Things worth having that nobody is charging for
Twelve sources of genuinely free things — food, exercise, learning, samples, entertainment — that don't require giving up your data wholesale.
Free fitness
Free culture
BBC iPlayer & Sounds
World-class TV, radio, and podcasts — covered by your TV Licence.
Documentaries, drama, news, plus the BBC's archive of radio and podcast content on Sounds. The TV Licence (£169.50/year) is required to watch live; on-demand iPlayer also requires it. BBC Sounds is free.
- BBC archive
- Free podcasts
- On-demand
Art Fund — free days
Curated calendar of free museum and gallery days nationwide.
Updated monthly. National Art Pass (£75/year) turns most paid exhibitions into free, but the calendar of already-free events is browseable without paying.
- Free calendar
- Nationwide
- National Art Pass
Local library
Free books, ebooks, audiobooks, films, and language courses.
Free to join with proof of address. Most UK libraries also give you free access to Mango Languages, RBdigital audiobooks, the Times, the Economist, and Pressreader's magazine archive.
- Free membership
- Ebooks & audiobooks
- Magazine access
Free learning
FutureLearn
Free university-led courses with limited-time access.
British, partnered with the Open University and 200+ unis worldwide. Courses are free for the duration of the course; certificates cost extra but the content doesn't.
- Free access window
- University-led
- Wide subject range
Khan Academy
Free maths, science, and economics from school to undergrad.
Non-profit, no ads, no paywall. The maths progression is the best on the internet at any price. Useful for adults backfilling gaps from school.
- Genuinely free
- School to undergrad
- No ads
Coursera
University courses you can audit for free.
Most courses can be 'audited' (no certificate, no graded assignments) at no cost. Stanford, Yale, Imperial, others. Look for the small 'Audit' link near the enrol button.
- Audit option
- Top universities
- No certificate
Samples & freebies
LatestFreeStuff
UK freebie aggregator — samples, vouchers, full-size products.
Daily list of legitimate UK freebies: product samples, magazine subscriptions, voucher codes for free first orders. Skip the survey-bait entries; the real ones are clearly marked.
- UK-only listings
- Daily updates
- Skip the surveys
Freecycle
Local groups giving away things they don't want.
Furniture, electronics, plants, building materials. Older and more email-list-y than Olio but the quality of items is often higher. Worth joining the local group before you move and need furniture.
- Local groups
- Furniture & more
- Free everything
Magic Freebies
LatestFreeStuff's main rival — slightly different sources.
Worth following both; they overlap maybe 60%. Magic Freebies finds slightly more retailer voucher codes; LatestFreeStuff finds more product samples.
- UK-focused
- Voucher codes
- Daily list
Free food
Olio
Free food from neighbours and shops, redistributed.
Volunteer-collected surplus from cafés and supermarkets, plus neighbour-to-neighbour sharing. Unpredictable but genuinely free.
- Free food
- Hyperlocal
- Neighbour shares
Too Good To Go
Surplus food bags for £3–5 (not free, but close).
End-of-day mystery bags from cafés, bakeries, and supermarkets. Bakery bags are most reliable. Pay through the app and collect within a window.
- £3–5 bags
- Bakery bags best
- Pay in-app