> The only way to make a living is to rip-off users with misleading subscriptions
(Personal experience/anecdata follows.)
I don't know. I sell a macOS/iOS productivity app on the App Store[1], and while not getting rich there, I can tell you that's actually useful to people, you can put a non-peanuts price tag on it. I love that it's relatively straightforward to get an app out in front of a lot of potential customer.
That said, I wouldn't never rely on the App Store to surface my app on its own, it's ridiculous.