Here's Every App I Pay For On My iPhone. Are They Worth Your Money?

Here’s a detailed look at every app subscription on my iPhone, what they cost, and why I keep them. If it’s on my list, it’s earned it's place on my phone..

People often ask me what iPhone apps I pay for and why. It’s a fair question, especially when subscriptions pile up faster than we realize. I regularly review my subscriptions to make sure I’m not wasting money, but the ones that stick around are apps I truly rely on, either for my work or personal routines.

Let me walk you through the apps I’m currently paying for, their costs, what I use them for, and why I think they’re worth it.

I want to give proper credit where it’s due and a shoutout to Stephen Robles for inspiring this video and blog post. I came across his video where he shared the iPhone apps he’s paying for, and it got me thinking about my own subscriptions, what I’m paying for, and what’s earning its place each month.

Patreon, Supporting Creators I Care About

I pay monthly to support creators on Patreon, including Kim Siever from The Alberta Worker and Chad Carpenter, the mind behind Tundra Comics. Supporting creators who provide me with value is important to me because I know first-hand how much time and effort goes into making meaningful content.

I can’t support everyone I follow, but I do what I can. I see it as a cycle: the more people support my work, the more I can support others. It’s a way of keeping independent voices alive, whether they’re creating journalism, commentary, or comics that make us laugh.

Teleprompter Premium, Studio-Quality Prompting

Teleprompter Premium runs about $60 a year, and it’s my teleprompter app of choice. I use it to keep my thoughts organized when recording videos, but I don’t just read scripts word for word. I keep it up as a reference, especially when I have specific points to hit.

The app supports various file formats, including PDF and Word, and can mirror text depending on the hardware. It also allows me to record directly within the app, although I don’t use that feature. For me, it’s about being organized and professional without losing that natural delivery in my videos.

The ability to export subtitles is a bonus I didn’t expect to use as much as I do, especially when creating more polished content.

ChatGPT Plus, My Writing and Brainstorming Assistant

I pay around $30 Canadian a month for ChatGPT Plus. The biggest value here is being able to brainstorm ideas and work through writer’s block. I often ask it to help me rephrase things when I want to be firm but diplomatic in emails, especially when emotions could easily get in the way.

But I want to be crystal clear: I don’t let it write my posts for me. Every blog post begins as a rough conversation with ChatGPT to get the juices flowing, but I carefully review every word to ensure it sounds like me.

The subscription is worth it because I don’t hit the usage limits that free users do, and I can bounce between tasks like summarizing articles, drafting responses, or generating headlines. It’s become a staple tool in my creative process.

1Password, My Go-To Password Manager

At about $6 a month, 1Password is an essential tool for me. I’ve tried other password managers, but this one consistently comes out on top in reviews and recommendations from people I trust.

I store most of my passwords here, though I still keep my credit card information and a few sensitive notes in KeePassXC, which stays on my Mac and is backed up to my NAS, just because it somehow makes me feel better not having it stored in the cloud.

Even though 1Password is incredibly secure, I’m old-school when it comes to storing payment information in the cloud. Still, for managing daily logins, app passwords, and account credentials, 1Password makes that process seamless and secure.

Croissant, Effortless Cross-Posting

Croissant costs about $20 USD a year, which is around $25 Canadian. It’s one of those apps I didn’t know I needed until I tried it. I discovered it through Stephen Robles on YouTube, and it’s been a time-saver for posting to Mastodon, Bluesky, and Threads all at once. What really makes it stand out is the ability to add alt text to images for accessibility, a feature that more cross-posting apps should support.

That said, I’m cautious when cross-posting. I don’t just paste the same message everywhere because each platform has its own culture and quirks, and tagging users is different across platforms.

I keep my posts under 300 characters when possible and proofread them. Croissant makes this easier, but I still prefer to manually post if I’m tagging specific people to make sure it they see it and the community can see I’m respecting each platform.

It’s also where I first learned about the Croissant app, which I’ve since added to my own list. If you’re curious about his recommendations and perspective, I highly recommend watching his video here:
Skeets, A Better Bluesky Experience

Skeets is a $25 per year investment that enhances my Bluesky experience. I’m on Bluesky daily, and while the official app has improved, Skeets gives me better notifications, a smoother interface, and more control over how I view content.

