Freeware

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Software distributed and used at no cost, with other rights still reserved

title: "Freeware" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["freeware", "software-licensing", "giving"] description: "Software distributed and used at no cost, with other rights still reserved" topic_path: "general/freeware" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeware" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Software distributed and used at no cost, with other rights still reserved ::

Freeware is software, often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines freeware unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the freeware it offers. For instance, modification, redistribution by third parties, and reverse engineering are permitted by some publishers but prohibited by others.{{cite web | work = The Linux Information Project | title = Freeware Definition | date = 2006-10-22 | url = http://www.linfo.org/freeware.html | access-date = 2009-06-12}} Unlike with free and open-source software, which are also often distributed free of charge, the source code for freeware is typically not made available. Freeware may be intended to benefit its producer by, for example, encouraging sales of a more capable version, as in the freemium and shareware business models; or by collecting and selling user's personal data.

History

The term freeware was coined in 1982 by Andrew Fluegelman, who wanted to sell PC-Talk, the communications application he had created, outside of commercial distribution channels. Fluegelman distributed the program via the same process as shareware. As software types can change, freeware can change into shareware.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the term freeware was often applied to software released without source code.

Definitions

Software license

Main article: Software license

Freeware software is available for use without charge and typically has limited functionality with a more capable version available commercially or as shareware. It is typically fully functional for an unlimited period of time.{{cite book |last1= Dixon |first1= Rod |title= Open Source Software Law |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=9b_vVPf53xcC&q=%22free+software%22+freeware&pg=PA4 |access-date= 2009-03-16 |year= 2004 |publisher= Artech House |isbn= 978-1-58053-719-3 |page= 4 |quote= On the other hand, freeware does not require any payment from the licensee or end-user, but it is not precisely free software, despite the fact that to an end-user the software is acquired in what appears to be an identical manner.}}

In contrast to what the Free Software Foundation calls free software, the author of freeware usually restricts the rights of the user to use, copy, distribute, modify, make derivative works, or reverse engineer the software.{{cite book |last1= Graham |first1= Lawrence D |title= Legal battles that shaped the computer industry |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=c6IS3RnN6qAC&q=%22Legal+battles+that+shaped+the+computer+industry%22+%22from+the+beginning+of+the+computer+age%22&pg=PA175 |access-date= 2009-03-16 |year= 1999 |publisher= Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn= 978-1-56720-178-9 |page= 175 |quote=Freeware, however, is generally only free in terms of price; the author typically retains all other rights, including the rights to copy, distribute, and make derivative works from the software.}} The software license may impose additional usage restrictions; for instance, the license may be "free for private, non-commercial use" only, or usage over a network, on a server, or in combination with certain other software packages may be prohibited. Restrictions may be required by license or enforced by the software itself; e.g., the package may fail to function over a network.

Relation to other forms of software licensing

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Open-source-vs-freeware.svg" caption="publisher=wolfire.com}}"] ::

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) defines "open source software" (i.e., free software or free and open-source software), as distinct from "freeware" or "shareware"; it is software where "the Government does not have access to the original source code". The "free" in "freeware" refers to the price of the software, which is typically proprietary and distributed without source code. By contrast, the "free" in "free software" refers to freedoms granted users under the software license (for example, to run the program for any purpose, modify and redistribute the program to others), and such software may be sold at a price.

According to the Free Software Foundation (FSF), "freeware" is a loosely defined category and it has no clear accepted definition, although FSF asks that free software (libre; unrestricted and with source code available) should not be called freeware. In contrast the Oxford English Dictionary simply characterizes freeware as being "available free of charge (sometimes with the suggestion that users should make a donation to the provider)".

Some freeware products are released alongside paid versions that either have more features or less restrictive licensing terms. This approach is known as freemium ("free" + "premium"), since the "free" version is intended as a promotion for the premium version. The two often share a code base, using a compiler flag to determine which is produced. For example, BBEdit has a BBEdit Lite edition which has fewer features. XnView is available free of charge for personal use but must be licensed for commercial use. The "free" version may be advertising supported, as was the case with the DivX.

RegisterwareAd-supported software and registerware also bear resemblances to freeware. Ad-supported software does not ask for payment for a license, but displays advertising to either cover development costs or as a means of income. Registerware forces the user to subscribe with the publisher before being able to use the product. While commercial products may require registration to ensure licensed use, registerware do not.

Shareware permits redistribution, but the license only allows limited use before paying the license fee.{{cite web | url = https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.html | title = Categories of free and nonfree software | quote = Shareware is software which comes with permission for people to redistribute copies, but says that anyone who continues to use a copy is required to pay a license fee. | access-date = 2023-04-03 Some features may be disabled prior to payment, in which case it is sometimes known as crippleware.

