We're not making light of the coronavirus pandemic. It's taken thousands of lives across the world, and the worse may be yet to come. But the reality is, perhaps in an attempt to help people cope with self-distancing during this incomprehensible time, several tech companies have begun offering deals on their products.

So, if you're strapped for cash because of this whole thing, or maybe you could just use a way to brighten your day while stuck at home, check out these sales.

The very best deals during the pandemic

Affinity by Serif

Serif's entire desktop Affinity suite is available for free for 90 days right now. This is available for the Windows and Mac versions of Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher. But, if you to prefer to purchase an app, Serif's entire lineup is on sale for 50 per cent off. The 50 percent off sale includes all the Affinity apps on Windows, macOS, and iOS. You can learn more from here.

Alto's Odyssey and Adventure

The mobile games Alto’s Odyssey and Alto’s Adventure are free to "help anyone who may be practicing social distancing or self-isolation". The developers said it hopes "Alto and the gang can bring a little calm into your homes during these difficult times".

Amazon Audible

Audible is opening up a free-to-listen catalogue of children's stories while children are off school due to the coronavirus outbreak. The service explained: "For as long as schools are closed, we're open. Starting today, kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories". All stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone, or tablet. Visit the Audible Stories site to get started.

Apple Books

Apple is the latest tech company offering a selection of free goods to parents and kids stuck at home during the novel coronavirus pandemic. The company's Apple Books app is currently alerting users to books and audiobooks that are available for free to users for a limited time.

Calm

Calm is another popular meditation app that normally cost $12.99 per month for a subscription, but it's releasing free content specifically to help those struggling with anxiety and stress at this time. It's offering programmes like soothing meditations, a calm masterclass, calm kids, and mindfulness resources. They're all available via its website - see Calm's free content here.

Caribu

To help keep families connected during the coronavirus pandemic, AT&T is helping to offer 60 days of free access and unlimited usage of Caribu, a video-calling appl that allows family members to read, draw, and play games with each other from remote locations. It's like FaceTime but with on-screen activities, like cooperative drawing and playing games. It normally costs $7 and does not require a credit card.

Carrot Fit

A sibling to the Carrot Weather app, Carrot Fit is a fitness app for iOS devices. It features a collection of seven-minute workouts described as "punishing", complete with plenty of snark sound bites. Normally $3.99, Carrot Fit is now a free download available to all until early April.

Centr by Chris Hemsworth

Chris Hemsworth's fitness app, Centr, is free for a bit during the coronavirus pandemic. Hemsworth posted an Instagram video in which he announced the app's free trial. He wrote in the caption: "Centr was founded to make health and happiness accessible to all, and I hope that this will make that access even easier during the current health crisis". A six-week trial will be available for all until 31 March.

Centr typically starts $10 a month and includes workouts with "world-class trainers", meal plans, and mindfulness exercises.

Dark Noise

Dark Noise offers different ambient noises such as campfires, rain, thunder, and white noise, all for the purpose of helping you sleep, focus, or relax. The app is available on the iOS App Store for $3.99, but developer Charlie Chapman opened a TestFlight beta to everyone during the coronavirus pandemic with everything unlocked. It could help people simulate the sound of a coffee shop while stuck in their homes.

Down Dog

Down Dog offers various fitness services to iOS users. To help people avoiding yoga studios and fitness spaces during the coronavirus outbreak, Down Dog is making all its apps - Down Dog, Yoga for Beginners, HIIT, Barre, and 7 Minute Workout - free until 1 May.

Fender

You can get free online guitar lessons for three months from Fender. Normally £10 per month, Fender's online guitar courses free for three months, but you'll need to go here to get a code first. Then, you can choose courses across a range of guitar styles, such as acoustic or bass.

Gold's AMP

Gold's Gym has an AMP service that starts at $8 per month and offers over 600 audio and video workouts. However, during the pandemic, you can get free access until 31 May with the promo code FIT60 at goldsamp.com/promo.

Headspace

If you're a US healthcare professional who is working in public health settings during the coronavirus pandemic, you can get free access to the popular mindful and guided meditation app Headspace until the end of the year. You can learn how to redeem your subscription on the Headspace website. It normally costs $12.99 per month to get access to the meditation sessions beyond the introductory ones.

