I used the free version of 4.8.1 for months and there was no spyware at all. However, the first time I downloaded it, I downloaded it from one of the scam sites and not from the official www.Limewire.com site. When I found out that I had gotten it from a scam site, I uninstalled it and downloaded the version directly from Limewire.

The scam sites frequently load their "free software" up with spyware. Limewire has never had spyware, at least not from Limewire itself.

Hope this helps.