but I do really like that I'm supporting a business that is actually innovating (rather than just adding more bells and whistles), that likes and values volunteers, and that talks so closely with its users.

So true. I've particularly noticed that things on LJ that I just have to sort of shrug and live with, the boffins at DWth have said, "no, that thingy is actually a bug, isn't it? Let's debug it," and lo and behold, as you say, even the basic accounts are a joy to work with.

I think there is a fair amount of flexibility w/r/t layouts, but how much there is with a paid vs. unpaid accounts I have no idea, because my coding-fu is approximately nil.