Evernote

Evernote is a powerful note-taking and web-clipping tool that

allows users to save and sync text, images, audio and video
clips, and even entire webpages into notebooks that they can
access across a broad range of devices. The desktop
application in particular works great as a control center
for your Evernote experience, as it's loaded with numerous
search, tagging, and organizational tools for viewing and
organizing your content into a comprehensible whole and
synching across your computers and devices.
CCleaner
Piriform's CCleaner is an excellent maintenance utility. It clears the contents
of your web browser's cache, history, and temporary internet files. Plus, the pr
ogram clears the Recycle Bin and registry. Simple, free, and powerful, CCleaner
is a great tool that should be in your maintenance toolkit if not part of your d
aily browsing habits.
Iobit Unistaller 2
A powerful, portable uninstall utility, IOBit Uninstaller 2 is a must-download.
This app is designed to uninstall programs and search for widowed files and regi
stry entries, even without installation monitoring. IOBit Uninstaller allows you
to classify programs by install date, as toolbars, etc, making it easy to track
down a particular program. Additionally, this tool's portable nature lets you k
eep it on a USB drive so you can take it with you anywhere.

Chrome
Thanks to a marketing push by Google and genuinely useful functionality, Chrome
has made its mark on a market long dominated by the David and Goliath of browser
s. Google's web browser offers an appealing alternative to Mozilla Firefox and M
icrosoft's Internet Explorer. A minimalist interface, true separation between th
e browser and the vulnerable parts of a PC, fast load times, and a rich library
of extensions and apps are among the reasons for Chrome's growing appeal.
Avast
One of our favorite picks in our 2013 survey of quality free antivirus tools, Av
ast! Free Antivirus provides excellent all-around antivirus protection for users
. A reasonably light resource footprint, well-rounded defenses against viruses a
nd online threats, and a browser cleaner and software update scanner make for a
feature rich free anti-virus tool.

Secunia PSI
Secunia's Personal Software Inspector is a free system update manager that focus
es on the safety of any software you have installed. PSI scans software that are
frequent targets of attack and flags those that are in need of updates or no lo
nger maintained and potentially unsecure. PSI can automatically run some driver
and Windows updates but for most other programs you'll be given download links t
o do the install yourself. Reliable, simple to use, and best of all, free, Secun
ia PSI is an excellent update management tool for the security conscious user.
Speccy
Speccy is a light and functional system information tool brought to you by Pirif
orm, the same team behind CCleaner and Defraggler. This nimble monitor quickly b

rings up system information on your OS, manufacturer and models of your CPU, mot
herboard, GPU, and hard disks, and other technical details. Collapsible views le
t you be as detailed as you want to be when hunting down specific information li
ke CPU temp or disk drive SMART information.
BackUp Maker
BackUp Maker is a free, user-friendly and powerful backup tool. This utility boa
sts strong task scheduling and the ability to make either full backups of select
ed files and folders or partial/differential backups of files changed since the
last partial or full backup. BackUp Maker also includes the ability to encrypt y
our backups if you need the added security. With the ability to back up to remov
able media or over a network, as well as the ability to restore the backup or ju
st selective files to its old (or new!) location, BackUp Maker is a great freewa
re suite to work with.

Scribus
Users looking to take the plunge into the deep end of desktop publishing would d
o well to consider Scribus, a powerful, open source desktop publishing tool. Scr
ibus is designed to help those looking for a low-cost or open source solution fo
r creating documents and PDFs. While it can be a bit overwhelming, there are a n
umber of helpful tutorials and an active community that you can get help from.
Recuva
Recuva is a free data recovery tool by Piriform, the same company behind the exc
ellent CCleaner and Defraggler utilities. Recuva is a free and user-friendly too
l for recovering deleted files, Recycle Bin content, and deleted emails, as well
as damaged or formatted hard drives. A quick start wizard allows you to perform
simple file recoveries quickly, while a more powerful 'Deep Scan' is available
for more thorough or troublesome operations.
qBittorrent
A lean, mean, little bittorrent client, qBittorrent has sort of flown under the
radar, which is a disservice to this fast and resource efficient client. Bandwid
th limiting, torrent queuing, prioritizing, selective content download, a torren
t creation tool, remote access, and a built-in torrent search tool for of a numb
er of torrent sites are among the many features of qBitTorrent. A clean, crapwar
e-free installer, along with a free and open source nature, allow qBitTorrent to
dethrone Torrent as our favorite torrent client.
Soluto
Soluto is a PC management tool that lets users track and manage multiple compute
rs and remotely apply software updates and maintenance tasks. In addition to rem
ote control, this utility contains startup and browser optimization tools for sp
eeding up your boot and trimming the fat off your browser. A free account lets y
ou run Soluto on three computers. There's also an offline app (right click on th
e Soluto taskbar icon) for tinkering with boot and browser settings even when no
t connected to the cloud.
Paint.NET
While GIMP aims to be a free, professional-level image editor, Paint.NET takes t
he other extreme, aiming for a light and extremely user-friendly tool inspired b
y the default Paint application included in Microsoft Windows. For a 3.5MB insta
ll that features layer editing, blurring, red-eye removal, and tabbed image edit

