Free Apps & Services to Take Advantage of During the COVID-19 Lockdown

While the airline, casino, cruise, and hotel industries are asking for government bailouts during the COVID-19 pandemic, companies around the US are giving away its apps and services for a limited time. So while you're stuck at home, keep your mind off of coronavirus with free movies, TV, music apps, concerts, internet, fitness sessions, classes, and more.

Every day a new freebie comes out to help keep everyone calm, entertained, and informed, something which I can't recall ever seeing in my lifetime. Some services, such as Balance, are giving away an entire year of its service, while others are extended free trials to 30 or even 90 days.

If you don't have any internet access to take advantage of all of the stay-at-home specials, you can now at no cost with free internet access. We'll keep adding to the list below as we find more pandemic-related deals, so keep coming back to see what's new or to find online streaming events like concerts that are coming up.

Games

• Advertising Agency: Blake HARRIS has made his advertising sim free for an undisclosed amount of time. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Alphaputt: Sennep is making their typography crazy golf game free "for the next week." — iOS
• Alto's Adventure: Developer Snowman is giving away its highly rated endless snowboarding odyssey until March 24. — Android | iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Alto's Odyssey: Developer Snowman is also giving away the sequel to Alto's Adventure, which came out two years ago, until March 24. — Android | iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Attack Balls Bubble Shooter: BazilSoft's bubble shooter is now free for an undisclosed amount of time. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Bottom of the 9th: Handelabra Studios LLC is making its tabletop baseball game free for a limited time. — Android | iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• btw – puzzle maze: Alexandr Kozlov is making their black and white puzzler free for an undisclosed amount of time. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• A Case of Distrust: Serenity Forge's 1924 mystery narrative is free this week. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Cat Quest: The Gentlebros have made their fantasy adventure free for an undisclosed amount of time. — Android | iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• CHEMIST: THIX is making their education chemistry sandbox free for an undisclosed amount of time. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Cytus II: Rayak Internation Limited is making its rhythm adventure free for an undisclosed amount of time. — iOS
• Dig Deep!: Noodlecake Studios Inc is giving away its mining adventure for free, but only the Android offer is still live. — Android
• Earth Atlantis: Pixel Perfect has made its airplane shooter free until April 3. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Evelyn's Farm: James Senter's idle paranormal adventure is temporarily free — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Heads Up!: Warner Bros. is making their world-famous party game free "for a limited time." — Android | iOS
• Holy Potatoes! A Spy Story?!: Daylight Studios is making all Holy Potatoes games free until April 3. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?!: Daylight Studios is making all Holy Potatoes games free until April 3. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Holy Potatoes! We're In Space?!: Daylight Studios is making all Holy Potatoes games free until April 3. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Homo Machina: ARTE Experience is making their anatomy puzzler free for an undisclosed amount of time. — iOS
• IMPOSSIBLE ROAD: WONDERFUL LASERS has made its endless runner free "for a week or two." — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• IQ Test Pro Edition: Santiago Romani Castroman's IQ test is free for an undisclosed amount of time. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• JackQuest: Crescent Moon Games is giving away its dungeon adventure hit for free "for a bit." — Android | iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Kingdom Rush Frontiers: Ironhide Game Studio is offering its strategy hit for free until March 22. — Android | iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Kingdom Rush Origins: Similarly, Ironhide Game Studio is offering the predecessor to Frontiers for free until March 22. — Android | iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• King's League - Odyssey: Kurechii is making their royal strategy game free until April 3. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Kung Fu King: Developer xiaoyi zhang is making their RPG kung fu game free for an undisclosed amount of time. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Lara Croft GO: Square Enix is making its famous Tomb Raider puzzler free until April 2. Android | iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Mini Metro: Dinosaur Polo Club is making its famous subway-creation game for free until March 25. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Monument Valley 2: ustwo games is making its puzzle art adventure free for "a little while," but only the iOS offer is still live. — iOS
• 'Normal Club: Cubus Games' investigative adventure is free for an undisclosed amount of time. — iOS
• Orbital: Bitforge Ltd is giving away its award-winning physics puzzler for free until March 25. — iOS
• PAKO - Car Chase Simulator: Tree Men Games made its car crash extravaganza free for an undisclosed amount of time. — Android | iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Prune: Grow, cultivate, and protect your trees for free, thanks to developer Joel McDonald, until March 25. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Retro Bowl: New Star Games is making their football simulator free for an undisclosed amount of time. — Android | iOS
• Rolando - Royal Edition: Hand Circus Limited has made its platform free "for the next week." — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Shadow Of Death - Premium Games: Bravestars Technology JSC is making their epic RPG free for an undisclosed amount of time. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• She and The Light Bearer: Toge Interactive is making their forest adventure free for a limited time. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• SIMULACRA: Kagan Games OÜ is making their found phone horror game free for an undisclosed amount of time. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP: Capybara Games Inc. is making its gorgeous action/adventure game free, no end date specified. — Android | iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Stadia Pro: Google is making its streaming gaming service free for two months, whether you sign up today or have an existing account. — Android | iOS | Web App
• Starbeard: Jolly Good Games Limited is making this space strategy game free for the weekend. — Android | iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Sync: Party Hard: Developer Siis is making its motion-based party game free "for a while." — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Takoway: Daylight Studios is also making its latest perspective puzzler free until the end of March. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Tiny Guardians: Kurechii is making their strategy gem free until April 3. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Tokaido: Funforge is making this mobile board game adaptation free until March 27. — Android | iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• True Horror: Mohammed Alsharefee is making their horror game free until April 16. — iOS (PROMOTION OVER)
• Unblock Container Block Puzzle: Manoj Yerra is making their unique container puzzler free for an undisclosed amount of time. — iOS
• Vikings: an Archer's Journey: Pinpin Team is letting you become a Viking archer for free until March 25, although the game is still currently free to play on Android. — Android

