Heading back to school or college? Here's how to get free and discounted apps to level-up your studies

It’s back-to-school season, which means there are plenty of great deals to be had on everything tech related. But you don’t have to be going to school or college to get in on the action — in fact, there all sorts of ways to score a discount, whatever your situation.

Here, we’ve put together some of the best ways you can get free or heavily discounted software, whether or not you’re a student. Read on and you’ll see there are many ways to score a brilliant bargain that might take you by surprise.

Education discounts

Many companies know that students tend to be strapped for cash, and they therefore try to tempt educational customers to make a purchase by steeply discounting the price — or waiving it altogether.

For example, you can snag free access to Microsoft 365 apps if you’re a student, while educational institutions get the same deal. This is limited to web-based versions of the apps, but it’s a good way to net yourself a solid set of free office apps with absolutely no cost involved.

If you’d rather have the desktop apps, students can get a 50% discount on Microsoft 365 with a valid education email address. You can also get one year of Microsoft 365 for free when you buy a qualifying PC desktop or laptop. Microsoft also throws in a year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and an Xbox Wireless Controller for free.

Looking further afield, Amazon Prime offers discounted rates and sometimes markets extended free trials to students and young adults, while other apps and services with student discounts include Adobe Creative Cloud, Apple Music, Evernote, Headspace, Spotify and more.

So many companies run student discounts that if there’s an app you’re interested in, it’s always worth investigating whether your student status will get you money off.

Check your employer or job description

Deals don’t end the moment you enter the workforce. In fact, some of the best money-off opportunities are reserved for those in full-time employment. The catch is that they often depend on the type of work you do, but there are still plenty of deals to be had.

If you want to look after your logins, you can get free access to both 1Password and Proton Pass if you’re a journalist. Proton’s entire suite of apps — including a VPN, office apps, encrypted cloud storage and an email service — are free for journalists, in fact. Similarly, VPN provider Windscribe offers cost-free access if you’re a reporter or if you work for a charity.

Microsoft gives a wide range of discounts to nonprofits, including on office apps, security software, AI tools, and more. The Google for Nonprofits program offers also free and discounted access to Google services for NGOs.

Even if you don’t work in these sectors, you could still be in line for money off. Plenty of companies have partnerships with prominent app developers and get discounts on their software, so be sure to ask your employer if they run a scheme like this.

Apps bundled with your device

You don’t always have to look far for free or cheap apps — they’re often bundled with your device’s operating system. Microsoft, Google and Apple all have free password managers, for instance. Apple’s is a standalone app while Microsoft’s and Google’s live in the Edge and Chrome web browsers, respectively, meaning they work cross-platform and can be used on competing operating systems.

While these password managers are excellent for managing your accounts, they might lack more advanced features compared to third-party options. Be sure to check if they do everything you need before picking one up.

There are other ways your operating system can help you out. Take Apple’s macOS, which comes with a range of top-class office apps, including Pages, Numbers and Keynote. Google, too, has its own series of very capable office apps that are based in the cloud.

If you use different devices that run on different operating systems — for example, you have a Windows PC but also an iPhone — make sure you check whether the apps that come with one operating system can be used on another. If not, you might need to find an alternative app that runs well cross-platform so that you can access your files on any device.

Totally free apps

Despite all these ways to get money off your favorite software, you shouldn’t overlook the fact that there are some excellent free apps out there that are and always have been toll-free. Sometimes, the best way to get free software is to simply take the free option.

Video editor DaVinci Resolve is used by professionals in the movie industry, yet offers a totally free version that is incredibly capable. LibreOffice is a solid Microsoft Office alternative that requires no payment and can go toe-to-toe with Microsoft’s best. VLC can play almost any video format under the sun without ever asking for your cash. And there are many more out there.

Just be aware that many free apps are limited in some way compared to paid-for alternatives. A frequent practice is to lock more advanced features or higher limits behind a paywall, meaning you get a somewhat stunted experience if you don’t pay. Or you might get a free trial of a premium app that times out after a certain number of days or weeks.

There are other considerations. Be careful when using free apps that handle sensitive data. Some (but not all) free VPNs have been found to steal user data, for example, which undermines their privacy claims.

But that doesn’t mean you should forget about free software entirely. As apps like DaVinci Resolve and LibreOffice show, paying is not a requirement to getting a great app on your device.

Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.