I’ve been paying for it for the last year or so. Whatever the mid level is. Part of the value is that I’m not reminded of what I filtered out—which is a double edged sword. But when I find myself on someone else’s device that defaults to Google or Bing, I do see the difference (again).
Have you checked out mice marketed for gaming? Particularly for MMOs, you’ll find a few 10+ button mice. I’ve been a happy user of Logitech’s line up, for what it’s worth.
I use Digital Ocean's App Platform which has free hosting for 3 static sites. CD is setup through integrations with GH/GL/BB, if I recall correctly. No particular reason why I chose this, other than I had a DO account open already for a few latent domains. It's proven to be simple enough & batteries included.
Setup a confidential information & inventions assignment (CIIA) agreement to protect the IP created for the company, alongside the rest of the employment agreement.
Also, if your concern is judging their character, consider adding another person that you trust into the interview process. Either as a technical or behavioral round.