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Last checked 3/10/2024
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- Ethical.net has a list of apps and alternative software that they consider to be the product of ethical businesses.
- PC World's Software News
- Super Shareware
 has lots of programs (some freeware), search engine, and ratings by users with comments.
- Shareware Junkies - lot of files, search engine, news, reviews, etc.
- FileFlash gives you news about new file and driver releases with links to the files.
- PCWin Download Center is a collection of downloadable software that includes Windows and Linux.
- The File Dudes
- Winsite is an oldie but goldie full of shareware, drivers, fonts, etc.
- Windows Application List is a blog that discovers and describes new shareware. The programs are listed by date which is nice if you just want to browse.
- Microsoft's Free Downloads has the latest versions of the IE browser, drivers, utilities, etc.
- Major Geeks has a nice variety of shareware and freeware.
- Shell Extension City has a bunch of useful programs. Includes file managers, shells, emulators, etc. A lot of the programs are free.
- Oldversion.com - 'because new is not always better.' The site collects old software versions that are often better than the newer versions. Includes a forum.
- Best Open Source Tools is a 2023 article from PCWorld that briefly reviews a wide variety of open source (free) software tools.
- Best Free Software For PC (2024) This PCMag article points to the best free software in a wide range of categories.
- Best Free Software For PC (2023) This PCWorld article points to the best free software in a wide range of categories. Each software program is reviewed and indicates if it is worth upgrading to a more commercial program.
- 12 Must Have PC Applications as rated by MakeUseOf in this 2022 article. Freeware.
- OlderGeeks.com
 has freeware that is intended to be useful and free from malware and other nasty stuff. The site is run by a couple of older geeks (with a sense of humor) and is supported entirely by donations (no ads). The administrators of the site at least talk the talk associated with useful and safe freeware. I have not been disappointed.
- Safest Windows Freeware Sites as rated by MakeUseOf in this 2022 article. Good reading to remind oneself of the pitfalls of freeware.
- Freeware Genius reviews freeware.
- Ninite This is one of the few sites that do not include malware, bloatware, adware, etc. in their downloads. It is also the easiest site to use to download and install groups of software which is useful when doing a clean-install of a lot of freeware apps.
- Best Freeware (2017) This is a great list of about 20 great freeware programs. My only complaint is that the list is presented in a "slideshow", one of the worst conventions associated with browsing since cookies.
- Best Windows Software as rated by MakeUseOf in this 2018 article. Most suggestions are freeware.
- Softpedia - news on freeware - shows a list of newly updated programs. Committed to being free of malware and deception.
- MajorGeeks has a nice variety of shareware and freeware. Committed to being free of malware and deception.
- FileHippo has a nice variety of shareware and freeware. Committed to being free of malware and deception.
- FilePuma has a nice variety of shareware and freeware. Site is attractive and easy to scan. Committed to being free of malware and deception.
- FileHorse concentrates on a small number of clean and useful software and is committed to being free of malware and deception.
- Free Software Directory is a global organization dedicated to making free software available to all.
- DonationCoder has a small set of useful freeware.
- Old Version has an archive of older versions of software.
- DistroWatch - tracks the open source Linux community, reports news, and reviews new software especially new distros.
- Online Tech Tips and Free Software
- BetaNews has the latest news on beta software (mostly freeware) with links to where you can get the stuff.
- Best PC Freeware according to PCMag (2022).
- Best PC Freeware according to PCWorld (2022).
- Top Freeware Picks selected by MajorGeeks.
- SoftwareOK.com is the homepage of Nenad Hrg who programs small and usefull utilities that are free. He is the author of QDir.
- I Want a Freeware Utility ... free sofware utilities that solve 400+ specific problems. Thus, the 'I-Want...' title. Extremely excellent collection and presentation.
- Ask the eConsultant free sofware utilities that solve 400+ specific problems. This is open source software.
- Nirsoft has a lot of freeware utilities. While these utilities tend to the more technical side, they are very useful.
- Gizmo's Freeware has a nice collection of freeware, a forum, guides and tutorials, best free on line apps, best free portable apps, all with succinct reviews. Nice site.
- Last Freeware is a site that collects the last version of software that was free prior to the software going commercial. Get some older, cheaper, and sometimes better versions of programs.
- Windows Utilities Every Developer Should Have - screen recorder, clipboard enhancer, image manager, password manager, etc. A handful of free stuff that is extremely useful.
- Windows Club Freeware has a list of freeware in various categories. Although descriptions are included, none are rated.
- List of Freeware Alternatives from Neowin is a long, long list of freeware in all kinds of categories submitted by the public.
- Best Open Source Freeware - very short list of quality software available free for Windows.
- Snapfiles Freeware has a very nice collection of freeware that is categorized, described, and rated.
- A+ Freeware - a lot of freeware
- Best Freeware of 2012 from PCMagazine
- Best Freeware of 2017 from PCMagazine
- FreeWare Files is well organized with a lot of utility programs.
- Freeware Home
- AlternativeTo provides freeware to replace commerical software.
- Portable Freeware is freeware that you don't have to 'install'. That is, it is usually just an executable file that can be freely copied from disk to disk or onto removable media like USB keys.
- Portable Apps is a single download linked to portable apps.
- Portable Software for USB Keys from the MakeUseOf folks.
