Open your Settings app. Scroll to Subscriptions. Count the recurring charges.
If you're like most Mac users, you're paying monthly fees for a photo editor, a notes app, a cloud storage service, a password manager, a design tool, a video editor -- the list goes on. Each one seemed reasonable at $5 or $10 per month. Together, they quietly add up to hundreds of dollars a year for software you may only use a few times a week.
We think there's a better way.
The Subscription Trap
The SaaS model works brilliantly for services that require ongoing infrastructure -- cloud storage, email hosting, real-time collaboration servers. These have genuine recurring costs that justify recurring revenue.
But a desktop application that runs entirely on your machine? The economics don't add up the same way. When your video editor processes footage using your CPU, your GPU, and your local storage, what exactly are you renting each month?
The honest answer for most subscription-based desktop apps: you're paying for the privilege of continued access to software you've already downloaded.
Stop paying, and the app locks you out -- sometimes even from files you created with it.
Our Model: Pay Once, Own It
Every Oxid app follows a simple principle:
- One-time purchase -- a single payment per device
- No recurring fees -- ever
- Free updates -- bug fixes, performance improvements, and feature additions included
- Your license, your device -- no cloud dependency, no kill switch
When you buy Oxid Mac Cleaner, Oxid Studio, or any Oxid app, it's yours. You can use it offline, without an internet connection, indefinitely. We don't phone home to verify your subscription status. We don't degrade features after a trial period.
Why This Works for Us Too
The common argument against one-time purchases is that developers need sustainable revenue. That's true -- and we've designed our business around it:
1. New apps expand the catalog. Instead of squeezing recurring revenue from one product, we build new tools that solve new problems. Each app earns its own purchase.
2. The bundle creates natural upsells. The Oxid Value Pack is every app we make for one price, at a large discount to buying them separately. When we have added an app to the catalogue, people who already own the pack have received it without paying again.
3. Low overhead, high efficiency. Our apps are built by a small team using Rust and Swift. We don't maintain sprawling cloud infrastructure or customer-facing servers for each app. The cost to support a sold license is near zero.
4. Happy users are the best marketing. When someone pays once and gets a great experience forever, they tell others. No one evangelizes an app they resent paying for monthly.
The Real Cost Comparison
Let's do the math on a typical creative workflow:
| Tool type | Typical subscription | Oxid app | One-time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video editor | $20/month ($240/yr) | Oxid Studio | $79 |
| Containers and VMs | $9/month ($108/yr) | Oxid VM | $79 |
| Screen capture | $8/month ($96/yr) | Oxid Capture Studio | $39 |
| Local web stack | $5/month ($60/yr) | OXAMP | $29 |
| Mac cleaner | $3/month ($36/yr) | Oxid Mac Cleaner | $19 |
Those subscriptions come to $540 a year, every year. The five Oxid apps come to $245, once — or take all nine in the Value Pack for $99.
The subscription column is what tools in these categories typically charge; the right-hand column is what we charge, and you can check it on the pricing page.
What About Major Version Upgrades?
We believe in delivering continuous value through free updates. If we ever release a major new version that represents a ground-up rebuild, we'll offer it as a separate product with a generous upgrade discount for existing users -- never as a forced subscription conversion.
You'll always have the choice: keep using what you paid for, or upgrade when the new version earns your money.
Subscription Fatigue Is Real
Most people are carrying more recurring software charges than they can name from memory — the cost is spread thin enough per app to stay invisible, and only shows up when you add the year together. Software subscriptions are a significant part of that burden.
We're not anti-subscription as a concept. We use subscription services ourselves. But we believe desktop tools that run on your hardware, process your data locally, and don't require cloud infrastructure should respect the traditional software model: you buy it, you own it.
Join the Pay-Once Movement
Every Oxid app is available as a one-time purchase. The trial is seven days with every feature unlocked — no card, no signup, no countdown banner. After it ends, the free features keep working.
See our pricing and pick the apps that fit your workflow. Pay once. Use them forever.