Why Paying $5 Once Makes More Sense Than $20 Every Month
Not everyone can afford another $20 monthly subscription. A simple $5 one-time payment per article would be fairer for readers and still support the writers who create valuable work.
I recently read a thoughtful article by a journalist, Zack Whittaker of This Week in Security. His main point was solid: to stay safe online, use a password manager, turn on two-factor authentication, and, interestingly, use an ad blocker.
It’s great advice. Ad blockers really do more than just get rid of the ads, and I use a few of them: UBlock Origin, AdGuard, and Ghostery. They make pages load faster, block the hidden tracking code buried in ads, and so much more.
Zack’s post highlights how major companies, such as Facebook, Google, and Microsoft, utilize ads and trackers to monitor browsing activity. Meanwhile, malicious ads on even reputable websites can trick people into downloading harmful software or falling victim to scams. Even the FBI recommends using ad blockers because of these risks.
He counters the argument that ad blocking is “stealing” from websites, noting that the advertising model relies on harvesting users’ personal data without their consent.
He argues that ad blockers protect privacy, security, and autonomy online, something more ethical than the surveillance-based ad systems that many websites rely on.
The Irony
In my view, the irony is that many creators understand the frustration with exploitative ad models, yet their proposed solution, exclusive monthly subscriptions, has its own problems.
A thoughtful, privacy-conscious reader who agrees with those arguments can still be priced out of accessing the content, and may struggle to see the value when they don’t have interest in all articles being written on that website, and likely don’t have time to read them all.
Where He Lost Me
Where he lost me was at the end. After laying out all the reasons people should use ad blockers to protect their privacy and avoid being tracked, he locked the rest of his article behind a $20 USD per month subscription. That’s close to $30 CAD, or $600 per year.
I get it. He’s a professional journalist. Writing takes time and effort. Subscriptions make income predictable. But let’s be real: most readers can’t afford to pay $20 a month to every website that has good writing.
This isn’t 2004, when we had two newspaper subscriptions that covered everything we supposedly needed to know. Today, we’re hit with endless paywalls, each demanding another monthly fee.
Even newspapers had flexible pricing. $1 out of the box on the corner, or the monthly price to have it delivered to your door, or pickup at the local gas station or grocery store.
Subscription Fatigue Is Real
People are maxed out. Between streaming services, cloud storage, software licenses, and news sites, monthly fees have quietly become the new ads. They’re everywhere, and they add up fast. It’s ironic that writers calling for privacy and balance online are now part of another system that pressures people to “subscribe or miss out.”
Readers aren’t being cheap. Many would GLADLY pay small, one-time amounts for good content. I would have paid $5 to finish that article in a heartbeat. That’s fair compensation for a well-written piece that I actually wanted to read. But $20 a month? I just can’t afford that on top of my other subscriptions right now. And I suspect I’m not the only one who feels that way.
What I Do Instead
My home business website, KevinTheTechGuy.ca runs on Substack, which doesn’t allow one-time purchases. It’s built around monthly or yearly subscriptions. But I’ve found a workaround: I sell my How-To Guides separately on Buy Me a Coffee and Ko-Fi for $5 or $10 each. That way, readers can support my work without another recurring charge hanging over their head.
If Substack offered one-time payments for individual posts, I’d use it. It’s the most reader-friendly and fair way forward: pay once for what you actually want, instead of a monthly subscription to access ALL paid articles you might not be interested in.
The Bigger Picture
The journalist behind that article deserves to earn a living. We all do. But locking valuable, well-argued content behind a steep monthly paywall limits the very audience who would appreciate it most: the everyday readers trying to learn, stay safe, and make informed choices online.
It’s not sustainable to expect people to pay for endless subscriptions. We need balance. And I believe that balance lies in a hybrid model that let readers subscribe if they want ongoing access, but also let them pay once for what catches their interest.
That $5 button is more than a transaction. It’s respect for both sides.