[RECOMMENDED] Seven Free Software Programs

Category: Software

Here's one common AskBob reader question: “I just got a new computer, and I want to remove all the non-essential programs that came preloaded, and then install the best freeware for everday computing. What do you recommend?” Here are some of my free software recommendations for your computer. Read on!

The Best Free Software

It's true... when you get a new computer, it usually comes loaded with a bunch of software you don't want or need. Most of them are free trials or crippled versions, designed to persuade you to upgrade to a paid version. In my article How to Clean Computer Clutter, you'll find some tips for cleaning out this computer clogging "crapware" and reclaiming that space on your hard drive.

As to your second question, I'm happy to talk about freeware. There are thousands of free programs available online. But there are only a handful that I consider essential, and I download them to every new computer. From security to web browsing, to graphics, productivity, and troubleshooting, here are seven of the most popular and useful free downloads.

Google Chrome: the world's most widely used Web browser, with a commanding lead over Microsoft's Edge and Mozilla Firefox. Unlike some of its competitors, Chrome is available for multiple operating systems, including macOS, Linux and mobile versions for iPhone/Android devices. Other competitors include the Apple Safari and Opera browsers. Chrome's main selling features are speed, and a wide selection of free add-ons and extensions.

Top Freeware

NoteTab is a text and HTML editor for Windows. At its most basic, NoteTab makes a good upgrade from the Windows NotePad text editor. But NoteTab can also handle complex Web projects with its ability to create templates, extensive formatting features, exhaustive search/replace, and vast capacity for multiple large files. NoteTab also competes with third-party editors such as UltraEdit, Notepad++, and TextPad. NoteTab comes in three versions. The Lite version is free, even for commercial use. The Standard and Pro versions add additional features and must be purchased after a 30-day trial. The Standard/Pro bundle is $39.95.

LibreOffice is the free, open source alternative to Microsoft Office. LibreOffice has just about everything you'd ever need in a productivity suite: word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, HTML and XML document support. It can open, create and save files in Microsoft Office formats as well as PDF and others. LibreOffice is an amazingly sophisticated piece of software, and it's hard to believe that it's totally free!

IrfanView is a freeware multimedia viewer and editing program. With this utility you can view, convert, optimize, scan and print virtually any kind of graphic image. You can crop, resize and edit photos, create slideshows, play movies, and much more. Legions of fans around the world have developed plugins for IrFanView, making it almost infinitely extensible.

Avast Free Antivirus is one of the most popular free antivirus solutions. It includes a fast antivirus scanning engine; real-time protection for email attachments; technology to vet websites before you visit them; and much more. In early 2021, NortonLifelock bought Avira, a competing antivirus program. Months later, Norton purchased Avast, which had bought AVG in 2016. Bottom line, Avast, Avira, and AVG are all owned by Norton, and the future of these three popular tools (and whether they will remain free) is unclear.

I still use Avast for occasional malware scans, but my preferred internet security tool for the past few years has been PC Matic. (See PC Matic 4.0 – My Review) It does cost $50 a year for up to five computers, but I believe the whitelist approach it uses provides superior protection from malware, including zero-day exploits, rootkits, cryptominers, keyloggers, fileless script attacks, and ransomware.

Power User Search Tips and Tricks
Power User Search Tips and Tricks

BitWarden is a popular password manager. It helps you securely manage unlimited passwords, and offers cross platform access for mobile, browser, and desktop apps. It will generate strong passwords for your online accounts, and autofill so you don't have to remember them. BitWarden competes with products such as RoboForm, Dashlane, and KeePass. (Previously I've written about LastPass, but after news of a damaging breach in 2022, I no longer recommend that software.)

Advanced System Care Free is one of the best system cleanup and optimization suites available. It keeps your PC running lean, mean, and fast. This program defragments your hard drive, cleans the registry, finds and eliminates spyware, plugs security holes in system settings, fixes broken shortcuts, deletes junk files, and erases browser tracks.

I can recommend all of these programs without reservation. But it's by no means an exhaustive list of the best freeware. I'll follow up soon with another batch of freebies you may want to try. I welcome your comments and suggestions on this topic...

 
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This article was posted by on 6 Jul 2023


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Most recent comments on "[RECOMMENDED] Seven Free Software Programs"

(See all 23 comments for this article.)

Posted by:

Ron Mullard
06 Jul 2023

I have used free Avast for years ...yes it does frequently keep trying to get you onto the paid version and also keeps telling me I have security issues ...one being I'm open to spies using my web camera (they'll have a job as there is black tape over it(as I never use it)other than that it does a great job as I've had no nasties since using (on Bob's re commendation)unlike another paid one I originally used. I also use BRAVE BROWSER (originally was using Opera but it started to freeze and became unresponsive)I also have Tor browser on another laptop (which installed due to the Opera problem)


Posted by:

Bobbles
06 Jul 2023

I note that Advanced System Care Free is on the recommended list. It is issued by Iobit which is a name I vaguely remember to avoid - reasons forgotten. Has it cleaned up its act now?


