94 Great Freeware Programs
BEST FREE FONT VIEWER
AMP Font Viewer – Font manager, view, install, uninstall, organize your fonts. an interesting feature is that you can “test” fonts before deciding to install them.
Alternatives: – FontPicker, Fast Font Preview
BEST FREE MOVIE CATALOGING SOFTWARE
Personal Video Database – Simply the best movie collection manager. It can retrieve information about your movies from several internet databases, includes loan manager and full unicode support. And it has a nice layout too.
Alternatives: Ant Movie Catalog
BEST FREE FONT FINDER
FontNetExplorer – This one can help you search for fonts over the internet as it has the best websites indexed and lets you search through them within the program. Doesn’t require installation, just unpack and run.
Alternatives: -
BEST FREE TEXT EDITOR
Notepad++ – Powerful open source text editor written in C++, supports a wide range of programming languages, great multi-document and multi-view features.
Alternatives: – Emerald Editor
BEST FREE OFFICE SUITE
OpenOffice.org – This open source package replaces my Microsoft Office installation. Is it as good? I think it’s better! You won’t have any problems with adjusting to it, the basic features are similar to those in Microsoft Office.
Alternatives: IBM Lotus Symphony, Oxygen Office, Jarte (word processor only)
BEST FREE PDF READER
PDF XChange Viewer – Very good PDF reader, a lot faster than Adobe Reader. And there’s even more: you can convert your PDF files to various file formats, including BMP, JPG, PNG or TIFF. It can be integrated with Firefox or Internet Explorer.
Alternatives: – Foxit Reader, Sumatra Reader
BEST FREE PDF WRITER
PDFCreator – Very good freeware PDF writer, can create PDF files out of any printable document. It can be installed as standalone or as a server application – install on a single computer and have it available on all the machines in your network.
Alternatives: BullZip, CutePDF
BEST FREE DVD BURNER
StarBurn – I’ve been using Nero before. I don’t need it anymore, StarBurn is free and pretty good. I’ve burned several DVDs with it (including DVD video) and it never failed. Supports CD, DVD, HD-DVD and Blu Ray discs.
Alternatives: CD Burner XP, ImageBurn, InfraRecorder
BEST FREE FILE COMPRESSION PROGRAM / ZIP UTILITY
IZArc - Very good free archive utility, works with almost any archive file format and it also converts various CD image file formats to ISO.
Alternatives: jZip, 7zip, TUGZip
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[...] which allows staff to clock in and out, track hours and download information to payroll 94 Great Freeware Programs For A Freeware Only PC – freewaremission.com 06/08/2009 Hello folks! As I promised I’m going to release the first [...]
[...] FreewareMission.com – 94 Great Freeware Programs For A Freeware Only PC ( thanks Nessa [...]
I want to find good pop music. Help me please.
@Kalebarkab
I think this ain’t the place to search for pop music or any music for that matter. Just go to a shop and buy some CD’s maybe. Or try last.fm
[...] 93 Great Freeware Programs For A Freeware Only PC | Freeware Mission [...]
i know it’s not a place for say anything about any website.it’s all about freewarw/opensource soft.@Kalebarkab you can visit this web site http://www.iwantmuzik.com/attsearch//mp3/page/1 from here you can download your all favourite song without registering/log in.
Way to go. A decent article on the best freeware apps for almost all the categories of software. Rate it highly. Not forgetting to thank the author for such terrific work. Thanks.
@Citizen
Thanks for your kind words.
Hi! Nice and useful list!tnx!
I have three suggestions that i use in everyday work: 1. ClipX – very useful program that can hold clipboard history, 2. Qttab – for people who are addicted on microsoft windows explorer. It gives multi tab ability to windows explorer and so much other stuff (for example it can catch another explorer processes and hold them in one window. It has addon that you can use for creating new folders (for example using f7 you can create new folder in windows explorer)
3. workrave (excellent for relaxing eyes and other parts of body that can be injured on working on pc)
Sorry for my not so good english
@Brenk
Thanks for your comment and for the suggestions. And don’t worry about your English, it’s more than OK.
