Good question and one I've actually spent real time on. Here's the full picture.
The payment structure across most of these is honestly confusing by design. 'Free' usually means the useful features auto-renew behind the scenes.
Things that have genuinely helped me navigate this:
- Use a secondary email for anything with auto-renewal
- Virtual cards are worth it for subscription-based platforms
- Screenshot billing agreements before clicking through
- Check cancellation steps before you subscribe
Currently using Flamedate as my main go-to and it's held up well. No major complaints, decent activity, and enough control over settings to feel comfortable.
Hope that gives you something concrete to go on.