7 Underrated Subscriptions With Surprisingly Big Savings in 2026
Quick Summary
The most popular subscriptions are not always the best value. After tracking pricing across 200+ countries, I have found that services like Deezer, Apple One, Crunchyroll, and Notion often deliver more for less — especially when you factor in regional pricing differences. The key is knowing what to look for and how to audit your current spending.
Everyone knows about Netflix, Spotify, and Disney+. They dominate the conversation, and for good reason — they are solid services. But in the two years I have spent tracking subscription pricing across 200+ countries, I have consistently found that some of the best value lives in services most people never consider. Either they have never heard of them, or they dismissed them years ago and never looked back.
This article is about seven subscriptions that I think deserve more attention in 2026. Some of these I use daily. Others I rotate in and out depending on what I need. All of them offer genuinely good value — especially if you take advantage of regional pricing differences, which can cut your costs by 50-80% on some of these services.
Quick overview: what made the list and why
| Subscription | Category | US Price | Best for | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deezer | Music | $11.99/mo | Spotify alternative with HiFi included | 158 |
| Qobuz | Music | $12.99/mo (Solo) | Audiophiles who want studio-quality streaming | 19 |
| Notion | Productivity | $12/mo (Plus) | All-in-one workspace replacing multiple tools | 57 |
| Grammarly | Productivity | $30/mo (Pro) | Writers, professionals, non-native English speakers | 61 |
| Apple One | Bundles | $19.95/mo (Individual) | Apple users paying for 2+ Apple services separately | 96 |
| Apple TV+ | Video | $12.99/mo | High-quality original series on a rotation basis | 102 |
| Crunchyroll | Video | $9.99/mo (Fan) | Anime fans who want the largest dedicated catalog | 63 |
Before we dive in: how to evaluate any subscription
I use a simple four-question framework before I add any subscription to my monthly spending. It has saved me from dozens of impulse sign-ups over the years, and I think it is worth sharing before we get into the individual services.
Does it replace something you already pay for?
The best new subscription is one that eliminates an existing cost. Apple One replacing separate iCloud, Apple Music, and Apple TV+ subscriptions is a perfect example — you end up paying less for more. If a new service just adds to your monthly total without replacing anything, think twice.
Will you use it at least weekly?
Monthly subscriptions only make sense for things you use regularly. If you would use a service once a month, you are probably better off rotating: subscribe for one month, use it intensively, cancel, and come back later when you need it again. No contracts, no penalties. Crunchyroll and Apple TV+ are perfect for this approach.
Are you on the right tier?
Many people overpay simply because they signed up for the default plan without checking if a cheaper tier would do the job. Crunchyroll Fan at $9.99/month covers most people's needs — the $17.99 Ultimate Fan tier adds features that only heavy users actually need. Same with Notion: the free tier is genuinely powerful for individuals, and the $12/month Plus plan only makes sense when you hit specific collaboration or storage limits.
What does it cost in other countries?
This is the angle I spend most of my time researching. Regional pricing differences are massive on digital subscriptions — the same Deezer Premium plan that costs $11.99 in the US might cost a fraction of that in another market. Not everyone can take advantage of this, but if you can, the savings are substantial. Always check eligibility and terms before purchasing in a different region.
1. Deezer — the Spotify alternative that includes HiFi for free
Deezer is the service I recommend most often to people who feel stuck with Spotify but have never seriously considered switching. It has 120 million tracks (more than Spotify's 100 million), includes lossless HiFi audio in the standard Premium plan at no extra charge, and has a discovery engine called Flow that — after two years of using it — I genuinely prefer over Spotify's Discover Weekly for certain moods.
At $11.99/month in the US, Deezer Premium is actually cheaper than Spotify Individual ($12.99). The Family plan is also cheaper: $19.99 versus Spotify's $21.99, and Deezer includes HiFi audio for every family member. The Student plan is $5.99 versus Spotify's $6.99. Across every tier, Deezer undercuts Spotify in the US market — and in many other countries, the gap is even wider.
The reason Deezer stays underrated is simple: brand momentum. Spotify has the social features (Wrapped, Blend, Jam) that keep people locked in, and most of your friends are probably on it too. But if you care about sound quality, want better control over your recommendations, or just want to pay less for a comparable service, Deezer is the most obvious switch.
