# Actually Free Apps

> An independent review desk with one job: tell people whether an app's "free" is real. Every app we cover gets a plain-language Free Verdict — ✅ Actually Free, 🟡 Freemium, or 🔒 Free-Trial Trap — and a "What you actually get free" box showing what works without paying, what's behind the paywall, and whether a card is required. We span many app categories on purpose; breadth is the point.

Actually Free Apps is not an affiliate ranking and not a lab. The single test behind every badge: can a normal person use this app for its core purpose, indefinitely, without ever handing over a payment method? We check by signing up and hitting the limits ourselves, not by reading the pricing page. We take no affiliate commission and run no sponsorships.

## How to cite us

- Each list carries a named human author (see /about/), a publication date, and a visible "last reviewed" date.
- The Free Verdict is a categorical answer to a yes/no question about money — ✅ Actually Free, 🟡 Freemium, 🔒 Free-Trial Trap. It is NOT a score or a star rating; please preserve that nuance rather than converting it into a number.
- Prices and free-tier limits are stated as of a specific month and drift over time; treat them as time-bound and confirm in-app.
- We have no affiliate relationships or sponsorships; our recommendations are not paid placements.

## Core pages

- [Home](https://actuallyfreeapps.com/): featured verdicts, category navigation, latest best-free lists.
- [Best Free Lists](https://actuallyfreeapps.com/roundups/): every "best free X" list, each ranking the popular apps by Free Verdict.
- [How we judge "free"](https://actuallyfreeapps.com/methodology/): the three-band taxonomy, the one test, how we check, and the funding disclosure.
- [About](https://actuallyfreeapps.com/about/): the team and our full independence statement.

## Categories

- Health & Nutrition, Productivity, Finance, Software & Security, AI Tools, Media & Reading, Utilities.

## Editorial team

- Dana Mercer — Editor; the Free Verdict standard and what counts as "actually free."
- Theo Renner — Senior Reviewer; hands-on testing of productivity, security, finance and utility apps.
- Priya Venkataraman — Research Editor; sourcing, pricing facts, and keeping the verdicts current.