The average knowledge worker pays for 8+ SaaS subscriptions. Most don’t earn their keep.
Subscription fatigue is real. Software companies have weaponized credit card auto-billing: small monthly charges that feel painless and accumulate silently. Here’s a framework for deciding what stays and what gets canceled.
The “Replace Me” Test
For every SaaS subscription, ask: if this tool disappeared tomorrow, how long would it take to find a replacement, and how much would I lose? Tools that are truly irreplaceable have high switching costs because of data lock-in, integrations, or genuinely unique features. Tools with easy substitutes are candidates for cancellation.
Tools That Pass: Worth Every Dollar
1Password or Bitwarden ($2.99–$4.99/month): Password managers have an unusual ROI — they prevent breaches that cost thousands of dollars or more. Bitwarden has a solid free tier. 1Password’s UI is better. Either beats reusing passwords.
Notion AI ($10/month additional): For teams already on Notion, the AI features for drafting, summarizing, and auto-filling databases are legitimately time-saving. Not worth it if you’re not a heavy Notion user.
Figma ($12–15/month): If you design anything professionally, Figma has no serious competition. Adobe’s acquisition was blocked, and the alternatives (Penpot, Sketch) are meaningfully worse for collaborative workflows.
Loom ($8–12.50/month): Async video messaging eliminates meeting scheduling for complex explanations. Recording a 3-minute Loom beats a 30-minute Zoom call for walkthroughs, feedback, and demos.
Tools to Question
Grammarly Premium ($12/month): The free version catches 80% of what matters. Premium mainly adds tone suggestions that are often wrong for your brand voice. Claude and ChatGPT handle most editing tasks it handles.
Adobe Creative Cloud ($54.99/month): If you only use Photoshop occasionally, Photopea (free, browser-based) handles 90% of cases. Keep the full suite only if you use 3+ apps regularly.
Calendly ($8–12/month): Google Calendar’s appointment booking feature, released free in 2023, does everything basic Calendly does. Unless you need complex routing logic, you can cancel Calendly.
The Audit Protocol
Once a quarter, pull your bank statement and list every subscription charge. For each one: when did I last use this? Could I find a free alternative? Is the paid version genuinely better? Cancel everything you can’t justify in one sentence.
- Keep without question: Password manager, Figma (if designer)
- Earned their place: Notion AI, Loom, linear.app
- Candidates for downgrade: Grammarly, Adobe CC (if light user)
- Likely cancellable: Calendly (if basic needs only), duplicate PM tools
Image: Eclipse SUMO / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
