I think that's false, with the current state of internet, advertising everywhere, enshitification and monetization of users private data, some people are ready to pay for services that were considered "free".

I am paying for kagi, and I would pay for a good, private browser (I know they make onion but I'm on linux, not macos or windows).

Vivaldi is a decent option if you aren't specifically looking to get off Blink as the engine. It has an integrated adblocker and many other privacy-related features.