The genuinely free thread: software, services and perks that cost nothing and deliver

[Candle28]

A companion to the deals thread but with a stricter door policy, everything posted here must be genuinely free, not a trial, not a freemium teaser designed to frustrate you into paying, not free with your data as the obvious product. Actually free, actually good

Categories to get the shelves started, open source software that replaces paid tools properly, free tiers generous enough to live on, public services people forget they are entitled to, libraries and their app catalogues, community repair cafes and tool libraries, free training and courses from legitimate providers, and the humble world of genuinely free samples done without a catch

One posting rule to keep the quality up, say what you personally use it FOR, not just that it exists. A list of names is a search result, a sentence of real world use is a recommendation, and the difference is the whole value of this board

And the standing question for the thread, what is the free thing you would now PAY for if it vanished tomorrow? That answer is the highest praise the free world can earn

[Sorted Echo]

Open source image editor, use it weekly for resizing and stripping photo metadata before posting anywhere. Would I pay if it vanished, honestly yes, which per the rules is the top score

[Andy92]

The library app catalogue mention from the other thread converted me, three magazine subscriptions cancelled since. My card number turned out to be the best coupon in my wallet

[WarpField69]

Tool libraries deserve ten times the fame they have, borrowed a floor sander last month for the cost of literal zero. Check if your town has one before your next big job, half the members here are paying storage on tools they use annually

[ParallelSelf34]

Free tier I live on, the notes app whose generous tier has held my entire brain for four years. I keep waiting for the catch and the catch has not arrived

[GlassKnight89]

The catch arrives at the funding round, enjoy it while it lasts and keep exports regular. Free tier residents should always know where the door is

[Amber84]

Grimly wise and immediately actioned, export scheduled monthly

[RayOfLight99]

Public service entry, the free annual credit report people forget exists. Twenty minutes a year, caught an account that was not mine once, arguably the most valuable free thing on this whole thread

[WaveFunction74]

Repair cafe testimonial, took a dead lamp and a jammed sewing machine, left with both working and a cup of tea inside me. The volunteers fix things for the joy of it and it is quietly the best afternoon my town offers

[Tiger]

Free training shout, the big platforms' genuinely free certification tracks got me an actual pay rise. Gate kept only by the discipline to finish, which admittedly is a real gate

[Cass82]

Free sample done right, a national gardening scheme posts wildflower seeds for a stamped envelope. My fence line is now a bee argument every morning and the total spend was one stamp

[Drift Sentinel]

The would you pay test is ruthless and correct, applied it down my own list tonight and found exactly three survivors out of eleven. Quality over quantity, even at a price of nothing

[ThreadLord28]

Free seeds. Free t-shirt, free drinks glasses, competitions, prizes. I've had loads this year