NFL Game Pass

The NFL announced it is Game Pass free to fans in the US through 31 May. It includes "access to past regular and postseason NFL games, previous seasons of award-winning NFL Films series such as Hard Knocks and A Football Life, and exclusive NFL Game Pass film sessions with some of the league's star players and coaches". Viewers will be treated to replay games from going back to 2009 in commercial-free HD.

Nike Training Club

Nike has made premium workouts to its app, Nike Training Club, free for a limited time. It's a subscription-based service available in the US that includes studio-style streaming workouts, progressive training programs including bodyweight-only workouts, and expert advice from our so-called Nike Master Trainers. Within the NTC system, there is a library of more than 185 workouts ranging from 15 to 60 minutes.

NordVPN

For a limited time during the coronavirus pandemic, you can get a three-year NordVPN plan for only $3.49 per month -- that's 70 per cent off the regular price. It also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can learn more from here.

Peloton

Peloton is offering an extended 90-day free trial to its app during the coronavirus outbreak. The app doesn't require any Peloton equipment and it normally costs $12.99 a month. You can use it to access pre-recorded and live-streamed workouts, including cycling sessions.

Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness is offering free live-streamed workouts on Facebook every day starting today at 4pm PT. "Exercise can reduce stress, help you stay healthy, and keep you feeling great. So, we’re offering free in-home workouts, live-streamed daily, for all Planet Fitness members and non-members alike," the company explained. "Workouts will be led by our trainers and surprise celebrity guests."

The Planet Fitness app for iOS also offering hundreds of workouts for free to members and non-members.

Plex

If you own an HD antenna and tuner, you can stream your live TV for free to all your devices until the end of June via Plex - with no Plex Pass required (although DVR and other premium features require a Plex Pass). If you don't have the right equipment, Plex claims its hardware partners are planning to provide discounts for those who have a Plex account. You can learn more from here.

Rosetta Stone

Educational software company Rosetta Stone is offering UK schoolchildren free access to its popular language courses for three months. It normally costs £50, and there are more than 20 languages to choose from, including French, German, Italian and Spanish. Rosetta Stone said that, if you have more than one child you can sign up multiple times; just use a different email address each time.

Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House is closed, but it's offering free ballet and opera broadcasts on its Facebook and YouTube channels:

  • Peter and the Wolf, The Royal Ballet, 2010 at 7pm GMT on Friday 27 March
  • Acis and Galatea, The Royal Opera, 2009 at 7pm GMT on Friday 3 April
  • Cosi fan tutte, The Royal Opera, 2010 at 7pm GMT on Friday 10 April
  • The Metamorphosis, The Royal Ballet, 2013 at 7pm GMT on Friday 17 April

After they've aired, these classic performances will remain available on those channels to view on demand. There's also free content from the Royal Opera House available on BBC iPlayer to watch, including The Royal Ballet: Mayerling.

Sling TV

Sling TV is offering free access to several news and entertainment channels during the pandemic, via a" Stay in and Sling" promo. It includes ABC News Live as well as thousands of family-friendly movies. It's available through the Sling TV app on a Roku, Amazon or Android device, or by visiting sling.com on a Chrome, Safari or Edge browser and following the instructions on the welcome screen.

In addition, new customers who are interested in the Sling Blue package can get the first month for $20 ($10 off for the first month).

The Body Coach

Every weekday at 9am GMT, Joe Wicks - The Body Coach - live-streams a 30-minute physical education class on his YouTube channel for free. His normal fitness plans are £97 for 90 days. If your kids are bored at home, get them to burn some energy with Joe.

TripIt

TripIt is a service that gives you a single view of all your trips. It's making its premium tier, TripIt Pro, free to individual travelers for six months. "By doing so, we hope to make things a little easier for anyone traveling," it said. If you’re new to TripIt, sign up between 13 March and 14 April, and you’ll automatically receive access to TripIt Pro for six months. Go here to learn more about this promo.

Is that it?

Nope. One last deal you should know is that many news publications have removed their paywalls on coronavirus-related content, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, AP News, and The Athletic.