He summarized that the book is "a worthwhile read for its chronicle of an important part of the free software movement, as well as its insight into Stallman as a person.

"[6] In Italian VITA, Bernardo Parrella described its "greatest merit" to be its "new perspective" on the issues at stake for Free Software and the computer industry as a whole, and its interweaving of Stallman's personal life and complex technical developments to be "gripping".

[7] In a review for Sys-Con, Mike McCallister describes the book as an "easy introduction to Stallman's career and ideas, but at this length cannot go into great depth."

[8] After reading Free as in Freedom in 2009, Richard Stallman made extensive revisions and annotations to the original text.

As the book was published under the GFDL, it enabled Stallman to address factual errors and clarify some of the author's mistaken or incoherent statements, bringing in his first-hand experiences and technical expertise where appropriate.