Best Freeware Software
Office
- OpenOffice
- PC Suite 602
- Doc Convertor – document convertor
- Convert – unit convertor
- Converber – unit convertor
- Sunbird – calendar/organizer
- EssentialPIM Free – calendar/organizer
- PhraseExpress – speed up your writing
- ATnotes – create notes on the desktop
Text Editor
PDF Reader & Editor
Internet
Web Browser
- Thunderbird – email client
- PopTray – check for emails
Download Manager
Offline Browser
Rss Reader
- Yeah Reader – RSS reader
- GreatNews – RSS reader
- RSSOwl – RSS reader
P2P
Torrent Client
- µTorrent
- Azureus
- BitComet
- ABC – torrent client
- BitTornado – torrent client
P2P Client
- eMule
- SoulSeek
- Shareaza
- DC++ – Direct Connect network client
- PeerGuardian – IP blocker
Chat
IRC Client
VOIP Client
Audio
Audio Player
Music organizer
Convertor And Editors
CD Ripper
Tag Editor
- Mp3 Tag Tools
- Mp3tag – tag editor
- Taggin’ MP3 – tag editor
MP3 Editor
Video
Video Player
- Windows Media Player
- VLC
- Media Player Classic
- MV2Player
- CrystalPlayer 1.95
- Zoom Player
- GOM Player
- viPlay
- DSPlayer
- MediaPortal
- The FilmMachine
Video Editor
- VirtualDub
- CamStudio
- AviSplit
- Video mp3 Extractor – rip audio from video files
- Free iPod Converter – convert all popular video formats to iPod video
Security
Antivirus:
Anti-Spyware
- CyberDifender
- Ad-aware
- Spybot: Search & Destroy
- Windows Defender
- SpywareBlaster
- Spyware Terminator
- Tootkit Reveaker – rootkit detection utility
- Winpooch – system protection
- HiJack Free – system protection
- HighJackThis – hijackers detector and remover
Firewall
Other
- AxCrypt – file encryption
- Simple File Shredder – securely delete files
- PuTTy – SSH client
Password Manager
Network
- Hamachi – VPN client
Remote Control
Network Administration:
IP Scanner
- Angry IP Scanner
- IP-Tools
- Free Port Scanner
- NetMeter – network bandwidth monitoring
Image
Image Editor
- Gimp
- PhotoFiltre
- Paint.net
- ArtRage
- Artweaver
- Easy Thumbnails – create thumbnails from images
- JoJoThumb – create thumbnails from images
Image Viewer
Web Photo Albums
- iWebAlbum
- JAlbum
- 3D Box Shot Maker – design quality box shot
Screen Capture
- FastStone Capture
- WinSnap – screen capture
3D Modeling
Developers
Text & Code Editors
- PHP Designer
- Notepad++
- ConTEXT Editor
- PSPad
- FoxEditor
- Crimson Editor
- Elfima Notepad
- Notepad2
- SciTE4AutoIt3 – text editor for AutoIt
HTML Editors
Task Automation
CD/DVD
- DeepBurner
- CDBurner XP Pro
- BurnAtOnceExpress Burn
- Zilla CD-DVD Rip’n’Burn
- ImgBurn
- Daemon tools
- DVD Decrypter
- DVD Shrink
- Nero CD-DVD Speed
Codecs
- GSpot – codec information
- AC3Filter – audio codec
- Xvid – video codec
- QuickTime Alternative – video codec
- Real Alternative – video codec
- K-Lite Codec Pack – all codecs
System Ulilities
- CCleaner – system cleaner
- xp-AntiSpy – OS setup
- jv16 Powertools – system utilities
- XP SysPad – system monitoring utility
- What’s Running – process guard
- Registrar Lite – registry editor
- WinIPConfig – replacement for “ipconfig.exe” and “route.exe”
- Unlocker – file eraser
- Eraser – secure file eraser
- Undelete Plus – file recoverymodeling
- Duplicate File Finder – find all duplicate files
- Ant Renamer – file renaming
- ReNamer – file renaming
- Icons From File – icos extractor
- Chaos MD5 – MD5 generator
- HashTab – MD5, SHA1 and CRC-32 file hashes
- Rainlendar Lite – desktop calendar
- Weather Watcher – weather firecast
- Subtitle Workshop – subtitles editor
- Ant Movie Catalog – movie organizer
- Disclib – CD organizer
- Dexpot – virtual desktops
- DriveImage XML – create partition images
- MozBackup – backup and restore bookmarks, etc.
