View source for Freeware

{{distinguish|Free software|Free and open-source software}}
{{short description|Software distributed and used at no cost, with other rights still reserved}}
'''Freeware''' is [[software]], often [[proprietary software|proprietary]], that is distributed at no monetary cost to the [[end user]]. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, [[Software license|license]], or [[EULA]] that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the freeware it offers. For instance, [[Modding|modification]], [[Freely redistributable software|redistribution]] by third parties, and [[reverse engineering]] are permitted by some publishers but prohibited by others.<ref name="linfo">{{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}}</ref><ref name="lawrence" /><ref name="gnu" /> 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.<ref name="linfo"/><ref name="gnu" /><ref name="dod-definition"/><ref name="wolfire2010"/> 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 model]]s;<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lyons|first1=Kelly|last2=Messinger|first2=Paul R.|last3=Niu|first3=Run H.|last4=Stroulia|first4=Eleni|author4-link=Eleni Stroulia|date=2012|title=A tale of two pricing systems for services|journal=Information Systems and E-Business Management|language=en|volume=10|issue=1|pages=19–42|doi=10.1007/s10257-010-0151-3|s2cid=34195355|issn=1617-9846}}</ref> or by collecting and selling user's personal data.<ref>{{cite web |last=Molla |first=Rani |date=January 29, 2020 |title=Why your free software is never free |url=https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/1/29/21111848/free-software-privacy-alternative-data |website=Vox |access-date=October 4, 2025}}</ref>

==History==
The term ''freeware'' was coined in 1982<ref>"Shareware: An Alternative to the High Cost of Software", ''Damon Camille'', ''1987''</ref> by [[Andrew Fluegelman]], who wanted to sell [[PC-Talk]], the communications application he had created, outside of commercial distribution channels.<ref>[http://textfiles.fisher.hu/news/freeware.txt Fisher.hu] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614133129/http://textfiles.fisher.hu/news/freeware.txt |date=2006-06-14 }}</ref> Fluegelman distributed the program via the same process as ''[[shareware]]''.<ref>[http://www.pc-shareware.com/quality.htm The Price of Quality Software] by Tom Smith</ref> As software types can change, freeware can change into shareware.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Corbly|first=James Edward|date=2014-09-25|title=The Free Software Alternative: Freeware, Open Source Software, and Libraries|url=http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/ital/article/view/5105|journal=Information Technology and Libraries|volume=33|issue=3|pages=65|doi=10.6017/ital.v33i3.5105|issn=2163-5226|doi-access=free}}</ref>

In the 1980s and 1990s, the term ''freeware'' was often applied to software released without [[source code]].<ref name="gnu">{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.html |title=Categories of free and nonfree software |quote=The term “freeware” has no clear accepted definition, but it is commonly used for packages which permit redistribution but not modification (and their source code is not available). These packages are not free software, so please don't use "freeware" to refer to free software. |access-date=2017-05-01}}</ref><ref name="fsf">{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Freeware |title=Words to Avoid (or Use with Care) Because They Are Loaded or Confusing |last=Stallman|first=Richard M.|author-link=Richard M. Stallman|work=GNU.org|publisher=Free Software Foundation |quote=Please don't use the term "freeware" as a synonym for "free software." The term "freeware" was used often in the 1980s for programs released only as executables, with source code not available. Today it has no particular agreed-on definition. |access-date=2017-05-01}}</ref>

==Definitions==

===Software license===
{{main|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.<ref>{{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.}}</ref>

