Very true. The free ones require a time investment. It may be small (30 seconds or so for an ad) but over time it adds up. I personally spend my time writing here on #Steemit and other sites, that I own, to earn money instead. Much better use of my time.
I am not saying these faucets are bad. I did a lot of them when Bitcoin was $150 or so per coin. That money sat and now is worth a lot more (the payout minimum was a lot lower back then too).