How to get paid apps for free

Millions of Canadians now own a smartphone and/or a tablet, and many of them are on the hunt for fun new apps – for themselves or for their kids. There are hundreds of thousands of apps available, be it interactive games, educational apps, productivity tools, and so on.

Even though apps are quite affordable at a dollar or two (or a little more for tablets), anyone who owns one of these digital devices know these purchases could add up over time.

So this is why I always tell my friends to download one of those "app watcher" apps that tell you when a paid app is temporarily free – usually for a day or two. Believe me, you can save a lot of cash by downloading these freebies. There are a few of these apps to choose from, and I wanted to share a few of my favourites here.

Before we get to them, it might be interesting to learn why app developers make their software free for a limited time. Primarily, free apps help generate buzz for the app, as word of mouth promotion between smartphone and tablet users. Plus, those who download the app for free might be more inclined to give the app a good review and high star rating on the app store, which might it also help it crack a Top 10 list. Finally, app developers might advertize other (paid) apps inside the free one.

OK, so what are these apps I'm referring to? If you're an iOS user – for iPhone, iPod touch or iPad – then be sure to download FAAD (Free App A Day). This free app highlights the best paid apps that are temporarily free, divided into "gold," "silver" and "bronze" status, based on how high they've ranked among users.

For example, this app alerted me to Electronic Arts' Mirror's Edge for iPad, a $10 app dropped down to $0 for this past weekend only.

This app also has a feature called The Scoop Room, which has a motto: "Don't buy it, it will soon be free!" That's because the folks behind FAAD often know days in advance which hot app will go free.

You can also chat with other FAAD users, to discuss your favourite apps and to get recommendations on which freebies to snag and why.

Another good "app watcher" app for iOS is Monster Mobile's Monster Free Apps, which sends a notification to your device each day with a few paid apps you can download for free (it vibrates or chimes).

Monster Free Apps also lets you see how much money you've saved per month by adding up the usual price for the temporarily free apps you've downloaded. Monster Mobile says its app can save you about $30 to $60 a month.

Android users, however, should download the aptly named Free Android App a Day, a free app and website that tells you of paid Android apps that are free for a limited time.

A number of high-profile freebies are highlighted, along with categories like Business, Communication, Education, Games, Media & Video, Reference, Shopping, Sports and so on.

Another good Android pick is GetJar, an app and website that profiles many hundreds of free Android apps for your smartphone or tablet.