I’m currently jumping between Memmy, Bean, Lemmios and Avelon. Dropped Thunder, Liftoff, Olympus and Lemmotif. There’s actually a lot of options going around, not to mention the several other WPAs being developed too.
I hear you, I also find it weird to put ads for a free experience when the original service is also free and ad-free.
I prefer apps that, for example, offer limited usage for free and full features under payment. I know what others are saying about this not being a side project. For example, Ivory for Mastodon (iOS) is a freemium app with a subscription model for you to be able to full use the app, also not a “side project” but their model works (they previously developed Tweetbot until all the mess at Xitter started to happen last year).
I will support any indie developer if the product is worth it and the price is right. I’m currently paying Ivory for Mastodon (iOS) and the experience is top notch. The fact that paid apps for the fediverse are popping up is actually a great sign of interest and critical mass of active users.
On a side note, what are you guys using on iOS? There’s a LOT of options currently, but the four that I’ve been enjoying the most are Memmy, Bean, Lemmios and Avelon. I’m sure in a couple of months we’ll see amazing progress and clearer differentiation from each other.
itsmistermoon is listening to Beep Street right now, finds it pretty good