Pay once. Own forever. No subscription anxiety.
Subscription fatigue is real. Every app wants $10/month now. After a year, that "cheap" subscription costs $120. After five years? $600 for a to-do app.
Some apps still believe in one-time purchases. Pay once, own it forever. Here they are.
Apple Design Award winner. Beautiful, powerful, one price. $50 for iPhone + $50 for Mac (sold separately, unfortunately).
Been around since 2017 with free updates. Cultured Software doesn't chase subscriptions.
Total cost: $50-100 depending on devices. Forever.
Visual daily planner. One purchase for all Apple devices. Time-based planning with beautiful UI.
Lifetime license. Free updates included.
Total cost: $50 once. All platforms.
Free forever with all core features. Optional $2.99 one-time Pro upgrade. Not $2.99/month. Not $2.99/year. Once.
Gamification, Purpose Wheel, life balance tracking. No subscription needed.
Total cost: $0-2.99. Forever.
If you prefer handwritten planning on iPad. One-time purchase with Apple Pencil support.
Use any planner PDF template. Infinite customization.
Total cost: ~$25 once.
| App | Year 1 | 5 Years |
|---|---|---|
| Todoist Pro | $48 | $240 |
| Notion | $96 | $480 |
| Motion | $228 | $1,140 |
| Things 3 | $50 | $50 |
| Funtasking Pro | $2.99 | $2.99 |
The math is clear. One-time purchases win long-term.
Predictable revenue. Developers prefer monthly income over sporadic purchases.
Ongoing costs. Cloud sync, servers, support. These cost money monthly.
Continuous development. New features need funding.
These are valid reasons. But some apps prove you can do both: one-time purchase with great ongoing support.
Heavy cloud features. Apps with AI, large file storage, or complex backends.
Team features. Collaboration tools genuinely cost more to maintain.
Trying before buying. Subscriptions let you test without big commitment.
For personal task management? One-time purchase is usually better value.
Choose a purpose: Body, Work, People, Learning, Play, and more
Visual timeline, active tasks, coins earned, and daily balance
15 min = 1 coin. Save up for trips, gadgets, or a lazy day
Track time across life areas. Get warned before burnout hits
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