Since the dawn of the personal computer, folks always have complained about the cost of software. Often, by hook or by crook, folks would try to get software for free. Nowadays, however, there is no need to commit a felony by pirating software. Rather, there are many good software products that are available at no cost.

Naysayers like to deride free offerings, pointing to lack of support or low quality of the product. While this may be true, the products are more than good enough for most individuals. Even small businesses or divisions of large businesses or government agencies can take advantage of these offerings with little downside.

Web-based email continues to be the most used free software today. Solid products from Microsoft and Google, among others, dominate the scene. In fact, both of these are scaled-down versions of their commercial offerings. Both Windows and Macs include a mail client, but the de facto corporate standard, Microsoft’s Outlook, is not free.

Some folks rely upon email that is bundled with their internet service, but the downside to this approach is that it locks you in to that provider for as long as you want to keep that email address. That’s a turnoff in this day and age, when folks like to keep the same email address and cellphone number from when they were 15 years old.

Speaking of Google and Microsoft, both have free, web-based offerings for office productivity software. Google suite includes Docs, Sheets and Slides, among others. These, of course, are intended to provide similar functionality to Microsoft’s Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Microsoft offers online versions of these applications, which can be had for free.

The upside to Microsoft’s offerings is that the files produced are 100% compatible with the traditional, commercial Microsoft desktop-based products of the same names. The downside is that Microsoft’s online versions are much less robust than their desktop-based counterparts.

Similarly, the downside to Google’s online apps is that they are less functional than even Microsoft’s online offerings, not to mention Microsoft’s desktop offerings. For folks who have used Microsoft’s desktop products over the years, the Google online apps can be frustrating. Further, the Google files are not 100% compatible with Microsoft’s desktop-based applications.

Still, for individuals and small businesses, the allure of no-cost software can outweigh the limited functionality of both online offerings.

John Agsalud is an information technology expert with more than 25 years of IT experience in Hawaii and around the world. He can be reached at jagsalud@live.com.