Best Free Alternatives to Paid Subscriptions (2025)

Updated February 2025 · 10 min read

The average American spends $219/month on subscriptions — that's $2,628/year. But here's the thing: for almost every paid subscription, there's a free alternative that's good enough for most people.

This isn't a list of terrible knockoffs. These are legitimate, high-quality free tools and services that can replace the most common paid subscriptions.

🎬 Streaming & Entertainment

Instead of Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ ($8-23/mo each)

• Tubi — Huge free library (50,000+ titles). Ad-supported but completely free. No account needed.
• Pluto TV — Live TV channels + on-demand. Owned by Paramount. Great for background watching.
• Kanopy — Free with a library card. Criterion Collection films, indie movies, documentaries. The hidden gem.
• The Roku Channel — Free movies, live TV, and Roku originals. Works without a Roku device.
• YouTube — Free movies section has hundreds of titles. Plus unlimited creator content.

💰 Potential savings: $15-70/month if you cancel Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+

Pro tip: Use streaming rotation — subscribe to one service at a time, binge what you want, cancel, move to the next.

Instead of Spotify/Apple Music ($11-17/mo)

• Spotify Free — Same full library with ads and shuffle-only on phone. Desktop has full controls.
• YouTube Music Free — Ad-supported streaming. Works in browser.
• SoundCloud — Free tier with massive indie/remix library.
• Your local library — Many libraries offer free access to Hoopla (music streaming) and Freegal.

Instead of Audible ($15/mo)

• Libby/OverDrive — Free audiobooks from your library. Just need a library card. Selection is amazing.
• Hoopla — Another library-based app. Audiobooks, ebooks, movies, music — all free.
• LibriVox — Free public domain audiobooks read by volunteers. Great for classics.

💰 Potential savings: $15/month by canceling Audible

💻 Software & Productivity

Instead of Microsoft 365 ($7-13/mo)

• Google Docs/Sheets/Slides — Free, collaborative, cloud-based. Good enough for 95% of people.
• LibreOffice — Free, open-source desktop suite. Full compatibility with .docx, .xlsx, .pptx.
• Microsoft Office Online — Free at office.com. Lighter versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint in your browser.

Instead of Adobe Creative Cloud ($55/mo)

• GIMP — Free Photoshop alternative. Steeper learning curve but extremely powerful.
• Photopea — Free online Photoshop clone. Runs in your browser, opens .psd files. Surprisingly good.
• DaVinci Resolve — Free professional video editor. Hollywood studios use the paid version.
• Canva Free — Great for social media graphics, presentations, simple design work.
• Figma Free — Free tier for design with 3 projects. Replaced Sketch for many designers.

💰 Potential savings: $55/month by canceling Adobe Creative Cloud (watch for the early termination fee)

Instead of Grammarly Premium ($12/mo)

• Grammarly Free — Catches most grammar and spelling errors. Premium adds tone, clarity, plagiarism.
• LanguageTool — Free browser extension with good grammar checking.
• Google Docs spelling/grammar — Built-in and surprisingly good for basic editing.
• ChatGPT/Claude free tiers — Paste your text and ask for corrections. Works great for longer documents.

🔒 Security & Privacy

Instead of 1Password/LastPass/Dashlane ($3-8/mo)

• Bitwarden Free — Unlimited passwords, all devices, open source. The best free password manager, period.
• Apple Keychain — Built into every Apple device. Excellent if you're all-Apple.
• Google Password Manager — Built into Chrome. Works across platforms via Chrome browser.

Instead of NordVPN/ExpressVPN ($5-13/mo)

• Proton VPN Free — Unlimited data, no ads, no logs. Slower speeds but genuinely private.
• Cloudflare WARP — Free, fast VPN-like service. Good for privacy on public WiFi.
• iCloud Private Relay — Included free with iCloud+ (starting at $0.99/mo). Safari-only but excellent.

Instead of Norton/McAfee Antivirus ($5-10/mo)

• Windows Defender — Built into Windows 10/11. Independent tests rate it as good as paid antivirus.
• macOS built-in security — Mac has XProtect, Gatekeeper, and MRT built in. No antivirus needed for most users.
• Malwarebytes Free — Free on-demand scanner for when you need a second opinion.

💰 Potential savings: $5-10/month by canceling Norton or McAfee

🧠 Learning & Education

Instead of MasterClass/Skillshare/Coursera Plus ($10-23/mo)

• YouTube — Seriously. Free tutorials for everything from cooking to coding to photography.
• Khan Academy — Completely free, world-class education. Math, science, computing, economics.
• MIT OpenCourseWare — Free courses from MIT. Actual university material.
• freeCodeCamp — Free coding bootcamp. 10,000+ hours of curriculum.
• Coursera Free — Individual courses can be audited for free (no certificate).

Instead of Duolingo Plus ($7-14/mo)

• Duolingo Free — Still excellent with ads and limited hearts. Super Duolingo is optional.
• Language Transfer — Free audio courses. Unique thinking-based method. Spanish, French, German, more.
• Anki — Free flashcard app (desktop). Community-made language decks are incredible.

🏋️ Fitness & Wellness

Instead of Peloton/Gym Memberships ($13-95/mo)

• Nike Training Club — Free workout library. HIIT, yoga, strength, mobility.
• YouTube fitness channels — Yoga with Adriene, POPSUGAR Fitness, Fitness Blender — all free.
• Running/walking outside — It sounds obvious, but a daily walk replaces a lot of gym value.
• Strava Free — GPS tracking for running/cycling. The free tier does everything most people need.

💰 Potential savings: $40-95/month by canceling your gym membership

Instead of Headspace/Calm ($13-15/mo)

• Insight Timer — Free meditation app with 150,000+ guided meditations. Largest free library.
• UCLA Mindful — Free guided meditations from UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center.
• YouTube — Thousands of free meditation and sleep content creators.

☁️ Cloud Storage

Instead of Dropbox/Google One/iCloud+ ($2-12/mo)

• Google Drive — 15GB free. Enough for documents and light photo backup.
• iCloud — 5GB free (small, but handles iPhone backups for minimal users).
• OneDrive — 5GB free. 15GB free with referrals.
• Stack them — Use all three free tiers together for 25GB+ free storage.

📊 The Total Savings

If you replaced just the most common paid subscriptions with free alternatives:

You don't have to replace everything. Even switching 2-3 subscriptions to free alternatives can save you $50+/month.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use instead of Netflix for free?

Tubi, Pluto TV, Kanopy (free with library card), The Roku Channel, and YouTube Free Movies all offer free movies and shows with ads. Kanopy in particular has an excellent selection of independent and classic films.

Is there a free alternative to Microsoft Office?

Yes — Google Docs/Sheets/Slides is free and works in your browser with real-time collaboration. LibreOffice is a free desktop alternative with full Word/Excel/PowerPoint compatibility. Microsoft also offers free online versions at office.com.

What is the best free password manager?

Bitwarden Free — unlimited passwords across all devices, open source, and excellent security. Apple Keychain and Google Password Manager are also great if you're in those ecosystems.