They both make money from premium memberships that give extra functionality and features. Remember kids, collecting and selling data is never okie dokie.

Good point. They are a paid/non-paid hybrid then. Paying money for a service and getting your data sold is extremely shitty.

It doesn't follow that because an app is free as in beer that the app company is selling your data to make up the cost of running the app. For one thing, the likes of Plenty of Fish got to near billion $ valuation via AdSense and banner ads. I imagine people generally think this is how apps earn their money, if they were forced to think about it, especially since lots of freemium apps simply remove some banner ad when you pay.

Secondly, many companies are getting to mega valuations with free apps, via debt.

> got to near billion $ valuation via AdSense and banner ads

...which are probably collecting your data.

The idea that if you pay for a service they won't probe for, exploit, and sell your data is a fairy story where companies leave money on the table because they decide they have enough money. The data of paying customers is worth even more than the data of deadbeats.

It wouldn't be so sleazy if the fact that that's the transaction being made was less of an "open secret" and more of an acknowledged fact.