Often when I hear the term “Free” it brings a connotation of cheap or poor quality to mind, however when it comes to the programs on this list there are many features that prove to be incredibly useful and helpful. From keeping your online safety secure, to free graphic editors and media tools.
LibreOffice
With LibreOffice you have access to many of the tools you may need. It comes complete with a word processor called “Writer” for basic writing needs, “Calc” for spreadsheet needs, “Impress” for creating presentations, as well as other useful tools that make up the helpful office suite, and the best part is that it’s all free. LibreOffice comes with the features needed to open up typical office document formats.
OBS
Open Broadcast Studio or OBS as it is often referred to as is a feature rich video recording and streaming software that allows you to create rather advanced scenes with graphical overlays and animations.
Due to the overall control that OBS gives and the layer like source setup for scenes there is a lot of room for creativity and versatility with this program. You can record or stream gameplay, your screen or even just selected windows or programs.
Google Chrome & FireFox
Adding popular browsers to this list may be underwhelming for some, but there are still many people that under appreciate the usefulness and power of Google Chrome and Firefox. Both of these browsers offer handy tools in the form of add-ons or extensions that can transform your online browsing experience and save you time and effort.
Gimp
Gimp is one of the better free photo editing software available and can be a graphic designers best friend, even if you’re just a beginner. Gimp can be used for all sorts of different graphical designs and is often used for touching up photos, adding color corrections and creating YouTube thumbnails. The popularity of Gimp only makes the learning process easier as there are plenty of helpful guides and tutorials on the web.
Blender
Blender is a 3D creation software that allows for you to create 3d models, animations, renders and so much more. It is often used for creating graphical elements in design work, adding key elements to video editing, motion tracking and even has its uses when it comes to game development and creation. Blender truly is an incredible tool that is useful for anyone looking to get into working in 3D creation.
VLC Media Player
Although VLC Media Player might not have the most aesthetically pleasing appearance it’s capabilities are what sets it above other media players, it is compatible with numerous types of file types meaning there’s a high chance that if you have a video or audio file you can’t play then VLC will be able to. You can upgrade the basic look of the media player with custom skins that you can download or make yourself.
Shotcut
For a piece of freeware Shotcut is loaded full of useful tools and effects that you can use for video editing, including color grading, time reversing clips, transitions and more. Inside Shotcut there are handy keyboard shortcuts that can speed up your editing process.
Shotcut works with different file formats and importing your files into the program is as simple as dragging and dropping. The interface is clean and simple with a timeline to make navigating along your video frames easy.
Lightshot
Lightshot is a screenshot application that transforms the print screen button on your keyboard into a much more versatile tool. With lightshot your screenshots are easily managed.
Once you activate Lightshot your screen will freeze and darken, you can then click and drag to select the area you want to capture. You will then have the option to use tools to add features to the image, including arrows, lines, highlighted areas and boxes. You also can choose to upload the image to their website with a shareable link, save the file or copy the image.
Gyazo
Another useful screenshot tool is Gyazo, with this program you can take screenshots that will instantly be uploaded to the website with a shareable link, as well as capture an area as a GIF, which makes sharing basic video files super simple.
CCleaner
Decluttering your computer and removing unneeded files is made easy with CCleaner, you can easily remove temporary files and data that programs store and leave behind. Analysing and running CCleaner on your computer will help free up space and potentially improve the performance on your device.
BitDefender
Bitdefender has a free edition of their Antivirus that is well rounded and useful for keeping you safe and protected, it is easily installed to your PC. This security program can help keep you safe from harmful websites that may be attempting to get your passwords via phishing methods and protect you from scams.
Malwarebytes
Another great alternative for keeping your PC safe and secure is Malwarebytes, the free version will allow you to scan your computer to make sure that there are no infections on your device and remove them if there is any.
When you first download you may get access to the full program for a limited time before reverting back to a program that would only disinfect your PC.
