site: bundle — Software you pay for once, or not at all

Six Mac tools bound by their pricing stance rather than their function:
free (MDV), GPL open source (VoiceInk), and four one-time purchases from
$8.99 to $19.99. AudioPen, captured the same day, is excluded as the
subscription counterexample that sharpens the theme.

Text Catalyst and AudioBo weren't shortlisted but are the cleanest legs
of this theme — shortlist rank gates the shortlist, not bundle
membership. 5 of 6 items carry heroes.

src/content/bundles/2026-07-17-once-or-never/index.mdx

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+---
+title: "Software you pay for once, or not at all"
+date: 2026-07-17
+tags: [daily-finds, macos-apps, productivity]
+description: "Six Mac tools whose price is a one-time number or nothing — no renewal date attached."
+blurb: "Six Mac tools that ask for money once, or never ask at all."
+items:
+  - mdv-markdown-viewer
+  - voiceink
+  - panelet
+  - speed-reader-rsvp
+  - text-catalyst
+  - audiobo-audiobook-maker
+---
+
+> Today's catch runs from free to $19.99 and stops there — every one of these is a single number or nothing, with no renewal date attached. A Markdown viewer that throws in a Quick Look extension, dictation whose models never leave the Mac, and four more that priced themselves like software used to be priced.