The Problem with Free

The software and app market has evolved immensely within the last 30 years. Think about it: Consumer software barely existed just 20 years ago. At that time, it was mostly large enterprise software or companies focused on developing software for professionals.

Generally, it was understood that software costs money. The average consumer software was not affordable; a single license to install on your computer might cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.

The tech industry grew, backed by billions of dollars in funding. Then in 2008, Apple introduced the app store. Paid apps spawned in the app store, but many others were free. From the beginning, this was the understanding for the average consumer. Apps are either free or you can get them at a low price — just under or over a dollar.

The rules were established. The more companies realized an initial free product brought opportunities for massive reach, the more we engraved the idea in our minds that software should be free. Of course, this direction was lead by massive software companies who made their money elsewhere. They could afford to give away free products.