ing, Paint.NET certainly punches above its weight class. This llightweight but p
owerful image editing and retouching tool is great for everyday editing and won'
t cost you a cent.
Comodo Internet Security
Among our favorites in our 2013 comparison of free antivirus tools is Comodo Int
ernet Security, a versatile defense suite that incorporates Comodo's excellent f
irewall, an antivirus scanner and cleaner, as well as antimalware, antispyware,
and automatic sandboxing features. The goal: to keep your computer uninfected an
d safe from a variety of online threats. Powerful real-time defenses, the excell
ent Comodo Firewall, a hardened browser (Comodo Dragon) and a VirtualKiosk mode
are among the highlights of this Internet security suite.

LastPass
LastPass is a browser-based password manager that works on most browsers. After
creating a LastPass account, this service begins to "listen in" on your activity
, offering to save any usernames and passwords that you input into the LastPass
Vault. The tool will remember everything so that it can auto-fill your credentia
ls the next time you visit a site or service. Passwords and forms can be managed
in the Vault, and you can import data from other popular managers such as RoboF
orm. You can even sync your passwords across different computers using your Last
Pass account and a master password.

Mp3tag
MP3tag is a free bulk tagger that helps users sort through their collections to
tweak the tags and other metadata. Simply select the folders and files you want
to edit, select the files you want to tweak, enter the tags in the fields on the
left, and presto! Edit tags, rename files, create playlists, and even do some t
agging automatically with support for Amazon, freedb, and other online databases
.

Irfan View
Between the realm of light image viewers and heavy-duty photo editing suites lie
s IrfanView. An oldie but a goodie, this neat little program can be configured a
s a light-weight pic browser, while also packing in useful image editing tools s
uch as resizing, rotating, color correction, text insertion, and more. It's no P
hotoshop, but features like batch processing make InfranView a great image viewe
r and basic editor.

Liberkey
LiberKey isn't just a single piece of software. It's more of a software manager,
allowing users to download a suite of portable applications to a USB drive, or
pick and choose from a list of 292 apps. Pick a ready-made suite or customize yo
ur own from a selection of free and open source portable applications in order t
o build a toolbox of programs perfect for your needs. From system tools to word
processors to games, load what you want to use and then take it anywhere you go
by installing it all on a USB thumb drive.

Matwarebytes Anti-Malware Free

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free is a solid anti-malware scanner that is fast, tho
rough, and easy to use. While the free version is mainly an on-demand scanner, r
egular runs of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free combined with a good antivirus/Int
ernet security suite and good surfing habits should keep you fairly safe. Sadly,
there's no portable version, so you may want to pick another utility for cleani
ng up someone else's system.
Everything
Everything is a compact and extremely fast file search program that is incredibl
y quick at finding files and folders by name. A minimal resource footprint and r
eally quick indexing make for a neat and reliable file and folder search tool. T
he downside? Everything can only search NTFS formatted disks, which is going to
be a turn-off for some users. It also won't do things like search file contents
or tags or perform metadata searches. Still, for basic filename or folder search
, Everything is a great tool.

