You might not like their tactics but they are Internet Marketers as well as plugin creators. The unstoppable plugin is a great way to put your optin box for an auto-responder in front of prospects which increases signups.
They do offer a commercial plugin for marketers that includes a built in tracker and many other features that make monetization of a blog easier.
As far as forced registration for the newsletter, I wasn’t thrilled but I’ve stayed a subscriber for the tips and tricks that are shared. A quick scan lets me see if I’m interested before I delete it.
There are many alternatives to many maxblogger plugins. I find the ping optimizer plugin very comforting to edited posts are repinged.
