The Real Story on Free Ringtones

Ringtone advertisements are everywhere these days. This is not surprising, given the fact that cellphones are everywhere these days too. With such a ubiquitous device, people want to personalize their cellphone as best they can. And of course, having a variety of ringtones is the best way to do this.

And ringtones are not even the only way to personalize a cellphone. People can get wallpapers, or images that serve the purpose of background images for the display on their phone. With newer cellphones boasting faster processors, cellphone games have also become a popular addition to many cellphone models. So, cellphones are no longer just about making phonecalls. They are now often used as an expression of the style and personality of the person that owns the cellphone.

Many companies have jumped into the ringtone business hoping to capitalize on this desire for self expression. Even the carriers themselves are now offering ringtones to their subscribers. The carriers and many other companies use a fairly standard business model for delivering these ringtones - the user must pay a fee of between one and three dollars per ringtone in order to purchase and download the ringtone.

But some companies seem to offer free ringtones to consumers. The advertisements tell potential customers to enter cellular phone number and they will be able to download some number of free ringtones. Is this the real deal? Well, yes and no.

Look at the fine print in the ad. In virtually all cases, by entering the phone number you are also agreeing to sign up for a ringtone subscription plan at around ten dollars per month. This subscription plan gives you a certain number of credits to spend every month on ringtones and wallpapers. By signing up, you do indeed get some number of extra credits for some extra ringtones. So in some sense these are free ringtones, but you only get the free ones by signing up for a fairly costly monthly service.

So what are the alternatives? There are a few companies that offer software systems that allow you to create your own ringtones from your own set of CDs or MP3 files. A service like this will also let you use your won digital photos to create custom wallpapers for your phone. If you are computer savvy and are willing to spend some time doing this, then this can be a good option.

For people who are not willing to spend time making their own ringtones, there are other services that provide unlimited ringtone downloads for a flat fee. Usually these services are much less expensive than those services that deceptively advertise free ringtones. So it usually pays to research ringtone deals fairly extensively before committing to a purchase.