Is FREE software really worth the price?

There are a lot of sites and links out there that claim to give you FREE software, only to find that the site or page really meant that the download is free, you still have to pay for a key or something to unlock and use the software. Want proof? Here’s a Google search on “free game software” with the results:

Notice how the links taunt you with “FREE” but are then followed by “download?”

If you click on those links, you’ll find that they will list software that is free to download, but you’ll quickly notice a price column indicating how much it cost to actually use the product, not just download it.

Download.com and brothersoft have made tons of money getting people to their site this way. But those customers, once screwed, learn the lesson and seldom return.

Is there a better way to do it?

As Sarah Palin would say, “You Betcha!” Take Jing, for example. It is by far and away the best video capture, screen capture, and narration software for home users out there… and it’s actually FREE! Now, the free version has some limitations and a PRO version is available, but for the average home user, this program is a must have! It sure beats Windows Snipping Tool. It allows you to place arrows, text, highlights, and boxes on your screen capture and save it to any format. In fact, I did the screen capture for this article using the product.

There is a 5 minute limit on video, but that’s more than enough for someone to start the recorder, show something on their screen with a little narration, and send it to friends or family. You can narrate and animate slide shows or webcam screens.

The reason it’s free? It’s from the same people who make Camtasia Studio, the professional video capture and screen recording software. It does cost money, but at $299 it’s still a bargain. Our training videos and presentations were all done with Camtasia Studio, and it even comes with a 30 day trial. I’m not providing links to it here since I don’t want any of our subscribers to think we are a reseller or make money off of pushing the product. I will, however, provide a link for the free, non reseller Jing here.