Both roads can get you a finished track, so it's really about the session in front of you.
Recording free has real perks. A friend's living room, a garage, or a quiet public park can cost nothing, involve little admin, and work fine for casual demos, scratch vocals, or a soloist and a duo. Capacity is where free spaces get tight, since a full band with drums usually needs a real tracking room plus a separate control area, which is exactly what a paid studio is built to hold. A paid studio also buys you tuned acoustics, quality gear, an engineer's ear, privacy, and no neighbors banging on the wall.
Insurance is worth weighing, too. At a friend's place or a public spot, you're often personally on the hook if gear gets damaged or someone gets hurt, while a booked studio typically carries its own liability coverage. Noise rules matter as well. According to the
San José Police Department, the city bars any "disturbing or unreasonably loud noise" that upsets a neighborhood and can hold the responsible party liable for a repeat disturbance. So a loud session in a home or a public park risks complaints that a soundproofed studio sidesteps. Amplified sessions in a public park also generally call for a city permit.
Pro tip: Booking a private studio on Peerspace lets you skip the public-space permit hassle you'd face recording amplified sound in a park, and your booking is covered by Peerspace's protections.