There is. You can remove ads. It initially wasn't an option as he didn't feel like it was at a point yet to have a charged option, while the subscription service was aimed at users willing to help fund development. That confusion caused the back lash so he added the remove ad option in the next update.
It was cheaper on Reddit yeah. But after years and years of enjoyment from my most used app, I'm happy to pay whatever he asks for the new version for Lemmy.
Yeah it was a bit of a shock to me too, but also considering the level of polish it already has and the features it can still get, I feel like it's more than worth it for me.