Best Free* Stuff Online (*Get 'em While You Can!)

Everyone loves to get something for nothing. Nowhere is that concept more appealing than on the Web.

At PC World, we've spent years scouring the Web in search of the best free stuff the Internet has to offer. But lately, the job's been a little tougher. New sites distributing freebies aren't cropping up as rapidly as they once did, and old ones are dropping out at a breakneck pace (such as the free ISP service Freei.net, or General Magic's MyTalk voice-mail service). Some stuff that once was free is now offered only for a fee (like ThinkFree, a formerly free software suite that's similar to Microsoft Office). It's a changing Web out there, and it's hard to make a buck when you're giving away the goods for free (see "Free Stuff's Hidden Hitches").

For this sixth installment of our annual Free Stuff guide, we sifted through a lot of dreck to uncover our list of favorites. Forget about those worthless sites touting free postage and credit reports; we focused on sites offering something really useful, such as free Internet access, top-notch office suite software, and cheat codes for computer games to help you get higher scores--yeah, we know what's really important.

We've broken the sites into three categories: work, home, and play. You'll find stuff to save you money and time at home, to help you run your business or small office, and to help you kick back and enjoy your leisure time. We also rounded up some quick hits of the best sites for free file downloads, online privacy services, organizing tools, reference works, and music. As long as they're giving it away, why not take it?

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