The answer to the question “Is Blender Free” is yes. Blender is totally and absolutely free. This means that you can use it without paying for anything. Let’s go into details and learn more about the way Blender is distributed.
Downloading Blender for Free
All you need to do to download Blender is visit the official Blender website and press the “Download Blender” button. That is it – no registration is needed and this does not require any of your personal information.
Here you can always find the newest released version of Blender. If you visit the Download > Build section of the site, you can participate here in the early version of the next builds. For example, right now you can already download a Blender 3.0 alpha version. Of course, these builds are not stable and if you don’t plan on testing – it is better to wait for the release.
Blender is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux Operating Systems. After downloading it from the website – the installation process is also very straightforward and does not require any additional steps.
Do You Own What You Create?
But do you own the things that you have created in Blender? The answer is also yes. Everything that you have created in Blender is your sole property. This even includes the .blend file and all other data.
You are free to use these creations however you like, even commercially. This means that you are free to sell anything you made in Blender. All this is thanks to the GNU General Public License under which Blender is released.
Blender Add-ons
As Blender is open-source software, it is easy for people to create modifications for it. Such modifications are called add-ons and they can add or change some of the functions in Blender.
Most such add-ons are free, but you also can sell them, if you will. The catch here is that people who bought the add-on are free to do whatever they want with it. Meaning that they can also sell it or share it with anybody and this would not be piracy.
Add-on window in Blender
Support Blender
Blender is awesome. And even though the Blender itself is free – there are plenty of ways how you can support the development, if you are willing to. As they can’t keep developing such a big software for free without any support.
The first and most straightforward way of how you can support Blender is to join the Development Fund and donate directly to the Blender Foundation. You can make a one-time donation here or join the monthly membership and even receive some awards for that. Of course, nothing big, as it is a donation, not a purchase.
Blender Development Fund
The next thing that you can do is join the Blender Cloud program. It is a place, where you can learn to make Movies from the Blender Animation Team. Every once in a while, the Blender team produces animated movies, such as Coffe Run.
By joining the Blender Cloud you can access the insights from the team about how they are making these movies. Also, you will have access to other courses, tutorials, and assets from the Blender Team. So by joining the Blender Cloud, you can both benefit yourself and support the development of Blender.
Lastly, you can also visit the Blender Store. It is a place, where you can buy different Blender merchandise for yourself. Mostly there is stuff like beanies, caps T-shirts. But also there are other small goodies such as stickers and magnets with the Blender logo and a Cycles Encyclopedia book.
2020 version Black Logo Shirt from Blender Store
Conclusion – Is Blender Free?
Blender is free and even more than free. It is distributed under the NU General Public License, which allows you(user) to do basically anything you want with the software. See also our other Blender Tutorials.