There is no such thing as a free standing tent.
Try not staking one down in wind, and then see what happens.
Whats called free standing, is self supporting . But all tents still need to be staked down and /or guyed out in wind.
Generally, more, thicker poles and thicker material will result in sturdier tent. Its a tradeoff in weight vs vs performance. Pretty important when you carry it with you everyday though.
Unless camping exposed in high winds, or snow loads, not much concern.