Quantcast
Subscribe to magazine

Fee VS. Free Software

Do you get what you pay for? We pit the leading free applications against for-a-price alternatives.

Eric Dahl

  • 0 Yes
  • 0 No

Though great free services are getting tougher to find on the Web, free software has never been better or more abundant. These days you can net everything from office suites to e-mail apps to firewalls without spending a dime. And while "free" used to mean "dumbed-down" or "crippled," some of today's no-cost apps, such as Outlook Express and ZoneAlarm, outshine most of their pay-to-use competitors.

But makers of many free applications are nudging users toward paid versions of the software. RealNetworks' RealOne media player, for instance, has features that work only if you subscribe to one of the company's audio or video services.

So what's the cost of living free? We compared some top free programs against their paid rivals, and tried paid versions of some of our favorite free apps. Read on to see when free software makes sense, and when you're better off paying up.

  • Recommend this story?
  • 0 Yes
    0 No

Featured APC Accessories

  • APC Back-UPS ES Safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along your utility & data lines.
  • APC SurgeArrest Performance Highest level of protection for your professional computers, electronics and connected devices, as well as provides surge protection.

Deal Breakers

Special Offers for PC World Users

People who read this also read:

  • 15 Minutes to a Secure Business Get the Secure in 15 toolkit starting with the "15 Minutes Month-at-a-Glance" calendar. McAfee will send you additional tools and tricks to stay protected around the clock.
  • A Buyer's Guide to Data Protection Implementing data protection products and processes can be daunting. Make the right decisions by exploring what is available and what makes sense for your organization. Use this simple guide to evaluate different vendor offerings.

Sponsored Links