The software I bought once a decade ago still works, and nothing I rent now will

Published Sep 13, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT Beginning his professional journey in the tech industry in 2018, Yash spent over three years as a Software Engineer. After that, he shifted his focus to empowering readers through informative and engaging content on his tech blog – DiGiTAL BiRYANi. He has also published tech articles for MakeTechEasier. He loves to explore new tech gadgets and platforms. When he is not writing, you’ll find him exploring food. He is known as Digital Chef Yash among his readers because of his love for Technology and Food. A decade ago, buying software usually meant paying once and getting on with your work. Today, productivity apps increasingly work the other way around: pay every month or lose access to the features you rely on. I’ve gradually gotten used to that model, but I still notice the difference when I use something I bought years ago. One of those purchases was Plex Lifetime Pass. I paid for it once, and a decade later, I’m still using it. Looking back at that purchase has made me think about how dramatically software pricing has changed, and whether subscriptions really make more sense for products I expect to use for years. Owning software feels dead now The subscription box changed everything I’ve noticed that buying software no longer feels like buying something. It feels more like signing up for permission to use it. Whenever I look for a new app, I now expect to see a monthly or yearly plan before I even get to the download button. There might be a free tier, but the useful features are often locked behind a subscription. Even simple tools can come with recurring charges that never really end. That has changed how I think about software. I used to ask whether an app was worth its price. Now I find myself asking whether I want another subscription at all. What bothers me most is that I can’t always see what I’m paying for after the initial purchase. If I’m happy with the current version and don’t need new features, I still have to keep paying to retain access. I don’t mind paying developers for good software. I just miss the feeling of paying once, installing it, and considering it mine. I bought Plex when lifetime software still felt normal The lifetime deal that made sense I came across Plex at a time when paying for software upfront didn’t seem unusual. I was building my own media setup and wanted something that could bring everything together without making the experience complicated. That’s when I decided to get a Plex Lifetime Pass. I remember looking at the price and thinking about whether I would use it enough to justify paying upfront. I eventually went for it because Plex already fit what I was trying to build, and the lifetime option meant I wouldn’t have to make the same purchase again later. At the time, I wasn’t thinking about how the software industry would change. I wasn’t trying to make some clever long-term investment in software. I simply wanted Plex and knew I would keep using it. The real value of a one-time purchase shows up years later A decade later, it paid off My Plex Lifetime Pass cost me around $80. Spread across a decade, that works out to roughly $8 a year. And every additional year I use it pushes that cost down even further. I don’t have to do anything to make that happen. I just keep using the software. That changes how I look at software prices. An $80 purchase can sound expensive when I’m looking at the checkout page. But when I look back at ten years of use, it feels surprisingly cheap. I’ve also become more aware of how quickly subscription costs add up. A small monthly payment rarely feels significant on its own. Give it several years, though, and the total can become much larger than I expected. With Plex, I made the decision once. I don’t have to keep deciding whether another year of access is worth paying for. That simplicity has become a bigger benefit than I expected. Modern software has made me appreciate Plex more Plex feels refreshingly simple Using newer software has made me realize how much I value products that stay out of my way. I often install an app because I need one particular feature, only to find myself dealing with account requirements, cloud features, upsells, and settings I never asked for. That experience makes Plex stand out to me. It feels like a tool I can simply open and use when I want to watch something from my own library. I don't have to keep thinking about how the company is changing the product or what new feature I’m supposed to care about. Maybe software was better when the bill could end Plex has made me rethink what I actually want from the software I use. I don’t need every app to offer a lifetime plan, and I understand why some services need recurring revenue. But I do want more products to give me a real choice. Sometimes, I’d rather pay more upfront, settle in, and use the software for years without wondering what happens at the next renewal. After a decade, that choice still feels worth having. OS Windows, macOS, Linux Individual pricing Free, $6.99/month, $250/lifetime Plex is the premier home media server software for replacing your streaming subscriptions.