Is the latest version of Ubuntu 100% FREE [closed]

There are a few different things you might be asking. While you've asked about the latest version, the answers do not really depend on release, architecture, or flavor. If what you want to know is where to download the latest version of Ubuntu, scroll down to the bottom of this post. You don't have to pay anyone anything to obtain Ubuntu, but that is neither the only nor the primary meaning of "free" in the context of Ubuntu.

Does a default installation of Ubuntu contain any non-free software?

In the free and open source software community, often when we say "free" we are talking about freedom rather than price. I don't know which meaning of "free" you had in mind as you asked your question.

The great majority of software included in Ubuntu is free software.

The kernel contains some non-free (i.e., proprietary) loadable firmware blobs as part of some device drivers, and when you install you're given the option to include some commonly wanted non-free components.

Does Ubuntu officially facilitate installing any non-free software?

Yes. Besides the mechanisms listed above, the restricted and multiverse repository components provide non-free software, and both proprietary "freeware" and proprietary payware are available for purchase through the Ubuntu Software Center. (Also, Landscape is proprietary.)

While proprietary software is made available for your use through those means, you need not choose to install it. Unless you happen to rely on hardware for which there are no working free drivers, it is not generally necessary to install proprietary software to use Ubuntu, except for the firmware blobs in the kernel. (You can use linux-libre to avoid them, but it's not one of Ubuntu's officially provided kernels.)

_{An operating system, or distribution, is a collection of many different software components. Many users who prefer to run only free open-source software are happy with Ubuntu. However, for more information on these issues, you may wish to read the Free Software Foundation's explanation of why they don't endorse most of the popular GNU/Linux distributions (including Ubuntu).}

Is payment is required to obtain Ubuntu?

No, you do not have to pay for Ubuntu. There are several ways to obtain it at no charge online, and they are the generally recommended ways to get Ubuntu.

Both the latest release and the latest LTS release are available from the download page. You're probably looking for the desktop version of Ubuntu, which is here.

• The latest LTS release is shown first.
• When there is a more recent release that is not LTS, that appears below.

The website might be redesigned at some point in the future, but it should still offer you easy access to both.

If you prefer to download the network installer (a small ISO image that downloads most of the system during installation), or want to download with bittorrent, or want to select your download mirror manually, you can use the Alternative downloads page.

You can also manually browse the releases server, the cdimage server (hosting some less commonly downloaded files), and the old-releases server (which you'll probably never need).

As of the time of this writing, the latest release of Ubuntu is 15.04. Here are the release notes, which also contain information on ways to download Ubuntu 15.04, as well as other information.

Welcome to Ubuntu!

Yes, all versions of Ubuntu are free in that they do not cost money.

Ubuntu repositories do provide "non-free" software though, so it is not necessarily 100% free in that sense.