Got you. Yea hardware wallets are not cheap indeed. As described in the article: Hot-Wallets bear the risk of getting hacked bc they are directly connected to the internet.
IMO it’s a balance on how much Bitcoin you own. If your stack amounts to let’s say $500 you won’t buy a hardware-wallet that costs $100. However, if your Bitcoin amount is worth >$1.000 I would start investing in a hardware-wallet. Especially if you are hodling Bitcoin for the long run bc your stack measured in dollar can grow substantially over time.