The term freemium is a blend of the words free and premium, in the latter’s adjectival sense of ‘more expensive or of higher quality than other similar things’. Though contemporary use of the word freemium is mainly to modify nouns (e.g. a freemium game/magazine/service/product/business model, etc), it is also used as a countable noun to refer to the actual product or service which is offered for free. This use of freemium dates back as far as the late eighties, when in the domain of direct mail (advertising posted directly to people’s homes) it became adopted to refer to a sample of a company’s product (e.g. a small box of detergent, cereal etc) sent out with advertising literature. Charitable organizations have also been associated with the use of freemiums (ever received a pack of Christmas cards sent ‘with compliments’ but for which the charity invites you to make a donation?).

The term freemium is a blend of the words free and premium, in the latter’s adjectival sense of ‘more expensive or of higher quality than other similar things’. Though contemporary use of the word freemium is mainly to modify nouns (e.g. a freemium game/magazine/service/product/business model, etc), it is also used as a countable noun to refer to the actual product or service which is offered for free. This use of freemium dates back as far as the late eighties, when in the domain of direct mail (advertising posted directly to people’s homes) it became adopted to refer to a sample of a company’s product (e.g. a small box of detergent, cereal etc) sent out with advertising literature. Charitable organizations have also been associated with the use of freemiums (ever received a pack of Christmas cards sent ‘with compliments’ but for which the charity invites you to make a donation?).