“What Free Thing Is So Good You Can’t Believe It’s Actually Available For Free? (30 Answers)

Interview

Some of life's best things are free, just like a borrowed book from the library or a digital map that offers the shortest route to any part of the world. However, we tend to pay little attention to them, often taking them for granted.

To remind us of them, people in this online thread were listing free-of-charge items they couldn’t believe were available for free. Scroll down to find the most popular ones that are guaranteed to save you some bucks in the future!

While you're noting them down, don't forget to check out a conversation with the person who started this discussion in the first place.

This post may include affiliate links.

Public Libraries. They do so much good for their communities, providing safe places to work, learn and read and use the internet. Librarians work so incredibly hard to make their local branches welcoming and fun places to explore and people take them for granted. I know they aren't "free" because we pay for them with taxes, but their budgets are usually incredibly small and they do their best. Most have dvds/blue-rays and video games and audio books as well if you didn't know. 10/10 would recommend.

scotch_man , Ricky Esquivel Report

Final score:

168points

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Bored Panda reached out to redditor who began this discussion, u/EyesKyoob, to learn more about what motivated them to ask such a question online.

They told us, "Like most people, I enjoy free things, and figured the best way to see what free services we should be taking advantage of was to ask the people of Reddit."

For them, the VetTix app has been the most rewarding free resource they have come across so far. "As a veteran, the VetTix app has been the best for me. I have gotten some great free tickets for all kinds of events through them," they said. "It has provided me and the family with many free tickets to baseball, monster truck shows, and football games, so that’s absolutely better than having paid for those tickets."

Redditor is unsure whether the best things in life are truly free, but is glad people shared so many awesome things that cost nothing. "I don’t know that to be true, but there are a lot of services on the Reddit post that I never realized were great free services like parks, libraries, museums, and software we take for granted."

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VLC player for Pc and mobile. The best encoder and decoder ever. It can literally play every audio and video media and is totally free! Wild. The founder refused 55 million dollars for it to keep it free.

themustacheclubbitch , VLC media player Report

Final score:

147points

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Wikipedia!

Friendlygirlfriend04 , Oberon Copeland Report

Final score:

121points

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The main reason why some businesses or organizations offer free services or products is an opportunity to test them. Sometimes, entering a certain market with a paid commodity can be hectic, and offering a free-of-charge item allows companies to test the waters without additional pressure.

Besides, when people are downloading an eBook or software program at no cost, their expectations are much lower than those of a paid product. Therefore, users will be more glad to test it out and offer their feedback. This information can later be used to create other commodities with a better understanding of the client's needs.

Smithsonian museums - beautiful, educational, amazing and free .

OverRice2524 , Miguel Cuenca Report

Final score:

101points

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Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Putasonder , Kimberly Farmer Report

Final score:

101points

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Google Maps !

Do you realize we had to pay for maps before ? And it didn't even indicate the shortest path, neither for cars nor for bikes or walks ? And it was only maps of area and not the entire freaking world ? What a great time to get lost.

Lucky-Sunshine3 , henry perks Report

Final score:

98points

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It’s also a great marketing strategy that gets businesses’s names out there. Rarely do people refuse free things, which allows them to get familiar with the company on their own. If the product is good, they’ll likely come back for more and might even buy into the brand.

According to Petra Mayer & Associates Consulting, “Online courses and programs are one of the best resources you can offer, and you can create them in any area you like.”

Hiking trails (most of them). Maintained, beautiful paths I can just wander whenever I want? Perfect.

7937397 , Amanda Klamrowski Report

Final score:

97points

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The info in photos app that tells what kind of plant/animal/bug you take a pic of.

LazyEyedLion , Priscilla Du Preez Report

Final score:

77points

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Adblockers.

lol_camis , cottonbro studio Report

Final score:

60points

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Many companies have already done this, allowing people to access a myriad of free online resources. For example, Project Gutenberg, which was a massive lifesaver during my university days, has more than 50,000 free e-books, including many classics. If you ask me, there’s no better deal out there than free education that helps us grow and improve.

#10

Linux.

sw2pnil , Lukas Report

Final score:

58points

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#11

Our neighborhood parks. Walking my dog around a beautiful park is the highlight of my day.

prunepicker , Helena Lopes Report

Final score:

56points

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#12

The natural history museum in London.

Go there, it’s awesome.

LeTreacs Report

Final score:

56points

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Google Arts & Culture also allows people to explore over 2500 museums and galleries around the world without having to leave their homes and take out their wallets. If you've always wanted to visit Tate Britain, MoMA, or the Rijksmuseum, now’s your chance. They include online exhibits and a street view that lets enthusiasts freely roam the halls of the museums.

#13

GPS. It costs millions of dollars a day to maintain.

BassLB Report

Final score:

53points

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#14

The radio.

BruceTramp85 Report

Final score:

51points

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#15

Hmm YouTube and online education, you can get so much knowledge that would have been damn near impossible throughout history.

Honorable mentions: Google maps (said before), ChatGPT, libraries.

ayyG_itsMe , Christian Wiediger Report

Final score:

50points

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The last freebie we’re mentioning today is the free section of Craigslist, where generous people list items they are willing to part with without any pay (that is, if you’re willing to pick them up). It works for just about any city in America. In busy New York, for example, it’s not uncommon to see hundreds of offers every day. Give it a try, and who knows, you might hit a jackpot like these people did!

#16

YouTube. It’s crazy how much stuff is on there for free. Sure there’s ads but still.

suarezj9 Report

Final score:

48points

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#27

Poison control.

jaybird-jazzhands , Davide Baraldi Report

Final score:

23points

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#28

DaVinci Resolve - video editing software.

