Currently on the free trial, hoping there is (or will be) a way to add a simple word counter to the post editor. I want users to know at a glance how much they've typed, without having to copy and paste the whole post to a separate wordcounter website. I know there's cheaper, even free forum platforms that offer this minor feature already, so I'm optimistic about integrating it here without much trouble? I don't need it for blogs or articles or anything, just basic forum posting.

There is currently not one in the software itself. You may be able to utilize a customization to obtain that or you can leave a suggestion in the Feedback forum. However, I will say, I don't think I've encountered another ask for something like this before. If you do create a topic in the Feedback forum, I would ensure that you leave your use-case.