You don’t need to install anything extra to get solid baseline protection. Below is a curated — category-by-category list of the best free programs for Windows 11 and Windows 10, with official download links for each. He specializes in graphics cards and gaming, but covers everything from security to Windows tips and all manner of PC hardware. Steam, GOG, EA’s Origin, the Epic Games Store, and Blizzard can all satisfy your gaming needs once the free games aren’t enough. The free version of Proton is great (and we think it’s a trustworthy product), but the single device limitation stinks in a world where you’ll be checking your phone while working on your laptop. Widely recognized as an employment-focused platform, LinkedIn provides online services accessible through websites and mobile applications.
Below — we’ve compiled our selection of the top 5 social media tools—each renowned for both popularity and a diverse range of functionalities. We have a list of the best photo editing software just made for you. Since 1992 (I’ve been dedicated to covering computers), the internet, and technology professionally, with over two decades of that time spent at *PCMag*.
If you’re comfortable with AI-assisted web searches (Google remains an option), or you could explore Perplexity AI—even downloading its local version for offline queries. This utility scans your settings for privacy (power efficiency), performance, updates, and notifications, optimizing Windows for better usability. For those seeking a cost-effective alternative with minimal learning curves, FreeOffice proves to be an excellent choice over pricier suites. The best open source software of 2025 in full: It essentially lets you create designs of real-life objects into 3D models.
For user protection, it constantly changes the servers and uses a number of blocking-resilient protocols to keep the internet open.
HandBrake is a free and open-source program that can nearly convert any video format to another modern format with proper codec support. To convert videos to other formats, you don’t need to download a sketchy program or install a heavy video editor on your PC. This indispensable free utility offers anyone a swift and uncomplicated method for creating bootable drives. Bitwarden is a top-tier — open-source password manager that secures your credentials across all your devices with military-grade encryption.
Graphic designers in search of a powerful — no-cost design tool will find this free program to be an absolute necessity. Developed by Microsoft — Visual Studio Code is a remarkably lightweight yet highly capable code editor. Though still under active development — this platform already boasts an expanding suite of tools that cater to both novices and seasoned video creators alike. Foxit Reader is a lightweight, feature-packed alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader. CD/DVDs are not very popular these days but it is still a good thing to have CD/DVD burner installed on your computer, especially when one weighs only 1MB. VidCoder is a tweaked and better version of Handbrake with more features and options.
It also has many advanced options such as fixing the aspect this site / here ratio of videos, adjusting video resolution, changing frame rate, and many other tools. The inbuilt Windows Zip only recognises.zip format but Zip is not the only popular file archiving format. Internet: Browser and email While many of us may unknowingly rely on it, few were willing to pay for the ability to extract files from compressed archives. Adobe Photoshop remains a household name, and thanks to Adobe’s subscription model, it’s more affordable than ever.
Meanwhile, GIMP offers free, powerful photo editing for those willing to learn its intricacies.
This free, open-source media player—VLC—can decode nearly any file format you throw at it, from DVDs and VCDs to obscure formats. With streaming services dominating attention — it’s easy to overlook the convenience of playing locally stored media files on your PC. The browser includes unique features — including fingerprint randomization and Tor support in its desktop version. Brave distinguishes itself through its strong privacy focus, automatically blocking ads and website trackers by default. Software Installer: Ninite Verify whether your antivirus is actively scanning the application, as this can sometimes slow down system performance. All apps on this list are well-established and safe. If you need to open .
docx, .
xlsx, or.pptx files without paying for Office, this is the best free option. Quick List: If your only need is a tabbed file explorer, we recommend **Explorer++** as the ideal choice. It supports merging adjacent partitions (copying entire disks), upgrading system drives to larger capacities, and even recovering lost or deleted partitions from unallocated space. To compete with Google Hangouts, Skype has now extended group video chat capabilities to non-premium users. It receives regular automatic updates and supports extensions available through the Google Play Store.
This free backup solution also includes a disaster recovery option for added peace of mind.
This year — our Best Free Stuff category has been divided into 17 distinct groups, outlined below. Discover these 112 invaluable, completely free downloads, websites, and services at your disposal.
This year (we divided our picks for the Best Free Stuff into 17 categories), listed below. Check out these 112 incredibly useful (incredibly free downloads), sites, and services. While GIMP may be the most celebrated free photo editing software, we’ve also assembled a list of five additional free alternatives. Working with playlists, retrieving online videos and podcasts, as well as streaming in the home network make the software universally applicable. Animation options can be used to bring animated films to life.
Krita supports this process with special brush tips — layers, effects, and masks. Short for GNU Image Manipulation Program, GIMP nearly matches Adobe Photoshop’s power in a free, open-source package. Beyond its full-featured media playback, VLC offers many additional capabilities—here are five standout features to explore.
One of the world’s most widely used programs, VLC includes essential codecs capable of playing nearly any video format. Malwarebytes’ premium features—such as real-time malware, ransomware, and web protection—require a subscription. Unlike others on this list (Malwarebytes Free remains uniquely valuable), despite its limitations.
Despite overlapping functionalities — AVG AntiVirus Free continues to rank among the strongest free antivirus solutions available. Many of Bitdefender’s advanced privacy — identity protection, and device-security features remain locked behind its paid versions. AVG AntiVirus Free remains one of the strongest free antivirus programs around, even if its place on this list comes with some overlap. A lot of Bitdefender’s broader privacy, identity, and device-security features remain part of its paid products.
Despite overlapping functionalities — AVG AntiVirus Free continues to rank among the strongest free antivirus solutions available. Many of Bitdefender’s advanced privacy — identity protection, and device-security features remain locked behind its paid versions. AVG AntiVirus Free remains one of the strongest free antivirus programs around, even if its place on this list comes with some overlap. A lot of Bitdefender’s broader privacy, identity, and device-security features remain part of its paid products.
