Download the best free software

However, in recent years, the developers behind the best known Linux distros have made a conscious effort to turn them into more user-friendly packages. Several big-name computer manufacturers have even started selling Linux laptops directly to the public. Back in the day, users would often be put off Linux because few software manufacturers developed for the system.

Read our guide to the best Linux distros. North America. The best open source software makes it simple and easy to do everyday tasks on Windows, Mac, and Linux, without the need for license fees.

Reasons to avoid - Not cloud-based. VLC Media Player. Reasons to avoid - Complex menu system. Reasons to avoid - May confuse first-time users. Specifications Operating system: Windows. Reasons to avoid - Steep learning curve. Reasons to avoid - Features its own ads. Reasons to avoid - No mobile app. Specifications Operating systems: Windows unofficial ports available for others. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance.

Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Financial Planning Financial Software. Part of. We are reader-supported so we may receive a commission when you buy through links on our site.

You do not pay extra for anything you buy on our site — our commission comes directly from the product owner. Support WizCase to help us guarantee honest and unbiased advice. Share our site to support us! Please type an email. Please type a Name. Kaspersky Lab is one of the most popular antivirus company, and creates some of the best antivirus products for Windows.

Their free offering called Kaspersky Free become a fan-favourite in the free antivirus market in no time. You can try both of them and stick to the one you like the best. The Windows Firewall is pretty solid these days, but if you want more control over the network connections made by your installed programs then you should consider installing a third-party firewall software.

Comodo has no competition in the free software firewall market of Windows. Comodo Firewall has all the features that any advanced firewall software must possess. After installing security programs, the first utility program to be downloaded and installed is a web browser. Mozilla Firefox has been a trusted web browser for years now, the recent recode and rebranding was a much-needed breath of fresh air for Firefox and its users.

Now, it is fully capable to counter any other web browser. Try a web browser that has its roots in the first web browser called Mosaic through the first commercial web browser called Netscape Navigator. Windows PCs come preloaded with sponsored software. Uninformed users consider them to be the best option for the file types that they are assigned to, and keep using them as default when they can get a much better replacement.

They never think about uninstalling them, and installing better alternatives. Even if somebody removes these bloatware one by one, they come back all at once when the user uses the Recovery option to get his system back to the default factory image.

All this pain can be cured by using a wonderful portable tool called PC Decrapifier , which scans for the Bloatware on your system, and recommends the user to remove them. Prevention is better than cure. This is the philosophy behind Unchecky. When we install software, many times, the free variants of paid software are distributed by the companies along with third-party PUPs, an uninformed computer user accidentally installs these third-party PUPs along with the main program.

These unwanted applications later affect the computer badly, they change web browser settings, install toolbars, and install additional software. Ninite a great tool for installing multiple programs in one go. It saves you from searching, downloading, and installing various software separately. Ninite provides you with a software portal with most popular Windows software, which you can use to create your own customized Ninite software downloader and installer.

It is quite evident that the Web Browser companies spend little to no time and resources on the development of the Download component of their products. We get a bare-bones Download feature with hardly any features. A Download Manager is a complex software, one that is always running in the background and monitoring various things such as the Windows Clipboard, and all of the web pages surfed inside Web Browsers.

With a Download Manager, you get various advanced downloads related features such as resuming paused downloads, organising downloads in respective folders, download acceleration, clipboard monitoring, multimedia grabbing, virus scanning, etc. Free Download Manager provides all of these features along with many others, without any ads, promos or nags.

North America. The best YouTube downloaders for Windows or Mac are a boon for being able to watch your favorite videos when an internet signal is hard to come by. Fast, free and flexible — the most versatile YouTube downloader. Reasons to avoid - Limits on playlist downloads.

WinX YouTube Downloader. Clear, powerful and well designed — a very close runner-up. Specifications Operating system: Windows, macOS. Reasons to avoid - No degree video support.

Any Video Converter Free. Reasons to avoid - No batch downloads - Bundled extra software. Free YouTube Download. Reasons to avoid - Three-minute time limit. Specifications Operating system: Windows.