{"id":14120,"date":"2026-10-06T15:12:35","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T15:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/?p=14120"},"modified":"2026-10-06T15:22:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T15:22:57","slug":"free-alternatives-to-expensive-apps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/2026\/10\/06\/free-alternatives-to-expensive-apps\/","title":{"rendered":"Free alternatives to expensive apps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Replace expensive apps with these free alternatives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Plus: Amazon’s new Kindles, YouTube improvements, and fall Prime deals<\/h3>\n\n\n
Jared Newman<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>October 6, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
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Hey there! I\u2019m Jared Newman, a longtime tech journalist, and this is Advisorator, my weekly tech advice newsletter.<\/em> Did someone share this newsletter with you? Sign up<\/a> to get it every Tuesday.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’re reading the free edition. Paying members<\/a> get in-depth features each week, including this one:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a proponent of paying for software that regularly delivers value<\/a>, which is why I happily subscribe to Obsidian<\/a>, Fastmail<\/a>, Kagi<\/a>, and Bitwarden<\/a>, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But having those subscriptions means it\u2019s all the more important to weed out the ones that aren\u2019t really necessary. For me, those are typically apps from big companies that I don\u2019t use extensively, but nonetheless require ongoing fees to use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of my ongoing goal to help Advisorator members save money<\/a>, I’ve rounded up some free alternatives to popular programs such as Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop, all of which I have personally tested …<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading this story with a paid membership<\/a>. The free newsletter continues below.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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News in brief<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

New Kindles:<\/strong> Amazon’s latest Kindle e-readers<\/a> look like nice upgrades. The $150 basic Kindle now has an edge-to-edge display, and if you spend $30 more on the 32 GB model, it includes an aluminum back and no lock screen ads. The $200 Paperwhite has Amazon’s highest-contrast screen yet, and the $290 Colorsoft has a re-engineered display, seemingly to address complaints of uneven lighting<\/a> and fuzzy text<\/a> on the original.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the accessory front, Amazon’s bringing back physical page turn buttons, but only as an $80 accessory for select models<\/a>. There’s also a $35 Bluetooth remote page turner<\/a>, which is pricier than third-party options<\/a> but doesn’t require anything attached to the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other notable news and reads:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n