Subscription Fees Grind My Gears

I know the Playstation Network (PSN) is not perfect and has its faults but hell, it's free. I think having a PS3 for 6 years before getting an Xbox 360 has made it a little difficult to wrap my head around the concept of paying to play online. When I picked up Halo 4 it came with a 14 day Xbox Live (XBL) trial, I guess I can say it was fun while it lasted. Now I must end my procrastination and purchase an XLB subscription. Sure you may say it's only $60, from a monetary stand point it is really much. It's just a little annoying that I have to pay for XBL, when PSN a service that is fundamentally the same is free of charge. Well That was my little rant for the day. I guess I will just have to bite the bullet and get an XBL subscription; there is only so long that I can without playing Halo 4 online.