Right and this is the reason I don’t like subscriptions.

Id rather buy things.

I don’t want a car subscription. I want to buy a car.

I don’t want a book subscription. I want to buy a car.

I don’t a compute subscription. I want to buy compute hours.

Etc etc

True, but there's also the reality that maintenance costs increase over time for software projects as upstream vendors change their pricing models and codebases grow in size and complexity. I can see why a product like Kagi wants to keep their traffic tied to recurring revenue instead of selling a bunch of credits upfront.

I think the point is having stable recurring revenue. Giving you unlimited usage means on average you'll be paying more than you use, but, unless you're seriously abusing it, you can technically cost them more than you pay.

Just like you can go to the gym every day - if everyone with the membership did that they would not be able to function. But it doesn't mean you can't.

Fair enough. Sell in bulk but have some minimum credits per month requirement. More or less, use'em or lose'em. Not super painful, they are paying customers :) But enough to keep it fair to the vendor. This way there's a path to paying for those who don't want or need a monthly unlimited subscription.