[...] de audio, editores de audio y video, entre mucho más. Visualiza la lista completa pinchando aquí. Etiquetas: programas gratis programas para editar fotos programas gratis para fotos programas [...]
How about Teeworlds ? Cross-platform online action game – similar to Liero, Soldat – you could literally describe it as Worms in real-time, without turns and its realy fun to play (read: eats a lot of your time ;] ).
It’s the first time I hear about it… Sounds interesting, I’ll have a look at it soon, thanks for recommending it.
These are Great suggestions from a skilled user.
But may I suggest replacements (or if you wish alternatives)
FileMenu Tools instead of Mmm Free to tweak your windows context menu
– much more options and the ability to add command and compatible with XP and Vista
NexusFont2 instead of AMP font Viewer
– far more powerful and useful. Simply the Best font manager
Unlocker Assistant will assist you where WhoLockMe wont
– will unlock files/folder at your command
Thanks again to share your experience with others, you must have a great Karma !
@Gilles
Thanks a lot for the alternatives you suggested, they will be added as alternatives on the Best Freeware List page until I’ll get the chance to test them and maybe replace my favorites with some of them. Thanks again for sharing.
Like you, I am an avid long-term explorer of freeware. The one major difference I take with you is that xplorer2 freeware is much, much more powerful than your first choice. It is truly exceptional software that empowers users incredibly. I suggest you look deeper into its capabilities….
Congratulations for your patience and hard work. I use 17 softwares described in this page.
Best regards.
Thanks a lot for your comment Sergio, it’s great to hear some nice words about your work now and then
Thank you Mr. Karp for this fabulous work. Many folks are looking for such great free programs who cannot afford proprietary ones. My everyday softwares include Duplicate File Finder and MagicDisc. Thanks again for sharing.
Best wishes..
Great article, good idea on bundling all the software in one pack! Good work!
I have a few suggestions:
- for the best free text editor you could mention notepad2, it has syntax highlighting and some extra features but it’s lighter than Notepad++.
- for the best free context menu manager you could mention FileMenu Tools (mentioned before in the comments)
Good work and looking forward for the next year’s edition!
@Tommy599
Thanks for the comment and for the suggestions.
I use most of them, but can’t stand OpenOffice and Gimp so Ms Office and Photoshop are still on my computer. By the way, you’ve made a great list.
I use quite a few of these, and look forward to trying out a few others.
Under MISCELLANEOUS PROGRAMS, you listed WhoLockMe. Have you ever tried out Unlocker? It is my personal favorite for dealing with locked files, and allows you to not only kill the process locking a file, but also to simply unlock the file without killing the process.
@Phaoloo
I had no problem in switching from MS Office to Open Office. I did that over a year ago and still have no regrets
@Nathan
I didn’t try Unlocker so far but I’ll probably do so in the future.
100% open source on a PC with Windows XP as OS…you sir, are an idiot.
@Bleh
Actually I’m not sure if you’re just dumb or dumb and mean at the same time.
Thanks for the compliment, you’re too kind
Isn’t the fact that all 94 of these are intended to run on a PAID FOR operating system. Linux, you fuck
I really don’t understand your aggressive approach to all this. It not like anybody is installing anything on your PC… I guess anybody has the right to use whatever OS that suits his needs. Anyway, I think that I explained what I had to explain right at the beginning of the post, so I have nothing more to add. Maybe just that I’m a bit disappointed by some people’s aggressive attitude. I like arguments as long as we keep the language into reasonable limits.
A great list
A couple of things i use that you may like to look at
Folder Guide is a great way to create shortcuts to often used folders
TeraCopy is great too
And I agree with a previous poster that FileMenuTools is invaluable
Thanks for the comment Craig. I just downloaded FileMenu Tools and I’m quite impressed myself, I’ll write a review about it as soon as possible. Thanks for recommending it.
Great list! I totally use Openoffice all the time, the only problem I ever had was opening a microsoft works format file. I had to convert it in my sisters MS office to .doc, but otherwise openoffice is a leading light for open source software, and a gateway for less tech savvy people into discovering the joys of Linux. The Linux users that seem to love spouting offensive comments on here seem to be fanboys, but arn’t doing their cause much good… you need to be encouraging people to try Linux, and your attitude isn’t helping that.
