Email is one of the services I will never self host.

I wonder if that’s the case for custom domains as well.

Paid or free?

The trouble is, you’re looking for internal consistency to their arguments. You need to look at the theme of the arguments: namely, they don’t like the “black people exist in the USA” part.

Also as a side note I hate how lots of places just assume you want to download their shitty spyware ridden apps or hand over your phone number or an email.

Or want notifications. No, recipe site, I don’t want desktop notifications from you.

That’s a perfect ending: the need is no longer there, so it’s fulfilled its purpose and can close.