XBMC
XBMC is a free, open-source, one-stop media center for your desktop or home thea
ter PC that allows you to play, organize, and stream music, DVDs, video files, p
hotos, and more. Excellent file compatibility and playback, a very configurable
and skinnable interface, a solid media library management system, and an active
community continuously pushing development make XBMC a great all-around media ce
nter for your desktop or HTPC.
GIMP
Looking to do some advanced photo editing and digital painting but can't justify
the expense of Adobe Photoshop? Try GIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation Program. A
free, open-source graphics editing software packed with the ability to edit on
layers and masks, GIMP offers a powerful set of editing and manipulation tools f
or amateur and budding pros alike. Plugins and scripting support allow for autom
ation of repetitive tasks and the ability to work with animation.

Thunderbird
Mozilla's Thunderbird is a solid email client, but what really makes it shine is
something it inherited from its cousin (Mozilla's Firefox): add-on support. Wit
h Thunderbird's large library of add-ons, you can do everything from TK to TK. T
aken as stock, it's a solid email client. But once you get busy with add-ons, su
ch as Thunderbird Conversations (threaded mail), Send Later, or TorBirdy, you'll
begin to have an inkling of what this customizable mail client can offer.

PDF-Xchange Viewer
PDF-XChange Viewer is a free and fast PDF viewer that also comes with a host of
annotation and markup features, as well as OCR support, document search, and mor
e. Fast and light without suffering in performance, this is a great PDF viewer,
with numerous extra features that are great for getting a little more utility ou
t of the program

7-Zip
Here's a free file archiver that lets users combine several files into one for e
asier sharing via email or that trusty flash drive. 7-Zip is similar to popular
shareware options like WinRAR or WinZip with support for popular archive formats
like RAR or ZIP files. The key difference? It's completely free users will never
need to pay money to get rid of regular "buy now" reminders.

Virtual Box
Virtualization software allows for the use of different operating systems at the
same time without having to reboot. This is a great tool for users who need to
run applications written for Mac OS X on their Windows 7 PC, for example. Virtua
lBox offers free virtualization for any x86 or AMD64/Intel64 computer (or practi
cally any desktop or laptop computer available on the consumer market). It suppo
rts not only the two aforementioned OSes, but Vista, XP, 2000, Linux, and many m
ore.
Avidemux
Windows Movie Maker is decent enough for basic video editing, but Avidemux is an
other free tool with a more powerful set of features. While also limited to basi
c transitions and effects, the software supports a wider variety of movie file t
ypes so there's no need to convert the source video before working with it.
LibreOffice
Few other PC applications are as important as an office suite, and LibreOffice p
rovides what you need for free. Type out that financial report, crunch the numbe
rs in a spreadsheet, and build a presentation that summarizes your ideas into ke
y points. As for those switching from Microsoft Office, Libre supports all Offic
e files, even documents created with the 2011 version.
Mozilla Firefox
It's the web browser that broke Microsoft's virtual monopoly on the browser mark
et. Mozilla Firefox made the glaring issues with older versions of Internet Expl
orer that much more obvious. It also made secure, multi-tabbed browsing the inte
rface of choice for power-users. But what really "sold" Firefox (like Chrome, it
's a free download) for a large number of users was its extensions, the add-ons
that allow so much more functionality beyond simple web surfing.
Microsoft Security Essentials
This is the rare bright spot in Microsoft's security record. Even hardcore users
swear by Microsoft Security Essentials' ability to catch threats that have made
it through third-party protection software. While there are antivirus and secur
ity tools more powerful than MSE, its extremely light resource footprint is unma
tched. MSE provides excellent all-around protection against a variety of threats
to your computer. Security Essentials takes the prize among free antivirus util
ities when it comes to providing good security coverage with minimal impact on y
our system.
Blender
One of the more notable open-source projects, Blender is a free 3D animation and
rendering tool. This means that with enough patience (and practice), you can cr
eate virtual worlds or even feature-length movies. However, just like paid equiv
alents such as Maya, Blender's interface is a nightmare to navigate for beginner
s, and requires significant focus and dedication for maximum return.
VLC Media Player

