[[useful_free_software]]

Table of Contents

Useful Free Software

As per our Freeware Software posting guideline, software packages that are usually free shouldn't be posted as deals. This wiki page is used to organise a list of useful free software that OzBargainers' recommend.

Definition of Free Software

  • Free as in beer rather than speech, i.e. $0 cost, rather than free/liberal/open source software.
  • It must be usually free. The software must not cost user anything to download and use, legally. Trial software does not count. Nor is software package that is only free for a limited time.

Windows

  • GOTD Unwrapper V2 - As the name suggests, it allows you to download and store a copy of whatever is on special at the Give Away of the Day site, and keep the installer for later use (forever).
  • BitReplica - Excellent freeware application for backups.
  • Daemon Tools Lite - A popular and easy tool for making disc image files and emulating virtual CD/DVD/Blu-Ray drives. (8.74MB)
  • Everything file indexer - A fast, lightweight but powerful replacement for the Windows desktop search, Everything supports Win XP, Vista and 7. (334 kb)
  • ImgBurn - A highly rated and lightweight CD/DVD/Blu-Ray burning application that can also create and write ISO files. (2.07 MB)
  • 7-Zip - Unpacks a host of archive formats, including RAR, ZIP, TAR, GZ, and its own 7z format. Integrates with Windows Explorer. (918 KB)
  • Windows XP Virtual CD-ROM Control Panel - Combine this with ImgBurn (by creating ISO file from disc) and you can use CDs/DVDs without the disc… particularly great for netbooks without a DVD drive! (60 KB)
  • h2testw - Analyse your USB Drive and check if it's counterfeit. (212 KB)
  • WinSplit - Split a file into pieces when it's too big to email or fit on one USB drive. Easily join it at the other end. (22 KB)
  • YouTube Downloader - Save internet videos onto your computer for editing or watching offline. (2.95 MB)
  • Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP - Includes:
    • SyncToy - Can help you copy, move, and synchronize different directories. (1.1 MB)
    • Image Resizer - Resize one or many image files with a right-click. (521 KB)
    • Alt-Tab Replacement - Adds a preview when you use Alt+Tab to switch between windows. (534 KB)
    • Power Calculator - Graph and evaluate functions as well as perform many different types of conversions. (624 KB)
  • Collection of desktop enhancement software e.g Right click tweaker, New Menu editor, My Computer Manager – and other useful tools that Windows should've implemented. Featured on Lifehacker and PC Plus magazines.

Virus/Malware protection

  • a-squared Free 4.5 - “one of the better free malware removers” (70.69 MB)
  • avast! Home Edition (301 KB)
  • AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition (869 KB)
  • Avira AntiVir Personal - FREE Antivirus - CNET Editor's Choice April 2009. (32.39 MB)
  • Bitdefender Free - Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition gives you all the core functions you need, completely unrestricted, for no charge at all.
  • Malwarebytes Anti-Malware - CNET Editor's Choice April 2009. (3.86 MB)
  • Microsoft Security Essentials - Free for genuine Windows owners
  • Panda USB Vaccine (800kb) Prevents your computer from being infected by autorun executed malware stored on USB drives. Automatically makes autorun files on USB device read only.
  • Sandboxie - Don't trust a program? Want to browse the web safely? Running a program in a sandbox prevents them from making changes that may be harmful to your computer. Runs on 32 bit and 64 bit Windows XP, Vista and 7. (1.68 MB)
  • Kaspersky Rescue disk A burnable ISO image containing Kaspersky anti-virus utilities, also featuring ransom-ware removal.
  • RogueKiller As the name suggests, RogueKiller removes malware that has been disguised as a antivirus or anti-malware program.
  • ToolBar Cleaner Program that removes toolbars and BHO's (which may or may not be harmful) from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome.

PDF Creators/Convertors

Multimedia

  • Lightworks Professional Video Editor A professional level video editor that has recently been open sourced and made available for free. It has been used to edit many popular movies and has won many awards. Supports industry video formats including 3D, and Adobe Premiere or After Effects plugins. Windows only.
  • Inksape Vector Graphics An open source clone of Adobe Illustrator that imports and exports many different graphics formats. Windows, Mac, Linux.
  • Paint.NET Bitmap Graphics Free image and photo editing software with a friendly interface. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. Windows only.
  • GIMP Bitmap Graphics An open source clone of Adobe Photoshop. A slightly complicated interface but a modified version called Gimpshop is available. Can support Photoshop plugins. Windows, Mac, Linux.
  • GIMPshop Bitmap Graphics A modified version of GIMP designed to significantly enhance the user friendliness and make the menus much closer to Adobe Photoshop. Doesn't have the very latest features of GIMP, but pretty close. Windows, Mac, Linux.
  • Blender 3D Graphics An open source 3D graphics creation suite. Can do still images, animation, and also games. Very capable and widely used but has a reputation of having a slightly steep learning curve. Recent versions have been trying to make it more user friendly. Windows, Mac, Linux.
  • Scribus Desktop Publishing An open source Microsoft Publisher or Quark Express clone. Supports professional publishing features, such as color separations, CMYK and Spot Color support, ICC color management, and professional level PDF creation. Windows, Mac, Linux.
  • Audacity Audio Editor Open source software for recording and editing sounds. You can use Audacity to record live audio, convert tapes and records, edit sound files, change the speed or pitch of a recording and much more. Windows, Mac, Linux.
  • Synfig Studio 2D Animation Synfig Studio is a free and open-source 2D animation software, designed as powerful industrial-strength solution for creating film-quality animation using a vector and bitmap artwork. Windows, Mac, Linux.
  • Pencil Animation Pencil is an animation/drawing software package that lets you create traditional hand-drawn animation (cartoon) using both bitmap and vector graphics. Windows, Mac, Linux.
  • Freemake video, audio converters + downloader A collection of free software that features a easy to use video transcoder, audio converter and video downloader.

Other

  • Ninite A web app that provides an automated installer for applications you want, giving you an easy way to install multiple software without having to sit down and click through installation procedures.
  • FileHippo update checker An application that sifts through your program list and checks version numbers, then offers you a list of download links for the newest versions of your installed applications.
  • Super F4 Instantly end unresponsive applications and games without needing to bring up the Task Manager. Reviewed by TekZilla.
  • HardWipe Securely wipes and deletes data off your hard drive or removable drives.
  • TeraCopy An improvement on the Windows default file copying dialog, allowing faster copying speeds, advanced file queuing and interactive file list management. (1.7 MB, v2.2 beta)
  • Open Office Main components are for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and databases.
  • OCTAVE GNU Octave is a high-level interpreted language, primarily intended for numerical computations.
  • KidLogger Software for PC, Mac, and Android designed to monitor user’s usage of computers or devices and upload it to your Kidlogger online account (or to your web mail). Some online services are not free, but the software itself is free and open source.
  • Prey Software for Pc, Mac, Linux and Android. Prey lets you keep track of your phone or laptop at all times, and will help you find it if it ever gets lost or stolen. It's lightweight, open source software, and free for anyone to use.
  • Win to Bootic Create NTFS-based boot discs and USB drives. It uses the Windows 7 Bootloader and not the Linux-based GRUB bootloader. Portable and stand-alone application.

Apple Mac

Related Pages

Last edited by neil on 2023/04/21 09:55