The comparison of one time vs subscription wouldn't be $15 vs $15 but more like $500 vs $15.

In what world is a browser worth $500? For comparison, a complete operating system (eg. windows) has cost around $200, and this was applicable even in windows 98 days, before microsoft was trying to monetize it using ads/telemetry.

When buying software the cost is heavily impacted by the number of users that benefit. Windows is used by >100m users, a new browser is probably doing well if it's used by >100. Of course the price is different.

Probably more like $5000. Have you considered how insanely complicated browsers are? It’s a miracle they’re free.

Well the reality is that there are two browser engines that are free and open source. If they built their own that was better than the incumbents (eg. from performance/privacy point of view), then I might consider it. But I'm not paying $5000 for a chrome reskin, just like I won't pay $5000 for a debian reskin.

I’m saying it’s a miracle that Chrome/FF is free.

3 - Chromium/Blink, Webkit, and Firefox.

Not a miracle. Just Google.

Yeah, and that's why app subscriptions make no sense to me at all. I don't have a problem paying for resources I use—storage space, web-based functionality—but being charged every month just so they don't shut off my software is lunacy, and I will never support that.

I'm fine supporting good software. If this app served my needs well, I'd happily pay $50–60 for it. Once.