Learn Swedish: Abonnemanget är reklamfritt snarare än obegränsat. - The subscription is ad-free rather than unlimited.

Because snarare än (rather than) is a coordinating conjunction, it connects two equal parts of a sentence and requires them to be grammatically parallel. Here, it links two adjectives that describe the neuter noun abonnemanget (an ett-word). Therefore, both adjectives must take their neuter -t forms so that the structure remains balanced on both sides of the conjunction.

Could I use istället för (instead of) to connect these adjectives?

Using istället för here sounds unnatural. Snarare än acts as a conjunction connecting two equal elements like adjectives. Istället för is a preposition phrase and is almost always followed by a noun, pronoun, or an infinitive verb phrase. For comparing two descriptive adjectives, snarare än is the correct tool.

What does the word snarare literally mean on its own?

It is the comparative form of the adjective snar, which means soon or quick. You likely already know its adverb form, snart (soon). So snarare än literally translates to sooner than, functioning exactly like the English phrase rather than.

Is adding -fri to a noun a common way to make adjectives in Swedish, like in reklamfritt?