The concept of software as a service (SaaS) is nothing new for enterprise, but consumer applications are increasingly shifting from perpetual licenses to monthly or annual memberships. Monthly payments provide stable income for developers, but there are benefits for end users, too. Subscriptions are easier in the short term on the wallet, and new features often arrive at a more frequent pace than they would if larger updates came every year or two.
Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office 365 were among the first to commercialize the concept, but smaller publishers like Smile Software have also waded into subscription waters with popular Mac utility TextExpander. This approach makes sense for applications, but what about renting the plug-ins that power editing and visual effects work?
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