Both freeware and shareware sometimes have a limited evaluation period, after which the software is automatically disabled or starts displaying a request to pay a registration fee. In the latter case it is colloquially known as nagware.

Creative Commons licenses

The Creative Commons offer licenses, applicable to all by copyright governed works including software, which allow a developer to define "freeware" in a legal safe and internationally law domains respecting way. The typical freeware use case "share" can be further refined with Creative Commons restriction clauses like non-commerciality (CC BY-NC) or no-derivatives (CC BY-ND), see description of licenses. There are several usage examples, for instance The White Chamber, Mari0 or Assault Cube, all freeware by being CC BY-NC-SA licensed with only non-commercial sharing allowed.

Restrictions

Freeware cannot economically rely on commercial promotion. In May 2015 advertising freeware on Google AdWords was restricted to "authoritative source"[s]. Thus web sites and blogs are the primary resource for information on which freeware is available, useful, and is not malware. However, there are also many computer magazines or newspapers that provide ratings for freeware and include compact discs or other storage media containing freeware. Freeware is also often bundled with other products such as digital cameras or scanners.

Freeware has been criticized as "unsustainable" because it requires a single entity to be responsible for updating and enhancing the product, which is then given away without charge. Other freeware projects are simply released as one-off programs with no promise or expectation of further development. These may include source code, as does free software, so that users can make any required or desired changes themselves, but this code remains subject to the license of the compiled executable and does not constitute free software.

"Free" trial

A "free" trial is another related concept in which customers are allowed to use a product, free of charge, for a limited time.

When a software monopoly has a strong network effect, it may be more profitable for it to offer a "free" trial. Also, customers acquired via a "free" trial have a much lower customer lifetime value as opposed to regular customers, but they also respond more to marketing communications.

Some factors that may encourage or discourage people to use "free" trials include:

  • perceived usefulness
  • perceived ease of use
  • perceived risk
  • social influence
  • gender

References

References

  1. (2012). "A tale of two pricing systems for services". Information Systems and E-Business Management.
  2. Molla, Rani. (January 29, 2020). "Why your free software is never free".
  3. "Shareware: An Alternative to the High Cost of Software", ''Damon Camille'', ''1987''
  4. [http://textfiles.fisher.hu/news/freeware.txt Fisher.hu] {{webarchive. link. (2006-06-14)
  5. [http://www.pc-shareware.com/quality.htm The Price of Quality Software] by Tom Smith
  6. Corbly, James Edward. (2014-09-25). "The Free Software Alternative: Freeware, Open Source Software, and Libraries". Information Technology and Libraries.
  7. "Categories of free and nonfree software".
  8. Stallman, Richard M.. "Words to Avoid (or Use with Care) Because They Are Loaded or Confusing". Free Software Foundation.
  9. "ADOBE Personal Computer Software License Agreement". [[Adobe Inc..
  10. "ADOBE READER AND RUNTIME SOFTWARE – DISTRIBUTION LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR USE ON PERSONAL COMPUTERS". [[Adobe Inc..
  11. "IrfanView Software License Agreement.".
  12. Rosen, David. (May 16, 2010). "Open-source software is not always freeware". wolfire.com.
  13. "Frequently Asked Questions regarding Open Source Software (OSS) and the Department of Defense (DoD)".
  14. {{OED. freeware
  15. Foster, Ed. (11 Jan 1999). "An exercise in frustration? Registerware forces users to jump through hoops". InfoWorld Media Group.
  16. (1 Feb 1999). "Is registerware an anti-piracy necessity?". InfoWorld Media Group.
  17. Foster, Ed. (14 Oct 2002). "Since you asked...". InfoWorld Media Group.
  18. Foster, Ed. (18 Nov 2002). "A vote for fair play". InfoWorld Media Group.
  19. (January 9, 2008). "Creative Commons Legal Code". [[Creative Commons]].
  20. Peters, Diane. (November 25, 2013). "CC's Next Generation Licenses — Welcome Version 4.0!". Creative Commons.
  21. (2013). "What's new in 4.0?". Creative Commons.
  22. (September 25, 2011). "CC 4.0, an end to porting Creative Commons licences?". TechnoLlama.
  23. "AssaultCube - License". assault.cubers.net.
  24. "Legal requirements".
  25. Wainewright, Phil. (July 6, 2009). "Free is not a business model". [[CBS Interactive]].
  26. "FREE TRIAL {{!}} definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary".
  27. (September 2010). "Free trial or no free trial: Optimal software product design with network effects". European Journal of Operational Research.
  28. (April 2015). "The Challenge of Retaining Customers Acquired with Free Trials". Journal of Marketing Research.
  29. (January 2014). "Investigating consumer attitude and intention toward free trials of technology-based services". Computers in Human Behavior.

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