A common thought many developers have:
“If there’s a free alternative, why would I ever pay?”
Especially in software engineering, we rely heavily on open-source. Many of us joke: If I can use it for free, good luck trying to make me pay.
But as I’ve gained more years of experience, I realized that some high-quality paid tools save me so much time and mental energy.
If open-source tools are the “bricks and mortar,” then these paid tools are more like ready-to-use prefabricated modules — they let me focus on what actually matters: writing business logic, designing systems, and delivering value.
Here are the five paid subscriptions I happily continue using in 2025.
1. Cursor — The Best AI Programming Companion
By now, most developers are used to AI coding tools. From GitHub Copilot to various IDE extensions, the market feels crowded.
But the one tool I gladly pay for is Cursor.
Why? Because it’s more than just “code completion” — it feels like a personal AI teammate:
-
Strong context awareness: Select a block of code, hit
CMD + L, ask a question in plain English. Cursor pulls in project context, dependencies, and even official docs to give a precise, useful answer. - Smart completions: Not just keyword prediction — Cursor can complete entire functions, and often matches my personal coding style.
I used Copilot for about 8 months. It was great! But Cursor feels like “Copilot++”, with a noticeable boost in efficiency.
2. ServBay — The Ultimate Local Development Environment
As a backend engineer, nothing frustrates me more than local environment setup:
- Java version conflicts
- Painful Node.js switching
- Missing PHP extensions
- Database version mismatches
Before, I could waste half a day just fixing one environment. A cup of tea, a pack of cigarettes, and one whole day gone.
Then I found ServBay.
In one sentence: It combines the strengths of Docker and Homebrew — without the extra weight.
What I love:
- One-click setup for common runtimes (Java, PHP, Node.js, Python, etc.)
- Multi-version coexistence (no more manually switching
JAVA_HOMEornvm) - Clean isolation (no more cluttered system configs)
ServBay isn’t flashy. But it saves me hours of headache every week. Truly plug-and-play.
3. Raycast Pro — My Productivity Hub
If macOS Spotlight is a search tool, Raycast is a full productivity platform.
Why I pay for Pro:
- Cloud sync for extensions and scripts across devices
- AI commands directly in the search bar
- Lightning-fast workflow switching (jumping between GitHub issues, VSCode projects, Slack, etc.)
I use it every day, and it has nearly eliminated my need for a mouse. It’s a time saver in the purest sense.
4. Cron — The Calendar That Finally Works for Me
Most people don’t think a calendar is worth paying for. But if you’ve ever struggled with cross-timezone collaboration, Cron changes everything.
It solves three major pain points:
- Keyboard-first: Create and edit events without endless clicks.
- Slack & Zoom integration: Auto-add meeting details.
- Timezone preview: See local times before scheduling, avoiding accidental midnight invites.
Cron feels like the calendar Google should have built.
5. Readwise Reader — The Cure for Information Overload
As engineers, we’re not just writing code. We’re constantly drowning in information:
Tech blogs, research papers, forum posts, Slack threads… It’s easy to get lost.
Readwise Reader fixes this by:
- Collecting everything in one place (articles, PDFs, tweets, etc.)
- Daily resurfacing of highlights so I actually remember
- Powerful search — even months-old notes are instantly findable
It helped me shift from passive scrolling to active reading.
Final Thoughts
Over the years, I’ve tested 20+ tools. Many I abandoned after a week.
But these five — Cursor, ServBay, Raycast Pro, Cron, and Readwise Reader — are the ones I keep paying for.
The reason is simple:
- They either save me time
- Or they make me smarter
That’s more than enough justification.
I’ve come to believe one thing:
👉 The real threat isn’t “a new tool” itself.
It’s the engineer who has integrated new tools into their workflow and built a permanent efficiency advantage.
Top comments (1)
Great list, totally agree that the best tools are the ones that quietly remove friction and let us focus on building. That’s the same mindset behind haveto.com
: letting devs run AI on-chain in their own language, with true ownership and zero extra hurdles.