4 ways to score free iPhone apps
And not just a few freebies, but oodles of them. You can find the latest apps online, in your Facebook or Twitter feeds, or right on your iPhone/iPod Touch.
When it comes to freebies, the iTunes App Store offers an embarrassment of riches. I'm routinely surprised, and delighted, by some of the superb apps you can get without spending a cent.
Ah, but how do you find them? Sure, iTunes lists the "top free apps" for various categories, but those lists rarely show new items. Also, what about those apps that are only temporarily free?
I've rounded up four free and easy ways to find, monitor, and fetch free apps.
- New site Free App a Day offers exactly what you'd expect: a new freebie every day. However, each one is free for that day only, so you need to check in regularly. Better yet, sign up for e-mail notification, which you can filter based on categories of interest--a nice touch, or follow its Twitter feed.
- I continue to be a big fan of FreeAppAlert, which produces a daily roundup of apps that previously cost money but are now free (either temporarily or permanently, though it doesn't indicate which). The site is great, with full-size screenshots that appear when you mouse over thumbnails, but I like the reminders I get from FreeAppAlert's Facebook feed.
- Hardcore Twitter users will definitely want to sign up for app-review Web site 148Apps' feed. Then, be prepared for a daily deluge of tweets about newly free apps. Yes, it's the same idea as FreeAppAlert; however, here you get individual app listings and not a single aggregated link. Find out more in my original write-up of 148Apps.
- What would the iPhone and iPod Touch be without free apps that steer you to other free apps? BargainBin and PandoraBox serve up new apps that are free as well as newly free apps. Even better, they can monitor selected paid apps (like the pricey new Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars) and notify you of price drops. I can't decide which one I like better--so I use both!
Now you have all the tools you need to find free apps--both on your PC and on your device.
Do you have your own sources for free apps? If so, talk 'em up in the comments! While you're at it, let's hear about any good freebies you've discovered recently. Me, I'm still loving on Gorillacam.