Maksym Malynovskyi

Founders are expected to do more than just build a product today :

Build in public.

Post on LinkedIn.

Make videos.

When I get stressed or bored, I browse Product Hunt. Finding new apps feels more productive, like I'm keeping up with what's out there. But if I'm honest, it's usually just a way to avoid real work. Signing up for a tool gives me the feeling of progress without any of the actual effort, leaving me more scattered in the end.
Opening a launch page is simply easier than opening the document I should be working on.
Has anyone else noticed this pattern? Do you use new tools as a way to stay busy instead of getting things done, and have you managed to change the habit?

I have noticed I judge products almost entirely off the free version, which is probably unfair but also kind of the point. If the free tier is annoying, limited in a way that feels deliberate, or nags me constantly, i usually bail before I ever see what the paid version can do.

But sometimes the free tier is so generous I never feel a reason to upgrade, which I guess is a different problem for whoever made it. And other times the free version is fine but I can tell the real product is hiding behind the paywall, so I am basically reviewing a demo.

I do not really have a point here, just curious if anyone else forms strong opinions off the free tier alone. Do you give something a fair shot before deciding, or does the free experience make or break it for you?