Deezer
158 countries compared
Cheapest
Turkey
$1.35/mo
Most expensive
Switzerland
$18.69/mo
2. Qobuz — studio-quality streaming for serious listeners
Qobuz is a niche service, and it knows it. It is not trying to compete with Spotify on features, social tools, or podcast integration. Instead, it focuses on one thing: delivering the highest-quality audio streaming available. We are talking 24-bit/192 kHz hi-res files — well beyond CD quality — with a catalog that is curated specifically for audiophiles and music enthusiasts.
At $12.99/month for the Solo plan in the US, it costs the same as Spotify Individual. The Student plan is actually the cheapest among all major music services at $4.99/month. But here is the catch: Qobuz is only available in 19 countries. If you are in the US, UK, France, Germany, or a handful of other Western markets, you can use it. Otherwise, you are out of luck for now.
Who should consider Qobuz? Anyone who owns decent headphones (wired, not Bluetooth) or a proper speaker system and actually cares about hearing the difference. If you listen through AirPods or standard Bluetooth earbuds, the hi-res quality is wasted — your hardware cannot reproduce it. But if you have invested in audio equipment, Qobuz paired with a good DAC is a noticeable step up from any other streaming service.
Qobuz
19 countries compared
Cheapest
Brazil
$4.94/mo
Most expensive
Denmark
$23.05/mo
3. Notion — replace three or four tools with one
Notion is one of those tools that is hard to explain until you use it. At its core, it is a workspace that combines notes, documents, databases, project management, and wikis into a single app. I use it to manage everything from content calendars to personal finances to travel planning — and it has replaced Evernote, Trello, and Google Docs for most of my workflows.
The free tier is genuinely generous for individual use — unlimited pages, basic collaboration, and access to all core features. The Plus plan at $12/month adds unlimited file uploads, 30-day version history, and better collaboration tools. The Business plan at $24/month is for teams that need advanced permissions and admin controls.
Where Notion saves you money: if you are currently paying for a note-taking app, a project management tool, and a document editor separately, Notion can replace all three. That consolidation alone often saves $15-30/month. The learning curve is real — Notion is incredibly flexible but not immediately intuitive — but once you build your workspace, it becomes indispensable.
Regional pricing note: Notion is available in 57 countries with prices tracked on our service page. Like most productivity SaaS, the pricing variation between countries tends to be smaller than streaming services, but differences still exist — especially in markets with lower purchasing power.
Notion
57 countries compared
Cheapest
South Korea
$9.24/mo
Most expensive
United Kingdom
$13.20/mo
4. Grammarly — worth it if you write daily, overkill if you do not
Grammarly is the most expensive service on this list at $30/month for the Pro plan, and I want to be upfront: it is not for everyone. If you write a few emails a week and an occasional social media post, the free tier is plenty. But if you write professionally — blog posts, marketing copy, client proposals, reports — the Pro plan pays for itself in time saved.
What Grammarly Pro actually does beyond the free tier: it catches tone issues, suggests sentence rewrites for clarity, checks for plagiarism, and now includes AI writing assistance that is genuinely useful for first drafts and brainstorming. The browser extension works everywhere — Gmail, Google Docs, LinkedIn, Slack — so it integrates into your existing workflow without any extra effort.
For non-native English speakers, Grammarly is particularly valuable. It catches subtle errors that spell-checkers miss — preposition usage, article placement, awkward phrasing — and the explanations actually help you learn over time. I know several people who credit Grammarly with significantly improving their English writing within a few months of daily use.
The underrated aspect: Grammarly's pricing varies significantly by country. In some markets, the Pro plan costs substantially less than the US price of $30/month. If you write in English regardless of where you live, checking the regional pricing on our service page could save you a meaningful amount.
Grammarly
61 countries compared
Cheapest
India
$26.49/mo
Most expensive
Slovenia
$34.40/mo
5. Apple One — the bundle that actually makes financial sense
Apple One is the most overlooked money-saving opportunity for anyone in the Apple ecosystem. The Individual plan ($19.95/month) bundles Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50 GB iCloud+. The Family plan ($25.95/month) shares everything across up to six people and bumps storage to 200 GB. The Premier plan ($37.95/month) adds Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, and 2 TB of iCloud storage.
Here is the math that makes it obvious: Apple Music Individual alone costs $10.99/month. Apple TV+ is $12.99/month. iCloud+ 50 GB is $0.99/month. That is $24.97/month for three services separately — or $19.95/month bundled with Apple One Individual, which also adds Apple Arcade for free. You save $5/month ($60/year) and get an extra service thrown in.
