You can say that about literally everything for sale. Most software packages have a much lower value proposition than this one. Why use gmail when you can just run your own smtp server? Etc.
(I promise this is going to pay off to your point, because at first it won't sound like it.) I started fiddling with self-hosting around the time the pandemic started. I didn't try email, but I tried everything else, from cloud file storage to password management to home automation. I kept at it for a while. Then a docker image needed to be updated. An SSL cert wasn't autorenewing. Nextcloud was dog slow, though I could spend time tuning it.
Now I still self-host a lot, but it's stuff that requires absolutely zero maintenance overhead. I admire people who are into self-hosting the whole stack, but it's not what I want to be doing. So I never moved off gmail, and I pay someone to host my cloud files. Life!
(Now ask me how many hours I spent getting a tiling window manager into a usable state. The number is a lot, and I feel bad about it, but now I have SUPER POWERED PRODUCTIVITY.)
/s obviously. But at least it's more like a really involved interior decorating project than reinventing power delivery to the home.
To be clear, i dont think there is anything wrong with self-hosting. I've tried my hand at a few things now and then. It can be fun and a great learning experience. But its totally understandable why most people don't especially over the long term.
That's correct, it seems the op was making at least an adjacent argument of critique of capitalism and how it affects people's access to information (or technology-as-information, such as "guide on how to get a filmic look when editing video").
I support people undercutting businesses in their marketing post comment sections with Free as in beer or freedom solutions to achieve whatever's being sold. I believe in the ethicality of Free as in Freedom software, for one thing, but also in general information freedom. I feel gross about knowledge hoarding.
If you're a fan of capitalism, I think you should agree with me. Capitalist minded people can try to use Free software to extract labor for no cost (jokes on you, we extract your engineer's labor at cost to you when they get frustrated and start making commits at work), and Free software comes with other advantages. Furthermore, if you're investigating solutions to your business need to do filmic solutions, isn't it nice that there are hordes of us weirdos ready to help prevent you from spending money unnecessarily? If you're trying to sell filmic solutions, isn't it nice to be challenged on your business model publicly and specifically rather than scratch your head at poor sales with no idea how to add value?
Sidenote I was reminded of this comedy video: https://youtu.be/9kaIXkImCAM "Interview with an FFMPEG Enthusiast"
