There’s not much in the way of software that I pay for, in fact I go out of my way in many cases to find the free and open source alternatives.  But sometimes free costs a lot more that you think; free sometimes means slower, less functional, buggy… not always but sometimes.

So if you had to buy some stuff, what would you buy?

Here my list:

• Roboform – US$29.95.  The best password manager, form filler and instant search builder available.  One master password for all your other websites is a dream.  I just counted them up… Roboform is actually managing logins to 457 websites for me!  457!  I probably only use about 30 regularly but still.  Download Buy
• Toodledo Pro Subscription – US$14.95.  As far as todo list management goes this really is a great product, so simple to use and always growing with new features and functions and they just concentrated on doing todo lists well rather than branching out in other directions.  Now you could if you want to get away with using the free version however I only discovered recently that the free one hides your completed tasks after 1 week plus doesn’t include any of the Goal functionality, scheduling functions or stats.  In addition to the website they also have integration to a Firefox plug in and even IM.  Signup Buy
• Toodledo iPhone App – AU$3.99.  An obvious addition to the toodledo pro subscription for todo list management.  The biggest issues for me in managing a todo list is having it available and up to date all the time… and having it on my phone is a bonus.  Instant synchronisation over 3G and Wifi plus the ability to rapidly add tasks makes this a must have.  Of course you still need an iPhone which is not included in the $50.  Buy

So in fact you’ve only spent US$48.18… money left over!

What’s the best software you’ve paid for in the “Under $30” category?