It’s no secret that nowadays, subscribing to more than a couple of the best streaming services in Australia will rack up a bill that can stretch into hundreds of dollars each month. The situation certainly hasn’t improved with the fact that virtually all of the major streamers apply regular price increases – Netflix, for example, increased its plan prices for the sixth time in August, the sixth time in 10 years – and a top-end Premium subscription will now set you back a staggering AU$28.99 a month.
To its credit, Apple held off increasing the cost of Apple TV Plus (soon to be known as just ‘Apple TV’) for longer than most other providers. And while it has since increased prices a couple of times, it’s still remained comparatively affordable. That value has arguably tipped over into ‘average’ with its latest hike, however, which landed in August – bumping the cost from AU$12.99 to AU$15.99 a month.
It could still be reasonably argued that this is actually quite the bargain considering the quality of content on Apple’s streaming service. Still, a price hike is a price hike, and ‘over AU$15 a month’ feels like a tipping point that could justifiably deter a lot of customers.
While it’s not possible to avoid paying the increased fee for an Apple TV subscription, there is one easy way to get better value for your money – particularly if you’re an Apple device owner. An Apple One subscription.
What is Apple One?
(Image credit: Apple)
Apple One is basically the Mac- and iPhone-maker’s answer to Amazon Prime and Google One, bundling several Apple services into one unified plan that’s paid for monthly. And, in my opinion, it’s easily the best-value product Apple sells.
It’s available in three tiers, with each one bundling more services than the previous, along with an increased amount of total iCloud storage.
No matter which tier you sign up for, you’ll save money compared to subscribing to the included services separately. And, with up to AU$551 in yearly savings possible on the top-tier Premier plan, here’s why Apple One is my favourite and most-used Apple product, and why I think it’s worth considering for anyone who uses the brand’s devices.
What is Apple One and how much does it cost?
Apple One is an all-in-one subscription that bundles several Apple software services into one monthly plan. These services include Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade and (at the higher tiers) Apple Fitness Plus and Apple News Plus. Each tier also includes a set amount of iCloud storage, although you’re able to increase this even further via a separate iCloud+ plan if you wish.
There are three tiers of Apple One: Individual, Family and Premier.
The Individual tier is the cheapest at AU$24.95 per month. Family is a little more expensive at AU$31.95 per month, while Premier, which includes basically every service Apple has to offer along with 2TB of iCloud storage, tops out at AU$49.95 per month.
How much can you save with Apple One?
To break it down further, let me explain what each tier includes.
Individual
The Individual tier is the most affordable at AU$24.95p/m and for that, you get a subscription to Apple TV Plus (AU$15.99), Apple Music (AU$12.99), Apple Arcade (AU$9.99) and 50GB of iCloud+ storage (AU$1.49). Separately, these services would cost you AU$40.46 a month, so you’re saving AU$15.51 per month, or just over AU$186 each year.
Sure, you might not use Arcade much, if at all, but taking Apple Music, TV Plus and the iCloud+ storage into account, you’re still saving AU$5.52 each month by subscribing to Apple One. It’s a small saving, but it adds up to almost AU$70 a year.
Family
The Apple One Family plan includes the same services as the Individual plan, but increases the iCloud+ storage to 200GB. It costs AU$31.95p/m, as opposed to AU$50.46 when purchased individually, adding up to a total yearly saving of AU$222.12.
The Family plan (like the Premier plan below) allows you to share your included benefits with up to five people. If you can convince anyone you share your plan with to contribute towards the monthly fee, you could save even more.
Premier
The Premier plan includes all of Apple’s subscription services: Music, TV Plus, Arcade, Fitness Plus and News Plus, and it bundles in 2TB of iCloud+ storage.
Separately, these services would cost AU$95.94p/m, yet Apple charges just AU$49.95p/m. That’s a total saving of AU$45.99 each month or AU$551 a year.
As with the Family plan above, you can share these benefits, including the iCloud+ storage, with up to five people. Note however that each person doesn’t get 2TB of storage, and it’s instead a shared pool that everyone can use via their own personal, private profile.
Why I subscribe to Apple One
(Image credit: Apple)
I’ve been an Apple One Premier subscriber for as long as I can remember. Admittedly, I only really use Apple Music and Apple TV Plus, but I have been known to try a workout via Apple Fitness Plus, and I do occasionally use News Plus to read up on world events, access some magazines or just indulge in some trashy entertainment content.
The biggest drawcard for me, however, is the 2TB of included iCloud storage. Having such a large amount means I never have to worry about running out of onboard storage on my iPhone. I send all my photos to the cloud and I can make constant back ups of my device.
Now, the Apple Music subscription included with this tier (and the Family tier) is a family plan, meaning I can share it with up to five people.
Admittedly, while this benefit is a little lost on me (I only have my partner that I share my Premier plan with), if you live in a large household then you and four family members effectively have their own personal Apple Music and Apple TV subscriptions.
If you can make use of all five seats, the value of an Apple One plan seriously intensifies. Why have three people in your household each subscribing to their own Apple Music plan at AU$12.99 a month – a total of AU$38.97 – when you can share a AU$31.95 Apple One Family plan and get the added bonus of Apple TV Plus, Arcade mobile games and 200GB of shared iCloud storage?
In my situation subscribing to the Premier plan, if I were to combine an individual Apple Music plan (AU$12.99), Apple TV Plus (AU$15.99) and 2TB of iCloud storage (AU$14.99), I’d be paying just under AU$44 a month. For an extra five bucks I get access to three more Apple services. I don’t mind if I only use them a few times a year – it’s still economically savvy if you ask me.
Try before you buy
If you’re unsure if you’d actually benefit from an Apple One plan, you can sign up for a free trial. This will give you access to the services included with the specific One plan you’re eyeing up. Do note though, that if you already subscribe to any of the included services, Apple Music for example, then you won’t get free access to that. You only get free access to any additional services you don’t already pay for.
If you choose to sign up for an Apple One plan, then any individual subscriptions you may already have will automatically transition over to the One plan, and you’ll then just be billed monthly.
To sign up for a free trial, head to the Apple One website. You’ll be transferred to your device’s App Store, and you can sign up by following the prompts.
