Software isn’t gym though, it can be “used” by just keeping it in the background for multiple sessions in a tab somewhere, especially if the software does some monitoring so it’s always active.

Whether this makes sense though depends on the software.

For me personally I would not terribly mind to pay Photoshop by the minute because I would need it an hour per year. That’s extra cash that Adobe now just does not see. Most professionals though would still keep paying monthly because they use it a lot.

How much are you willing to pay for your hour of usage per year? $1? $10? $100?

Is the amount of work it would take to implement a metered rate at a rate users would pay worth it to capture the people who don't use it as a regular part of their job?