We’re not funded by an investor, an advertiser, or a government grant — which means we’re funded by the people who actually show up here. That’s not an accident, and we’re not going to apologize for it.
Free platforms are rarely actually free. Somewhere, someone is paying — usually you, in attention, data, or both. We didn’t want to build Circle One on that model, because it would put us in exactly the position we’re trying to help people question: a system that takes more than it gives, quietly, in a currency you don’t notice paying. Real independence costs something real to maintain, and we’d rather be upfront about that cost than hide it behind a “free” label that isn’t actually true.
That’s why membership here isn’t free past the entry point. Standard and Full tiers fund the actual infrastructure — hosting, tools, the people doing the work of building this project. It’s not a lot of money. But it’s honest money, and we think that matters.