Anyway, does anybody know of a good freeware Digital Audio Workstation?
@Sadcadaver
I also have in mind to try another Linux distribution on my home PC, Linux Mint, since Ubuntu didn’t get along too well with my hardware
Anyway, I’m trying to provide information and advice for my readers, most of them Windows XP users, and I can’t tell them just yet to switch to Ubuntu for instance because I don’t want them to go through all the trouble I went through with it.
OpenOffice is an outstanding piece of software indeed. Now about Linux, I’m very open to it but I don’t like the attitude that some “fanboys” express here and there. As a matter of fact I’m trying hard to persuade the IT people in the company I’m working for to replace Windows with Ubuntu on all the workstations in the company
A really excellent list. I use quite a number of them. Like yourself, I am a fan of free software. I wish I could support more of them than I do. I don’t understand the 2 remarks form Blah and OSW (maybe the same person). I would guess just the usual immature minds at work. I will be sending you a list of programs you don’t mention here as well as some some alternatives to what you have listed. I really appreciate finding a list like this and have no problem when your opinion is different from mine. I am currently running about 160 programs with probably 130 that are free. But I am always looking for something better.
Here is my list with comments.
Firewall = Outpost
Why? Zone Alarm has too many problems currently and in the past. Many users including me have install problems where we have to install under Safe mode.
DVD Burner = Ashampoo burning studio
Why? I burn a lot of CD’s on a weekly basis. Ashampoo has the least amount of clicks to burn multiple files on a CD and then burn another one with different files. It also is the most reliable of all of the free ones.
Program launcher = 8Start
Why? All the launchers mentioned on any site require you to remember at least the starting letters of the program you want. When you have 160 programs, it is hard to remember all the names. 8Start lets you build a really good logo system for launching programs.
By the way, the first new program I installed was software informer. Besides being an excellent inventory program, it also has a program launcher that looks really good. I might have to switch to that. We will see.
File Renamer – Spacetornado
Misc
Cleaners
Easy Cleaner does a better job of finding unnecessary files than any other program out there. But at the same time, it doesn’t get them all. That is way I also run
CCcleaner.
If anyone wants to see why, run all the cleaner programs without deleting any files and see which one comes up with the most files.
Search
The program Everything is by far the best of the few out there.
Podcast
Ziepod is my choice by far. Itunes is 80meg of bloated crap and every update requires a brand new install.
Tax Program
TaxACT. I have always used Turbo tax until this year when I ran them both. Same results so why pay more than what TaxACT charges.
Startup Manager = SysInternalsSuite
Why? Nothing can compare. It finds ALL the programs that get started at boot time.
That is the list.
Cheers
Is there a limit on the size of a response? I have a fairly long one and it won’t post.
@Duke
Thanks a lot for your input. I don’t know about the size of a response, nobody had this problem before
Hey Johnny Karp, is there portable versions for all of these apps? If so, where is the best place to download them?
-Thanks,links are much appriciated.
Jon, not all of them have portable versions unfortunately. I don’t quite understand what you want to download, the whole bunch or only the portable versions?
Johnny,
Wow. A lot of work went into creating these list (54, 72, now 94) freeware programs. Thank you for all the searching, downloading, installing, testing and reporting. Great stuff!
The “Alternatives” are an especially nice touch. It is reassuring to see you’ve tried more than one and picked ‘the best’.
I do one nitpick with one though — Emerald Editor. AFAIK, it’s still in the design stage. The same folks have released an update to Crimson Editor though. CE was one of those rare programs — so well designed it felt familiar the first time i ran it. Let’s hope they do as good a job with Emerald.
And a couple of suggestions —
Best WordPad killer:
Jarte — http://www.jarte.com/
A terrific little editor with some slick features. Customizable. Integrates with your “Best Dictionary” pick (WordWeb) too.
Now that you’ve ventured into the “games” genre, let me suggest …
Flightgear — http://www.flightgear.org/
An open source flight sim with real world scenery and aircraft.
Now excuse me while I download PDF Xchange viewer and see for myself if it’s really better than Foxit Reader.
Thanks again for the list. I’m sure i’ll be checking out some of your other selections in the next few days.
