Favorite (Non-Business) Paid Apps and Services of 2025

My annual dive into my top 5 favorite paid apps. We have some returning champions and some new entrants.

• HEY
  • HEY remains my personal email provider. The simple, fun interface is a breath of fresh air, and the Screener continues to be the killer feature.
• YouTube Premium
  • At this point, I would cancel almost every other entertainment subscription before giving up YouTube Premium. It is easily my most-used service.
• ChatGPT
  • While I’ve shifted toward Gemini and Claude in 2026, ChatGPT was my go-to chatbot throughout 2025. I used it across every domain: code, research, and project planning.
• Shapr3D
  • I use Shapr3D for TCG Foundry (my Magic: The Gathering accessories business), but I use it just as often for personal projects. It is one of the best CAD solutions available that allows for commercial use without the massive monthly overhead of something like Fusion 360. I still miss a few features from my Fusion360 days, but for a small business/hobbyist, the value is hard to beat.
• Chordify
  • The chord charts on Chordify might be less precise than the manual tabs on Ultimate Guitar, but it gets the job done. The “YouTube-to-chord-chart” library is virtually limitless.