Free of means without something, usually something unwanted: free of sugar, free of stress. Free of charge is a separate fixed phrase meaning without payment: you see it in notices, menus and on websites.
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free of + noun; free of charge; sugar-free, tax-free
- The city centre is free of cars on Sundays, so families walk and cycle there.
- Breakfast is served free of charge to all hotel guests.
- After the exams, I finally felt free of stress for a whole week.
What changed
First versionDelivery is free from charge for orders over 30 pounds.
RevisionDelivery is free of charge for orders over 30 pounds.
Free from is also correct with pain or stress, so from can seem to fit everywhere. But “without payment” is always the fixed phrase free of charge, and no other preposition is used in it.
Free from is almost a synonym when you talk about something unwanted: free from pain, free from stress. But the swap doesn't work in free of charge. And short compounds like sugar-free and tax-free are written with a hyphen after the noun: sugar-free drinks.
Your turn
Entry to the city museum is free ___ charge on the first Sunday of every month.
Show the answer
of — Charge means payment, and the only way to say “without payment” is free of charge. Free from goes before what you've been freed from, like free from pain, but not before charge.
Describe a service you get without paying. Name it and say who provides it.
My gym gave me a fitness check free of charge in my first week as a member.
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