About BBS Studio's monetization model (Patreon)

I'd like to point it out transparently. 

BBS Studio's downloads are basically behind the paywall, and are only available for those who subscribe to one of the $5+ tiers (BBS beta-tester or Super Supporter). Important thing to keep in mind is that the files you download from Patreon do not contain DRM, so you could technically subscribe once every 3 months to get a bulk of updates, and then use those forever.

However, BBS Studio is also open-source. If you don't want to pay, you're free to compile it yourself from source code.