There are three types of software: proprietary, freeware, and open source. Proprietary costs you cash up front. Freeware is frequently accompanied by nagging ads that you can kill with money. But open source is 100% free software maintained by a community. Open source won’t nag you, and it will frequently be updated for security more often than the paid-for stuff. Try GIMP image editor as an example. Not only is it amazing, there’s a wealth of online help and plugins available on the internet.