Functionally, there’s no such thing. In a system that gives the most power to the company that makes the most money, that company will seek to maximize its profits. Part of maximizing profits is eliminating competition. So in a “free” market, the most successful will subvert the freedom of their competition thus eliminating the freedom in the market.

Self-correction in a market is an illusion crafted people either desperate to salvage a broken system, or those who seek to exploit them.

Because I am capable of critical and complex thinking. Just because something is labeled as “free” does not necessarily mean there are no costs associated with procuring or using a product. If you’re handed a proprietary piece of technology for “free”, but the only way to use it is to pay for another piece of technology or software that you have to pay for… it’s not free. It’s complementary, but it’s not free. You still need to pay some amount to use it.

As they need to be installed on Apple hardware, there’s an implicit cost associated with it.

If you want to be super pedantic for no reason, you’re correct, it is technically free.