Even a low rate may be more than some people can afford, for various reasons. Not just because of poverty, but there’s also teens with no way to spend money online, people whose payment methods are limited internationally, etc. That’s why my post emphasizes the importance of a free tier.
Pika.page does have a free tier, which is good. That free tier limits you to 50 posts, which is so restrictive that it seems more like a limited-time free trial than something that anyone is supposed to stick with, but then again for all I know, there may be bloggers who are comfortable with that. I would just suggest giving people a heads up during your walkthrough hour so that free tier post limit doesn’t catch anyone by surprise.
Neither Pika nor Bearblog have comment sections either, to my knowledge, which is why I haven’t explored them much myself. I have a different upcoming post about why comment sections can be an important feature for those who want them. That’s not to say Pika and Bear aren’t legitimate options, just that they’re – again – limited, in a way that means they may not be a perfect fit for everyone.
And for what it’s worth, in my last reply I focused on Pika and Bearblog because like I said previously, I can’t in good conscience recommend that anyone go to Micro.blog.
Yeah I don’t think those are essential to anything. Occasionally I have seen somebody define the indie web in relation to specific tech like that, so I won’t say it never happens, but I do feel comfortable in writing off that definition as silly. Saying it’s not indie web without webmentions is like saying you don’t have a computer unless you have a wireless keyboard.