The pros of free trade are almost all related to the efficiency of businesses. With free trade policies in place, a business can purchase goods from another company or another nation without losing money. This in turn allows the business to hire more workers, build more products, lower its prices, and allow workers and consumers to benefit. Broadly speaking, most businesses and most political conservatives push for free trade.

The cons of free trade are how it affects those on both sides of the exchange. Opening up markets to free trade may impact a segment of the economy. For example, if it is cheaper to grow food in another nation, free trade will hurt farmers in your country, because they cannot compete with lower prices. What's more, free trade runs the risk of enabling business or government decisions that can be hurtful: buying shoes made in a foreign sweatshop will likely not lead to the company paying its workers more or reducing their hours. Broadly speaking, most political liberals and most not-for-profit organizations argue against free trade.