11/3/2024

Apps sold as single purchases are back, but with steep prices

Remember when the App Store was a universe of genius and cheap apps? Then, circa 2015, came the subscription era. Now, I’ve noticed a kind of return to the origins, only with prices… not so cheap.

Let’s take the newly released Simple Scan for iOS, which exposes a very cool native iOS feature — document scanning — which, by default, is slightly hidden in Files and Notes apps.

Simple Scan is sold via subscription (USD 4.99/year) or in a single purchase of USD 19.99. The only difference from the past is that, now, perpetual licenses are called “lifetime”.

Some apps that I rely on and that have adhered to this business model:

• Daylio costs USD 4.99/month or a single purchase of USD 59.99.
• 1Blocker costs USD 2.00/month or USD 38.99 as a single purchase.
• KeepPassium costs USD 1.99/month or USD 49.99 as a single purchase (alternative app, KeePassium Pro).

And there are many other examples out there.