Software pricing is compared per month and used per book, and books take years. A subscription that looks trivial monthly is a substantial sum across a series, and a purchase that looks expensive is a single line in the same period. Doing the arithmetic on the right timescale changes several of these decisions.
What each model buys
| Model | Buys | Costs |
|---|---|---|
| One-off purchase | Permanent use of a version | Paid upgrades, eventually |
| Subscription | Continuous updates and hosting | Access ends when payment does |
| Freemium | A working free tier | The useful features are usually paid |
| Free and open | No cost, and no vendor | Your own time, and support |
When a subscription is right
- The service hosts something that has to be hosted, such as a website or a mailing list.
- You need multi-device access that syncing provides.
- The product genuinely changes, rather than adding features you don't use.
- You would rather not maintain anything.
- The cost is small against what it earns you.
Where none of those apply, a subscription is a recurring cost for a static benefit, and a purchase or a free tool is the better arrangement.
The question to ask either way
What happens to your work when you stop paying is the question that distinguishes the models most sharply. A purchased application keeps working; a subscription's behaviour on lapse is a policy, and it ranges from full read-only access to nothing at all.
The Novel Kit sits outside this decision in a useful way: because it stores no manuscript, there is no access to lose. What you keep is the exports you saved, in open formats, which remain yours regardless of any commercial arrangement.
A practical next step
Add up your writing software subscriptions and multiply by sixty. That's the five-year cost, and it is the number to compare against a purchase.
Sources checked
- Questions to ask before buying writing software
- Lock-in and how to avoid it
- What happens when a writing tool shuts down
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper?
Over a long enough period, the purchase, unless the subscription includes something you genuinely need updated continuously.
What does a subscription buy?
Continuous development, hosting, and multi-device access. Whether those are worth it depends entirely on whether you use them.
What is the hidden cost of a subscription?
Access to your own work when you stop paying, which varies by product and is worth reading before committing.