I used to think like this before I saw companies like Instagram and Tiktok thrive in the app store, which they absolutely cannot control. It is often worth a shot.
“Apple and Google want you to use their app stores in this way.”
…they want you to use their app stores, their way, because they retain 100% control of what you can and cannot do.
It’s impossible to avoid relying on other people’s platforms. (Unless you want approximately zero customers, I guess) I wish these monopolistic corps didn’t have such an iron grip, but I’m not demanding creators single handedly remove every dependency on them. There is no ethical consumption (or production) in late stage capitalism.