Harmon, thanks a lot for your comment and for the suggestions.
The portable versions only,and do any of the alternatives of the programs who don’t have portable versions have portable versions?
Jon, what you’re asking me would mean a huge amount of work going through more than 100 reviews to check which program is portable and which isn’t. If I had more spare time I wouldn’t mind doing that for you but I’m on a quite tight schedule these days, so I can’t help you with that right now.
lol… an “only freeware PC” running windows? fail….
firefox is better than google chrome
sorry
its true
if you think otherwise it is just because you arent educated enough
im not being close-minded
im being honest
Patrick, if somebody has a different opinion than mine that does not necessarily make me a genius and him “uneducated”. This type of web 2.0 fundamentalism is making me deeply sad. Anyway, for your peace of mind, I do think that Firefox’s latest version is better than Chrome.
Hello again Johnny.
Topic: Open Office on Steroids.
That’s how one blogger called it. I just found out about it though apparently it has been out for about a year now. A faster-starting Open Office with better integration to VBA, MS-Works, and WordPerfect graphics. Available at: http://go-oo.org/
Be prepared for a 170MB download.
Topic: Quintessential Player
I like this player too. I see Songbird has knocked it to an Alternative pick but still glad to see it lauded. What i like about it most is the OGG support. One of the few players i’ve found that plays ‘em.
I’m afraid i have to confess to more than my share of ignorance about codecs issues, so … um, Does Songbird play OGGs? Can it be customized to do so? Thanks in advance for any light you can shed.
I just noticed your DonationCoder.com “Best of the Web” award. Kudos. It is much deserved. Nice article on FARR, by the way.
Hello Harmon, thanks for the nice comment. About the “open office on steroids”, I think that’s why open source programs are the best alternative because anybody can come up with improvements and finally with a better version of a program. It looks quite interesting, I’ll give it a try soon.
I still have a bit of nostalgia about Quintessential Player, it was my favorite for years. As far as I know Songbird does play ogg files.
P.S.: I downloaded Flightgear, looks great. I’ll test it one of these days, thanks for the recommendation.
Hello, Just passing.
Here’s a great site for music, guys, you don’t have to sign in for. It called “Radio 3 Net” Romania. It also has a radio player called “Radio Big Bank” & the stations are arranged in a very easy way to get to the music you like. Enjoy. Jaker.
Hey Johnny, I would like to know if you would let me create a (as much as possible) Portable version of the Mega Pack, I was planning on doing so anyway to put on my USB drive, and I would be very glad to post it here, I love this site and I visit very often!
Jon, that would be great!
Would it be a guest post too?
I can’t see why not. I’ll have to read it first and then decide.
Do I need links to the download sites too (I can get them if needed)
I’ll take care of the links Jon, don’t worry.
MAN I LUV THE INTERWEB!, thanks for the handy and obvious (now) apps eg, the dictionanry i was always CTRL+C + google to find out what words meant.
I’m happy you found it helpful.
Excellent list! It’s really up-to-date and I had a lot of new changes made from the previous alternatives like CCleaner, AWC3, BonkEnc, AoA Audio Extractor, and Irfanview. Just 1 suggestion: Unlocker. Easier to use than WhoLockMe. Anyway, thanks again. Glad I stumbled upon this site.
Thanks for the comment Lalala. Unlocker will probably be featured in the next list, I agree that it seems to be better than WhoLockMe.
Such a pity that it is just a “freeware only PC”.. I would have been much better if it was a “FREE SOFTWARE only pc”…
Please note that even if “freeware” programs are free (as in free beer), they don’t even provide basic freedoms (as in free speach).
It is not a matter of price but of liberty.
Of course, the fact that you are using Windows (a propietary, close source, not-free) operating system already tells that your whole system is restrictive.
If your intention is just save up money, it is a nice post. Otherwise, you should consider reading more about free and open source software. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software).
Just my opinion. DriverMax should be removed from the above list, since you considered it a crippleware.
By the way, will you update the above list regularly? I’m asking as I may return to download some of the recommended freewares in the future.
Yeo, the list is updated on a regular basis in the Best Freeware page, I update that page after every program review.
