You never trade your privacy for anything FREE
FREE in Austin has no account to make, no login, no app to download and no push notifications. I never ask for your phone number and I never sell data.
What you never need
An account, a password, an app or a phone number. Reading the website and following on Facebook, Instagram or Substack asks nothing of you here. Follow on the platform you like, or just read the website.
The FREE Bee
The FREE Bee is delivered by Substack, so getting it by email means giving Substack your email address. I use it only to send The FREE Bee. I never sell or share the list, and you can unsubscribe from the bottom of any issue. Like most email services, Substack records whether an issue was opened. While a giveaway is running, I use that only to check the giveaway rules for the draw.
The website
No cookies, no ad trackers, no pop-ups asking for your email and no notifications. Fonts and images load from the website itself. To see how many people visit, the site uses Cloudflare Web Analytics, which counts page views without cookies and without building a profile of anyone.
Sending a tip or a photo
You share only what you choose to send. Photo uploads go through a Dropbox upload page that needs no account.
The platforms you choose
Facebook, Instagram, Substack and Ko-fi each have their own privacy settings, and those choices are yours.
Questions
Email freeinaustin@gmail.com. Last reviewed November 11, 2026.