Of course the prevalent reason to make a service is that it can be monetized to Hell and back again. Does it fit the customer's needs? Who cares, as long as they have no clue what they will end up paying until it is too late to migrate away.
If users want something with long-lasting support and enhancements, that’s going to take work. The people who do this work are going to need to earn a living.
There are lots of ways to accomplish this. Advertising, altruism, one time purchases. But charging for a service can be a perfectly reasonable way of making it sustainable.