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.<ref name="linfo" /><ref name="lawrence">{{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.}}</ref><ref name="adobe-reader">{{cite web |url=https://www.adobe.com/products/eulas/pdfs/Reader10_combined-20100625_1419.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510015219/http://www.adobe.com/products/eulas/pdfs/Reader10_combined-20100625_1419.pdf |archive-date=2011-05-10 |url-status=live |title=ADOBE Personal Computer Software License Agreement |quote=This license does not grant you the right to sublicense or distribute the Software. ... This agreement does not permit you to install or Use the Software on a computer file server. ... You shall not modify, adapt, translate, or create derivative works based upon the Software. You shall not reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to discover the source code of the Software. ... You will not Use any Adobe Runtime on any non-PC device or with any embedded or device version of any operating system. |access-date=2011-02-16|lang=ar|publisher=[[Adobe Inc.|Adobe]]}}</ref><ref name="adobe-distribution">{{cite web |url=https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=distribution_form&pv=rdr |publisher=[[Adobe Inc.|Adobe]]|title=ADOBE READER AND RUNTIME SOFTWARE – DISTRIBUTION LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR USE ON PERSONAL COMPUTERS |quote=Distributor may not make the Software available as a standalone product on the Internet. Distributor may direct end users to obtain the Software, with the exception of ARH, through electronic download on a standalone basis by linking to the official Adobe website. |access-date=2011-02-16}}</ref> The [[software license]] may impose additional usage restrictions;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irfanview.com/eula.htm |title=IrfanView Software License Agreement. |quote=IrfanView is provided as freeware, but only for private, non-commercial use (that means at home). ... IrfanView is free for educational use (schools, universities and libraries) and for use in charity or humanitarian organisations. ... You may not distribute, rent, sub-license or otherwise make available to others the Software or documentation or copies thereof, except as expressly permitted in this License without prior written consent from IrfanView (Irfan Skiljan). ... You may not modify, de-compile, disassemble or reverse engineer the Software. |access-date=2011-02-16}}</ref> for instance, the license may be "free for private, non-commercial use" only,{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} or usage over a network, on a server, or in combination with certain other software packages may be prohibited.<ref name="adobe-reader" /><ref name="adobe-distribution" /> Restrictions may be required by license or enforced by the software itself; e.g., the package may fail to function over a network.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

===Relation to other forms of software licensing===
[[File:Open-source-vs-freeware.svg|thumb|This [[Venn diagram]] describes the typical relationship between freeware and [[open source software]]: According to David Rosen from [[Wolfire Games]] in 2010, open source software (orange) is most often gratis but not always. Freeware (green) seldom expose their source codes.<ref name="wolfire2010">{{cite web|url=http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Open-source-software-is-not-always-freeware |title=Open-source software is not always freeware |date=May 16, 2010 |access-date=2016-01-18 |first=David |last=Rosen |publisher=wolfire.com}}</ref>]]
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".<ref name="dod-definition">{{citation | url=https://dodcio.defense.gov/Open-Source-Software-FAQ/ | title=Frequently Asked Questions regarding Open Source Software (OSS) and the Department of Defense (DoD) | quote=Also, do not use the terms "freeware" or "shareware" as a synonym for "open source software". DoD Instruction 8500.2, “Information Assurance (IA) Implementation”, Enclosure 4, control DCPD-1, states that these terms apply to software where "the Government does not have access to the original source code". The government does have access to the original source code of open source software, so these terms do not apply. | access-date=2012-06-11}}</ref> The "free" in "freeware" refers to the price of the software, which is typically [[proprietary software|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.<ref name="gnu" />
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)".<ref>{{OED|freeware}}</ref>

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.<ref name="freeisnot"/> 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]].

{{Anchor|Registerware}}[[Ad-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 [[Product activation|may require registration to ensure licensed use]], registerware do not.<ref>{{Cite journal|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=akoEAAAAMBAJ&q=registerware&pg=RA1-PA101|title = An exercise in frustration? Registerware forces users to jump through hoops|last = Foster|first = Ed|date = 11 Jan 1999|journal = [[InfoWorld]]|volume = 21|issue = 2|issn = 0199-6649|publisher = InfoWorld Media Group}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ZkoEAAAAMBAJ&q=registerware&pg=PA46|title = Is registerware an anti-piracy necessity?|date = 1 Feb 1999|journal = [[InfoWorld]]|issn = 0199-6649|publisher = InfoWorld Media Group|volume = 21|issue = 5}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jz0EAAAAMBAJ&q=registerware&pg=PA61|title = Since you asked...|last = Foster|first = Ed|date = 14 Oct 2002|journal = [[InfoWorld]]|publisher = InfoWorld Media Group|volume = 24|issue = 41|issn = 0199-6649}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yT0EAAAAMBAJ&q=registerware&pg=PA68|title = A vote for fair play|last = Foster|first = Ed |date = 18 Nov 2002|journal = [[InfoWorld]]|issn = 0199-6649|volume = 24|issue = 46|publisher = InfoWorld Media Group}}</ref>