For example, I can customize what shows up in my feed and how posts are displayed using mutes and other features.

That alone makes the subscription worth it. Additionally, I appreciate knowing that I’m supporting developers who create thoughtful alternatives to default apps. For the first couple of years, Skeets was the only way to get notified when certain users posted, which was important to me, so I didn’t check the app constantly.

Tapestry, My Filtered RSS Reader

Tapestry by Icon Factory costs $3 a month and has completely replaced Feedly for me. What I love about it is the ability to pull in both RSS feeds and social media timelines, but with the added power of keyword filtering. I’ve set up extensive filters to mute out political noise and cultural debates that I’m not interested in seeing when I just want tech news.

This keeps my reading list focused and valuable. I also love that it was created by the developers of Twitterific, a once-great app that was unfortunately shut down when Twitter discontinued third-party access. Supporting Tapestry feels like a way to keep great indie development alive.

The Weather Network Premium, Removing Ads

For just $4 a year, I pay for the premium version of The Weather Network app. This isn’t a flashy app, but it’s practical. I use it all the time, and getting rid of ads makes the experience faster and less annoying. It’s one of those small subscriptions that pays off in convenience every single day. For a few bucks a year, I don’t have to scroll past nonsense just to check the forecast.

AppleCare Plus, Peace of Mind for My Devices

AppleCare Plus costs me about $5 a month per device, and I’ve got it on my iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac Mini. It’s essentially insurance against accidental damage, and while I hope I never have to use it, the peace of mind is worth the price.

Plus, Apple’s tech support is exceptional, one of the few companies where I don’t dread calling in.

CleanMyMac X, Keeping My Mac Clean

CleanMyMac X is $50 a year and well worth it. It helps me keep my Mac running efficiently by clearing out junk files, old caches, and leftovers from uninstalled apps. I run it monthly as part of my maintenance routine. It also scans for malware, though that’s rarely a problem on Mac.

Think of it as a more polished, effective version of system cleanup tools you might see on Windows, but designed thoughtfully for Mac users.

FlightAware, Tracking Flights Ad-Free

FlightAware is just a buck a month, and it lets me track flights without dealing with ads. I use it to keep an eye on family members traveling, especially when my mom is flying across the country. Even though I don’t open it every week, the ad-free experience is worth the small monthly fee for when I need it.

Ice Cubes for Mastodon, My Default Mastodon Client

Ice Cubes is another dollar-a-month subscription, and it’s my primary Mastodon app. It’s fast, clean, and frequently updated. The developer is clearly invested in making the app better, and that makes me happy to support them. I use Mastodon daily, so having a reliable app for that platform matters.

iCloud Plus, Seamless Backups

For $4 a month, iCloud Plus gives me 200GB of cloud storage, which is more than I need, but I’d rather have too much than not enough. iCloud is essential for my backups, especially because it makes moving to a new iPhone almost effortless.

Everything restores perfectly without any hassle. It’s one of the few services where I feel like I’m paying for magic, because it just works.

Ivory for Mastodon, A Polished Alternative

Ivory by Tapbots is $3 a month and offers another take on a Mastodon client. It reminds me of Tweetbot, which I loved back when Twitter was my main platform. I don’t use Ivory as often as Ice Cubes, but I like having options.

Why I Keep These Subscriptions

Every app on this list is here because it offers me value for the price, whether that’s saving me time, keeping me organized, or adding convenience to my day. I’m careful about where my money goes. I can’t support every app developer, but when an app makes my life easier, I’m happy to pay if I can.

Supporting app developers is important. Free versions can only get you so far, and developers can’t keep these great tools alive without some financial support from users. If you love an app, throw a few bucks their way. Otherwise, you might wake up one day and find it’s gone.

Final Thoughts

These are the apps that make a real difference in how I use my devices, both for work and personal life. I regularly check in on my subscriptions to ensure I’m still getting value out of them, and right now, every one of these is still earning its place.

Please Support My Work

If you’ve found this useful or discovered a new app to try, let me know. If you'd like to support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber at kevinthetechguy.ca. Thanks for reading and for supporting my home business, and thanks for stopping by.