People use Macs for a variety of different reasons, from work to home entertainment. For some, the computer is more than just a tool, but a living, breathing piece of hardware that are worth investing in. Others rely on Macs for their professional or commercial work, especially if they are in an industry where many people use Microsoft Word or Outlook, among other programs. These professionals need applications that can handle the demands of doing business on a computer. Downloading free Mac software is a necessity for Mac users, but it can be expensive and difficult. Downloading free software from the Internet can be tedious, if not outright difficult, especially if you have no idea what you are looking for. A lot of the time, free Mac software is a waste of time because there is very little, if any, added functionality. For example, most free applications will do nothing to add a web page to your local system, and they might even run slowly and with errors. Another way that free software is different from a paid program is that free Mac applications often have ads that block the ability to do any type of work whatsoever. This is something that is also true with freeware, as well. If you want to download free software and have it work, it is best to buy the application at a retailer that sells the program. The best place to download free software for your Mac is a third party website that lets you download directly from developers instead of downloading through Apple. Many developers for Mac applications have a website that works on both Windows and Mac operating systems. The good news is that these sites have the same free software you can find in Apple's App Store, and you can also download popular applications like Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office. These websites allow you to try out the free applications before you buy them, which makes them ideal for testing before you purchase.