We love our free apps, but some software is worth paying for. So should you cough up your hard-earned cash or not? Here are your best arguments.
On a Case by Case Basis, It Doesn't Matter
When you argue over specific software titles, you can often find in favor of both free and paid. Brodiemac argues free software wins when looking at Microsoft Office:
Let's take the Office software debate head on. Pay M$ over $400 for an office suite that I can get for free in LibreOffice that does exactly the same thing. Hmmmmm......we're debating this?
Other readres, like jddf, don't agree with this assessment:
Libre is not even close to having the feature set as office. It nice if you don't have lots of money or can't get a student version but it is not an alternative to office in the business world.
Cass Lopez asserts that the choice matters more than the philosophy behind the software:
The philosophy behind the creation of software doesn't really impact whether it's fit for the task or not in the same way that free doesn't imply better. If I had to choose between a plumber who charged to repair my overflowing toilet and one who did it for free I'd go with the paid option. Just because Microsoft charges for its product doesn't taint it in any way, we all do stuff with the expectation of reward, I could equally append a $ to your name to indicate you do stuff for payment. There's room in the world for free and paid to suit different users, the presence of one doesn't invalidate the other, from whichever side of the fence you're on. Just be glad the choice is there.
So in the end, when it comes down to specific titles, it doesn't really matter whether you've paid or not so long as you picked the best app for your needs.
The Freemium Model Offers the Best of Both Worlds
Freemium?free software that offers more features when you pay for it?provides the best of both worlds for many people. Reader atatassault47 offers this list of favorites...
Free:
- Teracopy
- Microsoft Security Essentials
- Revo Uninstaller
- Firefox, Chrome
- VLC, MediaPlayerClassic
- 7Zip
- Foxit PDF software
- Inmmumerable more that I can't think of off the top of my head
Paid:
- Microsoft Office
- AutoDesk software
- Adobe content creation software
- MATLAB
...and Lifehacker editor-in-chief Whitson Gordon points out that many fall under the freemium model:
An interesting point: some of the programs you mention are paid software with a "freemium" model. That is, Teracopy, Revo, and Foxit (I believe) are all paid products that have toned-down free versions with fewer features.
Not saying you're wrong in calling them free, just pointing out something interesting! They're kind of both free and paid.
When you go freemium, you can love the same apps regardless of whether you pay for them or not?so long as the free version offers a decent alternative to the paid option, of course.
Paid Software Offers Better Support
While the distinction between free and paid software almost seems irrelevant when you consider quality, it does matter in terms of support. Reader jrhmobile argues:
When you pay for software, you generally get the support systems that go with it ? regular upgrades, software publishers who are more interested in what you want to do with the software than what they want to do with it, and more responsive technical support. Plus you get that God-given right to say "I've got a problem with your software, and I'd like your assistance in fixing it."
There are exceptions to everything, of course. But in general, when it comes to software support systems, you get what you pay for.
While some developers who offer free software?notably those who include ads on mobile platforms?might find themselves a little more inclined to solve problems, developers of free apps don't really have an obligation to their users. This may result in fewer users, but that's the only real disadvantage of poor support when an app developer gives their app away.
Free Software Doesn't Meet Every Need
For some, free software can meet all their needs. When it comes to more professional use cases, however, you may need paid software for specific kinds of tasks and/or because you need to work with a platform other professionals use. Reader wolfleben gives some examples:
The real answer is you can use free software for the most part. If you want an alternative to Notepad you get the awesome Notepad ++. If you want an office suite you have google docs or libreoffice.
Image editing you can use gimp.
However, if you are a non-linear video editor you have no good free alternative. Adobe Premiere CS6 does a really great job. Also blu-ray software. There really isn't an easy to use free software for blu ray playback.
Of course, Windows users can download Lightworks for a free non-linear video editing option, and many would argue GIMP can't come close to meeting the abilities of Adobe Photoshop. Dracolytch explains this point well:
I think a good rule is "Use free software until it limits you and you need to upgrade to the paid". I think Photoshop / GIMP is a fine example of this. GIMP is not as good as Photoshop, but it's certainly good enough for the vast majority of users. Still, I know people who by Photoshop because "it's the best", even though they never actually use any of the features they're paying for.
Depending on your needs, free software might do the trick but paid software almost always will.
Free Isn't Always Free
When talking about free software, drLouie makes a very good point:
Paid is easy to define, but free is another story. Are you wanting to discuss free as in beer or free as in speech?
In this post, we're talking free as in beer but Cass Lopez points out a remaining concern:
Yes, some free programs are only free of monetary cost and aren't free in other ways such as chrome which costs nothing but sucks your data like the portapotty truck sucks s**t.
Chrome probably acquires more personal information than a porta-potty does human waste, but both do so silently and with uninhibited passion. Metaphors aside, remember that when you get something for free you're probably the product.
Quality Wins
In the end, the argument really comes down to quality. Free can make up for a few shortcomings, especially when they don't matter to most users, but mmmat notes that quality software often rises to the top:
I think like most people have already pointed out, there's good and bad of both paid and free in the desktop space. Personally I've managed well over a decade using free software (occasional apps for my phone and games for the PS3 notwithstanding) and got everything I want and need done just fine.
What is worth noting is the prevalence of free software outside the desktop. Just in the web arena we're talking about apache, nginx, mysql, hadoop, postgres, postfix and more; not to mention lower-level things like openSSH and so on. Lower level again - the Linux kernel itself is a seriously big player, and the various free bits of software which run atop it to make a full-powered OS.
While few people run Linux on their desktop, it's everywhere else. Routers, smartTVs, Android phones/tablets, switches, embedded systems, etc. etc.
You can debate whether MS Office is "better" than LibreOffice for hours, but among web developers I've never met a single one who thinks IIS is a decent piece of software, or Windows is a good hosting platform. I'm not saying those people don't exist, but I've been making websites a long time.
So in the end, use what suits you best. If you don't need the advanced features of paid software, use the free app instead. If that changes, you can always buy the professional app. One option doesn't trump the other in all cases. It really just comes down to what personally suits you best.
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