After joining MUO in 2014 and earning a degree in Computer Information Systems, Ben left his IT job to go full-time with the site in 2016. He joined the editorial team in 2017 and has climbed the ranks since then.
As a writer, his specialties include Windows, Android, Gaming, and iPhone explainers and how-tos. He’s been mastering Windows since 2009, got his first Android phone in 2011, and has used an iPhone daily since 2020. His work has been viewed over 100 million times.
Now, as a Senior Editor at MUO, Ben leads the Devices and Home segments, leading by example by writing dozens of high-quality articles each month.
Outside of work, Ben loves experiencing new video games, exploring music, learning new information, and enjoying time with friends. While MUO is his home, he also wrote briefly for Nintendo Life and has contributed to various company blogs.
Shareable family subscriptions are a great way to cut down on costs, but companies don’t want you to save too much. Many family plans have become more strict about who you share them with. Netflix is one of the most infamous examples, as it now requires you to pay for an extra member if anyone uses the account outside your primary home.
Thankfully, several group plans are still lax about who you invite. These group plans all let you add people outside your household — and in some cases, even your country.
While these plans have no location restrictions, many limit the number of times you can leave and join another family plan within a year.
Apple One / Family Sharing Everyone gets the best of Apple
For those in its ecosystem, Apple offers one of the top family plans around. The best value is Apple One, which bundles several Apple subscriptions. It offers two sharing-eligible tiers, so you and up to five other people get access to the benefits.
Apple One Family, at $26/month, includes 200GB of iCloud+ storage (shared across everyone), Apple TV (formerly Apple TV+), Apple Music, and Apple Arcade. You save $14/month compared to buying those plans individually.
If you’re an Apple fanatic, consider Apple One Premier at $38/month. It includes everything in Family, plus Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, and 2TB of iCloud+ storage to share.
Apple One is only available as a monthly plan, so you don’t need everyone to commit for long. In case you’re not interested in all the services at once, Apple Family Sharing is still worth setting up. It lets you share any Apple subscriptions you have, plus eligible App Store subscriptions, with up to five others.
Google One Storage for plenty of photos and files
If you’re a Google family, Google One is a subscription worth considering. The main benefit is extra shared space in Google Drive.
The Basic plan (which I’ve used for years) is $20/year (or you can pay monthly) for 100GB of space. This is well worth it to back up to Google Photos without having to micromanage space.
Upping to Premium, at $100/year, gets you 2TB of shared space and a few other Google One perks, like cash back from the Google Store and premium Google Workspace features. AI Pro, at an expensive $200/year, also includes a bunch of AI features.
Like with Apple, even if you don’t use Google One, it’s worth setting up a Google Family Group to share your subscriptions and purchases with family or close friends.
Duolingo Family Have the owl watch everyone
If you’re looking to learn a language, Duolingo Family is a great option. For $120/year, up to six total people get the benefits of Super Duolingo: no ads, unlimited energy, personalized practice, and other improvements.
Unlike most other family plans that require everyone to be in the same country, Duolingo family plans work across international borders. And everyone can choose their own language to study.
If you want the best of Duolingo, you can upgrade your family subscription to Duolingo Max for an additional cost. This includes everything in Super, plus AI features like video calls with Lily and explaining your mistakes.
I’ve used Super Duolingo for a while, and while I think the unlimited energy and lack of ads are worth it, I don’t recommend paying for Max.
Microsoft 365 Family Office, storage, and a lot more
We’ve long touted Microsoft 365 Family as one of the best-value subscriptions. For $130/year, you and up to five other people get access to the Microsoft Office suite, plus 1TB of OneDrive storage each. It also includes extra features around other Microsoft products, like enhanced protection in Microsoft Defender, extra Copilot usage, and similar.
You likely don’t need to pay for Microsoft Office, since the free version (and alternatives like OpenOffice) are fine for casual use. But the cloud storage price is hard to beat, and if you’re a big Microsoft user, you’ll find a lot for your money here.
Nintendo Switch Online Play online and enjoy the classics
Nintendo’s subscription is the cheapest of the big three consoles, and the only one with a specific group plan: the Switch Online family membership. The core family plan costs $35/year and supports up to eight people. You get essential features like online play, save data backup, and access to NES, SNES, and Game Boy games.
Meanwhile, the Switch Online + Expansion Pack family plan costs $80/year for a group. It includes everything in the core plan, plus access to Game Boy Advance, GameCube, N64, and Sega Genesis games. DLC for certain Switch games is also thrown in at this tier.
A count of eight people is higher than the usual limit of six on a family plan, so this is an exceptionally good value if you can find enough members.
Dropbox Family Only for cloud storage diehards
In case your cloud storage needs aren’t already met, Dropbox Family is another shareable plan. For $204/year or $20/month, you get 2TB of space to share with up to six people. You also get extra features, like a shared folder that everyone has access to.
I’ve included this because it’s a subscription you can share with anyone, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The price is much higher than the ones already mentioned for Google Drive, iCloud, and OneDrive storage. Dropbox doesn’t do anything particularly well to warrant spending so much more, especially since it doesn’t integrate as smoothly as the services from the OS creators.
1Password or Bitwarden Family Take password management up a notch
You don’t need to pay for a password manager, since free tools like Bitwarden are so good. But if you’re looking for extra features or regularly share passwords with family, the small cost of a family password manager plan can be worth it.
I’ve used 1Password for years and currently have a plan for my family. I’m a huge fan of it, and find it worth the cost for a premium product that regularly improves. I’ve never had a problem with it either. The price has gone up since I joined, however. It’s currently $72/year for 1Password Families, which covers up to five people total.
I haven’t used it myself, but Bitwarden’s Families plan is cheaper at $40/year for up to 6 people total. Consider that if you need the advanced features but don’t want to invest as much in a password manager.
Share the subscription love
Whether you’re looking to pay less for subscriptions you already use or want to sign up for a new service at a lower cost, family subscription plans are great. When you max out a group, the cost per person becomes so low that the subscriptions are a lot easier to justify.
Some advice from my experience: before everyone gets in, make sure you agree on the terms of how the plan will be run. Someone has to be the group leader, who will get charged no matter what; don’t delay in paying them as a member. Set a reminder before the plan renews to make sure everyone wants to stay in. This also gives the group leader time to find a replacement if someone plans to leave.
