Buy software once instead of subscribing — why we sell without subscriptions
Updated
Most software vendors today rely on monthly subscriptions. We don't — at least not by default. This guide explains why we prefer one-time purchases, how they work, and what you as a buyer get out of it.
What a one-time purchase means
You pay once — and use the app for as long as you like. No monthly debit, no subscription you forget to cancel, no price increase after the «introductory offer». You receive a license for the current major version, including all updates within that version.
This is the oldest software model in the world — and a model that comes with a specific promise: the app belongs to you. Not to the vendor who decides when you may still use it.
Why we sell this way
Subscriptions make sense for certain software — when ongoing server costs, ever-growing data volumes or team features are involved. For our tools, that usually isn't the case.
Twirly computes 100% on your Mac: no servers for us to run and pay for. Bananas Booking needs a server for booking pages, but not one that scales with user numbers. Mesmerizing and Super Strong store everything locally — they could go offline tomorrow and you would keep using them.
If there is no ongoing value behind a subscription, we don't want to charge one. That is not romanticism but a logical consequence: an honest price for a finished tool.
Paddle as merchant of record — what it means
All purchases in the CHO CHI CHO STORE go through Paddle as the «Merchant of Record». This means: Paddle is the legal seller, issues the invoice, handles VAT in your country and handles chargebacks. You never pay us directly — Paddle processes the transaction.
For you as a buyer this has a practical benefit: you always receive a cleanly issued receipt, VAT is handled correctly, and buyer protection lies with Paddle. We focus on the software — Paddle on payment processing.
Our apps — all one-time purchases
In the store you currently find:
- Twirly — Dictate, rewrite, read aloud — 100% local on your Mac. CHF 30 one-time. - Bananas Booking — Appointment scheduling for Mac freelancers, Apple Calendar sync. CHF 15 one-time. - Mesmerizing — Local moodboard: images, videos, audio, 3D models as tiles on your Mac. CHF 20 one-time. - Super Strong — King James Bible with Strong’s numbers, local on Mac. CHF 20 one-time. - Pixelator — Pixel art tool in the browser, completely free.
All macOS apps purchased via Paddle, all updates within the major version included. No account, no forced subscription.
Indie software from Zurich
CHO CHI CHO GmbH is a small software team from Zurich. We build tools we need ourselves and sell them the way we would want to buy: transparent, fair, paid once. If a tool has no ongoing server overhead, it also doesn't justify a subscription — it's that simple.