I aim to make the product convenient and as straightforward as possible. It's better to extend its use when needed than to worry about when to stop.

The person is saying that the description says "subscription" which by definition automatically renews

Not the definition of a subscription. See: magazines, traditionally purchased with one-time annual payments.

Well, those still recur automatically

To my recollection, not the old fashioned kind where you send in a check/money order for the annual subscription.

No, I mean they recur monthly for the prepaid duration. The SQLite online is simply 1 term of access. There's no recurrence of any kind.

Alright I’ll just head over to the dictionary.

Emphasis mine, as long as the item is periodic in nature it’s a subscription. The SQLite online membership has a term of access so it’s a subscription.

3: an arrangement for providing, receiving, or making use of something of a continuing or periodic nature especially on a prepayment plan: such as

a: a purchase by prepayment for a certain number of regular deliveries of something (such as issues of a periodical) or for a certain period of access to or use of something (such as an online service)

b: application to purchase securities of a new issue

c: a method of offering or presenting a series of public performances d (British): membership dues

Sure it is. A subscription's defining trait is continuity of access contingent on periodic renewal, whether manual or automatic. People subscribed to things way before online payments or even credit cards were common. A modern, if niche, example is Tarsnap.com. Once in a while, I get an email from Colin telling me to pay up if I don't want my backups deleted.