I've heard this argument many times, and it would work in a vacuum. A $100 keyboard is probably better than a $10 keyboard.
This $200 font is not better than this other $0 font, and it has the same aesthetic. And good luck quantifying "better than" given a list of feature checkboxes that are common to all "programming fonts" including Fira Code, Source Code Pro, etc.
I wasn't trying to imply $200 font is better. I think you missed my point - which is that there is a stigma associated with paying for fonts and that usually comes from the fact that people do not know what goes into development of fonts due to the abundance of free fonts available on the internet. Sure, free fonts can be great - I did not say they can't be.
One of my favorite fonts is Isoveska which is free.
This $200 font is not better than this other $0 font, and it has the same aesthetic. And good luck quantifying "better than" given a list of feature checkboxes that are common to all "programming fonts" including Fira Code, Source Code Pro, etc.