i don’t defend targeted ads since they are bad (i use uBlock)
but what monetization system is a bit more ethical than targeted ads but can last unlike donations
how would you solve that issue
My Opinion
well it is make that there are version which you own but if you pay for 1 the one after it you pay again for that new version but with a small discount
Donations - regular is also fine, it doesn’t have to be one time
No one should be locked out of software becauee they can’t pay
WMF (Wikimedia Foundation), AO3 (Archive of Our Own), and Internet Archives seem to be doing okay with donations.
They’re pretty much the exception, vast majority of FOSS and freehosted projects could not survive on donations alone if not for volunteers.