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Unlike commercial software, it does not require any payment or licensing fee. It is similar to shareware, but will not eventually ask you for payment to continue using the software. You can legally download and use freeware for as long as you want without having to pay for it.","url":"https://techterms.com/definition/freeware"} </script> </head> <body> <div id="full"> <header id="siteheader"> <div class="content"> <a href="#main" class="visuallyhidden">Skip to main content</a> <a href="/" class="logo"><img src="/svg/logo.svg" width="212" height="24" alt="TechTerms.com"></a> <div class="siteheader-middle"> <div class="searchwrapper collapsed"> <form id="search" class="search" action="/search" method="post"> <div class='autocomplete' role='combobox' aria-expanded='false' aria-owns='autocomplete-results'> <input type="text" id="term" name="term" placeholder="Search (e.g. freeware, CPU, GPU, RAM)" aria-label="Search (e.g. psd, docx, exe, jpg, zip)" autocomplete="off" class='autocomplete-input term' aria-autocomplete='both' aria-controls='autocomplete-results'> <button id="searchsubmit" class="searchsubmit"></button> </div> <ul id='autocomplete-results' class='autocomplete-results hidden' aria-label='Search'> </ul> </form> </div> <a href="/random" class="headerbutton random" id="random"><img src="/svg/random.svg" alt="random" width="16" height="16"></a> <button id="searchtoggle"><img src="/svg/search-white.svg" alt="search" width="18" height="18"></button> </div> <div class="siteheader-right"> <button id="menuopen"><img src="/svg/menu.svg" alt="open menu" width="18" height="16"></button> <nav id="sitemenu" class="collapsed"> <button id="menuclose"><img src="/svg/close.svg" alt="close menu" width="14" height="14"></button> <ul> <li><a href="/browse/">Terms</a></li> <li><a href="/quiz/">Quizzes</a></li> <li><a href="/help/">Help Center</a></li> <li class="mobile"><a href="/random">Random Term</a></li> <li class="settings"><button id="settings"><img src="/svg/settings.svg" alt="settings" width="22" height="22"></button> <div class="settingsmenu"> <fieldset> <legend>Theme</legend> <input id="theme-default" value="default" type="radio" name="theme" checked> <label for="theme-default">Light</label> <input id="theme-dark" value="dark" type="radio" name="theme" > <label for="theme-dark">Dark</label> <input id="theme-hc" value="hc" type="radio" name="theme" > <label for="theme-hc">High Contrast</label> </fieldset> <div class="fontsizewrapper"><label for="fontsize">Font Size<input type="range" id="fontsize" name="fontsize" min="14" max="26" step="2" value="20"></label><span class="currentsize">20</span></div> <button id="resetsettings">Reset</button> </div> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </header> <main> <div class="adTopLB"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589388248615-0'> </div> </div> <div id="main" class="def"> <div id="left"> <div class="card hasheader"> <div class="cardheader"> <div class="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Home</a><svg viewBox="0 0 9 14" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="m0 14 9-7-9-7z"/></svg><a href="/category/software">Software Terms</a><svg viewBox="0 0 9 14" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="m0 14 9-7-9-7z"/></svg>Freeware Definition</div> </div> <article> <h1>Freeware</h1> <div class="adDefRect"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589302365809-0'> </div> </div> <p>Freeware is <a href="/definition/software">software</a> that is free to use. Unlike <a href="/definition/commercialsoftware">commercial software</a>, it does not require any payment or licensing fee. It is similar to <a href="/definition/shareware">shareware</a>, but will not eventually ask you for payment to continue using the software. You can legally <a href="/definition/download">download</a> and use freeware for as long as you want without having to pay for it.</p> <p>Many types of software <a href="/definition/program">programs</a> are offered as freeware, including games, <a href="/definition/utility">utilities</a>, and productivity <a href="/definition/application">applications</a>. Since the software is free, you might wonder what incentive <a href="/definition/developer">developers</a> have to create freeware programs. Below are a few reasons a program might be offered as freeware:</p> <ol> <li>To offer a program developed by a non-profit or educational institution to the public</li> <li>To promote a brand or drive traffic to a company's website</li> <li>To generate revenue through advertisements or in-app purchases within the program</li> <li>To generate revenue by offering other programs during the installation process</li> <li>To provide a "lite" version of a program that may lead users to upgrade to the full-featured version</li> </ol> <p>While freeware is free to use, it is still <a href="/definition/copyright">copyrighted</a> and may include a license agreement that restricts usage or distribution of the software. It is also not the same thing as <a href="/definition/open_source">open source</a> software (or "free software"), which allows you to edit and redistribute the program's <a href="/definition/source_code">source code</a>.