Why must I pay for credit score?

Today, I downloaded my annual credit report, s you had suggested, but must I pay for the credit score on the website? Is there anywhere to get it for no fee?

SAVAGE SAYS: Unfortunately, credit SCORES are proprietary, and not covered by the government’s requirement that you get a free credit report from each bureau every year. So you might as well get the most widely used credit score — the FICO score. You can get it at www.myfico.com — but you have to pay for it!