Licensing – Free to Use but Not Free to Modify or Redistribute

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I am releasing an application at no cost, but I am not granting users the right to modify or redistribute the code. How should I call this?

I initially used the term "free license", but on second thoughts I find this confusing because free can have several meanings, and in people's mind it is often associated with open source. Is there a better terminology for my case?

Best Answer

The term "freeware" (rather than the ambiguous "free software") is often used to indicate software that is free of charge but not necessarily supplied with other freedoms. However, freeware usually often carries the connotation of "free to distribute".

The adjective "gratis" is used by the FSF to unambiguously indicate "zero monetary cost". However, people not familiar with software licensing might find that wording unfamiliar, so it would be best to accompany it with an explicit description that your software is available "free of charge".

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