Free peer to peer (P2P) software programs allow users to swap music files, video files, and other material over the internet that are often protected under copyright rules and regulations. Some P2P software systems available on the Internet offer a large user base, thousands of downloadable files, and effective utilization of network resources.

Some of the popular free P2P software systems include edonkey/overnet that supports a large base of users and files. The software is compatible with windows, Linux, and Macintosh computers and does not contain any spyware found in some free P2P software. Free P2P Shareaza offers a powerful search engine capable of connecting to multiple P2P networks and includes intelligence for detecting fake and corrupted files.

WinMX P2P runs only on windows operating systems and has a reputation of being complex and difficult to use than other P2P systems. The software is popular as it offers a wide selection of mp3 files and helps users to manage file downloads. BitTorrent is another free P2P that has attracted a loyal following of users interested in sharing movies and television programs. Limewire free P2P is recognized for its clean user interface and is sometimes called the fastest file-sharing program.

Morpheus P2P offers both free and paid file downloads and is capable of removing bundled advertising that might be attached with downloadable files. eMule P2P does not contain any advertising and its software base is maintained by an open source development team. The only drawback of this software is the slow speed at which files are downloaded using this software system.

Free P2P systems do offer easy accessibility to audio/video files but are one of the main sources of revenue losses of music and movie companies. The government is working to enact a law that will make free P2P fully legal by making it a paid service. This will reduce financial losses of companies and provide an affordable means of downloading audio/video files.