There are services that are actually free, those who don't sell your data and still manage to stay afloat. I use a lot of these. I like the Freemium model, I like the fact that the community is paying for my use of a great service till I can stand on my own two feet. So, I was wondering if there were any services you used for free once but once you got money, you started supporting it. It makes more financial sense to go with folks who offer only paid services, because you essentially are not bearing the cost of those who are not yet able to pay (or will never pay), but are there instances where you went with the company who was providing you free service for all those years out of gratitude?
I use ProtonVPN and I trust the folks at ProtonVPN and hopefully someday be buying a paid plan although some say it's overpriced! What about you. What is the service you plan on paying for one day or one you are paying for now out of gratitude and a sense of community?
Also, it doesn't have to paid, let's say you became a tor node because you wanted to help the service you believe in. Or something like this, you get the idea!
Also, thanks to admins and devs of lemmy.ml as I was able to get in without any fuss even after using Tor Browser. And screw reddit for blocking me : )
Edit: It will take me sometime to reply (perhaps a day) but I want to hear you!
Lemmy itself. How many people do support their instance and the developers?
I use a lot of free and open source software, and some of the stuff I use a lot I support with donations. Python, Mozilla, FairEmail are examples of software I have donated to. Wikipedia also.
I'm not a charity institution. I use whatever is better/more cost-effective for my needs.
I will, however, point out that the ability to migrate and/or downgrade (from paid to free for example) is something in which I place A LOT of value. I will use stuff that is substantially worse than the market leader simply because it allows me to take my shit and leave if I ever change my mind. Being able to move from a paid to a free plan when you are no longer using something is pretty important.
Regarding your example, Proton VPN is on the higher end of VPNs. I consider it pricy, but they are trying to compete with OVPN. Paying because you need to support is an emotional decision. If you ever get enough money that you don't care about paying another $5 to get a better service, go with them. Else, choose something paid but cheaper.
Are you, or are you not, grateful for the free service you are using right now?
someone has to bear the voluntary burden to make the service better for everyone else. It's somewhat of an act of charity, but you are getting a great service you can trust in return for that. And Protonmail/VPN people have proved that they deserve the trust that's entrusted on them unlike most others.
But, I understand you point of view
I agree, I like Proton services.
However, offfering a free service is not a favour, it's a business decision and you should always do what's best for you. Let rich people pay for the expensive stuff.
Infinitely grateful, since getting something for nothing is the physical definition of dividing by zero.
