No matter, how you connect to the Fediverse, be if, for example, Misskey, Sharkey, Ice Shrimp, Mastodon, PeerTube, Pixelfed, Kbin, or by other means, the Fediverse instance you're using cost money. In the real world, web hosting, bandwidth, and storage space cost, money. And the more members who use and join your Fediverse instance (server), the more resources and the most it cost.
I earned by badge, by reaching out to my administrator, and helping them by donating. And while if it was not required to make a donation or regular contribution, I like using the Fediverse. It is ad-free and decentralized, meaning, someone like Elon Musk, cannot change things for everyone, everywhere, solely on their latest mood swing. So I made the choice to help fund my corner of the collective social media network, known as the Fediverse.
