It’s that time of year again when we feel pressured to find new and exciting ways to surprise our friends and family with gifts they’ll appreciate. If you’re reading this and already starting to panic — don’t worry. We’ve put together a list of ideas to help relieve stress.
Subscription boxes are a popular gift idea for those who want to keep sharing their love for weeks, months and years. Personally, these are fun to buy for loved ones who live far away, especially if they can’t visit during the holidays. It also gives us a reason to chat each month and hear which items they love the most. If they’re good, they’ll even send you the products they don’t want!
There are endless options out there, so even the toughest people to shop for can find something they like. We’ve hunted down a few we think you’ll enjoy – based on quality, uniqueness and overall best bang for your buck.
And while you’re thinking about subscriptions, consider a TechCrunch+ subscription while our holiday sale is running. Full-year subscriptions, which give you access to our entire library of coverage, from deconstructing successful pitch decks to the tips you need to get the most out of AI, are discounted to just $75 for a limited time.
In addition to self-promotion, here are 10 subscription boxes we recommend:
Best Custom Subscription Box: Bespoke Post
Price: $49 a month or $70 for a box
Image Credits: Custom post
Unlike other subscription boxes that cover one niche — beauty, fitness, fashion, and so on — Custom post offers boxes that cover a wide range of interests including camping, cooking, hiking and travel. The best part about Bespoke Post is that it finds products from small businesses in hopes that customers will discover new, emerging brands.
After you complete a short quiz, Bespoke Post selects monthly boxes based on your favorites’ preferences. Are they coffee lovers or do they prefer to smoke cigars? Whatever it is, there’s probably a box for them. Members get a preview of the frame and can either keep it, swap it for another frame, or skip it.
Best subscription box for gamers and geeks: Loot Crate
Price: $9.99 per month or $30 per box
Image Credits: Loot Crate
For the gamers, geeks and anime lovers out there, Loot Crate has all the pop culture goodies from video game gear and movie collectibles to anime merchandise, manga and more. Previous packs have included items from Fallout, Harry Potter, and Berserk, among other popular franchises.
The best subscription box for tech lovers: Breo Box
Price: $145/quarter or $160 per box
Image Credits: Breo Box
If you know someone who loves technology and gadgets (who is also a TechCrunch reader, maybe?), then take a look Breo Box — the quarterly subscription box that features five to eight neat new gadgets valued at up to $1,200. Some of the Fall 2023 highlights included an on-the-go iron for quick wrinkle removal before an important meeting and a compact, portable bookcase.
Best Foodie Subscription Box: Read It and Eat It
Price: $50/quarter
Image Credits: Read it and eat it
Read it and eat it has just the subscription box foodies need — especially if they like to snack while they read. The quarterly subscription box includes a food-focused book and three to five small business items, including snacks, baking kits, sampler kits, spices and seasonings, and more. For example, celebrity chef David Chang’s memoir Eat a Peach would be paired with Momofuku-branded food.
Box themes for 2024 include breakfast food in February, mocktails in May, pasta in August and global spices in November. The old boxes had hot sauces, donuts, a selection of cheeses and more. There’s also a box called “Blind Date with a Book,” which includes a snack from a small business and a surprise book based on a customer’s chosen genre.
Plus, when you buy a subscription box, the company donates $5 to organizations in Buffalo, New York to fight hunger.
We also recommend A Book Club Once upon a timea subscription that has surprise gifts for readers to open as they read and Used Books Monthlywhich offers a bundle of used books to reduce waste.
Best subscription box for thespians: Broadway Book Club
Price: $58 / quarter
Image Credits: Broadway Book Club
If you know any theater lovers in your inner circle, then Broadway Book Club it’s right up their alley. This quarterly subscription box features seven plays curated by Tony Award-winning playwrights from the Broadway Licensing catalog. The box also comes with a note from the playwright.
There are also specialty boxes such as a collection of high school plays, college theater titles, and works by black and women playwrights.
Best subscription box for dinner hosts: Platterful
Price: Standard kits are $65 per month. Large kits cost $99 per month.
Image Credits: Plate
The Trending TikTok butter board may be over, but charcuterie boards are timeless. Platterful Charcuterie Kit they come with a selection of cheeses, meats, dried fruit, olives, candied nuts, chocolate and other delicious accompaniments. The standard kit feeds one to four people, while the large kit can feed six to eight. Platterful also offers vegan, nut-free and gluten-free options. Similar to Read It and Eat It, the company donates 10 meals for every box sold.
Best Puzzle Subscription Box: Jiggy Puzzle Club
Price: $34 per month
Image Credits: Jiggy
Jiggy Puzzle Club is a monthly subscription for avid puzzlers looking to expand their collection. Each box comes with a 500-piece puzzle designed by independent artists from around the world. Jiggy also has a subscription box for kids.
Best Self-Care Subscription Box: TheraBox
Price: $35 per month
Image Credits: TheraBox
We all know someone who deserves a day of self-care. TheraBox features eight full-size wellness items worth over $200, including essential oils, candles, skin care, bath bombs, body care products and more. The box also comes with a therapist-approved “Happiness Enhancement Activity” including guided meditations, games and healing art.
Best subscription box for creatives: SketchBox
Price: $25 per month
Image Credits: SketchBox
Whether your loved one is an aspiring artist or just someone looking for a creative outlet, SketchBox it is ideal for anyone who wants to try new art techniques. SketchBox includes a selection of art supplies as well as an inspirational artwork from the featured artist of the month. The box also includes art materials and products before they hit stores.
In addition to the supplies, SketchBox provides an instructional video that demonstrates different techniques. A 30-day free trial is also included for those who want to try out the augmented reality detection app Cupixelwhich has AI-powered features like “Smart Trace” to help trace a border and a photo converter.
Best Beauty Subscription Box: Kinder Beauty Box
Price: $27 per month
Image Credits: Kinder Beauty
Founded by vegans and animal activists Daniella Monet and Evanna Lynch, Kinder Beauty Box guarantees 100% vegan and cruelty-free beauty products. The company curates monthly subscription boxes containing five full-size and sample-size items valued at up to $165. Kinder Beauty also donates a portion of sales to animal rights and environmental causes.
