Why is tawk.to free?

When I see “free” on a SaaS website I usually have lots of questions. What’s actually free? For how long? Is the free version actually valuable? Tawk.to was a somewhat late entrant to the chatbot game and one way they differentiate is on their free plan. So much so, that one of the primary links in their website nav is “Why Free?” Click on it and you’re dropped into a long-form article coming directly from their founder explaining their position, plans for the future, even how they actually generate revenue. It’s a type of transparency that makes you trust the company more and believe in the value of their free offering.