Freemium

Freemium is a pricing model where a basic version of a tool is free and more features or higher limits need a paid plan.

In practice: The free plan is meant to get you using the product; the limits push regular users to upgrade. Typical limits are a monthly usage cap, watermarks, lower quality, fewer seats or missing integrations.

Why it matters when picking a tool

A free tier is worth a lot for occasional use and for testing before you buy. Check whether the free plan is usable long term or only a trial in disguise, and whether free-plan content can be used commercially.