There is this website that offers you to download and install licensed programs for FREE in a period of 24 hours. You must download and install the program during this designated time or you will miss your chance, the giveaway of the day will end and you can't get the licensed program for free anymore.
But they offer to have a new giveaway with a different program each day. But read the comments below the page as the publishers sometimes don't give all the features on the giveaway.
Please note, there is no support plan and no free upgrades for any apps you might download from them, still they've some good stuff,
Basically you are right with a few exceptions. There are a few giveaways that are licenced forever (like Glary utilities pro, for example )but you have to be almost a psychic to know that before you download, as the site does not supply that info.