The App Store has shifted heavily toward subscriptions. Apps that cost a dollar in 2015 now charge monthly. Some of this is reasonable: ongoing development costs money. A lot of it is not: basic utilities with no meaningful updates now require annual fees to stay functional.
There’s a growing group of developers who build differently. One-time purchase, no subscription, no features locked behind a recurring charge. You pay once, you own the app.
This list covers the best iPhone apps still using that model across goal tracking, task management, writing, reading, and productivity.
Why one-time pricing matters
The subscription model shifts the incentive. A subscription app needs you to keep paying every month. That creates pressure to add features that justify the charge, send notifications that pull you back in, and make cancellation inconvenient.
A one-time app has a simpler relationship with the user: here’s the app, here’s the price, it’s yours. The developer is incentivized to make something people want to buy, not something people can’t figure out how to unsubscribe from.
For apps you use every day, subscriptions add up. Twelve apps at $4.99/month is $717 a year. The same twelve apps as one-time purchases might cost $100 total, paid once.
One-time pricing also ages well. An app you bought three years ago still works the same way. Nothing gets locked, reduced, or moved to a higher tier.
Goal tracking
Notch
Price: Free · $9.99 Pro (one-time) Category: Milestone tracker
Notch tracks goals with a finish line. Set a target, log milestones, watch the dot grid fill. No streaks, no resets, no subscription.
The model is built for goals with a number at the end: run 500 km, read 20 books, complete 100 workouts. Every milestone you log becomes a dot on a grid. The total accumulates forward and never resets. A rest week doesn’t change what you’ve already accomplished.
Where Notch fits: goals that end when you hit a number. Where it doesn’t fit: daily habits with no endpoint (medication, morning routine, daily journaling) that need streak-based accountability.
Streaks
Price: ~$4.99, one-time Category: Habit tracker
Streaks tracks daily habits through a streak-based model. Check in daily, protect the streak, maintain the chain. An Apple Design Award winner with a clean, distinctive interface.
Works well for true daily habits: medication, sleep schedule, morning routine. Streak-based pressure is appropriate when the daily repetition is the point.
The Streaks app alternative covers where the model fits and where it doesn’t. For goals with a finish line, a different approach works better. For daily habits, Streaks earns its reputation.
Task management
Things 3
Price: $9.99 (iPhone), $19.99 (iPad), $49.99 (Mac) Category: Task manager
Things 3 is one of the most polished apps on any Apple platform. Task management built around projects, areas, and a clean inbox. No recurring charge: pay once per platform.
The interface sets the standard for what an iOS app can look like. Capture, organize, and work through tasks without friction. No account required. Syncs across devices via a direct Wi-Fi sync (no third-party cloud).
Cultured Code has updated Things 3 consistently for years without converting to a subscription. In a category that has moved almost entirely to recurring billing, that’s notable.
OmniFocus 4
Price: One-time purchase or subscription (one-time option available) Category: Professional task manager
OmniFocus is the most powerful task manager on iOS, designed for complex projects with many moving parts. Projects, contexts, forecast views, custom perspectives. Steep learning curve, high capability ceiling.
The one-time purchase option exists but costs more upfront. Worth it for users who need the full feature set and don’t want recurring billing. Overkill for simple task lists.
Writing and notes
iA Writer
Price: $8.99, one-time Category: Markdown writing app
iA Writer strips writing down to the text. Markdown support, focus mode, clean typography, no distractions. Syncs via iCloud. Works across iPhone, iPad, and Mac with a separate one-time purchase per platform.
For long-form writing, the focused environment is the main feature. No account, no subscription, no features gated behind a premium tier.
Reeder
Price: One-time (pricing varies by version) Category: RSS reader
Reeder is the benchmark for RSS reading on iPhone. Clean reading experience, syncs with popular RSS backends, fast and reliable. Each major version is a new purchase rather than a subscription upgrade.
For people who follow blogs, newsletters, or any content via RSS, Reeder handles the reading experience better than most browser alternatives.
Utilities and tools
CARROT Weather
Price: Free with one-time unlock option available Category: Weather
CARROT is a weather app with attitude and surprisingly accurate forecasts. The one-time unlock removes ads and adds features. A subscription tier exists for premium radar and other extras, but the core app functions as a one-time purchase.
For weather apps, CARROT’s one-time option is one of the cleaner deals in the category.
Darkroom
Price: Free with one-time unlock option Category: Photo editor
Darkroom is a powerful photo and video editor with a one-time purchase option for the full feature set. Presets, curves, selective adjustments, batch editing. Strong alternative to subscription-based editors like Lightroom Mobile.
