Which category of software is protected by copyright laws but is available at no cost?

Freeware is software that is distributed at no monetary cost while still remaining protected by copyright laws. In Information Technology, freeware is typically fully usable without payment, but the creator or publisher retains ownership and controls the license terms. This means users may be allowed to install and use the software for free, yet they are not automatically allowed to modify the source code, resell it, or redistribute it beyond what the license permits. This distinguishes freeware from public domain software, which has no intellectual property protections and can be used, modified, and redistributed freely. It also differs from shareware, which is often free only as a trial or feature-limited version intended to encourage later purchase. Closed-source describes whether source code is available, not whether the software is free of charge. Many freeware products are also closed-source, but the key idea in the question is free availability with copyright protection. Therefore, the correct category is freeware.