</p> <div class="adBotLB"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589236206757-0'> </div> </div> <div class="cardfooter"> <div class="upDate"><div class="author">Updated <span class="pdate">January 23, 2015</span> by <a href="/authors/per_christensson">Per C.</a></div></div><div id="citations"> <div class="tabs"> <div role="tablist" aria-label="citations"> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="apa" tabindex="-1">APA</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="mla" tabindex="-1">MLA</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="chicago" tabindex="-1">Chicago</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="html" tabindex="-1">HTML</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="link" 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13.5-13.5c0-6.4 5.2-11.6 11.6-11.6h227c6.4 0 11.6 5.2 11.6 11.6v325.7c0 6.4-5.2 11.6-11.6 11.6-7.5 0-13.5 6-13.5 13.5s6 13.5 13.5 13.5c21.3 0 38.6-17.3 38.6-38.6v-325.7c0-21.3-17.3-38.6-38.6-38.6z" stroke-width="15"/></svg></button> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div id="defquiz" class="card"> <h2 class="heading logoheading"><img src="/img/main/quiz.png" alt="quiz" style="width:45px">Test Your Knowledge</h2> <div class="quizBox"> <div class="quizBody"> <p class="quizQuestion">What does it mean when an Android app produces an ANR?</p> <div class="quizTable"> <div id="ansButtonA" class="answerButton activeButton" data-answer="Anum" data-date="2024-10-12"><span class="ansLetter">A</span> <div class="answerCell"><span id="answerA" class="quizAnswer">It failed to install correctly.</span> <div class="answerBar"> <div id="quizBarA" class="quizBar"></div><span id="quizPercA" class="quizperc">0%</span> </div> </div> </div> <div id="ansButtonB" class="answerButton activeButton" data-answer="Bnum" data-date="2024-10-12"><span class="ansLetter">B</span> <div class="answerCell"><span id="answerB" class="quizAnswer">It needs to be updated before running.</span> <div class="answerBar"> <div id="quizBarB" class="quizBar"></div><span id="quizPercB" class="quizperc">0%</span> </div> </div> </div> <div id="ansButtonC" class="answerButton activeButton" data-answer="Cnum" data-date="2024-10-12"><span class="ansLetter">C</span> <div class="answerCell"><span id="answerC" class="quizAnswer">It is out of memory.</span> <div class="answerBar"> <div id="quizBarC" class="quizBar"></div><span id="quizPercC" class="quizperc">0%</span> </div> </div> </div> <div id="ansButtonD" class="answerButton activeButton" data-answer="Dnum" data-date="2024-10-12"><span class="ansLetter">D</span> <div class="answerCell"><span id="answerD" class="quizAnswer">It is not responding.</span> <div class="answerBar"> <div id="quizBarD" class="quizBar"></div><span id="quizPercD" class="quizperc">0%</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="quizResult"><div class="qmsg"> <b class="quizPass">Correct!</b> <b class="quizFail">Incorrect!</b>   <span class="customMessage"></span>  View the <a href="/definition/anr">ANR definition</a>.</div> <a href="/quiz/#morequizzes" class="quizNext btnprimary">More Quizzes →</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="right"> <div class="prevnext"> <a href="framework"><span class="arrow">‹</span>  <span class="linktext">Framework</span></a><span> | </span><a href="frequency"><span class="linktext">Frequency</span>  <span class="arrow">›</span></a></div> <div class="tf card"> <h2 class="heading">Tech Factor</h2> <a href="/help/tech_factor" class="info" title="What is the Tech Factor?">?</a> <a href="/techfactor/5"><span class="factor">5</span><span class="denom"> / 10</span></a></div> <div class="listBox card related"> <h2 class="heading">Related Terms</h2> <div class="rlists"> <ol> <li><a href="/definition/software">Software</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/shareware">Shareware</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/open_source">Open Source</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/commercialsoftware">Commercial Software</a></li> </ol> <ol start="5"><li><a href="/definition/application">Application</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/program">Program</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/sla">SLA</a></li> </ol> </div> </div> <div class="adRightSky"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589233879778-0'> </div> </div> </div> <div class="techterms card"> <h2 class="heading">The Tech Terms Computer Dictionary</h2> <p>The definition of Freeware on this page is an original definition written by the <a href="/authors/">TechTerms.com team</a>. If you would like to reference this page or cite this definition, please use the green citation links above.</p> <p>The goal of TechTerms.com is to explain computer terminology in a way that is easy to understand. We strive for simplicity and accuracy with every definition we publish. 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