Today, App.net opened up a free-but-invite-only tier. So, if you know someone with an App.net invite (not me) then you can join and use the network for free.
The limits imposed on free users strike me as extremely generous. For example, users at the free tier can follow a maximum of 40 people. I currently follow 73, and it wouldn’t be too painful for me to unfollow a few folks and land myself into the free tier by the time my paid membership expires. (Though I don’t intend to do that because I’m a fan of paying for the products and services I use.)
Anyway, I think this is a smart move by Dalton and his team, and I hope it brings some more of you cool kids over to the network. I’ve been on App.net since the beginning, and I really enjoy it.
My ADN client of choice is Riposte. I’ve been using it since it launched a month ago, and just recently it went free.
And, side note, shawnblanc.net is now on ADN.