Movies & TV

• Amazon: Amazon has made 40 kids' and family shows free to watch, for anyone, not just Amazon customers. —Android | iOS | Amazon | Web App
• EPIX: The premium movie channel is offering free access until May 2, no need to subscribe, when you go through the Apple TV app. — Apple TV
• HBO: The premium channel is making its original series Ballers, Barry, Six Feed Under, The Sopranos, Succession, True Blood, Veep, and The Wire all free on its HBO Now and HBO Go platforms, starting April 3. Select documentaries and feature films will also be available for free. — HBO Go: Android | iOS | Amazon | Web App; HBO Now: Android | iOS | Amazon | Web App
• History Channel Vault: The popular education network is offering its vault subscription service as a one-month free trial ($4.99 a month after). — Android | iOS | Amazon | Web App
• Lifetime Movie Club: The famous TV channel is offering its movie club as a one-month free trial ($3.99 a month after.) — Android | iOS | Amazon | Web App
• NBA League Pass Premium: While the NBA season is on hiatus, the NBA and Turner Sports are giving a free preview of its subscription product (normally $124.99 annually) so that you can watch full-length games and replays of the season so far, as well as an archive of games and other content. The preview lasts until April 22. — Android | iOS | Amazon | Web App
• NBCUniversal: Many of Univeral Pictures' films that are, just were, or will be in theaters are available early on streaming platforms to rent. Movies announced include "Emma," "The Hunt," "The Invisible Man," and "Trolls World Tour." They aren't free, but they're available early! — Various Apps
• Noggin: The education service is offering a 60-day free trial ($7.99 a month after). — Android | iOS | Amazon | Web App
• Paramount: The studio will release "Sonic the Hedgehog" on digital March 31, 46 days after its theatrical debut. It's not free, but it's available early! — Various Apps
• Showtime: The premium channel is offering a one-month free trial for new subscribers ($10.99 a month after). — Android | iOS | Amazon | Web App
• Shudder: The horror-centric movie-streaming service is offering a 30-day free trial with promo code SHUTIN (free trials are normally seven days). — Android | Amazon | iOS | Web App
• Sling TV: Sling is offering for a limited time what it calls "Stay in and Sling," a free subscription plan that gets you ABC News Live, Fox News (and some Fox affiliates), as well as "thousands of movies and shows suitable for kids and families." Paid users can also access the content free while the program's up without any changes to their plan. — Android | iOS | Amazon | Web App
• Sony Pictures: The studio will release "Bloodshot," its Vin Diesel comic-book adaptation to digital early, after a disappointing start at the box office. The movie will come out Tuesday, March 24. It's not free, but it's available early! — Various Apps
• T-Mobile: T-Mobile is offering customers two-months of YouTube Premium for free starting March 24. You need to claim the deal by May 1 to qualify, and you will be charged if you don't cancel before the two-month deadline. — Android | iOS | Amazon | Web App
• Warner Bros.: The studio is releasing some of its recent titles early for purchase, such as "Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn" and "The Gentlemen." They aren't free, but they're available early! — Various Apps

