Long-time member, first time asking about this specific topic. Hoping for some real experience-based replies.
The freemium question is genuinely complicated. 'Free' means something different on almost every platform and the gap between what's advertised and what's actually available without paying can be enormous. I'm trying to figure out which platforms are genuinely usable without spending anything versus which ones are essentially demo versions designed to frustrate you into upgrading.
The freemium model is so entrenched now that genuinely free platforms have become rare, but they do still exist.
The specific things I'm trying to nail down:
- Is the active user base real and large enough to be useful?
- What's actually included free versus behind a paywall?
- How does the platform handle fake profiles and bots?
- What do long-term users actually say about success rates?
Would really value hearing from people with actual hands-on experience rather than just what the platform claims about itself.