NewsGator Goes Free: Stops Charging for RSS Products

NewsGator Technologies, the company behind some of the biggest name RSS feeder applications out today has taken a big step by releasing all of its consumer products for free.

The applications include NewsGator Inbox, FeedDemon, and NetNewsWire. Mobile software that is now free includes NewsGator Go for Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, iPhone, and others. NewsGator also frees NewsGator Online, the Web-based RSS feed.

I can be one to testify that all of the NewsGator software is exceptional. So exceptional that I own licenses for both NetNewsWire and FeedDemon. That says something if you know me, because I am not known to be a big buyer of software in today's digital world.

The question remains though: Why would NewsGator want to give away its software that is already selling millions? You don't see Burger King randomly decide to start giving away the Whopper.

According to Greg Reinacker, the chief technology officer and founder of NewsGator, it's all about the sales? Wait, giving away software can boost sales? Reinacker thinks so.

He says NewsGator's software collect anonymous data, which users can opt-out of. The anonymous user data allows NewsGator to improve the RSS experience overall, Reinacker says. And that could help give the company an edge over the competition in the corporate world where NewsGator does charge for its software and services.

Unlike the iPhone fiasco where a drop in price angered full-paying customers, I don't see many people getting into an uproar about the 100-percent price cut.

NewsGator has said that anyone who purchased or renewed their software on December 9 or later will be automatically credited the money back.

Hey, free software is free software and I don't mind anonymous spiders crawling around my feeds if it will save me a few cases of beer every year.

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