You can continue to use Notepad and Paint without a subscription, but you won’t get these new features. It’s surprising because Microsoft has never put anything in these apps behind a paywall ...

With the increased price tags due to the inclusion of Copilot AI, you'll have to shell out $10 a month or $100 a year for a Microsoft 365 Personal plan or $13 a month or $130 a year for a Family plan. The only feature you can still enjoy without a plan is the background removal in Paint.