Everybody loves a bargain, and what can be better than getting something you want for free?  Unfortunately, free ringback tones sometimes called Answer Tones, are difficult to find; and even when a provider says they have free ringback tones there is a limited selection or a minimal monthly fee.  However, ringback tone popularity continues to increase due to a love of being able to personalize one’s phone with a specific song or tone that is heard by the party calling. 

In order to understand why the selection for free ringback tones exists, it helps to know how ringback tones work.  A ringback tone, unlike a standard ringtone that is stored on a user’s cell phone, is stored on a network server.  When a call is made the network has to find the selected ringback tone and then play it until the call is answered.  All of this requires storage and maintenance, so it is not cost effective to offer free ringback tones.  However there are free ringback tones available from Sprint, but there is an extremely limited (less than ten) to choose from.  It should be noted that even though Sprint’s ringback tone are free, you would still pay a recurring monthly fee.

Another way to get free ringback tones is by creating them yourself with programs such as Ventones or the freeware Ringdroid.  These programs allow you to customize your own sounds or to match your favorites to create a ringback tone that is uniquely yours. An additional free ringback service in Jamster which allows you to program yours phone with popular songs and times.  Should you want more obscure tones, there may be a small fee.

Free ringback tones are out there, you just have to be willing to take the time to look.