- When Apple One genuinely saves you money
- What’s included at each tier (and what isn’t)
- How to decide if the bundle makes sense for you
Over the past few years, Apple has steadily shifted from being just a hardware company to a services powerhouse. Music, TV, games, fitness, news, and cloud storage all sit under its umbrella – and Apple One bundles them together into a single monthly subscription.
On paper, it promises savings and simplicity. In reality, whether it’s good value depends entirely on which services you already use – and which you’d actually take advantage of. Here’s what each tier includes, and how to decide if the bundle is right for you.
Unwrapping the bundle
Originally launched in 2020, Apple One comes in three tiers: Individual ($20/£19 per month), Family ($26/£25), and Premier ($38/£37). Which one is right for you – if any – can be tricky to get your head around, so here’s the basic lowdown:
Every tier includes access to three complete media libraries: tunes from Apple Music, shows from Apple TV+, and games from Apple Arcade. The top-level Premier tier adds Apple News+ and Fitness+ into the mix, granting access to every paid Apple subscription in one. All services can be shared with up to five people via Family Sharing, unless you’re on the Individual tier.
Another variable to consider is the amount of iCloud storage included. Remember, all Apple customers get 5GB of storage for backups and photos completely free, but these days that can fill up very quickly. Each Apple One tier gives you even more to work with: 50GB, 200GB, and 2TB respectively. Bear in mind that storage will be split between anyone you’re sharing the membership with.
Is it worth it?
If you’re someone who’s already standing knee-deep in the Apple ecosystem, Apple One could well result in monthly savings while adding new services to your collection. The individual cost of these things is considerably higher than the Apple One bundle, no matter which tier you opt for.
But most importantly, Apple One simplifies things in a world of mounting subscriptions to keep track of. Apple is clearly trying to emulate some of the success of the all-in-one Amazon Prime platform, and for many users, signing up will make total sense.
That said, consider which of the services you actually need when working out cost-effectiveness. If you’ll never use Apple Arcade or Fitness+, disregard their cost when comparing with individual subscriptions. If you already use and love Spotify, Apple Music won’t be much use.
Many users won’t be interested in much more than Apple TV+ and slightly more iCloud storage, for example – and you can do that for a mere $11/month without the bundle.
You can register for Apple One here.