Yes, Bare Bones Software has a permanent free tier alongside its paid plans. The free plan includes BBEdit runs in a free, permanent Free Mode after its 30-day full trial ends. FreeTier.co estimates the free tier at about $15/mo, and no credit card is required to sign up.
About
Bare Bones Software is a macOS vendor best known for BBEdit, a text and code editor, and Yojimbo, an information organizer. BBEdit offers a 30-day evaluation period with every feature unlocked; when that period ends, BBEdit keeps working for free, forever, with no nag screens, in what Bare Bones calls Free Mode. Purchasing a license or subscribing re-enables BBEdit's exclusive features at any time.
- 30-day full-featured evaluation, then permanent Free Mode
- No nag screens or forced interruptions after the trial ends
- grep pattern matching, search and replace across files, and code folding
- Git and Subversion integration, FTP/SFTP open and save
- Syntax coloring and function navigation for numerous languages
Free Tier Value
This free offering is perpetual and appears to have no usage cap, but it is tied to BBEdit rather than a separate freemium plan. Since the page explicitly says you can use BBEdit for free, the practical value is roughly half of the cheapest paid product on the page ($30 Yojimbo), or about $15/month, with no credit card friction mentioned.
What's included in the free tier
Verified
- BBEdit runs in a free, permanent Free Mode after its 30-day full trial ends.
- No nag screens or forced interruptions in Free Mode.
- No credit card required to download or keep using BBEdit.
See Bare Bones Software pricing for current limits.
Paid plans
BBEdit 16
- macOS-only
- Individual license
- Download purchase
- Multi-user pricing available by quote
Yojimbo 4
- macOS-only
- Individual license
- Download purchase
- Multi-user pricing available by quote
Pricing extracted from Bare Bones Software's pricing page. Always verify current pricing before committing.
Common questions
Is Bare Bones Software free forever?
Yes. Bare Bones Software has a permanent free tier alongside its paid plans, though the allowance typically resets each month.
Does Bare Bones Software require a credit card?
No. You can start on Bare Bones Software's free tier without entering card details.
What happens when you exceed Bare Bones Software's free tier?
You move to a paid plan. Bare Bones Software's cheapest paid plan is Yojimbo 4 at $30 / month.
What is Bare Bones Software's free tier worth?
Bare Bones Software's free tier is worth about $15 per month. That maps to an FTV score of 39/100. The FTV score is explained at freetier.co/ftv.
