Free Tarot Readings: Any Good?

It may surprise you when I say, "Yes they are ok, but..."but their value is limited.

On your behalf I have looked at several free online tarot reading sites. It certainly surprised me that there were so many, and I will return to that point.

Here are my views on free tarot readings, As always, a blog is a personal viewpoint, please do contact me with yours.

You won't be surprised to know that free tarot readings are computer generated.
The programs used all seem to  have the overarching major definitions of each individual card, and  that is all. Rather like your horoscope in a magazine, some aspects will fit you individually, but magazine horoscopes have to apply to millions of people with the same sun sign as you, so they are quite generalised and bland. Ditto free online tarot, accurate descriptions, but you get everything for every card, one size fits all.

My Research

I randomly selected 7 or 8 sites.
As a person experienced in tarot, I knew that for tarot to work properly I needed a question. I think that thousands of people that use these sites won't know that.
I thought of a question and I trusted that the quantum mechanics of tarot, would still work, even on a computer program. (Quantum mechanics???I explain that in my blog Tarot and science here.)
I asked the same question every time. 
"What do I need to know about my website?" 
I was constructing this site at the time, and TBF I didn't have a lot invested in that question, which would factor in the results. I think that people looking for a serious tarot answer would have a lot more invested,.
I did find  2 sites that did a ask for a question, but I must say IMO it made little difference to the general bland definitions offered for the cards. 
I thought that maybe those 2 sites had a program that would eliminate some of the many definitions for each card as not applicable, as a tarot reader would. This did not appear to be so.

One feature of tarot that DID shine through, is a universal feature of all tarot readings however you get them. 
If you approach tarot with a flippant, just for a laugh attitude, you get quirky nonsensical replies, and by sites 7 & 8 this is what happened to me. 
 What you put out in your thoughts is stating what you require in return. 

I had no idea there were so many free tarot sites, and since having a website costs money, and mostly they were not hosted by individuals, They must be making money, but how? I had my own thoughts on that, but I didn't know.
I researched that too, I thought there may be a blog or a journalist that had investigated, but no!
As a last result I turned to Chat GPT (reluctantly). This is what it said:

         "Websites offering free tarot readings often generate revenue through advertising, sponsored content,
         or by offering premium or extended readings for a fee. They may also sell related products, such
          as tarot decks, books, or other spiritual and metaphysical items. Additionally some sites collect user data and may use it for targeted advertising or sell it to third parties"

All exactly as I thought! 
In life, nothing is free, there is always an exchange of energy. On a 'free' tarot site, the above is how you 'pay' or exchange energy.
I'm sure you didn't need me to tell you that some websites collect and sell data!
If I had hundreds daily using my site for a free tarot reading, then a percentage would probably take the more personal reading with a psychic that was offered, or buy stuff etc. 
It's OK for a living, I expect the paid for personal readers are ethical. Personally, it doesn't sit well with me. 

My conclusions on Free Tarot Readings

• What each card says is accurate, in that all the fortune telling type definitions are given. (I use Jungian Tarot, not fortune telling definitions.)
• Two sites I looked at asked for a question but did not appear to take this into account when giving the reading.
• None of the sites cross referenced one card to another in the spread, each card was read individually, A tarot reader (hopefully any tarot reader), takes your question into account, cross references the cards, and also takes into account the card's named position in the spread.
• IMO they did not  apply the named positions in the spread to the card in that place.
  FYI: Each card placed in a tarot spread has a named position.  e.g. If the name for a card was  named Your influence on friends and family, A tarot reader, taking your original question into account, would discuss the effect that whatever you asked would have on your friends and family as indicated by that card.
• In all the free readings I looked at, the same universal meanings were still trotted out, leaving the querent to decide which was and was not applicable to them when related to the named card space.
• None of them asked my age.  I have to ask that to comply with  the UK Sale of Goods and Services Act, but perhaps if it is free then you are not actually selling anything. Or perhaps the owners are based outside the UK.
  

Most Despicable!