I came across this gem that was not downvoted on HN today:
>you can probably offer them a price that works for both of you
There is no such price, because there is no way to sustainably develop a product without subscriptions. You can’t go to a local bakery and pay $24 for life to get fresh rolls every day.
Every one-time price is a gamble, where somebody is betting on something. It’s a way to close your eyes and pretend ongoing costs do not exist.
So (apparently, according to this random internet commenter) the sustainability of a piece of software is tied to the payment method. If someone’s paying you on a subscription basis, you can run a profitable company, but if they pay you the exact same amount of money without a subscription, your business won’t be profitable.