Typical examples are doctors, lawyers, engineers, journalists, translators and many IT consultants. They register directly with the tax office and do not need a trade licence.
Whether your work counts as freiberuflich is decided case by case. The difference matters because it decides on trade tax and bookkeeping duties.
Full guideFreiberufler or Gewerbe? The German classification explainedRelated terms
General information on German tax law, not advice on your individual case.