Music

• Concerts: See below.
• KORG Kaossilator: If you want to try your hand at creating music, the Kaossilator app can help you make tracks with layered loops, built-in sounds, and plenty of mixing tools. It usually costs $19.95 but is free right now through either March 31 (iOS) or March 20 (Android) to "help you with a musical way to occupy your mind." — Android | iOS
• Minimoog Model D Synthesizer: The app is basically a virtual version of Moog Music's Minimoog Model D Synthesizer, which costs thousands of dollars, and the app usually costs $4.99 but is free for a limited time. — iOS
• Tidal/T-Mobile: While TIDAL currently offers a one-month free trial, T-Mobile users can score an extra two months of listening. Just head to the T-Mobile Tuesdays app to save your three-month free trial anytime between May 19 and May 27, and to claim it before June 2. After the trial expires, the service will automatically charge your account at $9.99 a month, unless you cancel.
• Tidal/Walmart: You can also claim a four-month free trial for TIDAL from Walmart, with the purchase of select Google, JLab, Sony Electronics, and Xiaomi products. Once the trial is over, you can claim a discounted subscription at $7.99 a month. — Android | iOS | Amazon | Web App

News

• The Atlantic: For the first time since it implemented its paywall, The Atlantic has opened up some of its coronavirus coverage to non-subscribers. — Web App
• Bloomberg News: All coronavirus content is "free indefinitely," so you won't have to pay or sign up to read any news about the havoc the virus is causing. — Android | iOS | Web App
• The Guardian: Access all of The Guardian's COVID-19 coverage for free. — Android | iOS | Web App
• The Hartford Courant: The Connecticut newspaper enabled free access to readers for its coronavirus coverage, as well as its coronavirus newsletter. You can also get six months of unlimited access for six cents. — Android | iOS | Web App
• Los Angeles Times: The LA Times has given all readers access to live coronavirus updates and its coronavirus newsletter, as well as the most important things you need to know for the day, for free. — Android | iOS | Web App
• The New York Times: The NYT offers free coronavirus-related articles for free, as well as a newsletter, but you need to sign up for a free account first. — Android | iOS | Web App
• The Philadelphia Inquirer: During the coronavirus outbreak, the Philly newspaper has given everybody "unlimited access to [its] coverage of the outbreak and its impact." — Android | iOS | Web App
• The Wall Street Journal: WSJ has opened up some of its coronavirus-related content for free, including its coronavirus collection, symptoms and protection info, live coverage, and Q&As, as well as its coronavirus newsletter. — Android | iOS | Web App
• The Washington Post:The famous newspaper has unlocked some of its coronavirus-related content for free, including its "daily live updates, comprehensive guide to the pandemic, and [its] Coronavirus Updates newsletter." — Android | iOS | Web App

Services

• Comcast Internet Essentials: New low-income customers can get 60 days of free internet service through Comcast, which is normally $9.95 per month. Must sign up by April 30.
• Internet & Phone Services: Over 70 companies have pledged for 60 days to not terminate service if you can't pay and to waive late fees caused by the economic crisis. Plus, they will open up all Wi-Fi hotspots that were previously locked to customers only so that everyone can get access. Big names include AT&T, CenturyLink, Charter, Comcast, Frontier, Google Fiber, Sprint, T-Mobile, TracFone Wireless, US Cellular, and Verizon. Full list available.
• Spectrum Internet: Aside from the above pledge, Charter is offering free broadband and Wi-Fi internet up to 100 Mbps to anyone with kids in Kindergarten through 12th grade, as well as college students. All new service installations are free for new student households.