- Portable Apps Sites - sites with a bunch of apps that you can run from a USB drive.
- 12 Handy Tools to Keep On a USB Stick
- Snapfile's USB Software is software that you can install on removable media like a USB memory key. These are all programs that do not require installation to run. Just click on the EXE file.
- ZeuApp is software that you load on your PC and then use it to pick and choose freeware to be downloaded all at once. Good for restoring software after a new install.
- Freeware Web has a great deal of software available but it is very difficult to navigate since it only displays a few programs at a time.
- Beyond the Black Stump Freeware Sites has a list of freeware sites
- The Free Site has free software, fonts, e-cards, etc.
- FreeGames has a bunch of free software games with brief reviews and ratings.
- Free Center has free software
- AbandonWare - abandonware is software that is no longer supported and can be used for free.
- Best Old Games has abandonware
- Top 5 Freeware in a bunch of categories.
- Download Free Games has free games.
- Free Replacements for Windows Explorer are included in this comparison of a dozen free and not-free replacements.
- Free Microsoft software Microsoft has a lot of different projects going at one time and you can get a lot of neat software on their site if you know where to look. This guy knew where to look and has collected the links but the software is old.
- DonationCoder Newsletters - from the DonationCoder folks. Check the archives. There is some great stuff here.
- Open Source Alternatives to commercial software. Free.
- Mohawke's Best of the Best is a very good list of free and open source software including games, utilities, operating systems, etc. Mostly Windows, but there is a section for Mac stuff, also.
- Drupal is free software that allows you to create a shared Web site. Content management stuff.
- Give Away of the Day - a different program is offered for free each day. Full functioning applications.
- Free Graphics Software is a nice collection of all sorts of free graphics programs including icon editors and drawing software.
- Sysinternals Suite is a collection of famous utilities bundled into a single, free download.
- TopFreeWare is a collection of well reviewed freeware and tips.
- Best Freeware of Ghacks
- Best Freeware for Encrypting USB Memory Sticks
- Best Freeware for Backup
- Download Free Stuff This is an article from the MakeUseOf folks on how to download free stuff like old software, ebooks, images, etc.
- UltraVNC - free VNC software.
- InfraRecorder is an open source CD recorder.
- Digital Enhancer is a free digital picture enhancer that reduces noise.
- Privacy Tools is a collection of freeware that is useful when trying to protect your privacy.
- AppSafari has extensive reviews and news of apps.
- AppCrawlr
- AppShopper has reviews and news related to all kinds of mobile apps. Also has a listing of apps that are noteable either because they are new or cheap or have had price reductions.
- iPad Board Games
- App Lists are lists of apps associated with a particular theme.
- 100 Best iPhone Apps - some are free and some are not (updated 2018).
- Best 50 Free iPhone Apps of 2015 from PC Magazine
- 30 Best iPhone Games from PC Magazine
- Apps for Your Car
ClocX |
Another replacement for the Windows time app. This one is an analog representation that floats on the desktop. |
WebTime |
This little gem lets you synchronize your computer time with a publicly
available atomic clock. It can even be set up to do this automatically
every time you boot up. |
TweakUI |
You can tweak all kinds of Windows settings like mouse and desktop features, Add/Remove list, boot features, etc. |
7-Zip |
This compression/decompression program is compatible with Zip files. Open source. |
WinMerge |
If you are a programmer, you'll love this little utility. It compares two
files and reports on the lines that are different. Very nice and complete comparison. |
WS_FTPLE |
This is a limited version of the WS_FTP program that allows you to FTP files
directly to servers. It is free for government employees, noncommercial
home users, and members of educational institutions. |
FileZilla |
This is another FTP program that rivals WS_FTP. Open source. |
Irfan View |
This is a pretty powerful graphic viewer. It's quick and easy to use. |
Faststone Image Viewer |
This is a pretty powerful graphic viewer that has some editing capabilities. Nice thumbnails. 5 stars. |
Thunderbird |
Best free email client. |
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These are full office suites that are compatible with MS Office. |
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Best free replacements for Windows Explorer. |
Stickies |
This is a nifty program that emulates stick-on notes. You click on the program icon and type in your note. You can set an alarm reminder on a note. |
AdAware |
This is a free program that will search your system for any 'spyware' that
may be keeping track of your browsing. It alerts you to the presence of
these programs and then will delete them, if you decide to do so. |
NotifyCD |
This program is a small, no-frills, but totally free and totally useful CD player. |
Audacity |
This is a great, free audio editing and recording program. You can use it to rip CD's. |
MediaMonkey |
is a free media player. Excellent. |
FontViewer |
This free program will display the names of the fonts that are used in the
documents on your system. It will display a sample of all of the fonts
installed on your system. It will help you delete the fonts that you
aren't using. |
Opera |
The best alternative browser to Firefox, in my humble opinion (IMHO). |
SeaMonkey | This is the updated Netscape browser and email client that still includes a great HTML editor (Composer). Open source. |
Firefox | Best of breed. |
WinPatrol |
A free program that controls which programs start when you boot up. |
Notepad2 |
is a free alternative to the Notepad that comes with Windows. |
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are free PDF creators.
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Foxit |
is a free pdf reader. Much smaller footprint than the Adobe reader. |
CCleaner |
cleans out the accumulated crap and browser debris on your PC and also cleans up the registry. |
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