Free Is Not Free

☝️ Free downloads, free scans, free trials -- so many things on the internet are free! Or are they?
☝️ FREE! Or not.
“Free downloads,” “free scans,” and “free trials” often aren’t completely free. You may find that while the initial download costs nothing, full functionality or continued use requires payment. Advertisements and misleading claims can also confuse, so it’s crucial to understand what “free” really means in each context.
Updates, related links, and more discussion: askleo.com/18819
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Chapters
0:00 Free?
0:40 Free download!
2:55 Free trial!
4:30 Free scan
5:15 Free with advertising
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[@askleonotenboom]

✅ Watch next ▶ Ignored by Online Services? Remember, You Are Not the Customer ▶ kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJy7Zpp_hc2FacU

[@dennisray3235]

There are different forms of freeware - open source, donation ware, freemium, but then there is trialware which is actually not free.

[@renoholland7090]

Free Download is like Home Depot advertising that access to their stores is free. Of course it is, have you ever seen a store that charges an entry fee? Another thing that bothers me that some 'free version software' has so many features disabled compared to the 'paid version' that it is basically unusable.

[@glasslinger]

The free trial software is OK IF there is a way to remove the software from your computer after the fact if you decide you don't want it. McAfee antivirus is easy to download but if you decide you don't want it there is almost no way to get rid of it! Doing the normal control panel uninstall doesn't remove all of it. There still are popup ads that are impossible to remove unless you are a guru! I had to go to my backup copy to totally get rid of that crap!

[@davinp]

Some utility software such as cleaners and scanners make it difficult to uninstall. They may not have an uninstaller shortcut on the Start Menu.

[@myoldmate]

Revo uninstaller. Gets rid of all the debris.

[@gjoseph1628]

Some companies like that provide a specific uninstaller tool from their website. If you buy a new computer with McAfee present, and you know you do not want it, use both Windows to uninstall it AND the removal tool from McAfee.

[@LetsGoChaseThatTrain]

Ditto for Dropbox.

[@davinp]

I don't like that scanners that offer free scans, but then you have to pay to clean or fix problems in Windows. Some constantly bombarded you with ads trying to get you to pay

[@CTSFanSam]

And not all of the problems that the free scanners find are really problems. They always find a problem that requires $$.

[@msun12000]

Maybe worth mentioning that "Open Source" software can be both free to use and free from advertising.

[@TheBlueThird]

Basically correct, but additionally, it also means that open-source software is software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance.

[@askleonotenboom]

There is also open-source software that is not free.

[@TheBlueThird]

@@askleonotenboom Very true.

[@msun12000]

@@askleonotenboom True but I believe it's only 5-10% that is actually not free 🙂

[@MartBelden]

True, but an ethical person will consider how much buying a similar commercial product would cost (Microsoft Office vs LibreOffice for example) and will make an occasional totally voluntary donation to help support the free/libre software, websites, podcasts, etc that they enjoy and want to continue using.

[@alanglassman6473]

Don’t forget the “free” software that collects then sells your usage data, and sometimes even more than that.

[@Lucas-up6ww]

Windows?

[@bv2999]

If there is no cost for the Product....you are the Product

[@farouqstray1411]

It would be best if you weren't in sites that try to mislead you with many download buttons, or do not have a clear business model for their products,, Advertising as much as helped the web to give for free, it is destroying it 😮‍💨

[@songsan807]

Good tip video Leo. That is why I create a standard account to use on my Macs and Windows. There are times that once you click on the download button the program or other spyware get install in the background. But if you are using a standard account, it would display a popup to ask you for an admin account and pw. My last custom build PC, I had no virus or spyware for about 12 years using it and for this current PC no issue for the last 3 years. Also during installation if there is a custom option, check on it and see what else it is trying to install. There are some free programs that install browser tools or shopping features. I do buy many of the programs that I find useful. And some of the paid programs there is an "Annual license", which they would renew their charge each year. I usually get the Perpetual license which is like 50% more but you can use for multiple years.

[@johnhpalmer6098]

The big one are the big green download buttons that you often see, also popup ads, video ads, and sites that have so many adds, many animated ads that pop in/out, causing text etc to shift making it almost difficult to actually use the site.

[@flipflopski2951]

My advice is don't use it unless you are curious as to what surprises the actual software has in store for you... when I quit using Windows a few years ago there was no longer any free software that didn't include some malware in it.

[@flipflopski2951]

Leo forgot to mention that there isn't any free Windows software anymore that doesn't contain some kind of malware.

[@askleonotenboom]

Patently false.

[@OlettaLiano]

Anytime a software or service is free, you have to know that you are the product. They're going to make money off of your personal data.

[@MiguelAlvarezAdams]

I love your content, very elaborated, straight to the point and easy to understand😃👌

[@synen]

Computers should be easier to use, there are so many catches and pitfalls.

[@Zendukai]

I use windows sandbox, a temporary windows environment for those that dont know thats built into windows, to test a downloaded program, even just surfing to the website might be suspect too. That way, if you dont like what you see, just close sandbox and you dont have to uninstall anything, no remnants to clean up. Try restarting explorer in sandbox after the installation to see if there is any bugs that creep in after the install as well.

[@MaxPower-11]

The “free download” thing remind me those car dealers which advertise “This Weekend: All Credit Applications Accepted!!” in giant letters and full volume. The thing is of course that they didn’t say all credit applications will be _approved_ , just that they will _accept_ them. Well, duh 🙄

[@johnboxxy3432]

Generally speaking if it says Advertisment or Sponsored, I ignore it.

