Disadvantages of Using Free Software in Business

As many app users, we generally come across a common question why we should use paid software applications while there are many free tools readily available for us. Some are available completely free while others are free to try for limited time.

Ad servingFree options might be good for personal websites or blogs but for business purposes it is better to go for paid ones which offer premium features and service. People generally prefer free tools because they are available free of cost. But these free tools may not provide the functionality that is specific to your business. There will be many challenges in using free tools especially in terms of customization, scalability and reliability.

For instance, if you are running an online business then the site has to be good in all aspects to generate business revenues. In addition to having a reliable hosting it is essential to have a good website monitoring service to keep the website active for user activity. Additionally, you can also generate considerable amount of revenues by using a good web based adserver tool for placing the advertisements and monetizing the site. When such multiple functionalities need to be bundled together, free tools are not viable because they are more prone to integrity issues with other software tools.

Here are some reason why using free software is not a viable option for businesses :

  • Many of the free versions have their own drawbacks, the major one being that they do not provide spam protection and typically associate with viruses like adware & malware and links to malicious websites. These tools do not offer the advanced form of security that is usually provided with paid premium services.
  • Most of the freeware services when installed generally include unwanted ads such as popups and banner ads to promote other services. This can become an issue in your website and may irritate your website users.
  • Free tools offer limited option for customization. However, with paid services the businesses will have higher flexibility for customizing the features. For instance, consider using a free invoicing or billing software for business purpose. Using free tools may not provide flexible features in billing and may also restrict the scability allowing only limited number of users. On contrary, paid billing software is scalable to any number of users, and it can also be shared with other business partners.
  • Freewares less likely provide technical support for their products. The software do not get updates regularly and when issues happen there will be no accountability. If something goes wrong or software support is needed there will be no expert resource for seeking help. Particularly, it is risky to rely on free tools for critical aspects of your business.