Introduction
A Free Tool can be anything that helps you to accomplish a task easily and quickly. It could be a typing tool, a compressor tool or a developer tool. Many people tend to use free tools these days due because they may not be able to afford paid tools or simply because the free tool helps them accomplish their task completely.
If you want to earn more about free tools then you are on the right article. Keep reading along as you will learn what free tools are, why you may somehow need them, various types of free tools and lastly you will know the difference between a Free tool, Paid tools and Free software.
What is a Free Tool?
A free tool or Freeware is any proprietary software, application or program that you can use for free. You don’t require a paid license but rather the license state that it is for private and noncommercial use. So you don’t have the right to sell it to someone. Freeware defers from free software in that, with free software, you are allowed to edit, add the source code or redistribute. Freeware or Free tools are generally utility tools that help users to perform a specific task.
Developers also use freeware. Not all freeware is free tools. For example, if the software you use freely contains ads, then it’s adware. These types of software are generally distributed to end-users and provide more features if they pay for a plan. So they come with free and paid plans.
What are Free tools used for?
Free tools or freeware are generally used to perform basic daily tasks. For example compressing images, messaging, calls and so on. Freeware or free tools are built by developers and are estimated mostly to end-users or organizations.
Freeware is generally good for students or undergraduates since most in some countries can’t afford paid tools.
Advantages of Free tools
- Free tools help promote organizations, early startups or non-profit organizations
- Freeware help in promoting a brand.
- Must websites that offer free tools tend to have great traffic
- Most freeware offers few features to attract future customers to buy the software and use all the pretty features they offer
- Most tools can be used indefinitely.
- They are free to use
- Return on investment through ads placement, affiliate links
- Both the developer and end-user benefit. It’s a gain-gain.
Disadvantages of Free tools(Freeware)
- The source code is not available to everyone
- Cost of Maintenance
- Users are not allowed to redistribute the software
- Need to handle errors free of charge
- Some can only be used in the private sectors
- They are copyright protected
- Some downloadable Freeware may contain malware.
Types of Free Tools
Here types of freeware refer to the usage of freeware in different application domains. Some of them include:
- Free tools for Image and video compression
- There are freeware for text generator
- Freeware for Plagiarism
- Freeware for messaging, chatting and video calling like WhatsApp, Telegram
- Free tools for collaborating in projects like Trello or GitHub
- Free SEO tools like Google Search Console or Google Analytics
- PDF to Word Converter tools
- Free scanner tools
- Free tools to help you in Content Writing.
- There are even tools to help you learn frameworks or languages like Flutter, CSS, HTML
There are a hundred of free tools out there to help you smoothen your daily or monthly tasks.
Free tools Vs Free Software?
A free software describes a software which allow user to look at the source code, edit it and redistribute without any restriction. Whereas Freeware is closed software with at least one restriction. So you can access the source code or redistribute the software. However, they could be distributed for business or commercial purposes with the aim to expand the market share of a premium product.
Free tools Vs Paid Tools
A freeware do you require you to spend a penny in order to use it while paid tools require you to purchase the product before using it or having access to the full features the software offers. Some freeware have features that are completely free while others provide some paid features if performing complex task. These are generally marketing strategies to attract users by pushing them to buy the product. Today many developers or organizations use this free and paid plan strategy. So that if you feel comfortable with the free plan you can continue using the tool for free or eventually switch to the paid plan if you need more elaborated features.
Should I use Free tools or Paid Tools?
That solely depends on you and your credit card. if you find a free tools that performs well and satisfies you , you can stick on it or consider checking other paid tools that offers advanced features. For example, Notion is a cloud-based collaborative and productive application for writing and organizing ideas or projects. It has a free version with offers Collaborative workspace, Integrate with Slack, GitHub & more, Basic page, analytics, 7 day page history and Invite 10 guests. The paid version possess other broad features including the free version.
So if the task you are required to do needs other features other than the free ones and if the paid version contains features you are looking for then you should consider switching to a paid version. I will recommend you choose a tool depending on the extend and time is taken to accomplish that specific task.
Examples of Freeware
Some example of freewares include Adobe Reader, Audacity, ImgBurn, Recuva, GitLab, Google Docs, Google trend, Semrush, Skype, Free Studio, Line.
Final Thoughts
Freeware, Free Software or adware, are words that can confuse many people. Bear in mind that these concepts are totally different. Freeware is software that you can download, install, share and use for free while free software describes any software you can edit the source code ad redistribute. Adware is freeware that contains ads. Each of these software has advantages as well as disadvantages. Some freeware may contain malware so it’s recommend to use free tools from trusted sources.
Freeware is both beneficial to developers, organizations and end-users. If you like this article then feel free to share it on your favourite social network. You can equally subscribe to the newsletter to get latest dev tips, tools and tricks.
