Never directly watch any ads. We record everything on HTPC (NextPVR), ads are cut before the recordings get thrown into Jellyfin. Ads in general simply dont happen in our household

• Mullvad
• Addy.io
• A TV EPG provider so i can set my HTPC USB receivers to record stuff each week for the family (1. It details for specific channels new series/new episodes for the week aired between certain times of day which websites dont seem to do 2. Its cheaper & far more efficient than a TV mag/newspaper 3. Its extremely cheap so great value)
• I donate to some open source projects/devs when I find I’m using a product regularly

Red squirrel

Go into this completely blind - do not watch the trailer, do not read about it first, just take a deep breath & enjoy the ride

Everyone knows the popular ones so here’s a shout out to a few that are perhaps not so commonly known:

• whoBIRD - Shazam for birds
• Subz - Subscription manager
• zCard - Loyalty/membership/store card wallet

My most used can no longer live without app:

• Joplin - Note taking. Various sync options. Brilliant app, helpful community & very regular updates (especially desktop)