Hi @Jody,
RapidWeaver 8 is no longer available for sale, new customers should purchase RapidWeaver Classic, it’s choc-full of handy new features and fixes. Fun fact: RW8 was released around 6 years ago, and RW Classic was released almost 2 years ago 
We’ve worked hard to make sure our subscription model is more than fair — you get to keep the app, and get updates for a year even when you cancel your subscription.
Here’s the relevant bit from the Subscription FAQ that explains it in more detail:
Every RapidWeaver Classic license comes with 1 year of app updates from the purchase date. This allows us to continue building the best web building app for the Mac and release new features regularly.
After the first year, your 1 year period of app updates is automatically renewed for another year at the app’s regular pricing. If you choose to cancel the automatic renewal, you can continue using the version of our app that you last had, forever… (no pressure, we don’t limit the app’s functionality if your updates have expired).
We hope you’ll agree this model is very fair and gives everyone the best of both worlds.
Let me know if you have any more questions, we’re always around to help 
Cheers,
Dan