There are quite a few ways to buy cheap software out there, while some seem quite obvious, some are a little bit tricky, just check by your-self:

1. Google for coupons and discount

You would be silly if you were buying software without having checked first if there is no coupon code or discount available on the web. Most of the time you will get at least a 10% discount. Don't even hesitate to use coupons codes on already discounted applications as some system are not smart enough to reject your attempt.

2. Make your-self known

If you can afford waiting some time, a good trick is to download a trial and if prompted to do so provide your real e-mail address. It would be no surprise if upon expiration of the trial you receive a kind e-mail with a discount offer. The same also works with newsletter.

3. Specialized sites

Sites such as Bitdujour, iconico, Download pipe propose daily deals for discounted softwares. Some of the discount may reach 60% of the original price. Just subscribe to their e-mail notification and have a look from time to time to their “future deals” section.

4. Be smarter

Some software houses have very advanced CRM (Customer Relationship management) tools which analyse your behavior. For example Amazon will generate web pages on the flight to better match your profile. Again this require you to be registered, but if you wisely use your wish-list and often check out the price of your favorite book, you may have nice surprises. What I have also once experienced with some companies, is that aborting a purchase flow sometimes displays a discount to give you this little bit you were missing to make up your mind.

5. Go for cheaper upgrades

I have once been provided through a magazine with a free copy of Mindmanager 6 lite. This was sufficient to qualify for an upgrade and only pay a fraction of the full software price. So dont be hard towards old pieces of software, they may save you a few bucks.

6. Trial pay

I am not a big fan of this option (not at all frankly speaking), but purchasing third-parties applications may allow you to get another software license for free.

7. Bundles are great

Bundled software are always cheaper than the sum of the individual pieces. If you intend to buy some hardware, bundled software may also constitute a good deal. Having purchased a scanner, I have been provided with a full version of Scan2File which is almost as expensive as the sole scanner…

8. Competitive discount

If you own even an old version of a software, knocking at the door of the competition showing your former license may bring you some very competitive pricing provided that you make the step to them.

9. Exchange rate

When the currency exchange rate is in your favor, paying in another currency may reveal a wise choice. As far as I am concerned, paying in dollar often proves to be a good move thanks to the exchange rate. This goes even further as the price for a software may vary depending on the local web site you query, think about it. This is also without mentioning pricing policies that may vary from country to country for your biggest pleasure.

10. Be patient

I want tell it enough: be patient. There are plenties of events which trigger discount from various companies, not to mention that when a software is close to end of life, it also gets discounted. So, if you have got something in sight, just make sure you are linked somehow (e-mail, RSS feed, newsletter, Facebook, Twitter,...) with the company, and wait for the gift.