Is the paid version worth it?

Each comparison looks at where a paid app puts its paywall, what a free tool here does instead, and when paying still makes sense.

• Is it worth paying for Bitly?

  For a fixed link, message or Wi-Fi code, a static QR code may be all you need. This generator puts your content directly into the code and downloads PNG or SVG without an account. Free instead: QR Codes.

• Is it worth paying for CleanMyMac?

  Not if you only want to know what is using your space. Finding the big folders, the big files, the duplicates and the things you last opened in 2019 is arithmetic over a folder listing, and this page… Free instead: What's Eating My Disk.

• Is it worth paying for CloudConvert?

  Not for photos. CloudConvert is a general purpose conversion service that charges by the job, and for the everyday case, a folder of iPhone HEIC photos that need to become JPGs small enough to email… Free instead: Image Converter.

• Is it worth paying for DocuSign?

  Not for signing something you already have. DocuSign is a service for sending documents to other people and collecting their signatures with an identity trail, and that is what its subscription buys. Free instead: Sign a PDF.

• Is it worth paying for GuitarTuna?

  Not for tuning. GuitarTuna's tuner is free, but only in standard tuning and with ads between uses; drop D, half step down and every other tuning sit behind a Tools subscription at about US$6.49 a… Free instead: Tuner and Metronome.

• Is it worth paying for Habitify?

  Not for counting. Habitify's free tier stops at three habits and one reminder each, which is the cap most people hit in their first week, and the maths of a streak is not what the money is for. Free instead: Habit Tracker.

• Is it worth paying for iLovePDF?

  Probably not, and the reason is not the money. iLovePDF is good software and its free tier does a lot. Free instead: PDF Tools.

• Is it worth paying for Loom?

  If you record more than a handful of short clips, Loom's free plan runs out fast: each recording is capped at five minutes and the library at a small number of videos. Free instead: Screen Recorder.

• Is it worth paying for Otter?

  For a short English recording that you want to turn into editable text or subtitles without uploading the audio, this browser tool may be enough. Free instead: Browser Transcription.

• Is it worth paying for ReciMe?

  Not for keeping recipes and writing a shopping list. Storing text and adding up ingredients costs nothing to run, which is why the free tier is capped rather than limited by anything real. Free instead: Recipe Keeper.

• Is it worth paying for remove.bg?

  For an occasional cutout with a clear subject, try this free local tool. It exports an original-size PNG without uploading your photo. Free instead: Background Remover.

• Is it worth paying for Ringtone Maker apps?

  No. Trimming thirty seconds out of a song is a solved problem that costs nothing to do, and the App Store charts are full of apps that will do it and then charge a weekly subscription to let you use… Free instead: Ringtone Maker.

• Is it worth paying for Rocket Money?

  For a one-off check of a bank CSV, try this local tool. Rocket Money also offers free subscription tracking; the difference here is that you do not need an account or a bank connection. Free instead: Subscription Finder.

• Is it worth paying for Speechify?

  Speechify is worth paying for if natural neural voices, convenient web and PDF import, OCR or listening across devices matter to you. Free instead: Read aloud.

• Is it worth paying for Splitwise?

  Not for a trip, a dinner or a shared house where one person keeps the ledger. Splitwise's free tier now stops you after about four expenses a day, which is exactly the day you are adding a weekend's… Free instead: Settle Up.

• Is it worth paying for Strava?

  If you want to view your GPX files, see your own activity heatmap or sketch a route to download, this free local tool may be enough. Free instead: GPX Route Builder & Heatmap.

• Is it worth paying for Uber One?

  Uber One may pay for itself if benefits on purchases you would already make exceed the membership fee and any extra spending it encourages. Free instead: Is It Worth It? Calculators.

• Is it worth paying for Xero?

  For an occasional invoice or quote as a PDF, this local generator may cover what you need. Free instead: Invoice Generator.

• Is it worth paying for Zety?

  Probably not, if all you need is a clean CV as a PDF. Zety lets you build the whole document for free and puts the paywall on the download button. Free instead: CV Builder.