Shareware permits redistribution, but the license only allows limited use before paying the license fee.<ref>{{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
 }}
</ref> 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===
{{Disputed section|Creative Commons Licenses not for Software|date=May 2018}}
The [[Creative Commons]] offer [[Creative Commons license|licenses]], applicable to all by copyright governed works including software,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode |title=Creative Commons Legal Code |date=January 9, 2008 |publisher=[[Creative Commons]] |access-date=February 22, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211175916/http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode |archive-date=February 11, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> which allow a developer to define "freeware" in a legal safe and internationally law domains respecting way.<ref>{{cite web|last=Peters|first=Diane|title=CC's Next Generation Licenses — Welcome Version 4.0!|url=https://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/40768|work=Creative Commons|access-date=November 26, 2013|date=November 25, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126124736/http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/40768|archive-date=November 26, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=What's new in 4.0?|url=https://creativecommons.org/Version4|work=Creative Commons|access-date=November 26, 2013|year=2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129150056/http://creativecommons.org/Version4|archive-date=November 29, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=CC 4.0, an end to porting Creative Commons licences?|url=http://www.technollama.co.uk/cc-4-0-an-end-to-porting-creative-commons-licenses|publisher=TechnoLlama|access-date=August 11, 2013|date=September 25, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902134000/http://www.technollama.co.uk/cc-4-0-an-end-to-porting-creative-commons-licenses|archive-date=September 2, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The typical freeware use case "share" can be further refined with Creative Commons restriction clauses like non-commerciality ([[CC BY-NC]]) or no-[[Derivative work|derivatives]] ([[CC BY-ND]]), see [[Creative Commons license#Six regularly used licenses|description of licenses]].{{original research inline|date=May 2018}} There are [[:Category:Creative Commons-licensed video games|several usage examples]], for instance [[The White Chamber]], [[Mari0]] or [[Assault Cube]],<ref name="contentlicense">{{cite web |url=http://assault.cubers.net/docs/license.html#entirepackage |title=AssaultCube - License |access-date=2011-01-30 |work=assault.cubers.net| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101225031357/http://assault.cubers.net/docs/license.html| archive-date= 25 December 2010| url-status= live|quote=''AssaultCube is FREEWARE. [...]The content, code and images of the AssaultCube website and all documentation are licensed under "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported''}}</ref> 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].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://support.google.com/adwordspolicy/answer/6023676#uc |title=Legal requirements |website=Advertising Policies Help |access-date=6 November 2016}}</ref> Thus web sites and [[blog]]s are the primary resource for information on which freeware is available, useful, and is not [[malware]]. However, there are also many [[computer magazine]]s or newspapers that provide ratings for freeware and include compact discs or other [[storage media]] containing freeware. Freeware is also often [[bundled software|bundled]] with other products such as [[digital camera]]s or [[Image scanner|scanner]]s.

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.<ref name="freeisnot">{{cite web|url=http://www.zdnet.com/blog/saas/free-is-not-a-business-model/807 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523171322/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/saas/free-is-not-a-business-model/807 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 23, 2010 |title=Free is not a business model |first=Phil |last=Wainewright |date=July 6, 2009 |website=[[ZDNet]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FREE TRIAL {{!}} definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/free-trial |access-date=3 April 2024 |website=Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref>

When a software monopoly has a strong network effect, it may be more profitable for it to offer a "free" trial.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cheng |first1=Hsing Kenneth |last2=Tang |first2=Qian Candy |date=September 2010 |title=Free trial or no free trial: Optimal software product design with network effects |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2010.01.014 |journal=European Journal of Operational Research |volume=205 |issue=2 |pages=437–447 |doi=10.1016/j.ejor.2010.01.014 |issn=0377-2217|url-access=subscription }}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Datta |first1=Hannes |last2=Foubert |first2=Bram |last3=Van Heerde |first3=Harald J. |date=April 2015 |title=The Challenge of Retaining Customers Acquired with Free Trials |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1509/jmr.12.0160 |journal=Journal of Marketing Research |language=en |volume=52 |issue=2 |pages=217–234 |doi=10.1509/jmr.12.0160 |issn=0022-2437}}</ref>

Some factors that may encourage or discourage people to use "free" trials include:<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhu |first1=Dong Hong |last2=Chang |first2=Ya Ping |date=January 2014 |title=Investigating consumer attitude and intention toward free trials of technology-based services |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.09.008 |journal=Computers in Human Behavior |volume=30 |pages=328–334 |doi=10.1016/j.chb.2013.09.008 |issn=0747-5632|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

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

==See also==
{{wiktionary}}
* [[List of freeware]]
* [[List of freeware video games]]
* [[List of commercial video games released as freeware]]
* [[Freely redistributable software]]
* [[Gratis versus Libre]]
* [[Comparison of user features of messaging platforms]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[[freesoft:]] directory published by the Free Software Foundation

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