The savings get more dramatic with the Family plan. If your household was paying for Apple Music Family ($16.99), Apple TV+ ($12.99), and iCloud+ 200 GB ($2.99), that is $32.97 separately versus $25.95 for Apple One Family — saving $7/month ($84/year). And again, Apple Arcade is included as a bonus.
The catch: Apple One only makes sense if you actually use the included services. If you only want iCloud storage and nothing else, the standalone iCloud+ plans are cheaper. Run the numbers for your specific situation before switching.
Apple One
96 countries compared
Cheapest
India
$2.07/mo
Most expensive
Bahrain
$34.44/mo
6. Apple TV+ — the best streaming service to rotate
Apple TV+ is a strange service. It has the smallest catalog of any major streamer — no back catalog of legacy shows, no licensed content from other studios. Everything on Apple TV+ is an Apple Original. And yet, the quality of those originals is consistently among the best in streaming: Ted Lasso, Severance, The Morning Show, Slow Horses, Foundation, Silo.
At $12.99/month in the US, it is not the cheapest option — but the rotation strategy works perfectly here. Subscribe when a show you want to watch has a new season, binge through it and explore the catalog for a month, then cancel and come back in six months when new seasons drop. Apple does not penalize cancellation, and your watchlist and progress are saved when you return.
One thing people miss: Apple TV+ is available in 102 countries, and the price varies significantly. In some markets, it costs less than half the US price for the exact same content. If you are outside the US, check the pricing page — you might be pleasantly surprised.
Pro tip: if you buy a new Apple device, you get three months of Apple TV+ free. And if you are already subscribing to Apple One, Apple TV+ is included — so do not pay for it separately.
Apple TV+
102 countries compared
Cheapest
Egypt
$2.21/mo
Most expensive
Bahrain
$21.25/mo
7. Crunchyroll — the only anime subscription most people need
If you watch anime, you already know about Crunchyroll. If you do not, this section might not be for you — but hear me out, because anime has gone mainstream in a way that makes Crunchyroll relevant to a much wider audience than it was five years ago.
Crunchyroll is the largest dedicated anime streaming service, with over 1,000 titles and same-day simulcasts for new episodes from Japan. The Fan plan at $9.99/month gives you ad-free access to the full catalog with offline downloads. The Mega Fan ($13.99) adds simultaneous streaming on four devices, and the Ultimate Fan ($17.99) adds perks like store discounts and concert access.
For most anime fans, the Fan plan is all you need. The jump to Mega Fan only makes sense if multiple people in your household watch anime simultaneously. Ultimate Fan is for hardcore fans who attend events and buy merchandise — the store discount can pay for the tier difference if you spend enough.
Regional pricing matters here too: Crunchyroll is available in 63 countries, and prices can vary substantially. In some Latin American and Asian markets, the Fan plan costs significantly less than the US price. Check the pricing comparison above before assuming $9.99 is your only option.
Crunchyroll
63 countries compared
Cheapest
Pakistan
$1.00/mo
Most expensive
Switzerland
$11.13/mo
Save on your subscription with a VPN
Regional pricing means the same subscription can cost significantly less in another country. Use CometVPN to connect to the cheapest region and sign up at the lowest price — safely and securely.
Try CometVPNThe subscription audit: how to find hidden savings in 5 minutes
Beyond discovering new services, the biggest savings usually come from auditing what you already pay for. I do this exercise every quarter, and it consistently saves me $20-40/month. Here is my exact process.
- Pull up your bank or credit card statement and list every recurring charge. Include everything — streaming, productivity, cloud storage, gaming, fitness, news.
- For each subscription, ask: when did I last use this? If the answer is more than two weeks ago, cancel it immediately. You can always resubscribe later.
- For subscriptions you actively use, check if you are on the right tier. Are you paying for Premium when the Basic plan would cover your usage? Downgrade and save.
- For the services that survive steps 2 and 3, check if a bundle covers multiple of them. Apple One is the most common example — but also check if your phone carrier or internet provider includes any streaming services.
- Finally, check the regional pricing for your remaining subscriptions. Even a 20-30% savings on three or four services adds up to real money over a year.
The rotation calendar approach
For services you do not use every month — streaming services especially — I recommend a rotation calendar. The idea is simple: instead of paying for five streaming services simultaneously ($50-80/month), you subscribe to one or two at a time and rotate through them.
For example: January and February on Netflix (catch up on new releases), March on Apple TV+ (new season of Severance), April on Crunchyroll (spring anime season), May back to Netflix. You get all the content eventually, and you are paying for one or two services instead of five. Over a year, this approach can save $300-500 depending on the services and your country's pricing.
