Threads Killed Creator Bonuses. Now What?
I Audited My Creator Subscriptions: $347/Month of What?
I opened my credit card statement last month and counted 23 recurring charges related to content creation. Not personal subscriptions like Netflix or Spotify—creator tools specifically.
$347/month. $4,164/year.
Some of these tools make me money. Some save me time. Some… I’m not sure why I’m still paying for them.
Here’s the full audit.
The Full List
| Tool | Monthly Cost | Category | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Creative Cloud | $54.99 | Video/Design | Keep |
| Descript Pro | $24 | Video/Audio | Keep |
| Riverside.fm | $15 | Recording | Keep |
| Transistor | $19 | Podcast hosting | Keep |
| Canva Pro | $12.99 | Design | Keep (barely) |
| Notion | $10 | Productivity | Keep |
| ChatGPT Plus | $20 | AI | Keep |
| Midjourney | $10 | AI Images | Keep |
| ConvertKit | $29 | Keep | |
| Calendly | $12 | Scheduling | Downgrade |
| Loom | $12.50 | Video messages | Cancel |
| Grammarly Premium | $12 | Writing | Cancel |
| Epidemic Sound | $15 | Music | Keep |
| Envato Elements | $16.50 | Assets | Cancel |
| Figma | $0 | Design | Free works |
| Frame.io | $15 | Video review | Keep |
| Dropbox Plus | $11.99 | Storage | Evaluate |
| 1Password | $4.99 | Security | Keep |
| Backblaze | $7 | Backup | Keep |
| TubeBuddy | $7.50 | YouTube | Cancel |
| vidIQ | $7.50 | YouTube | Cancel |
| Zapier | $19.99 | Automation | Keep |
| Webflow | $14 | Website | Keep |
| Total | $347.45 |
Let me break down the decisions.
The Clear Keeps
Adobe Creative Cloud ($55/mo)
I hate the subscription model. I’ve complained about it publicly. I still need Premiere, Photoshop, and occasionally After Effects.
DaVinci Resolve is a real alternative for video. I’ve tried switching three times. Each time I come back because my muscle memory is in Premiere and retraining myself costs more in time than Adobe costs in money.
Status: Keep, resentfully.
Descript Pro ($24/mo)
Covered in detail elsewhere. Text-based editing is worth it for my podcast and video workflow. The Overdub feature alone has saved me multiple client re-records.
Status: Keep.
Riverside.fm ($15/mo)
Remote podcast recording with local quality audio. I’ve tried the free alternatives. The upload reliability difference is worth $15 to avoid a lost episode.
Status: Keep.
ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo)
GPT-4 is noticeably better than 3.5 for writing assistance, code generation, and brainstorming. I use it daily—show notes, email drafts, debugging automation scripts.
I tried Claude as an alternative. Similar quality. I stick with ChatGPT because the ecosystem (plugins, code interpreter) is more developed.
Status: Keep.
ConvertKit ($29/mo)
My newsletter runs on ConvertKit. I’ve built 18 months of automation sequences. Switching would cost a week of migration work minimum.
Is Beehiiv or Substack cheaper? For my tier, yes. But the switching cost exceeds a year of the price difference. Ask me again if ConvertKit raises prices significantly.
Status: Keep, locked in.
Epidemic Sound ($15/mo)
Every video needs music. Epidemic’s library is huge, the licensing is clear, and I’ve never worried about copyright claims.
YouTube’s free audio library exists. The quality and selection don’t compare.
Status: Keep.
Frame.io ($15/mo)
Client video review with timestamped comments. Saves hours of email back-and-forth per project. The workflow integration with Premiere is seamless.
If I stopped doing client work, this would be first to go. While I’m taking clients, essential.
Status: Keep.
Zapier ($19.99/mo)
Automation glue connecting my tools. New ConvertKit subscriber triggers a Notion database entry. Finished podcast episode triggers social post drafts. New client inquiry triggers a Slack notification.
Could I rebuild this in Make (cheaper)? Probably. The migration time isn’t worth the $10/month savings.
Status: Keep.
The Cancellations
Loom ($12.50/mo)
I used Loom constantly during the pandemic. Now I use it maybe twice a month.
Descript has screen recording built in. For quick videos that don’t need editing, there’s the free Loom tier or just a native screen recorder.
Savings: $150/year
Grammarly Premium ($12/mo)
Here’s my confession: I paid for Grammarly Premium and used the free features 90% of the time.
The premium suggestions are either wrong or stylistically flat. It wants to smooth out the voice that makes writing distinctive. ChatGPT is better for editing help when I need it.
Savings: $144/year
Envato Elements ($16.50/mo)
I subscribed for video templates two years ago. I downloaded maybe six total. The aesthetic doesn’t match my style—everything looks like stock.
When I need a template or asset, buying individual items on Envato Market costs less than a month of Elements.
Savings: $198/year
TubeBuddy ($7.50/mo) + vidIQ ($7.50/mo)
I had both. Why? Because different YouTubers recommended each one and I never cancelled the first when I tried the second.
The features overlap almost completely. Neither provides insights I can’t get from YouTube Studio analytics directly. The A/B thumbnail testing is the only unique value, and I don’t use it enough to justify the cost.
Savings: $180/year
The Downgrades
Calendly ($12/mo → $0)
The paid features I used: calendar integrations, custom branding, automated reminders.
The free tier has: calendar integrations, automated reminders.
I was paying $12/month for custom branding on my booking page. My clients do not care what my booking page looks like. They care that it works.
Savings: $144/year
The Evaluations
Dropbox Plus ($11.99/mo)
I have 2TB of storage. I use about 400GB.
Google One gives 2TB for $9.99/month and I already use Google Workspace. The only reason I’m still on Dropbox is historical file organization and some old share links I don’t want to break.
Likely outcome: Cancel and migrate to Google One. Save $24/year plus consolidate tools.
Canva Pro ($12.99/mo)
The background remover is good. The Brand Kit feature is useful. The premium templates occasionally save time.
But I do most design work in Figma now. Canva is for quick social graphics and client projects where they need to edit after I’m done.
The free tier might be enough if I’m honest with myself.
Likely outcome: Try downgrading for a month. See if I hit walls that matter.
Post-Audit: $273/Month
Cancelled subscriptions: Loom, Grammarly, Envato Elements, TubeBuddy, vidIQ Downgraded: Calendly
New monthly total: $273.46 Annual savings: $888
That’s a camera lens. A conference ticket. A small equipment upgrade. Real money I was burning on tools I didn’t use.
How Subscription Creep Happens
Every tool has a compelling pitch. Free trial makes trying easy. Cancellation requires finding settings, remembering passwords, sometimes talking to support.
The path of least resistance is continued payment.
I’ve now set a quarterly calendar reminder: “Audit subscriptions.” Fifteen minutes reviewing statements catches creep before it compounds.
The Question for Every Tool
Before paying, I now ask:
- Did I use this in the last 30 days?
- Does this save me time or make me money?
- Is there a cheaper alternative that’s 80% as good?
- Would I re-subscribe if I cancelled today?
If the answer to #4 is no, cancel immediately. You can always resubscribe if you miss it. You won’t.
Your Audit
Pull your credit card statement. List every recurring charge. Be honest about usage.
The tools you actually need are probably half what you’re paying for. The rest is digital clutter with a monthly fee.
Audited September 2024. Saved $888/year. Will repeat quarterly.
