There’s no denying that subscriptions have become expensive in recent years. But accessing the best streaming services and productivity software doesn’t have to break the bank. Many platforms today offer family or group plans that allow you to split the cost with others and take advantage of individual accounts that give each member a personalized experience.
Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming platforms, but recent price hikes have made the service a little too expensive, especially for those on individual plans. Fortunately, you can save money by signing up for a Premium Family plan, which gives you access to six accounts that you can share with your friends and family.
The only caveat is that the people you share your subscription with will have to live under the same roof as you. Still, for $19.99 per month, the subscription, split six ways, is well worth the cost. Also, if you’re really sick of Spotify’s price increases, there are other ways to reduce the subscription cost.
Whether you want to take advantage of ad-free streaming on YouTube or download videos so you’re able to watch them offline, a YouTube Premium subscription is the way to go.
But if you’re not sure whether YouTube Premium is worth the cost or if you think it’s too expensive, consider subscribing to the family plan, which lets you add up to five family members and split the cost with them.
You can try the subscription at no cost for a whole month and pay $22.99 per month if you decide to continue with it. Keep in mind that everyone on the plan will have to reside in the same household.
You can add another adult or up to four teens/children to your Amazon household to share your Prime benefits, including Prime Video. If you’re adding your teens or children to your account, you’ll be able to set viewing restrictions for Prime Video, so you won’t have to worry about them coming across any inappropriate content.
The subscription costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year, but remember that you can access a whole range of other benefits with your Prime subscription, so it offers pretty good value.
With an Apple One subscription, you can access iCloud+ storage, streaming services like Apple TV+ and Apple Music, and more. The only downside is that an individual subscription costs $19.95 per month.
But if you opt for the Apple One Family plan, you get to share your subscription with up to five people. The best part is that, unlike a lot of other services, Apple doesn’t restrict who you share it with, so you can include family members or friends, regardless of whether they live. The family membership offers good value, costing $25.95 per month.
HBO Max offers a variety of subscription options, including cost-effective bundles. If you’re a subscriber, you can share your plan benefits with others, but keep in mind that you will have to live in the same household.
There’s another caveat, too. The With Ads plan ($9.99 per month) and Ad-Free plan ($16.99 per month) only allow up to two concurrent streams, while the Ultimate Ad-Free plan ($20.99 per month) allows up to four. So, if you are sharing your account with a few people, it’s best to go with the Ultimate Ad-Free plan.
Hulu is not the most flexible regarding account sharing and has begun cracking down on users who share their accounts with people outside the household. However, you’ll have no trouble sharing your account if you reside in the same household as your friends or family members. The platform only supports two concurrent streams, though.
Hulu has a range of plans and bundles, with the most affordable option starting at $7.99 per month. You can even pick bundles that offer Live TV options so you can stream both on-demand and live content.
From access to the latest Gemini Advanced features to more cloud storage and automatic backups, a Google One subscription can be extremely useful, especially if you use multiple Google services.
The best part is that you can share your Google One subscription perks with up to five others at no extra cost. Google’s only condition is that everyone on your plan must live in the same country. In terms of pricing, the Basic plan costs just $1.99 per month, while the Premium plan costs $9.99 per month.
Duolingo is one of the most popular language-learning apps, and you can make learning a new language all the more fun by sharing your app benefits with up to five other people.
The best part is that Duolingo is also fairly flexible in terms of account-sharing terms. You can add people to your plan regardless of where they live, and you won’t have any ads interrupting you while you study. The Super Family comes with a free 14-day trial, after which you’ll have to pay $119.99 per year.
TIDAL is a music streaming platform that delivers superior sound quality with hi-res audio. If you and your family or friends value this listening experience, you can subscribe to the Family plan, which starts at $16.99 per month.
The plan is ad-free and supports offline listening. Additionally, every member gets an individual TIDAL account. The only limitation is that everyone on the plan has to reside in the same country.
Although Netflix has really cracked down on password sharing in the recent past, it still offers account-sharing options for people living in the same household. The Standard plan, which costs $15.49 per month, allows you to watch content on up to two devices at a time. But for an additional $7.99 per month, you have the option of adding an extra member who doesn’t reside in the same residence as you.
The Premium plan, which costs $22.99 per month, allows you to watch content on up to four devices at a time. And for an additional $7.99 per month, you get to extend the streaming benefits to two people who don’t reside with you.
If you and your family need access to Microsoft’s productivity tools, the Microsoft 365 Family plan is a great option. With this plan, you can have up to six people sharing the account, and each member can use Microsoft’s services on up to five devices simultaneously.
Costing $99.99 per year, the membership isn’t exactly inexpensive. But splitting the cost with five others brings it down to under $20 per person annually.
Taking advantage of these group and family plans is a great way to keep your subscription costs down, without having to do away with the services you need. Be sure to keep up with policy and pricing changes, so you can continue getting the best value for your money.
