Logseq.com may be worth considering. It's open source and free. No built in syncing on multiple devices, but, "syncing" via git to an online repo works sufficiently well.
> Democracy is a system of government, not an economic model.
For the longest time, "Democracy" the political system was bandied about to be the primary precondition for economic progress.
The thinking was, that when people (countries) have democracy this somehow "empowers" them to become economically successful.
This reasoning was fairly prevalent, after all, the U.S., the showcase of democracy, was such an economic powerhouse. Worth noting as well is that democracy was normally peddled with economic liberalization, free trade, etc.
After China's rise however, the idea that democracy is a necessary for economic prosperity has more or less been debunked. China has demonstrated that democracy is not a precondition for economic prosperity.
Now, developing countries are faced with the question, what political model should be followed? If economic prosperity is the objective, the Chinese model seems to be promising. On the other hand, what does democracy have to offer? Looking at the U.S. as the showcase of democracy, what does the U.S. have that a developing country would find worth emulating?
The analogy you made using Louis Vuitton handbags is fairly weak.
Louis Vouitton handbags are prestigious because they're expensive. If the time comes where Louis Vuitton handbags are given free of charge to any Tom, Dick, or Harry, Louis Vuitton loses its prestige.
On the other hand, successfully publishing in a prestigious journal, would still be prestigious even if it was done for free.