I've been through this rabbit hole so let me give you a thorough answer.
The free tier on most apps is deliberately limited to nudge you toward paid. Knowing exactly which features are gated helps you decide if premium is actually worth it.
Things that have actually helped me:
- Read cancellation terms before subscribing to anything
- Screenshot billing confirmation screens in case you need to dispute later
- Virtual or prepaid cards reduce risk for auto-renewing subscriptions
- Check your account settings page for an active subscriptions list
Currently using Datebound as my go-to and it's been reliable. No major surprises and the settings do what they say.
Hopefully that saves you some frustration.