FAQ: Can Apple One Save Me Money Each Month? Is It Worth It?
Credit: Apple
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Due to the large number of paid subscription services Apple offers, the company came up with a really clever solution: Apple One.
Apple One is a new all-in-one subscription service that rolls up to six Apple services into one quick and easy payment.
With Apple One, you can get Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, Apple News+, iCloud Storage, and the new Apple Fitness+ service which is coming later this year.
You’ll be able to select between three different plans and most of them can be shared with up to four other family members or friends.
Apple One is not available yet. Apple is planning to launch this service sometime this fall; likely during the iPhone 12 event.
In theory, Apple One is great for everyone. If you use every subscription service Apple offers, then you’re going to actually save money on your monthly fee.
However, most of us are only subscribed to a couple of services, like Apple Music or Apple Arcade. Not to mention, you might already be subscribed to Netflix, or Spotify, which are just as good as their Apple counterparts. Plus, in the case of Netflix, it has more shows and movies available, mostly because it’s been available for much longer than Apple TV+, which further complicates matters.
But, as I mentioned, Apple One is a clever idea from Apple. It can make subscribing to Apple’s services easier and cheaper, but is it actually worth it for you? And if so, which one should you get?
Apple One Tiers and Pricing
At first, Apple One will offer three different tiers for you to choose from. You might be thinking they all look pretty similar, but each plan has different advantages for everyone. Let’s talk about them.
? Individual Plan | You Could Save $6 per Month
First, we have the Individual tier. This plan comes at a price of $14.95 per month, and it has Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade. You also get 50GB of iCloud storage.
If you’re currently paying for all these services, you’re paying around $20.96 per month, so with this plan, you’d save around $6.
On the other hand, if you have a student plan on Apple Music, which costs $4.99 and offers Apple TV+ for free, you’d actually save around $4 if you buy all these services individually.
? Family | You Could Save $8 per Month
The Family Plan is where things get interesting, especially if you have friends and family who can help you pay for this service.
For $19.95, the Family tier also offers you access to Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade, but you’ll also get 200GB of iCloud Storage. Not only that, but you can share this plan with up to five other people.
If you’re paying it alone, the Family Plan saves you around $8 if you’re already paying for these Apple services separately.
But if you have other five family members or friends who can help you pay for the Family Plan, all of you would be paying around $3 for everything. And that’s honestly the best deal you can get.
? Premier Plan | You Could Save $24.99 per Month
The Premier Plan offers the most out of every other Apple One tier available. But it’s also the most expensive and the one where you could save the most if you’re buying all these services individually.
For $29.95 per month, you get access to Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, like the other plans. Additionally, you also get access to Apple News+ and Apple Fitness+. Finally, you get 2TB of iCloud storage as well. And, just like the Family Plan, you can share this service with up to five other people.
For this plan, you save $24.99, or you could also save some extra money if you split it with friends or family, just like we discussed in the Family plan.
Besides the obvious differences, something to keep in mind for international readers is that you can only buy the Premier plan if you’re in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. This is because of Apple News+ which is only available in the countries listed.
Other Things You Should Know
Besides what we covered so far, there are other things that are worth mentioning about Apple One.
First, all of the services that you’ve never subscribed to will give you a one-month free trial. That’ll give you the chance to try the services you’re not familiar with.
And even if you purchase the individual plan, you can still share Apple Arcade and Apple TV+ with up to five other people. This is because these services already offer this option when purchased individually.
Another thing that’s worth mentioning is that, if you want to, you can purchase extra iCloud storage separately, besides the iCloud storage Apple One gives you. It’s a good option if 5GB or even 200GB is not enough.
Conclusion – Should You Try Apple One?
There’s no doubt that Apple One is a great option to save some money if you’re paying for all of these services individually. But if you’re not interested in getting everything, you might be wasting money.
The Individual Plan is the cheapest, but it doesn’t offer much if you’re not that interested in Apple Arcade, or Apple TV+. Apple Music and the extra iCloud storage are the best options, but you can buy those individually and it’ll be cheaper.
On the other hand, if you’re already using all these services, the Apple One Individual tier is a great option for you and your wallet.
The best option for most people is the Family plan. Up to six people can use the same Apple One subscription, and everyone would get their own private accounts and personalized services. Plus, you can also share the price, making it way cheaper if you do it that way.
The most compelling reason to get the Premier plan is Apple Fitness+, which probably won’t be available when Apple One launches, but it’ll be added later.
It’s a shame that you can’t choose to remove Apple News+ from the list. That would make the Premier plan the best option for international users or people who don’t care much about the news.
Overall, the best option to make the most out of your subscription is to share it with other people and split the bill. Doing so would make the higher-tier Apple One plans actual bargains.
