Most platforms break in predictable ways. Advertisers want attention, so feeds get optimised for time-on-site. Investors want growth, so engagement metrics become the only thing that matters. The product slowly becomes something else.

We chose a different structure so that those pressures don't apply here. There's no advertising on Slowform, and there never will be. No recommendation algorithm scoring your behaviour. No upsell. No premium tier hiding features behind a paywall.

Operating costs are covered by donations and, eventually, a small optional membership for people who want to support the work. The core product — your shelf, the people you follow, the picks you share — stays free.

The decisions we make about Slowform are answerable only to the people using it. That's the whole point.