- SyncBack – system backup
- Atomic Cock Sync – syncronize your clock
- Citrus Alarm Clock – alarm clock
- TaskSwitchXP – Alt-Tab replacement
- Launchy – application launcher
- allSnap – make all windows snap
- Sysinternals Tools – various system tools
- StrokeIt – mouse gestures
- Net Profiles – create profiles of your network settings
- ResourceHacker – view, modify, rename, add, delete
- Java Runtime Environment – java for Windows
Archive
UI Enhancements
- RocketDock – application launcher
- AveDesk – desktop enhancer
- IconPhile – customize windows’s system icons
- CursorXP Free – change mouse cursors
- MacSound – volume control
- LClock – Windows Longhorn clock
- Y’z Dock – application launcher
- Y’z Shadow – shadow effect to the windows
- Y’z Toolbar – change the toolbar icons in Explorer and Internet Explorer
- Taskbar Shuffle – rearrange the programs on the taskbar by dragging
- Visual Task Tips – thumbnail preview image for each task in the taskbar
- Badges – put badges on any folder or file
- Folderico – change icons of the folders
- Folder Marker – mark your folders
- Folder2MyPC – add favourite locations to My Computer
- Microsoft TweakUI – system settings
- BricoPacks – shell packs
- ShellPacks – shell packs
- Tango Shell Patcher – shell patcher
- XPize – GUI enhancer
- Vista Transformation Pack – complete visual style
- Vista Sound Scheme – Windows Vista sound scheme
- Royale Theme – visual style
Hardware monitoring/Benchmarking
- CPU-Z – cpu information
- CrystalCPUID – cpu information
- Central Brain Identifier – cpu information
- Everest – system information
- SiSoft Sandra – system information
- SpeedFan – hardware monitor
- Memtest86 – memory test
- PowerMax – HDD test
- 3Dmark 06 – 3D game performance benchmark
- Aquamark – performance benchmark
- rthdribl – 3D benchmark
- Fraps – 3D benchmark, fps viewer and screen recorder
- Prime 95 – cpu benchmarking
- SuperPI – cpu benchmarking
- CPU Rightmark – cpu overclock
- Core Temp – cpu temperature
- ATiTool – video overclock
- ATI Tray Tools – Radeon tweaker
- aTuner – GeForce and Radeontweaker
- RivaTuner – video overclock
- Nokia Monitor Test – monitor adjustmets
- UDPixel – fix dead pixels
Education
- SpeQ Mathematics – mathematics program
- Dia – diagram creation program
- Google Earth – explore the world
- NASA World Wind – 3D virtual globe
- Celestia – explore the space
- Stellarium – planetarium
Servers
- FileZilla – FTP client
- FileZilla Server – FTP server
- EFTP – FTP client/server
Miscellaneous
- nLite – Build your own custom Windows disk.
- VirtualPC
- grabMotion – webcam capture
- iDailyDiary – diary
- Pivot Stickfigure Animator -stick animations
- Wink – presentations
- Scribus – page layout
- FreeMind – mind mapping
Related:
January 9 at 4:27 pm
I would also recommend Text Mining Tool (http://text-mining-tool.com).
Text Mining Tool is the free PDF, DOC, CHM, RTF, HTML converter. It performs analysis of pdf, doc, rtf, chm, html files and converts them to text.
It has a lot of advantages:
– No payment or license restrictions. Tool is absolutely free.
– Works as converter of PDF, DOC, RTF, CHM, HTML files to text.
– User-friendly interface with hotkeys available.
– Console tool minetext for automation of text converting is included.
– .NET 2.0 framework based.
– No installation is needed. Just unpack the program and use.
January 14 at 1:04 pm
Thanks for this list! I’d like to recommend two other pieces of free software for this list. There are precious few free non-linear video editors for Windows, but VideoPad (by NCH software) is one of them. It doesn’t have as many transition effects as Windows Movie Maker, but it supports more import/export formats.
Also, I should mention pdf-xchange viewer (by Tracker), the best free pdf viewer I’ve ever used. It renders pdf documents flawlessly, scrolls smoothly, and allows you to add highlighting, comments, etc. to a pdf file.
And if I may make one more suggestion, it would be nice to add a link to the “Best Open Source Software” list under the “related” heading above.
July 18 at 4:25 pm
I use pdf creator on all my windows computers, that is a great app compared to spending hundreds of dollars on getting an acrobat licence.