People maybe don't "subscribe" to a hammer, but people might rent-to-own one.

I wonder if software couldn't manage a lease style payment for a license. Paying a recurring subscription to something I only use once in a while is a non-starter for me.

But paying a single high upfront cost is also not great.

So maybe a mix, like a phone plan. You have a higher overall payout but once you've paid it off it's yours.

Probably not really necessary for most things though.