Why We Kept It Free

Open Box has been free since the beginning. Not free with a catch, not free until we figure out monetisation. Free as the default, with optional support tiers for people who want to contribute.

The decision was not complicated. Communities that charge for entry tend to become communities for people who can pay. We did not want that. The whole point was to build something accessible for students and early-career folks in India, and putting a paywall at the door would have killed that immediately.

There is also a practical reason. When people pay to be somewhere, they expect a return on that. They come in with expectations the community might not meet yet. When people join for free, they come in curious. That is a much better starting energy.

The supporter tiers exist because running a community has real costs. Hosting, tools, bots, the website, event overhead. NPC, Rookie, GOAT, and Legend are for people who want to chip in and get something back for it. But they are optional, and the community works without them.

We have never run ads. We have never done a paid promotion. We have never let a brand pay to reach our members. That is not a stance we have to take because we have found other funding. It is just not something we want to do. The servers are for the people in them.

Free also means we have to be selective about what we build. We cannot throw money at problems. Everything has to earn its place. That pressure has actually been good for us. It keeps the focus on what actually matters to the people here.

If you want to support Open Box and get some perks in return, the tiers are at openboxcomm.in/support. If you just want to be here, that is also completely fine. You are welcome either way.