Are small subscription tools still worth paying for?
A year ago, paying $5–20 a month for an app was the usual answer to a narrow, specific problem. AI tools that help write code have now reduced the effort needed to build a small personal tool. When an existing product works differently from the way someone needs, creating a custom version in one evening may take less effort than adapting their routine to that product.
In one example, recording app demonstrations by hand was frustrating, and available products followed that did not fit. A custom was built to record them in the preferred way instead.
Key points
- Small single-purpose apps commonly cost $5–20 per month.
- assistance has lowered the effort required to make personal tools.
- A custom tool can fit an unusual workflow better than a general product.
- The concrete example was an for recording app demonstrations.