Software distributed and used at no cost, with other rights still reserved
Freeware issoftware, oftenproprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to theend user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights,license, orEULA that definesfreeware unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the freeware it offers. For instance,modification,redistribution by third parties, andreverse engineering are permitted by some publishers but prohibited by others.[1][2][3] Unlike withfree and open-source software, which are also often distributed free of charge, thesource code for freeware is typically not made available.[1][3][4][5] Freeware may be intended to benefit its producer by, for example, encouraging sales of a more capable version, as in thefreemium andsharewarebusiness models;[6] or by collecting and selling user's personal data.[7]
The termfreeware was coined in 1982[8] byAndrew Fluegelman, who wanted to sellPC-Talk, the communications application he had created, outside of commercial distribution channels.[9] Fluegelman distributed the program via the same process asshareware.[10] As software types can change, freeware can change into shareware.[11]
In the 1980s and 1990s, the termfreeware was often applied to software released withoutsource code.[3][12]
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.[13]
In contrast to what theFree Software Foundation callsfree software, the author of freeware usually restricts the rights of the user to use, copy, distribute, modify, make derivative works, orreverse engineer the software.[1][2][14][15] Thesoftware license may impose additional usage restrictions;[16] for instance, the license may be "free for private, non-commercial use" only,[citation needed] or usage over a network, on a server, or in combination with certain other software packages may be prohibited.[14][15] 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]
ThisVenn diagram describes the typical relationship between freeware andopen source software: According to David Rosen fromWolfire Games in 2010, open source software (orange) is most often gratis but not always. Freeware (green) seldom expose their source codes.[5]
TheU.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".[4] The "free" in "freeware" refers to the price of the software, which is typicallyproprietary 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 theFree Software Foundation (FSF), "freeware" is a loosely defined category and it has no clear accepted definition, although FSF asks thatfree software (libre; unrestricted and with source code available) should not be called freeware.[3]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)".[17]
Some freeware products are released alongside paid versions that either have more features or less restrictive licensing terms. This approach is known asfreemium ("free" + "premium"), since the "free" version is intended as a promotion for the premium version.[18] The two often share a code base, using acompiler flag to determine which is produced. For example,BBEdit has aBBEdit 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 theDivX.
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 productsmay require registration to ensure licensed use, registerware do not.[19][20][21][22]
Shareware permits redistribution, but the license only allows limited use before paying the license fee.[23] 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.
Freeware cannot economically rely on commercial promotion. In May 2015 advertising freeware onGoogle AdWords was restricted to "authoritative source"[s].[29] Thus web sites andblogs are the primary resource for information on which freeware is available, useful, and is notmalware. However, there are also manycomputer magazines or newspapers that provide ratings for freeware and include compact discs or otherstorage media containing freeware. Freeware is also oftenbundled with other products such asdigital cameras orscanners.
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.[18] Other freeware projects are simply released as one-off programs with no promise or expectation of further development. These may includesource 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.
A"free" trial is another related concept in which customers are allowed to use a product, free of charge, for a limited time.[30]
When a software monopoly has a strong network effect, it may be more profitable for it to offer a "free" trial.[31] Also, customers acquired via a "free" trial have a much lowercustomer lifetime value as opposed to regular customers, but they also respond more tomarketing communications.[32]
Some factors that may encourage or discourage people to use "free" trials include:[33]
^abGraham, Lawrence D (1999).Legal battles that shaped the computer industry. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 175.ISBN978-1-56720-178-9. Retrieved2009-03-16.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.
^abcd"Categories of free and nonfree software". Retrieved2017-05-01.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.
^abFrequently Asked Questions regarding Open Source Software (OSS) and the Department of Defense (DoD), retrieved2012-06-11,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.
^Stallman, Richard M."Words to Avoid (or Use with Care) Because They Are Loaded or Confusing".GNU.org. Free Software Foundation. Retrieved2017-05-01.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.
^Dixon, Rod (2004).Open Source Software Law. Artech House. p. 4.ISBN978-1-58053-719-3. Retrieved2009-03-16.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.
^ab"ADOBE Personal Computer Software License Agreement"(PDF) (in Arabic).Adobe.Archived(PDF) from the original on 2011-05-10. Retrieved2011-02-16.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.
^"IrfanView Software License Agreement". Retrieved2011-02-16.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.
^"Categories of free and nonfree software". Retrieved2023-04-03.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.
^"AssaultCube - License".assault.cubers.net.Archived from the original on 25 December 2010. Retrieved2011-01-30.AssaultCube is FREEWARE. [...]The content, code and images of the AssaultCube website and all documentation are licensed under "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
