Donationware vs. Shareware — What's the Difference?

Donationware is a licensing model that supplies fully operational unrestricted software to the user and requests an optional donation be paid to the programmer or a third-party beneficiary (usually a non-profit). The amount of the donation may also be stipulated by the author, or it may be left to the discretion of the user, based on individual perceptions of the software's value.

Shareware is a type of proprietary software which is initially shared by the owner for trial use at little or no cost with usually limited functionality or incomplete documentation but which can be upgraded upon payment. Shareware is often offered as a download from a website or on a compact disc included with a magazine.

(software) A variant of freeware that offers an option to its user to donate money to the program's author.

Copyrighted software that is available free of charge on a trial basis, usually with the condition that users pay a fee for continued use and support.

(software) A type of software that is distributed without payment but is limited in any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience.

Software that is available free of charge; may be distributed for evaluation with a fee requested for additional features or a manual etc.