Only a few other media players have the userbase of VLC. The open-source media p
layer runs light and fast, and can load almost any kind of video and audio that'
s out there. VLC also has numerous features for advanced users, including an opt
ion that boosts the audio track of low-volume movies.
ImgBurn
As utilities go, this one's pretty simple. Need to burn image files right on a C
D or DVD? ImgBurn is perfect for the job. The program can also build images from
files on a PC for burning at a later stage.
Freemake Video Convertor
Video Converter supports hundreds of video formats and converts movies so they c
an played on devices like the iPad and phones running earlier versions of the An
droid OS. Freemake's utility also helps users download movies straight from popu
lar online video sites like YouTube and Vimeo.
FileZilla
An open-source FTP client, FileZilla lets users manage files on any webserver, s
o long as they have the required authorization. The program can save the access
information for all the servers it connects to and supports easy drag-and-drop f
ile transfers. Why search for a file on a computer when files can be dragged fro
m the PC straight into FileZilla for upload to a remote server? The reverse (dow
nloading files to a PC) works the same way as well.
Notepad++
Here's a text editor that renders competing applications obsolete with its suppo
rt for practically any programming language or text format out there. Notepad++
helps designers and programmers alike by automatically color-coding and indentin
g text for clarity. The editor can also work with plugins that add related funct
ionality, such as FTP access for easy editing of HTML files
Defraggler
As a PC moves files around, gaps inevitably form between the chunks that represe
nt the data stored in these files. This can slow down your hard disk, as its rea
der heads jumps all over the place to load files. Defraggler is defragmentation
software that reorganizes files so that their chunks are in sequential order, en
suring that the hard disk can read faster and with less wear-and-tear. Do rememb
er not to defrag your SSDs and USB drives though, as it's unnecessary and can re
duce hardware life span.
Audacity
As more people try their hand at showcasing their musical expertise online, free
sound editors like Audacity become even more valuable. The program can't proces
s poor vocals with auto-tune, but it covers all of the basics of editing (cut, c
opy, paste) and features a variety of filters that can change the character of a
ny sound.
ZoneAlarm Free Firewall
It's the grandaddy of free firewall programs and with good reason: no other util
ity provides the same fine-tuned controls and level of security that's possible
with ZoneAlarm. Hide a computer so that random hackers scouring the Internet can
't encounter and target the system. Prevent spyware from sending personal inform
ation to strangers. And not let's forget about the price.
Ease US Partition Master Home
While Windows 7 and Vista have built-in partition software, EaseUS goes beyond b
asic partitioning. Even the free home version can recover lost or deleted data,
copy entire partitions, or run a disk surface test to locate any physical flaws
with a hard disk. This program is best for those who want to reorganize how file

s are divided on their drive or free up space to install a second OS, like Linux
.
Launchy
Hardcore users know that the keyboard is always faster than the mouse, and makin
g everything accessible through the former allows for improved productivity. Onc
e set up, Launchy users can start other programs, open documents or folders, and
even search for files without clicking on the Start Menu or launching Windows E
xplorer. The program runs from a text box pop-up, which can be summoned at any t
ime through a preset shortcut key combo.
Eraser
In reality, deleting files doesn't remove them from a computer's drives, only th
e references that "point" to them even if you use Shift-Delete in Windows. So the
data is still available for recovery, at least until they're overwritten as new
files are saved on the drive. Eraser makes sure deleted files stay that way, by
overwriting any information stored on these files and making them irrecoverable.
Free Download Manager
Internet service providers are more reliable than ever, but it's inevitable that
something will go wrong with your online connection just when you need a little
stability. Free Download Manager is something of an insurance policy against Mu
rphy's Law. It makes sure interrupted downloads continue right from where they l
eft off instead of starting from scratch. Free Download Manager also speeds up d
ownloads and maximizes bandwidth by splitting files into several segments that a
re downloaded at the same time. For other handy Download Managers, check out thi
s article.
Pidgin
Many open-source programs specialize in providing the same functionality you'd g
et from several applications combined, and Pidgin is no exception. The open-sour
ce instant messaging client works with popular communication protocols (a method
of formatting a message so that it can stream through a network), such as the o
nes used by AOL Instant Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, IRC, MSN Messenger, and man
y more. By integrating everything into one program, it's easy for Pidgin users t
o manage all of their IM accounts and contacts.
Skype
A VoIP juggernaut even before being integrated into Microsoft's software empire,
Skype is one of the most popular VoIP apps around, and for good reason. Audio a
nd video calls to other Skype users for free, the VoIP (Voice over Internet Prot
ocol) client features a robust chat functionality, and it's supported on a wide
variety of computers and smartphones.