Some subscriptions are a waste of both time and money. But the ones that are worth it—especially for business school students—are those that boost productivity, sharpen your writing, and help you stay informed on the go.
So, here are the top free and paid subscriptions to consider signing up for before and during your business school journey.
Make sure to budget for your subscriptions
Before we dive into the must-have subscriptions for prospective business school students, it’s important to acknowledge that many of these services come at a cost.
With the cost of studying an MBA coming in at six figures across the globe, budgeting is essential for many. That’s why it’s important to carefully select the subscriptions that truly add value.
Don’t feel pressured to sign up for every platform you hear about. Choose only the ones that align with your goals, habits, and budget.
Top subscriptions for business school students
Admissions tools
Advancery
Price: Free trial available; paid plans from $29/month
In April this year, GMAC launched Advancery, an AI-driven career development tool designed to help professionals take vital steps in their educational and career journeys.
Leveraging AI, Advancery is designed to assist applicants by providing up-to-date, verified program data for global business schools.
“Choosing the right business school can be one of the most consequential decisions in one’s lifetime, and Advancery aims to make it informed and effortless for all the candidates out there contemplating taking the next step,” said Adam Witwer, chief product officer of GMAC, announcing the launch.
Once users have decided which programs to target, Advancery also helps guide them through their application planning—allowing them to streamline their application management through built-in tools and deadline tracking.
Alongside this, it also provides users with guidance on their career ambitions, empowering them for business school and beyond.
You can sign up for a trial with Advancery for free for two weeks. Paid members receive unlimited access, including expert 1:1 coaching to help accelerate their business school and career journeys.
AI & Productivity
ChatGPT
Price: Free basic version; Plus plan available at $20/month
Pioneering chatbot ChatGPT recently introduced Study Mode—ideal for business school students. Built with input from teachers, scientists, and learning experts, it offers adaptive quizzes and feedback tailored to your level as you progress.
For example, when preparing for exams, ChatGPT Study Mode allows you to practise answering questions with the support of a digital study partner.
While Study Mode is available on the free plan, ChatGPT Plus can be a valuable upgrade, offering faster responses and improved reasoning compared to the free version.
Perplexity AI
Price: Free basic access; Perplexity Pro from $20/month
Unlike ChatGPT, which is a general-purpose chatbot, Perplexity AI is specifically designed for advanced research and information retrieval, making it a powerful tool for business school students tackling case studies, market research, or thesis work.
That said, if you're still in the application process, use AI wisely. Overreliance on AI-generated content can result in essays that feel generic or impersonal. Business schools are seeking your authentic voice.
“Be authentic and let your words tell the story—without fluff, exaggeration, and certainly without any AI-writing support,” says Denis Pu, head of CEIBS MBA marketing and admissions.
Grammarly
Price: Free basic version; Premium plans from $12/month
Having top-notch spelling and grammar is essential for success in business school and the wider business world. It lets everyone else know that you're a polished professional.
Grammarly, available in free and pro versions, is a great tool for spell-checking, helping you avoid any costly errors.
Notion
Price: Free for individuals; paid plans start from $10/month
Studying at business school can often leave you feeling like you're spinning various plates at one time; it's therefore important to stay as organized as possible. Notion is a helpful tool, operating as a central hub for organization, note-taking, and project management.
Accessible on web, desktop, and mobile, it is also great for business students, who are often busy and on the go.
Timestripe
Price: Free plan available; Pro plan from $5/month
Often, as a business school student, you're not just thinking about the tasks you have to do today, you're thinking about how they connect with your future, how they allow you to reach your long-term goals and fulfil your aspirations.
With flexible time frames, Timestripe is great for ambitious b-schoolers. The goal-oriented planner allows you to connect daily tasks to long-term milestones, skyrocketing your productivity in the process.
Creative
Canva
Price: Free basic version; Pro plans from $12.99/month
Canva Pro is a valuable investment for business school students, enabling them to create visually engaging projects and presentations for their work.
It can also be used to create stand-out images to accompany your LinkedIn posts, helping you stand out to future employers and attract an engaged network.
CapCut
Price: Free basic version; Pro plans from $7.99/month
Many students choose to share their business school journey online via social media platforms such as TikTok, as a source of inspiration for others and to keep themselves accountable. If doing so appeals to you, investing in CapCut, a video-editing app, might be worthwhile.
Learning
Coursera
Price: Free; Coursera Plus starts at $59/month or $399/year
With a wide range of courses in AI, business, technology, and more, Coursera is a great option for business school students looking to enhance their knowledge in a specific area.
With courses designed by world-class institutions such as Google and top academic institutions, Coursera can help you build on what you're already learning in the classroom, enabling you to get one step ahead of your peers.
For every course you finish, you will receive a certificate that you can share across LinkedIn, potentially boosting your chances of getting hired.
With Coursera Plus, users get access to over 10,000 courses and Coursera Coach—an AI-powered guide.
World of Books Plus
Price: £14.99/year (UK only)
World of Books is a website dedicated to selling preloved books and is a great resource for business school students. The site offers a wide range of business-focused nonfiction, biographies, and memoirs relevant to aspiring business leaders.
With World of Books Plus, you get a free preloved book when you join, free delivery, and 10% off all preloved books throughout the year.
While it's currently only available in the UK, World of Books plans to expand to the US soon—meaning more business school students will be able to benefit from its services.
