freeware
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What is freeware?
Freeware is proprietary software offered to users at no cost, but its usage is subject to the license it is released under. This license commonly restricts users from modifying, copying, reverse engineering, or selling the software. There is no universal definition of freeware, and the term is sometimes applied to software that could be described as shareware or freemium.
Freeware provides alternatives to sold software for uses such as web browsing, media playing, and virus protection. Freeware is often created by hobbyists, so users rely on message boards, blogs, and dedicated websites for information, as well as updates.
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How is freeware different from paid software?
Freeware is software offered at no cost to users, with its usage dictated by its license. While freeware provides full access to its base features without payment, paid software typically requires a purchase to unlock its complete functionality.
Restrictions on freeware may include prohibitions against modifying, copying, reverse engineering, or selling the software. Some licenses also stipulate that it is for private, noncommercial use. Unlike paid software, freeware may not be updated or maintained regularly. Users often rely on online communities for information on freeware quality and availability because its creators usually lack marketing resources.
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What are some common examples of freeware programs?
Freeware is proprietary software offered to users at no cost, with its usage governed by its license. This license commonly restricts users from modifying, copying, reverse engineering, or selling the software. Unlike shareware, freeware provides complete access to its base features without requiring payment.
Examples of freeware include:
* Web browsers
* Virus protection
* Data recovery programs
* Media players
* GamesCompanies may create freeware to promote other products or generate revenue through additional services. For example, Skype provides free phone and videophone service between computers but charges for calls to landlines and mobile phones. Adobe Acrobat Reader is distributed in hopes that users will buy the company's Acrobat software to create their own PDFs.
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Can you use freeware for both personal and business purposes?
Yes, freeware can be used for both personal and business purposes, but its legal use is dictated by the license under which it is released. Common restrictions include prohibitions against modifying, copying, making derivative works from, reverse engineering, or selling the software. Some licenses also state that it is for private and noncommercial use. Freeware alternatives exist for almost every imaginable use, including web browsing, virus protection, data recovery, media playing, and gaming. Freeware is typically proprietary software offered at no cost to users.
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What are some benefits and drawbacks of using freeware?
Freeware is proprietary software offered to users at no cost. A key benefit of freeware is that users can access and utilize software without payment. Freeware alternatives exist for various uses, including web browsing and media playing.
However, freeware also has drawbacks. Common restrictions include prohibitions against modifying, copying, making derivative works, reverse engineering, or selling the software. Freeware users can't depend on the software being updated or maintained. Downloading unvalidated software can expose users to viruses and malware. Some may consider additional services or products indispensable to the software itself.
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How does freeware compare to open-source software?
Freeware is proprietary software offered at no cost, but with restrictions against modification, copying, or reverse engineering. Some consider open-source software a form of freeware because it allows free redistribution. However, free software may be offered at a price, so long as it is distributed without restrictions on its use, whereas freeware is defined by its lack of cost, but not its restrictions. Open-source code is openly shared, allowing programmers to modify, improve, and fix the software. The extensive peer review in open-source development minimizes computer bugs and security risks better than quality assurance at closed-source vendors.
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freeware, software that is typically proprietary and is offered at no cost to users. Its legal use is dictated by the license under which a piece of freeware is released. Common restrictions include prohibitions against modifying, copying, making derivative works from, reverse engineering, or selling the software. Some licenses also state that it is for private and noncommercial use.
Freeware differs from shareware in that the freeware’s base features are completely available to users; no payment is requested to fully utilize them. In addition, while some consider free and open-source software to be a form of freeware, others do not, since copyright owners reserve at least some of their rights. This highlights the fact that there is no agreed-upon definition of freeware among publishers, and the word is sometimes used for distribution models that could just as well be described as shareware or freemium. In fact, the inventor of the term, Andrew Fluegelman, used it for a marketing plan that most users would describe as shareware today.
Freeware alternatives to sold software exist for almost every imaginable use, including Web browsing, virus protection, data recovery, media playing, and gaming. Because the creators of freeware often lack the resources to market their work, users are generally reliant on message boards, blogs, and dedicated websites for most of their information about the availability and quality of programs. These resources are important because downloading unvalidated software from the Internet can result in exposure to viruses and other malware. Users of freeware also cannot depend on the software to be updated or otherwise maintained, since freeware is often created for personal reasons by hobbyists or others who have no greater stake in its ongoing use. Some U.S. states allow such software publishers to disclaim implied warranties by clearly articulating to the user that the product is presented “as is” or “with all faults.”
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Although monetary payment is not required to use freeware, its development and distribution may still be motivated by monetary gain. In fact, the most familiar freeware is typically made by for-profit companies. The telecommunications application Skype can be classified as freeware, since it provides phone and videophone service between computers for sessions up to 24 hours long, without payment. However, Skype generates revenue by selling additional services such as supporting calls from landline and mobile phones. Adobe distributes the PDF-reading application Adobe Acrobat Reader in the hope that users will want to create their own PDFs by purchasing the company’s Acrobat software. Manufacturers of computer accessories, such as scanners, usually bundle those products with freeware that enables their operation. And electronic game companies sometimes make earlier versions of new games freely available for promotional purposes.
Of course, an additional service or product offered alongside a piece of freeware may be considered by a particular user to be indispensable to the software itself, and so the categorization of software as freeware lies somewhat in the eye of the beholder. Freemium software in particular operates within this space of ambiguity, as it offers the same unlimited use of core features that freeware does but at a level of performance that encourages the purchase of a commercial version. Some developers have received criticism from their user base for the amount of pressure their software applies. Players of “free-to-play” electronic games, for example, have claimed that some titles are scarcely enjoyable without engaging in what are theoretically optional microtransactions.
On occasion, the belief that a company has engaged in a bait and switch by falsely advertising software as free has resulted in legal action. On March 28, 2022, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission issued an administrative complaint against Intuit Inc. for allegedly misleading many taxpayers into believing its TurboTax software was free to use. On August 5, 2022, longtime users of Google’s Workspace filed a class-action lawsuit against the company for attempting to charge them for continued service.
Some users object to the concept of freeware that includes any form of compensation to owners. This has led to a range of additional portmanteaus for software based on the type of gain the owners hope to receive. Ad-supported software is sometimes referred to as adware, and software that requires user registration is registerware. Owners who request that users perform an action, even one as innocuous as sending an e-mail or making a charitable contribution elsewhere, are sometimes said to have created requestware. And any freeware that is too insistent on recompense of whatever kind for its use—such as by showing too-frequent reminders or advertisements—may well be labeled as annoyware.
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