Ask HN: If Threes had a free version, would it prevent clones?

It's funny because I discovered 2048 before Threes. But many of my game dev friends were bashing it, calling it a clone. When I think about it logically, the reason why 2048 became successful is simply because Threes didn't have a free version.

What do you think?

If you agree, what do you think if Threes make a free version?