@Gerardo
I can tell you that my ultimate goal is to have what you call a “free software only PC”, I would be extremely happy to do everything I have to do on my PC with only free software. Unfortunately that is not possible right now but I definitely hope that someday it’ll happen.
Thanks a lot for compiling this great freeware pack. I’m always looking for useful freeware, and after formatting my pc, this was just what I needed. Perfect!
Thanks for the kind comment Moe, I’m happy that you found it useful.
Great site! But go really must all the way with the concept and switch to Linux or Ubuntu for your OS. Periodically having to purchase upgrades to the Microsoft OS is one of users’ greatest software expenses!
For image editing GIMP is great; but it is overhelming to many casual image editor users. By comparison Paint.Net has all the basic functions casual users are likely to ever want and it is far more intuitive and user-friendly. I see that you have it listed as an alternative to GIMP. But I disagree that GIMP is “the best.” Having an overabundance of features (the majority of which will go unusued) doesn’t necessarily make an application superior to one that makes the basic functions instantly graspable/useable for the majority of users. I would recommend GIMP for advanded users only. Paint.Net: http://download.cnet.com/Paint-NET/3000-2192_4-10338146.html?tag=mncol
Some simple freeware .rar file extractors:
Rarzilla http://download.cnet.com/RarZilla-Free-Unrar/3000-2250_4-10647724.html
RAR Extract Frog http://download.cnet.com/Free-RAR-Extract-Frog/3000-2250_4-10804840.html?tag=mncol;pop
Thanks for the comment Roger. I have a dual boot system now, with Windows XP and Linux Mint, I hope that someday I’d be able to switch to Linux Mint permanently. You are right about GIMP and Paint.net but this list is made out of my favorites, so “the best” means what is best for me and for the other users that have the same taste, requirements or skills. That’s why I’m trying to list alternatives too, so that the readers can make their own evaluations and pick the program that is right for them. And last but not least that’s why I appreciate comments like yours that give details and information that any other reader can use to their own benefit.
Hi, thanks for these tips. just found this new one now. i enjoyed the first one you did. am trying to download the mega pack now…
thanks for all the work. i know it takes lots of time to do.
cheers..
hi, dont know if this is the place to ask this. but, do you or do you know of anyone who has tried the lotus symphony productivity suites? how is it? and can it replace open office?
thank you…
@broboris
I’m planning to try Lotus Symphony but I don’t know when I’ll find the time to do that. Anyway, you’ll be reading a review of it here on this blog sometime, I hope it will be sooner rather than later.
This IS the place to ask
Hello Johnny,
Thought it best to communicate on the latest freeware mission level! Just one question – can you recommend a good Network Traffic Counter? I’m sure that like me, lots of FM viewers exceed their monthly cap (limit) and would be desirous of a warning before it is likely to happen.
I know that many ISP’s provide this service, but not all. That certainly applies in South Africa.
Thanks for the Gravatar tip – hence the piccy.
Regards, Jim
Thanks Jim, that’s a good idea. I’ll do some research and I hope to be able to come up with a review of such a program soon.
Do you know of a good database for CD music?
Thanks for the great list.
Tom, try freedb.org, it’s a solid database.
excellent list, some stuff i had never heard of!
why not include a free firewall? Comodo Personal Firewall, best in class and had an active dev/support forum.
if you don’t already, you should make a Freeware Security Software list/post.
cheers
9/11, never forget.
Johnny,
If you like Google Chrome, you might look into SRWare Iron, it’s built on the code from Chromium.
Thanks for a great list!
I like the list!