Audible
Price: Free trial available; paid plans from $7.95/month
With lectures, networking and even social events to attend, business school can leave you calendar looking pretty full; finding the time to read a book might just not be possible. However, with Audible, you can discover those stories that could change your business mindset wherever you are, even while walking to class.
With several innovative features, including a timer that allows you to plan just how long you listen for, you can truly integrate reading into your busy business school lifestyle.
Podcast Platforms (i.e., Spotify, Apple Podcasts)
Price: Varies depending on platform
Many entrepreneurs and CEOs have taken to documenting their stories and advice via podcasts available on platforms such as Spotify or Apple Podcasts—providing business students with valuable insights that they can digest on the go.
Brought to you by GMAC, Inside the GMAT is a great podcast for aspiring business school students, featuring tips from experts on taking the exam, preparing for it, and how to maximize your GMAT experience.
Paid podcast subscribers gain several advantages, for example, Spotify Premium includes ad-free listening, offline downloads, and higher audio quality, allowing business school students the opportunity to access every bit of information available.
Networking
Price: Free basic version; Premium starts at $29.99/month or $239.88 per year
As the largest online networking platform in the world, with over one billion members, 67 million companies listed, availability in 36 languages, and a hiring rate of six people per minute, there are many advantages to having a LinkedIn profile as a business school student.
LinkedIn Premium can be a worthy investment, with key benefits including increased profile visibility; advanced search filters; LinkedIn learning courses; and the ability to send an InMail message to anyone, irrespective of whether they are a first-degree connection.
News
Financial Times
Price: Premium starts at £39/month ($45/month)
A subscription to the Financial Times (FT), a British daily newspaper focused primarily on business and economic news, can be a worthwhile investment for business students. It offers high-quality business journalism, market data, and analysis that can enhance learning, alongside business school rankings.
The four-week trial, costing only £1 ($1.30), is a great option for business school students looking to try before they buy.
The Economist
Price: Premium starts at £59.95 ($62.25) per year for students.
Another British news and current-affairs publication worth considering before starting business school is The Economist. Providing in-depth coverage of global affairs, economics, business, technology, and culture, it can be a valuable resource for prospective b-schoolers.
The Economist offers 75% off its annual fee of £239 ($249) for all students over 16, including business school students. This gives full access to The Economist, exclusive newsletters, weekly quizzes to sharpen your knowledge, and award-winning podcasts including The Intelligence.
Students can also get free access to Espresso—The Economist’s short-form daily news app, designed to provide quick global news. This includes four full-length articles each week from The Economist. To subscribe, students must provide verification and prove they are over the age of 16.
Wall Street Journal
Price: Premium starts at $2 a week for one year.
Often referred to simply as 'The Journal', The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is an American newspaper that primarily covers business and finance, making it an excellent choice for b-school students looking to stay informed.
Bloomberg Businessweek
Price: $34.99/month
Bloomberg Businessweek, previously known as BusinessWeek, is an American monthly business magazine that provides insights into the business world, including up-to-date market developments.
Subscribers get full access to bloomberg.com, the Bloomberg app, Bloomberg TV, and more.
Forbes
Price: Premium starts from $12.99/month
Founded in 1917, Forbes is an American business magazine, focused on business, investing, technology, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
Regularly publishing rankings, such as America’s Best Startup Employers, Forbes 2025 AI 50 List, and America’s Best Large Employers, Forbes can be a great source for prospective students looking to map out potential future employers.
Readers can access a limited number of articles for free per month.
BusinessBecause Newsletter
Price: Free
The BusinessBecause Newsletter—which is delivered into your inbox once each week—is a great tool for business school hopefuls, offering round-ups of the latest news in the worlds of business and business education.
The newsletter also includes quick access to our latest free resources, including our 2025 MBA Scholarships Guide, designed to improve your chance of winning an MBA Scholarship.
Each week also includes an ‘Admissions Tip of the Week’ provided by business school experts and admissions consultants, which you can apply to help you ace your application.
Substack
Price: Dependent on the specific newsletter
Substack, an American online platform, allows creators—usually writers, journalists, or content creators—to publish newsletters using a subscription-based model.
Users have the option to provide newsletters directly on the app and via subscribers' inboxes for free or using a paid model.
The platform is home to a variety of newsletters suitable for business enthusiasts, such as The Generalist by Mario Gabriele, which uncovers some of the world's most successful companies, executives, and technologies.
Personal
Emma
Price: Free basic version; paid plans from $5.99/month
Business school is a significant financial investment, as such, budgeting once you get there can be crucial.
Personal finance apps such as EMMA are great for business school students, allowing you to manage your money by tracking spending, setting budgets, and analyzing your financial habits.
The free version provides basic budgeting and tracking capabilities, while paid plans include features like expense tracking and subscription management.
There are a variety of other budgeting apps to consider, however, Emma comes highly recommended with over 2 million users.
Streaming platforms (e.g., Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+)
Price: Varies depending on platform
Business school can be challenging at times; that is why it is important you factor in time to rest and relax.
When you’re not working, you need to find ways to mentally ‘clock-off’ and separate yourself from your work, otherwise you risk falling victim to burnout.
Subscribing to streaming platforms such as Netflix or Disney+ Plus and watching your favourite TV shows or films can be a great way to switch off and reset, ensuring you can give your best.
