What people fail to understand is that when you buy software you are kind of buying a product that sits on a moving platform. And as that platform moves new work has to be done to keep it working. OS updates happen almost monthly nowadays compared to years ago when windows to a few years to go from 1st release to services pack 1.
So buying a fixed product in the software world doesn't exist anymore and therefore it's kind of hard to charge a one time fee for what is in reality and ever changing code base. You either charge up front for all the future hours you might have to put into the app, charge a fixed price and hope new users coming on board pay for the man hours needed in the future, or just charge a subscription.
I think subscription reflects how software is made nowadays. It kind of makes sense.
Not if you deal with larger companies. You still buy fixed programs.
My 2008 and 2011 MS Office is still working fine in Sierra, so are many other apps I paid for once long time ago and own.
Maybe I am atypical in that as long as something works I do not look for a solution to a problem which I do not have, like always having the latest version of a software.
I get that niche apps like what is mostly in those bundles may require future input and work, but that is the decision of the developer.
Those naming Spotify or music services as a good example for subscriptions are not really fair. These services get new content all the time. A regular app that only does one thing is not subject to new content.
As for CleanMyMac, MacKeeper and many other products like that : In over 32 years I never had issues and when I don't use something the "date modified" column in a window tells me what to throw out. Maybe some pros with tons of files benefit from such apps.
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Amazingly, the vast majority of people have failed to understand the benefits of this service.
Yes, it would be cheaper in the long run to buy 5 apps that you really like than to pay for this service.
But what if there's a few apps that you want to try out? You won't know if they're any good until you try... So boom, $10 and you can try *all* of them out as much as you like for a month. Or what if you only need a few days with a particular piece of software? Say, for an assignment or something? Boom, pay $10 instead of the full price of the app that you'll never need again.
There are many benefits to this service and $9.99 is a fair price if they can expand beyond their initial offering.
I would subscribe to this service if it contained apps I need. At the moment, it doesn't (and I already have Ulysses, one of the premium apps in there).
Count me in the vast majority of seeing no benefit in this and again to be fair subscriptions are like what kryptonite is to superman to me.
If I have a specific need for an app or an app I have annoys the hell out of me, I start researching what is out there.
In that context I would actually get to these apps, as well as others. I then read the reviews (I do that for bundles as well (and decide), which are usually helpful and then decide to buy or if somebody has a demo version I'll use that.
I question if somebody has needs of $ 120 a year for apps. Only my situation, but with what is out there in standard apps which either come with Sierra or have been around for umpteen years, quite a big range of what people do is covered.
