No, there's no such thing as free. Someone always pays. Whether it is the consumer, a third-party advertiser, or the provider, a payment of some sort is occurring. It could be in cash, time, effort, or resources.
Nothing is ever free.
.....Nothing is ever free......
That idiot singing about pirate clothes tells us credit reports are free.
“Nothing is ever free.”
I once had a free lunch. ;-)
Do you consider Linux to be “free”? (Referencing your tag line.)