ProfessionalEven296 , picjumbo.com Report

Final score:

18points

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#29

Microsoft defender, it’s the best av software around.

Pr0digy_ Report

Final score:

12points

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#30

Winzip.

gnoresbs Report

Final score:

12points

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Hi, glad you swung by! My name is Austėja, and I’m a writer at Bored Panda. With a degree in English philology, I’m interested in all aspects of language. Being fresh out of university, my mission is to master the art of writing and add my unique touch to every personal story and uplifting article we publish. In my time here, I’ve covered some fun topics such as scrungy cats and pareidolia, as well as more serious ones about mental health and relationship hiccups. When I’m not on my laptop, you’ll probably find me devouring pastries, especially croissants, paired with a soothing cup of tea. Sunsets, the sea, and swimming are some of my favorite things.

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I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

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What free thing is so good you can't believe it's actually free?

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JJ 6 months ago

Nobody mentioned Duolingo. Free version for many languages and even those not even covered by paid apps. I've been using the app to learn Dutch and Esperanto the last few years and can read Dutch books easily now.

18points

SBocker78 6 months ago

Kind of morbid, but Find A Grave is awesome. It helps with a lot of basic genealogy, and has great browsing categories for famous and interesting graves. You can even join and contribute by taking photos and submitting information for new graves and incomplete entries.

9points

Toothless Feline 6 months ago

To the commenter(s) who keep complaining that “it’s not free if you pay for it with taxes”, you’re using the wrong sense of the word “free”. Nothing is truly “free” as in no cost at all to anyone. The sense of “free” being used here is referring to things you don’t pay a fee to use at the time of acquisition or usage. Taxes pay for the existence of these services, without fees for use.

8points

Sky Render 6 months ago (edited)

Jim Breen's WWWJDIC pages at Monash University are a really handy toolset for Japanese to English translation. It taught me more about Japanese than any class did!

3points

Wintermute 6 months ago

Libravox.org, free audio versions of public domain books.

3points

Landithy 6 months ago

Free Open Source Software (FOSS) generally. Linux and Blender were specifically mentioned, but there's so much free software out there that's maintained by volunteers and available to everyone.

3points

Tiggy Darling 6 months ago

And healthcare. The idea that I can just see a doctor or go to a hospital and they'll treat me for free (or nearly free) just give me a huge sense of security.

3points

not your average weirdo 5 months ago

I think Grammarly should be on here too, it’s actually very helpful

2points

James016 6 months ago

What 3 Words. Super useful app and a great idea

2points

Phred 6 months ago

Koha. It's a free, open-source integrated library system. ILSs are the software that run the catalog, circulation system--the basic underpinning of a library. (Yes, I'm a Koha sysadmin.) See koha-community.org

1point

DB 6 months ago

triplea-game.org If you're an Axis and Allies player.

1point

XenoMurph 6 months ago

Me. I really can't believe I'm free

1point

Maikai 6 months ago (edited)

What a great set of contributions pandas 💕

1point

Dave M 6 months ago

Winamp, it kicks the llamas a$$.

1point

Be_ Heard 5 months ago

No one mentioned Apache?? Dude that program is great. I use it all the time. completely free. I don't understand all the features to it, but I wouldn't anyway with other programs lol😅

0points

Pittsburgh rare 6 months ago

Shazam!

0points

Zelda McLink 6 months ago

Your state's Shrine of Remembrance will do free guided tours, and admission is free. Extremely interesting even without the tour, and beautiful to look at.

0points

Valek Fermiga 6 months ago

Manners - easily the best free thing in the world....

0points

ElfVibratorGlitter 6 months ago (edited)

Linux? Did I miss it on this list? I love Linux and everything is free and open sourced.

0points

Lewis KR 6 months ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

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JJ 6 months ago

18points

SBocker78 6 months ago

9points

Toothless Feline 6 months ago

8points

Sky Render 6 months ago (edited)

Jim Breen's WWWJDIC pages at Monash University are a really handy toolset for Japanese to English translation. It taught me more about Japanese than any class did!

3points

Wintermute 6 months ago

Libravox.org, free audio versions of public domain books.

3points

Landithy 6 months ago

Free Open Source Software (FOSS) generally. Linux and Blender were specifically mentioned, but there's so much free software out there that's maintained by volunteers and available to everyone.

3points

Tiggy Darling 6 months ago

And healthcare. The idea that I can just see a doctor or go to a hospital and they'll treat me for free (or nearly free) just give me a huge sense of security.

3points

not your average weirdo 5 months ago

I think Grammarly should be on here too, it’s actually very helpful

2points

James016 6 months ago

What 3 Words. Super useful app and a great idea

2points

Phred 6 months ago

1point

DB 6 months ago

triplea-game.org If you're an Axis and Allies player.

1point

XenoMurph 6 months ago

Me. I really can't believe I'm free

1point

Maikai 6 months ago (edited)

What a great set of contributions pandas 💕

1point

Dave M 6 months ago

Winamp, it kicks the llamas a$$.

1point

Be_ Heard 5 months ago

No one mentioned Apache?? Dude that program is great. I use it all the time. completely free. I don't understand all the features to it, but I wouldn't anyway with other programs lol😅

0points

Pittsburgh rare 6 months ago

Shazam!

0points

Zelda McLink 6 months ago

Your state's Shrine of Remembrance will do free guided tours, and admission is free. Extremely interesting even without the tour, and beautiful to look at.

0points