Windows 10 is almost here and since Windows 7 and 8.1 users will be allowed to upgrade to the new OS without paying a single cent, usage of these two versions increases on a daily basis.

Statistics provided by Net Applications show that Window 7 has reached a market share of 60.98 percent in June 2015, obviously remaining the number one desktop operating system in the whole world.

Windows 8.1 is second in this list with 13.12 percent, while Windows XP is still being used by 13.12 percent of the PC owners across the world. Windows 8 has dropped even more to 2.90 percent, while Windows 10 keeps gaining share despite the preview tag, but it only reached 0.16 percent last month.

The main reason for Windows 7’s growth

If you’re wondering how come that Windows 7 keeps gaining market share now that Windows 10 is almost here, the reason is as simple as it could be.

Windows 10 will be available as a free upgrade for those running Windows 7 and the new OS will have the exact same hardware requirements as its predecessor, so the majority of PCs should be able to run it flawlessly.

Because Windows 7 was launched in 2009, a license is more affordable than for Windows 8, so many users are switching to this version to take advantage of the Windows 10 free upgrade offer.

As we’ve reported to you recently, if you know where to look, a Windows 7 license doesn’t cost more than $25, which guarantees that you’ll get to upgrade to Windows 10 without spending a fortune.

If for some reason, you want to purchase Windows 10 when it becomes available, the Home version will cost $119.99, while the Pro SKU will have a price tag of $199.99 in the United States. Pricing in the rest of the world will be the same as for Windows 8.