After years of running several subscriptions, I paused to investigate the value of each one. The pieces of software protecting my PC, storing my passwords, connecting me to my own network, and backing up my files were some of the most valuable ones. But the more I looked at these four, the more I realized I was paying for them because subscriptions had become my default, and not because I lacked options. So I pulled apart what each was doing and replaced the parts I actually needed with free tools.
