i think i must of been hibernating for a few years!

hey all. so ive seen some of you make reference to p.o.e (never even heard of it until i googled it today)! path of exile.... . diablo 4 has been my daily game for about 3 years now. how does p.o.e compare to it? (console version too preferably). it looks really good from what ive seen. should i give it a try? and why is it FREE???