CANCEL THESE · PUBLISHED 2026.04.26 · 9 MIN READ

10 Subscriptions Not Worth the Money in 2026

These ten services have the highest "waste share" in our Q1 2026 dataset — meaning the highest percentage of paying users who barely open them. For each one, we list a free or near-free replacement.

Ranking is based on the percentage of paying users who rated their usage 1 or 2 dots (out of 5) in our calculator and survey research. Prices reflect typical American retail tier as of April 2026.

1. Gym membership — 71% rated 1–2 dots

Average price: $50/month · Annual cost: $600

The most-wasted subscription in America, every year, by a mile. After January 12, the average member visits 0.7 times a week. After May, that drops to 0.3.

Switch to: Nike Training Club (free), YouTube workouts (free), or Fitbod at $12.99/mo for adaptive strength training. Most users get more done in 30-min home sessions than weekly gym trips.

2. Adobe Creative Cloud — 63% rated 1–2 dots

Average price: $59.99/month · Annual cost: $720

Most non-pro users open Photoshop monthly at most. Light edits, social graphics, and document work don't need the full Adobe stack.

Switch to: Canva free + Figma free for design. For pro raster work, Affinity Photo is $69.99 one-time — pays itself off in 5 weeks.

3. Peloton App (Plus or All Access) — 59% rated 1–2 dots

Average price: $12.99–$24/month · Annual cost: $156–$288

Most former Peloton-frenzy users now use it less than monthly. The free tier launched in 2022 covers 50+ classes — enough for most casual users.

Switch to: Peloton App Free tier (free) or Nike Training Club (free).

4. MasterClass — 58% rated 1–2 dots

Average price: $16/month (annual) · Annual cost: $192

Bought in a moment of self-improvement enthusiasm; finished by approximately 4% of subscribers. Beautiful production value, but YouTube has free deep-dives on every topic MasterClass covers.

Switch to: YouTube (free) or library Hoopla (free with library card) — most public libraries offer free access to MasterClass-style course apps.

5. Premium Cable Add-Ons (Showtime, Starz, AMC+) — 55% rated 1–2 dots

Average price: $10–$11/month each · Annual cost: $120–$132 per add-on

Bought to watch one specific show, kept paying for years after.

Switch to: Tubi (free) — the back catalog of all three eventually shows up here. For specific shows, rent a single season instead of subscribing.

6. Apple TV+ — 52% rated 1–2 dots

Average price: $9.99/month · Annual cost: $119.88

Beloved by critics, ignored by users. Most subscribers got it free with an Apple device, then forgot to cancel after the trial. Almost half of paying users open it less than monthly.

Switch to: Cancel and re-subscribe for the month a specific show airs. Or get it as part of Apple One if you also use iCloud + Music.

7. Midjourney Standard — 49% rated 1–2 dots

Average price: $30/month · Annual cost: $360

Power users still love it. Casual users who signed up during the AI hype now generate one image per week.

Switch to: Adobe Firefly free credits + Leonardo.ai free daily credits. For text-in-image specifically: Ideogram free.

8. NordVPN / ExpressVPN (annual plans) — 46% rated 1–2 dots

Average price: $3.39–$12.95/month · Annual cost: $40–$155

Most users buy a VPN once because of a YouTube ad and never connect to it. The 46% who rate it 1–2 dots are paying for software they only think about when their card gets billed.

Switch to: Proton VPN Free — unlimited data, no logs. If you actually use a VPN regularly, NordVPN at the 2-year promo price ($3.39/mo) is fine — just don't pay monthly.

9. Grammarly Premium — 42% rated 1–2 dots

Average price: $30/month · Annual cost: $360

The free tier handles spellcheck and basic grammar — what most people actually use. Premium adds tone and clarity suggestions that most users ignore.

Switch to: Grammarly Free (free) or LanguageTool (free, open-source).

10. Coursera Plus — 41% rated 1–2 dots

Average price: $49/month or $399/year · Annual cost: ~$399

Bought for one specific course, abandoned at 18% completion (Coursera's own published average).

Switch to: Audit the course for free on Coursera — auditing gives you all the lectures, just no certificate. Pay only if you actually want the cert at the end.

Honorable mentions (just outside the top 10)

• Calm / Headspace — 38% rated 1–2 dots. Replace with Insight Timer's massive free library.
• Notion Plus — 36% rated 1–2 dots. The free tier covers most personal use cases.
• Audible — 35% rated 1–2 dots. Most public libraries offer Libby for free audiobooks.
• YouTube TV — 28% rated 1–2 dots. Replace with Pluto TV or an antenna for local channels.

The two-step rule for cancelling without regret

1. Switch first, cancel second. Move to the free alternative for 30 days. If you don't miss the paid version, cancel. If you do, you've still saved 30 days.
2. Replace the renewal date with a calendar reminder. Two weeks before each annual renewal, set a reminder to ask whether you used the service in the last month.