Is Apple One Worth It? Here's What We Found

Apple has a lot going on these days. The company's mobile games are as good as they’ve ever been, Apple Music replaced iTunes, and nobody can stop talking about “Ted Lasso” on Apple TV+. The issue is that to enjoy all the goodies the Mac innovators have to offer, it would cost an exorbitant amount. Good thing, then, that Apple One bundles up to six different Apple subscriptions you might be contemplating into one package. Is it worth it? What’s included? Here’s everything you need to know to decide if an Apple One plan is worth your hard-earned money.

Gallery: 9 Memberships That Actually Save You Money, According to Redditors

What is Apple One?

Apple One is a subscription that consolidates a host of Apple’s services, including Apple TV+, Apple Music, and more. It’s charged through the App Store and has three separate tiers that offer different levels of perks. With each plan, you can use the included services on your iPhone, iPad, or any other Apple device.

What Does Apple One Include?

The Individual plan will run you $17 per month. This level includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud storage. 

The Family Plan costs $23 per month and offers Music, TV+, Arcade, and 200GB of iCloud storage. The key bonus here is that you can split this with five additional “family members” — aka, anybody you damn well please.

The Premier Plan costs $33 per month and includes all the other perks, five more accounts, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, and 2TB of iCloud storage. 

What Are All These Services?

There are a lot of services included in the plans, so I’ll break them down for you.

Apple Music ($10/month): Apple’s version of Spotify; unlimited music streaming.

Apple Arcade ($5/month): A mobile game library of 200+ games, all fully ad-free and devoid of any in-game purchases.

Apple TV+ ($7/month): Apple’s streaming service, and the only way to behold the magnificence of “Severance.”

Apple News+ ($10/month): This provides access to hundreds of magazines and newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, National Geographic, and more.

Apple Fitness+($10/month): This is Apple’s workout world, with audio and video assets for a ton of different workouts, like yoga, meditation, and high-intensity interval training.

How to Share Apple One With Family

Family sharing is easy — just get up to five additional people to split the plan with you and invite them to your account (an adult must set up an account for anyone under 13). They don’t need to be your literal family; you’re free to split this with friends. Sharing with others means you could personally spend under $4 a month on the Family Plan and $5.50 on the Premier Plan.

The Verdict

As with all subscription services, there is no one-size-fits-all answer for this type of thing. I’ll tell ya this: I pay for it. The main reason for this is pretty embarrassing, but look, I’m an Apple Music guy. I’ve been using iTunes and building a music library through Apple for the better part of two decades. With Apple Music’s ability to add music from its database to your personal collection, maintaining my music is incredibly easy, so I don’t see myself ever moving to Spotify.

So, if you are one of the 17 other people who also uses Apple Music and are already paying $10 a month, it might suit you to tack on another seven. You’ll get Apple Arcade. You’ll get extra iCloud storage. You’ll get M. Night Shyamalan’s “Servant,” which had a first season so compelling I watched the entire thing in one night like a lunatic. And it goes without saying, but if you can sign up for a family plan and split it with five people, you’re in business. Don’t let that free trial go to waste.

For more tech and entertainment news, please sign up for our free newsletters.