[@grahamclark4518]

I wish they'd offer a paid version of windows without all the AI crap, and bloat, well thinking they do its the long term service release, its so stripped out its what windows PRO should be like

[@kersi-sandiego6036]

"Free" reminds me of Junior Samples on Hee Haw in the late 60s, early 70s. Remember BR549? 😂😂😂

[@PopsSinging]

I have been in IT for decades and the thing that really makes me angry is downloading or using a piece of software that says 100 percent free or freeware up front and only when you try to do the most crucial function of the software you are prompted to pay. The other day I was looking to repair some old photos so I found that a well known and popular piece of online software (Online photo editor) offered to restore old photos "absolutely free". I checked every single pixel of the screen and read every piece of text on the screen and there wasn't even a way to 'pay or upgrade' or no hidden terms. I uploaded the first photo and it did restore the photo with a side-by-side of the before and after, but when I clicked the button to save the image it wanted a monthly fee....grrrrrr....lol. If the site had been upfront I would have likely paid for at least a month, but I was so angry I left the site. (I used a free AI tool on Huggingface to restore the images)

[@kersi-sandiego6036]

Can you identify the site? This would save others from the same chicanery that you experienced.

[@peterwassmuth4014]

Thank you for Sharing! 💯✴ Nothing is free in this life. If it’s not costing money, it’s costing something else. If you got it for free! someone paid for it. Nothing is free. Everything has to be paid for. Usually your private credential to third-party seller.

[@MeMakeSparks]

Softonic? Anyone?

[@alexredmonjr]

also CNET downloads site

[@BrownsFaninIowa]

Excellent insight! Can you expand this topic as it relates to email providers? Since nothing is free, what is the 'cost' of Gmail, etc?

[@askleonotenboom]

Typically advertising, and the fact that some percentage of Gmail users end up using other Google products. (Some would say "your data", but I'm not sure I buy into that, though it's a possibility.)

[@JimE6243]

Informative! Thanks. JimE

[@johninnaperville]

TANSTAAFL. From Robert Heinlein novel “The moon is a harsh mistress”. Great book.

[@Eduardo-tj3zr]

This is why I laugh at people claiming that Google, Outlook , Yahoo etc have no human customer support cause mail services are free and you have to pay a fee when you get hacked/lose access to your accounts. Nothing offered by a big company Is 100%free and, in this case, the price are our privacy and data.

[@NoEgg4u]

I installed the free version of Macrium Reflect's backup software. Well, it was not exactly free. If you visit your mother-in-law for a free dinner, and she gets under your skin, then is the dinner really free? Macrium Reflect's free version nagged me to purchase an upgraded version. And the nagging never ended. It was not incessant. But it was perpetual. So a full uninstall became necessary for my sanity. Nowhere during the download process nor the installation process was I told that the nagging was free, too. Due to Macrium's less than forthcoming practices, I ended up purchasing the Lifetime Workstation version of EaseUS Todo. It is not free. But I was done with trying to save $89. I wonder if EaseUS's free version also nags?

[@askleonotenboom]

Yes. That is the "price" of free. (EaseUS actually nags quite a bit more than Macrium did.)

[@gerydblackmore5484]

Rescuezilla

[@Shell-mn1gl]

The word " free"" is misused. It means free of costs and condions. Therefore it is misleading and should be seen as such.

[@GeeAre]

Like when a company offers FREE SHIPPING! ... with orders of $49+ 😑

[@l3martin]

There is a price to pay for anything. Even free (libre) software that is for free (gratis) causes you to pay in your time to get it working properly. If anything is too good to be true...

[@flipflopski2951]

Every "free" Windows program contains malware anymore... Every... Single... One...

[@askleonotenboom]

No. They. Don't. (Some, sure, but most definitely not all.)

[@StaceyAyodele]

there is one set of software that's truly free in terms of monetary cost...FOSS. However, you will pay with your time to learn how to use it for example.

[@franciscohorna5542]

winrar is prime example its always been free even though it says free trial will expire its still free after trial period will not stop working malwarebytes the same it continues to be free you can scan and remove as many threats it finds but you will not have the real time protection enabled after trial expires it wwill contunue to find and remove threats but it will be reverted to free version no real time protection!!!!

[@Soupie62]

Free costs a buck oh five. Just check the Team America movie.

[@GeeAre]

03:26 What are some examples of there being a free version AND free trial? I don't think I've run into this, so that could mean I wasn't vigilant ;).

[@gjoseph1628]

Media Player Classic - Home Cinema (MPC-HC) is free and can be a great program to play any video file you want. I have used it and it works excellently. One downside is that it is no longer being developed. But FREE, if you have it.

[@flipflopski2951]

DOWNLOAD NOW... I'm glad I left that universe a few years age. A linux OS is truly free with no strings attached other than doing things a little different than what you're used to. Microsoft copied Linux and Mac and started putting software in a store but I'm going to guess that failed like everything else they do. New Windows computers are going to have a FREE Trojan Horse built right into it if that's any consolation... heh...

[@davinp]

Some download pages have several advertisements burying the link to the actually software download link

[@cutlow1383]

Thanks for the free video! Oh wait!?

[@tonykeltsflorida]

This is why I use Linux Mint.

[@pwhite2579]

they will try to get money out of you one way or another!

[@VividOrigins]

Canva: 😂😂

[@askleonotenboom]

❓

[@VividOrigins]

People always tell me before that it's free to use, but when I tried it, I was limited from time to time because almost 40% of it was paid

[@askleonotenboom]

And yet there is a level of product that is completely free. As with many products there are often other versions that you can upgrade to, but the base product remains completely free. Just because it doesn't have the features you think it should doesn't make it any less free. :-)

[@user-rk9kb2sd9b]

Learn to write proper titles, Leo. The current one reads as if it were scribbled by a drunk in a bar on a beer coaster.

[@askleonotenboom]

How'd you know?