It's not a one-time purchase if you consider updates.
> Personal licenses are a once off purchase, and come with 3 years of updates. After 3 years, an upgrade will be required to receive further updates.[0]
Tbh I think this is fair, but it surprises me every 3 years when I have to pay up again xD
I actually like when I get the note that I need to pay for the upgrade. It's a good reminder that I still find Sublime valuable (so much that I use almost daily), and that I got 3-4 years of free upgrades for a fair price (vs. subscription models like 1Password, or version-specific rip-offs, like VMware Workstation).
It's one of my favorite piece of software. Obsidian being another one.
> Personal licenses are a once off purchase, and come with 3 years of updates. After 3 years, an upgrade will be required to receive further updates.[0]
Tbh I think this is fair, but it surprises me every 3 years when I have to pay up again xD
[0]: https://www.sublimehq.com/store/text