IMO paying a modest annual subscription is better than having to shell out hundreds of dollars (or thousands even) when you eventually decide to move from say the 2004 version of something to the current version. In addition you have to face the hurdle of adapting to all the changes - the outfits that make the new look like the old love that approach.
I also prefer it to racketeers that con you into paying an upfront fee to get unlimited free updates. But after a while they retrospectively impose a time limit on supplying the free updates, and expect you to pay full price for a new version and another upfront upgrade fee - beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
@Dennis - in the past, employees would put a lot of pressure onto IT departments to give them the latest version of Windows, Office etc because they had them on their home computers. This was a particular issue if they were 'expected' to work from home. In particular I recall users, usually senior execs, wanting an email system they could use at home or on the road. Installing a 3270 emulator on their luggables and offering dial up access to Memo on the MVS mainfame didn't cut the mustard
I don't think those pressures exist to the extent they did 20-30 years ago.
BR