Posted by:

frank
06 Jul 2023

Its not free, but what about ESET for a virus protection program.. It seems to be popular with some propeller heads out my way,..


Posted by:

Doc
06 Jul 2023

@ BOBBLES -- re: IOBIT - yep, aggressive marketing, pop-ups that used to defy blockers. I also recall it was VERY difficult to removed as well. I, too, stay way, and it is the CONSTANT pop-ups, and 'free' deals that drove me away -- and I am just not willing to fight for control of my computer against a program designed to not allow me that kind of control - I took Bobs advice, got the PCMATIC for 5 computers for life -- and I have yet to be bothered by ANYthing annoying. They don't do telephone support - which is good, since it makes a person sit down and ask WHAT IS REALLY WRONG - and then write a note to their tech-support - ALWAYS back within a few hours at most -- and they have yet to give me any grief at all. -- but IOBIT -- never again on my machines -- but it was GOOD and it was FREE - so there is that. Even when you buy it, they blast you with popups, so that didn't solve my problem either - thought if I paid them they would go away - but they didn't.


Posted by:

pink
06 Jul 2023

in my personal experience, advanced windows care is crapware/bloatware that will offer to install all kinds of junk you don't need, and often BREAKS windows installations. just had it kill the install of win 10 i'm on now, took a lot of work to recover the pc. never use that program.
no thanks bro.
rock on


Posted by:

pink
06 Jul 2023

@russ you do realize brave is just a front end for chrome, yes?


Posted by:

Steven Latus
06 Jul 2023

I use Firefox for most of my browsing, but have been using Brave for Facebook access since several months ago, Facebook on Firefox started spontaneously scrolling for no apparent reason. It works just fine on Brave. I have Chrome installed also but almost never use it.


Posted by:

Steven Latus
06 Jul 2023

Brave and Firefox *do* use the same underlying Chromium open-source web browser, as do Edge, Opera and several other browsers. They each modify the underlying code to differentiate themselves from one another. Brave, for instance, places a premium on privacy and is set up that way by default. For example, Brave disables: Google accounts integration, all features that send data to Google, Google's URL Tracker, and many more Chrome features.


Posted by:

Steven Latus
06 Jul 2023

Firefox is also cross-platform. It will run on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and IOS, and there are also unofficial ports available for FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, Solaris Unix and other Unix and Unix-like systems. It does NOT use the Chromium browser code as so many others do; it uses the Gecko rendering engine (except for the IOS version that uses the WebKit layout engine as do other IOS browsers due to platform requirements).


Posted by:

Larry H
06 Jul 2023

Since Windows 10, you really don't need any third party programs for anti-virus, and file cleaning. The built in software works great, and IMO it's all that's needed.


Posted by:

Mike
07 Jul 2023

Thanks Bob - although I'd include the Adobe Acrobat reader - but make sure you uncheck the unwanted 'add-ons!' - and VLC - the best multimedia player there is. I always add these two to any Windows computer I'm configuring. I also agree with a couple of people - no need for another antivirus program if you are using Win 10 or 11


Posted by:

BaliRob
07 Jul 2023

Bob - you are being your generous self - and that is without reading it for now (I always bookmark virtually almost all of your missives) but I saw Libre Office jump off the page and must ENDORSE that recommendation especially compared with you know who and the fact that it's free - it's wonderful. By the way - please let me recommend Bitdefender which was the only company who could repair my phone recently AND for free. It saved my bacon 16 years ago when I was back in the UK - do not know why I did not bring it with me.


Posted by:

BaliRob
07 Jul 2023

@Doc et all.........IOBIT was it of Chinese origin or the threat of them being inquisitive that made me or others leave it alone?


Posted by:

DCBoy
07 Jul 2023

@Steven Latus: Firefox is not based on Chromium.


Posted by:

markman
07 Jul 2023

I found the Chrome browser spying on my passwords and keeping copies for themselves when I log onto a site that requires a password. I hate that. Passwords should be my own privacy.


Posted by:

Lucy
07 Jul 2023

markman. Try this:

Toolbar - Passwords -- toggle to off "offer to save passwords"


Posted by:

Stephen
07 Jul 2023

My alternative programs to Bob's list would be KeePassXC and Microsoft Edge. With Edge I use uBlock Origin and Cookie Autodelete.

I would also add Comodo Firewall as an added layer of protection.

Notepad++ has a lot of plugins which make it as powerful as any similar, but paid program.


Posted by:

wild bill
07 Jul 2023

A alternative (and better, imo) to Acrobat Reader is Foxit Reader.


Posted by:

bb
08 Jul 2023

Notes:
Avast is now owned by Norton, your mileage may vary. Norton also owns AVG and AVIRA. :-(
IObit is Chinese; that may or may not change your opinion. (Kaspersky is also an excellent AV, but being Russian, no thank you.)
-bb


Posted by:

bob
24 Jul 2023

I use Opera and except for numerous page resets and the occasional "not responding messages", I have been using it for quite awhile.

And re; bit defender, not only was it a bother, but trying to uninstall it, good luck. I don't remember how I finally got it off, but it took various methods and eventually was able to rid my laptop of that pox.


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