I thought you might be interested in another good open source game I’ve played called The Battle for Wesnoth. It’s like a tactical rpg strategy kind of game. Very addicting and definitely worth checking out at wesnoth.com
Nice article. I would stay away from Linux Mint if you can’t get Ubuntu to work on your computer. Linux Mint is nothing more than Ubuntu with a different wrapper on the cover. Difference is that it is equiped with all the proprietary software and codecs necessary to run some media software out of the box. Ubuntu doesn’t ship with these because of licensing conflicts. But they are basically the same o/s under the hood. That said, have you tried the Ubuntu community forums? Ubuntu has one of the best support and helps of just about any Linux based o/s I have ever seen. There hasn’t been any problem that I have come across that hasn’t been fixed from reading one of those. And if that is not enough you could visit the irc chat on freenode in the ubuntu channel for more helps. Incredible o/s. I would give it a second look. Just about every part of it is customizable, and fit to order from running the latest work horse to that computer tower that you condemned to being a planter in your hallway or door stop. I recently made a “door stop” come to life by wiping xp and formatting its 80 gig hard drive to put xubuntu on there. xubuntu customized with lxde window environment on a computer with only 192mb of memory, and 64mb of video built in graphics on the mobo, it responds snappier than xp did. and the cost? just my time explaining how to down load the iso and burn it to disk, then booting to it for install. This was all done over the phone with someone that lives 1500 miles from me. and I must say, she is very happy not to have to spend money on another computer for her daughters. Give it a whirl. You will not find better support for another Linux based o/s than Ubuntu.
@rwdowd3
Thanks for the suggestion.
@jahooma
I tried it this week, it’s a great game. It will surely make it into my next list, until then it will be listed in the best freeware page.
@muzikjock
I agree that Mint is almost identical to Ubuntu, the main difference was that it worked right away on my PC. I tried several things to make Ubuntu work properly and one of them was to install proprietary drivers… I think that the solution offered by Linux Mint is better – you can have the OS with or without the proprietary software, you can make a choice. I tried Ubuntu on other PCs to, on some of them there were no problems and I agree that it’s a great operating system. The trouble was that I just couldn’t make it work nicely on my favorite PC at home
It’s so free!
Hi Johnny!
Have you looked at Flash Slideshow creators? There are quite a few around, many of which are free, the best I’ve found, so far is from this site: http://www.flash-slideshow-maker.com ,but maybe you or your viewers have found better for free!??
There is also a very nice little site from which one can download flash “widgets” to incorporate into slide-shows/web pages – http://www.flshow.net/
Maybe, you’d like to do a review?
Regards, Jim
Thanks for the info Jim, I never used such a thing. I’ll take a look and see if I could put those to some use.
Johnny!
Just wanted to say MUCH THANKS for this excellent list of freeware! I happened to stumbleupon this, however I was in need of a few great freeware downloads and this page was extremely helpful! Thank you for all of your time and effort!!
Not a bad list at all, very comprehensive, but you do have to admit “94 Great Freeware Programs For A Freeware Only PC” is slightly misleading since the OS is XP. Maybe “94 Great Freeware Programs For A Freeware Only XP PC” would be more accurate? Then again you could of made a page titled “9,4oo+ Great Freeware Programs For A Freeware Only PC” then just have a page in large letters saying “GNU/Linux” but I imagine that it wouldn’t of been nearly as much fun as making this list.
Good luck with Mint. I’m not a ‘buntu fan but it’s a great beginner *nix. Have fun with it.
Hi, great list. I’ve used and tried most of the ones you’ve suggested. Only thing was that both my Web filter and Antivirus picked up problems with TeraCopy. Went with killcopy instead and it’s great.
You should also try SSuite Office for a free office suite. They have a whole range of office suites that are free for download.
Their software also don’t need to run on Java or .NET, like so many open source office suites, so it makes their software very small and efficient.
You may try these links:
http://www.ssuitesoft.com/index.htm
or
http://www.ssuitesoft.com/ssuiteexcalibur.htm
or
http://ssuite5element.webs.com/thefifthelement.htm
Great job! Very well done!
Please also visit my site with 1000’s of free vintage & modern movie posters http://www.freefilmposters.com
cheers!
I see all of you like freeware, okay now i serve you with freeware..to find what are you looking for about freeware please visit my blog
Hi again Johnny, How are you keeping? I’ve sent you a link to a Freeware site, (which you probably already know about – but who knows?)
What has happened to your Avatar? – I really liked it! Have a Great Holiday Season!
Regards,
Jim
I love this site.
Hello sir, I noticed that when you first started this list that you would rather use windows firewall over a free version, have you changed your mind after this research or are you sticking with the windows firewall? By the way great list.Have you ever heard of emule? Its great for finding hard to find stuff.
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