The one-time unlock covers all current features. New additions may require additional purchases, but the core editor stays functional indefinitely.
Pocketcasts
Price: One-time purchase on iOS (pricing varies) Category: Podcast player
Pocketcasts offers one of the most capable podcast apps on iPhone. Smart playlists, trim silence, variable speed, chapter support, cross-device sync. The iOS version has been available as a one-time purchase, though pricing options have changed over time.
For heavy podcast listeners, the feature depth justifies the upfront cost.
What to look for in a one-time app
Not every one-time app is a good deal. A few signals help filter:
Active development. An app last updated in 2019 may still work, but it may not keep pace with iOS changes. Look for recent update notes.
Clear pricing. Some apps advertise “one-time purchase” but lock features behind optional in-app purchases. Read the App Store description carefully to understand what the one-time price actually unlocks.
No account requirement. Apps that require an account can gate access if the account system changes. The best one-time apps work offline and don’t require a login.
Honest about scope. One-time apps that try to do too much often become abandoned. The best ones solve a specific problem well and don’t expand into subscription territory.
One-time purchase vs. subscription: when each makes sense
Subscriptions are reasonable for apps with ongoing server costs: cloud storage, real-time sync with a backend, collaborative features, AI processing. If the app genuinely costs money to run every month, a subscription matches the cost structure.
One-time pricing works for apps where the core function is computation or local storage, with no meaningful ongoing server cost. Goal trackers, writing apps, task managers, RSS readers: the value is in the software, not in running servers on your behalf.
For an app you use every day with no backend costs, paying monthly is often the wrong model.
The goal tracking angle
In the goal tracking category specifically, subscriptions are common and often hard to justify. Most habit trackers log your data locally, display it locally, and sync it via iCloud. The cost structure doesn’t require a monthly fee.
Notch takes the position that a milestone tracker should cost what a good app costs, once, with no ongoing charge. The HabitKit alternative page covers this in detail: similar dot-grid visual, different pricing model, different underlying philosophy.
For people switching from subscription-based goal trackers, the one-time model changes the relationship with the app. There’s no renewal to cancel, no annual nudge to upgrade, no features locked until you pay more.
Frequently asked questions
Are there still good iPhone apps without subscriptions?
Yes, though they’re harder to find. The categories with the strongest one-time options are task management, writing, photo editing, and goal tracking. Things 3, iA Writer, and Reeder are examples of well-maintained apps that use one-time pricing. Notch is free with a one-time Pro upgrade.
Is it better to pay once or subscribe?
For apps you use daily over years, one-time pricing is usually cheaper. A $9.99 one-time upgrade pays for itself compared to a $2.99/month subscription in about three months. The break-even math favors one-time for any app you plan to use for more than a few months.
Do one-time apps still get updates?
It depends on the developer. Things 3, iA Writer, and Notch all receive ongoing updates under their one-time models. Some apps do slow down after launch. Checking recent update history in the App Store is the most reliable signal.
What happens when I get a new iPhone?
One-time purchases transfer to new devices automatically through your Apple ID. You don’t repurchase for a new phone. Some apps (Things 3, for example) treat iPhone and iPad as separate purchases.
Is Notch available on Android?
Notch is iOS only. There is no Android version currently.
Does one-time pricing mean no future major version charges?
Not always. Some developers release major versions (version 4 to version 5) as new purchases. Others update for free indefinitely. Check the developer’s track record. Notch is free to download; the Pro upgrade is a one-time purchase. Any changes to that policy would be communicated in advance.
The list at a glance
| App | Category | Price | Account required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notch | Goal tracker | Free · $9.99 Pro | No |
| Streaks | Habit tracker | ~$4.99 | No |
| Things 3 | Task manager | $9.99 | No |
| OmniFocus 4 | Task manager (pro) | One-time option | Optional |
| iA Writer | Writing | $8.99 | No |
| Reeder | RSS reader | One-time | No |
| CARROT Weather | Weather | Free + unlock | No |
| Darkroom | Photo editor | Free + unlock | No |
| Pocketcasts | Podcast player | One-time option | Optional |
The subscription model is not going away, and some apps justify it. The apps on this list show that it’s possible to build something valuable, sell it once, and maintain it well over time.
For goal tracking specifically, Notch is free to download, with a one-time $9.99 Pro upgrade. Set a target, log milestones, watch the dot grid fill. No renewal, no recurring charge, no features locked behind an upgrade.
Own the app. Hit the goal.
Try Notch
Every notch counts.
A milestone tracker without streaks, guilt, or subscriptions.
Download on App StoreFree · $9.99 Pro · No subscription