The standard freemium tactic is to label a tool free while restricting the most useful functions behind a paid tier. Common restrictions include daily file caps (three conversions a day, then upgrade), file-size limits (free up to 1MB), watermarks injected into output (Converted by Tool Name embedded in the CSV header), feature gating (basic flatten free, custom delimiters paid), or registration walls (free if you provide an email, premium if you do not want spam). Each restriction makes the free tier unsuitable for any real workflow, which is the point.
FixTools applies none of these restrictions. There is no daily cap because there is no usage tracking; the tool runs entirely in your browser and FixTools never knows how many conversions you have done. There is no file-size limit because the tool does not host your files; the browser handles the conversion locally and the only ceiling is your device memory. There is no watermark because there is no server processing step that could inject one; the output is the CSV your data produced, nothing added. There is no registration because there is no account system; the tool works the moment you load the page.
The business model is on-page advertising. Ads display alongside the tool, and the tool itself is fully functional. This trade-off is straightforward: in exchange for seeing ads, you get the same tool that a paid product would charge a monthly subscription for. Many users prefer this trade-off because it keeps the cost at zero and the friction at zero, and the ads do not affect tool behaviour or output quality. For users who want an ad-free experience, browser ad-blockers work normally on the page.
Verifying the absence of hidden restrictions is straightforward. Convert a file, then convert ten more, then come back tomorrow and convert another ten. There is no point where the tool starts refusing, slowing down, or adding watermarks. The same is true after a month or a year. If you ever do encounter a behaviour change, it is a bug to report rather than a deliberate freemium gate, because the tool has no gating mechanism to flip.