Why we don't use subscriptions
Why Dixon App Studio doesn't use subscriptions for utility apps — when subscriptions make sense, when they don't, and what we do instead.
March 24, 2026 · 4 min read
Subscriptions are the default revenue model in software now. We've chosen not to use them for our utility apps. Here's why — and what we do instead.
Why subscriptions became the default
Predictable monthly revenue is a beautiful thing for businesses. Investors love it, valuations love it, finance teams love it. The math is real and the model isn't evil.
But it doesn't fit every kind of software.
Where subscriptions make sense
- Cloud-hosted services with ongoing server costs
- Tools that ship meaningful updates monthly
- Software where shared data, sync, or collaboration is core
- Anything where the value compounds the longer you use it
Where they don't
- Single-purpose calculators
- Offline tools that don't need a server
- Utilities you open once a week for 30 seconds
- Apps that already do their job in v1
Charging $4/month forever for a converter that converts the same units this year as last year is just… not honest.
What we do instead
- Free apps with optional paid versions for power users.
- One-time purchases when a paid app makes sense.
- Cross-promotion — discover the studio's other apps inside each app.
- Ad-supported in moderation — banner, not interstitial assault.
What we don't do
- Lock the basic feature behind a free trial
- Auto-renew tricks
- "Cancel anytime" while making cancellation a maze
- Subscription "tiers" where the free tier is barely usable
The bigger point
Software you own (or use freely) is a different feeling from software you rent. For little daily-use utilities, ownership feels right. We'd rather have ten thousand people use an app for a decade than fifty paying for two months and quitting.
