FREEWARE

Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee. Freeware thus refers to its licensing terms (or lack thereof, in the case of the public domain) rather than a functional software category. Freeware is an effective middle ground between commercial software and open source software, allowing authors to contribute something for the benefit of the community, while at the same time allowing them to retain control of the source code and preserve its business potential.

Freeware is different from shareware, where the user is obligated to pay (e.g. after some trial period or for additional functionality).

The only criterion for being classified as "freeware" is that the software must be fully functional for an unlimited time with no monetary cost. The software license may impose one or more other restrictions on the type of use including personal use, individual use, non-profit use, non-commercial use, academic use, commercial use or any combination of these. For instance, the license may be "free for personal, non-commercial use." Everything created with the freeware programs can be distributed at no cost (for example graphic, documents, or sounds made by user).