)

Tripsy was one of the first apps to go when I decided to control my subscription expenses. Although the app was well-designed and useful before the pandemic when I traveled frequently for work, my job has changed, and my travel frequency has decreased. For occasional trips, I now rely on the free version of TripIt, which provides similar planning functionality but lacks real-time flight updates at the airport. While that feature is helpful, it doesn't justify the annual cost. I find the main value in these travel apps is organizing my itinerary chronologically, which TripIt does without charge.

Chapter 2: Video Insights

In this chapter, I’ll share relevant videos that expand on my experience with the culling of app subscriptions.

Why The Culling Failed

This video discusses the challenges faced when trying to manage subscriptions effectively and the lessons learned from unsuccessful attempts.

The Culling Gameplay Close Alpha - Battle Royale Survival

This gameplay video showcases strategies that can be applied to managing subscriptions and understanding user preferences.

One Final Note

Thank you for taking the time to read my reflections on app subscriptions. If you found this article helpful, consider subscribing to Medium for more insightful content—it costs less than a coffee each month and supports my writing at no extra expense to you. Thank you again!