Praxis is free. No paywalls, no subscriptions, no “premium” content. That’s not going to change.
But servers cost money. Domains cost money. If the project grows, development time costs money. Here’s how the bills get paid without locking guides behind a payment.
The Hard Rule
B.L.U.E. does not charge for content. Ever. This is the one rule that can’t be changed without forking the entire project. Guide access is free for everyone, always.
Primary Revenue: Affiliate Links
When a guide needs materials — tools, parts, software subscriptions — it lists them in a Materials section with links. Some of those links are affiliate links, meaning Praxis gets a small commission if you buy through them.
A few rules around this:
- Links only appear in guides that actually need those products. No random Amazon links on unrelated pages.
- Advertisers cannot pay to influence guide content. A guide author writes the guide. The materials list follows the guide, not the other way around.
- Products are ranked by community ratings, not by what vendors pay.
- Affiliate relationships are disclosed on every page that has them.
- No user tracking. There’s no profile to sell.
If an advertiser tries to influence content, they’re banned permanently.
Secondary Revenue
Donations
A donation option on the site. No rewards for donating — no badges, no early access, no special treatment. You support the project because you want it to exist.
Grants
If academic institutions or foundations want to fund the project, that’s possible. But grants can’t come with editorial strings. Nobody buys influence.
API Licensing
The API is free for non-commercial and personal use. Companies that want to use it commercially pay a license fee. Never exclusive — anyone else can still get the same license.
Where the Money Goes
| Cost | Share |
|---|---|
| Servers, CDN, storage | 40% |
| Development | 30% |
| Verifier compensation | 15% |
| Legal and compliance | 10% |
| Reserve | 5% |
Verifier compensation is a flat stipend per active month. Not per review — that would incentivize rushing through guides to make more money. A flat rate keeps the focus on quality.
What Will Never Happen
- Selling user data. There’s nothing to sell anyway — no accounts, no tracking.
- Paywalls for any content. Core rule, not negotiable.
- Autoplaying video ads.
- Affiliate links that are disguised or deceptive.
- Funding deals that trade editorial control for cash.
- Algorithmic feeds designed to maximize time-on-site over learning.
If any of these happen, it means the system has failed. The governance structure is supposed to prevent it.
Next Steps
Read the About page for the full project background.