The key is that none of these services have contracts or cancellation fees. You can cancel and resubscribe instantly, and your profiles, watchlists, and viewing history are preserved when you come back. The only cost of rotation is patience — you might wait a month or two to watch something new instead of seeing it on release day.
Compare all services, tiers, and categories in one place: SubscriptionsCompare.com/compare
Regional pricing: the biggest savings lever most people ignore
I have been tracking subscription prices across 200+ countries for two years, and the price differences still surprise me. The same Crunchyroll Fan plan that costs $9.99 in the US can be a fraction of that in certain markets. Deezer Premium at $11.99 in the US drops significantly in parts of Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Even Apple One — which Apple keeps relatively consistent globally — has notable variations.
This is not a loophole — it is how digital pricing works. Companies set different prices for different markets based on local purchasing power, competition, and market strategy. Whether you can take advantage of this depends on your situation, but at minimum, you should know what your subscription costs relative to other countries. You might find that switching your billing country (where eligible) or timing a subscription to a period when you are traveling can make a meaningful difference.
My personal stack and what it costs
For transparency, here is what I actually pay for monthly in 2026. I use Apple One Family (covers iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade for my household). I keep Notion Plus for work. I rotate between Deezer and Spotify every few months to stay current on both. I subscribe to Crunchyroll for one or two months during major anime seasons. And I rotate Netflix and Disney+ — never both at the same time.
My total monthly spend fluctuates between $40-60 depending on what I have active. If I subscribed to everything simultaneously at US prices, it would be well over $120/month. The combination of strategic rotation, right-tier selection, and regional pricing awareness cuts my costs by roughly half — and I do not feel like I am missing out on anything.
FAQ
Are bundles always cheaper than individual subscriptions?
Not always. Bundles only save money when you actually use most of the included services. Apple One is a clear win if you use Apple Music, Apple TV+, and iCloud — but if you only need iCloud storage, the standalone plan is cheaper. Always do the math for your specific situation.
How do I find the biggest price differences between countries?
Use our service comparison pages — each one shows pricing across every country we track, sorted from cheapest to most expensive. The biggest gaps are usually in music streaming (Spotify, Deezer) and video streaming (Netflix, Crunchyroll), where prices can vary by 50-80% between markets.
Is it worth switching from Spotify to Deezer?
If you care about audio quality (HiFi included at no extra cost), want more control over recommendations, or simply want to pay less, yes. Deezer is cheaper than Spotify across every plan tier in the US. The trade-off is fewer social features and a smaller user base for collaborative playlists.
Can I really cancel and resubscribe without losing anything?
Yes, for all seven services on this list. Your profile, watchlist, playlists, and history are preserved when you cancel. When you resubscribe, everything is exactly where you left it. This is what makes the rotation strategy practical.
Is Qobuz worth it if I have standard headphones?
Probably not. Qobuz's main advantage is hi-res audio (24-bit/192 kHz), which requires wired headphones or a dedicated speaker system to hear properly. If you listen through standard Bluetooth earbuds, you will not notice the difference compared to Spotify or Deezer HiFi.
How much can I realistically save by auditing my subscriptions?
In my experience, most people can save $20-40/month by canceling unused services, downgrading to appropriate tiers, and consolidating into bundles where it makes sense. Adding regional pricing optimization can increase savings further, depending on your situation.
Is Grammarly worth $30/month?
Only if you write daily for professional purposes. The free tier handles basic grammar and spelling. Pro adds tone detection, sentence rewrites, plagiarism checking, and AI writing assistance. For professional writers, marketers, and non-native English speakers who write frequently, it pays for itself in time saved and quality improvement.
What is the best Crunchyroll plan for a casual anime viewer?
The Fan plan at $9.99/month. It gives you ad-free access to the full catalog with offline downloads on one device. Mega Fan ($13.99) and Ultimate Fan ($17.99) add multi-device streaming and perks that only heavy users need.
Does Apple One work outside the US?
Yes, Apple One is available in 96 countries. The included services and pricing vary by region — not all countries have access to Apple News+ or Apple Fitness+, which affects the Premier plan availability. Check our Apple One pricing page for your country's specific offerings.
How often should I audit my subscriptions?
I recommend once per quarter — set a calendar reminder. Prices change, your usage patterns change, and new bundle deals or plan tiers appear regularly. A five-minute review every three months can easily save you $100-200 per year.
