The cost of free

Free platforms are generous until they need to make money. Then the price arrives quietly. Your reach is throttled unless you pay. Your posts are wrapped in ads. The terms shift under you, and the work you put in starts serving someone else’s balance sheet.

You were never the customer. You were the thing being sold.

I would rather pay a small, plain cost for a domain and hosting and know exactly what I am paying for. The bill is honest, and the work stays mine. Free always has a cost. The only question is whether you can see it.