Books/Reading

• Apple: Apple is offering free books and audiobooks to US users for a limited time through Apple Books. — iOS
• Audible: The audiobook giant owned by Amazon just made hundreds of its titles available for free. — Android | iOS | Amazon | Web App
• Comixology Unlimited: The comic book subscription service owned by Amazon has upped its free trial to 60 days, and then it resumes at $6 each month. — Android | iOS | Amazon | Web App

Educational

• Caribu: While you could use FaceTime, Messenger, or a slew of other apps to video chat with your children or grandchildren, but Caribu is devoted entirely to kid-friendly video calls. The service is free for some features but usually costs $6.99 per month or $67.99 per year for unlimited access. For the time being, everything is free. — Android | iOS
• LinkedIn Courses: The social-networking site has unlocked 16 learning courses for free, which are geared toward working from home. — Android | iOS | Web App
• Loom: The video recording and sharing service made Loom Pro free for students and teachers, cut the price in half for everyone else, and lifted restrictions on the free plans. — iOS | Desktop Apps
• Scribd: The company, which claims to have the "world's largest digital library" of books, audiobooks, magazines, and documents, has opened up its doors to everyone for free for 30 days. You need to create an account, and if you decide to stay, it would be $8.99 per month afterward. — Android | iOS | Web App

Work at Home

• Hangouts Meet: The video-conferencing service for G-Suite customers is free until July 1. — Android | iOS | Web App
• Jamm: An audio-visual communication tool available free for remote teams for at least three months. — Web App
• Meero: Its MeeroDrop tool, a file-sharing platform, is now free for files up to 10 GB, and any files shared will be kept active for three months. — Web App

Health & Fitness

• Auro: A staying-fit app with audio workouts and yoga exercises. It usually has a 14-day free trial, but that's been extended to a 30-day trial. All NHS staff can get 50% off too. — Android | iOS | Web App
• Apple: Apple released a free coronavirus screener tool, equipped with resources to help you figure out how to respond to any COVID-related symptoms or issues. — iOS | Web App
• Balance: The personalized meditation app is free for one-year to anyone who wants one, but you have to email [email protected] for instructions. It usually costs $11.99 per month or $49.99 for a year. — Android (coming soon) | iOS
• Calm: The meditation app has a web page full of free meditations to help you through COVID-19 fears and anxieties. The app itself also has plenty of free content should you wish to check it out. — Android | iOS | Web App
• CARROT Fit: CARROT announced on Twitter that CARROT Fit would be free for the next two weeks (March 16–30). — iOS
• Headspace: Headspace is offering all US healthcare professionals and educators free access to Headspace Plus through the rest of 2020, and has recently offered a full year of meditation to anyone unemployed during this crisis. The service has also pooled together some free meditation sessions for anyone to try. — Android | iOS | Web App
• Peloton: Fitness guru Peloton is offering a 90-day extended free trial for its at-home fitness app, which includes sessions for yoga, meditation, strength, stretching, and bodyweight training. — Android | iOS | Amazon | Web App
• Planet Fitness: The big-name gym is offering free at-home workouts for everyone at no cost once a day on Facebook Live. — Android | iOS | Web App
• RGT Cycling: RGT Cycling's virtual cycling premium features will be free for the "foreseeable future," due to coronavirus. — Android | iOS
• Simple Habit: Simple Habit's CEO recently announced any user struggling financially can reach out and request free access to the meditation app, until the end of April. — Android | iOS | Web App
• Stop, Breathe & Think: The meditation app has not made everything free but has created a new "Calm Coronavirus Anxiety" category in the app, which includes premium tracks at no cost for 60 days. — Android | iOS
• Ten Percent Happier: While the meditation app hasn't opened up everything for free, it has provided a resource with free meditations. Plus, healthcare workers can get premium features for free. — Android | iOS | Web App
• Yoga | Down Dog: Normally $7.99/month or $49.99/year, this yoga app is now free until April 1, or, if you're a student or teacher, July 1. — Android | iOS | Amazon

Travel

• Delta: Delta is offering medical professionals free flights to areas they are needed most.
• JetBlue: Like Delta, JetBlue is waiving flight fees for medical professionals traveling for work.

Concerts

• Check outour free concerts listings for artists, dates, times, and platforms.

Cover photo by Justin Meyers/Gadget Hacks