Audacity
If you ever need to record your voice or do basic editing on audio then you may want to try out Audacity, with it you can record audio through your computer using a microphone and make needed adjustments such as noise cancellation.
The noise cancellation feature is helpful for removing the background humming of electronic devices that may be around you. This is a program often used by content creators for its ability to adjust their voices to sound better whilst removing unwanted sounds.
7-Zip
Compressing files and folders save time when transferring and make managing your documents easier, to do this you need a solid file archiver, like 7-Zip, that can do so. 7-Zip has the ability to pack files and folders into several different formats, including ZIP, as well as unpacking even more, like the typically used RAR format.
Dropbox
Dropbox is an online file sharing site that allows you to invite other people, share files and even add comments and notes. This can be useful if you have files that you need to access on multiple devices, or a project that you need to be able to work on from home and at a work place.
Dropbox has a downloadable program which works with the website and makes moving files so much easier.
Revo Uninstaller
When you uninstall a program through control panel it’s likely that there are some files and folders that remain on your computer once done. Revo Uninstaller acts as a more advanced uninstaller as it scans and locates related files to any given program and gives you the ability to remove them along with the program. This feature can free up a lot of room in your computer over time and prevent cluttering.
Discord
One of the most renowned VoIP programs is Discord, which is popular in the gaming community and rapidly expanding. You can call individuals or make group chats, share your screen, voice chat and video chat.
If you’re trying to grow a community you can also setup a Discord server where everyone can come together and communicate with one another. There are numerous bots that you can use to enhance the server and make it as feature rich as you like.
Bulk Rename Utility
The Bulk Rename Utility program does just what the name says, allows you to rename files and folders by the bulk. This can be extremely helpful if you are working with a large number of files and would like to set their names appropriately without having to rename each one individually.
Recuva
At some point or another a lot of us will accidentally permanently delete something from our computers that we may still need, this can be incredibly stressful and annoying, but with Recuva it may be possible to retrieve the lost files before they’re gone for good.
You will need to have the program already installed before the accidental deletion occurred however, so installing it as a safety net for a later date may prove useful. The best practice is to use Recuva the moment you realize the mistake as there will be a higher chance of a safe recovery.
LastPass
As cyber security becomes more important it is becoming a necessity to be using different passwords on all sites to protect yourself from any potential breach, with this comes the difficulty of remembering all the passwords that you have made.
LastPass comes with a list of helpful features that makes taking this security measure easy, by providing the user with a password vault that will store all of the required passwords across different devices that you may own.
All the user will need to remember is the one master password set for LastPass. Also included is a handy password generator for when you’re changing or signing up to a new site, as well as the LastPass authenticator.
Krita
Krita is another program for graphic designers, however is aimed more towards digital artists that prefer to create digital drawings, sketches and paintings, due to this it is rich with intuitive features like mirroring tools, drawing assistance and even has HDR support. If digital painting is your thing, or you just want to try out digital art then Krita is the ideal program.
Handbrake
If you find yourself often working with video files then you may want to look into using a program like Handbrake. With the program you can convert video files to different formats with different video and audio settings, meaning you can also reduce the quality or bitrate of a video to make the file smaller, or change the dimensions to suit a new project.
DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve is another useful free video editing software with a great deal of features. With it you can edit your videos, add visual effect and create colour corrections for your film that will change the vibe and feel of the video. If you have used other editing software before you may notice that DaVinci Resolve works and looks a bit differently.
Dashlane
You can manage and keep all your passwords and payment info safe by using Dashlane, which will store up to 50 different passwords for you, as well as instantly fill out any payment information you set for quick and secure checkout.
As an addition Dashlane will also help you create strong unique passwords and even send you notifications to alert you about any security risks to keep you safe at all times.
Avidemux
Avidemux is very simple free video editing program designed only for small tasks, however it makes sure to do them well. A common use for this program is to cut down and trim a video clip to only contain the wanted segment. You can also convert the file formats of videos using Avidemux which may be helpful if you need a particular file format to upload or use with certain websites and programs.
