10 FREE PROGRAMS That Should Be On EVERY PC! 2024

We’re constantly testing out free alternatives to expensive software to let you know what free choices are available to you. In this yearly round up, I’ll share with you 10 of our favorite free programs in various categories that we think are the absolute best. Most of which are available on all three of the major platforms Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

“Beginners Guide Tutorials” Playlist

0:00 Intro
0:25 Internet Browser
1:46 Media Player
2:21 Office Suite
3:09 Antivirus
3:56 Password Manager
4:41 Screen Capture
5:24 Screen Recorder
5:58 Video Editor
6:48 Image Editor
7:19 Vector Graphics Editor
7:46 3D Computer Graphics Toolset
8:21 Torrent Client
8:40 Virtualization Software

Vivaldi
VLC Media Player
LibreOffice
Thunderbird
Bitdefender (Windows)
Bitdefender (Mac)
Malwarebytes
Bitwarden
ShareX
Flameshot
OBS Studio
DaVinci Resolve
Shotcut
GIMP
Inkscape
Blender
qBittorrent
VirtualBox

MORE VIDEOS TO WATCH:

Brett In Tech is a leading source for the technology that we use each day. Whether it’s discussing computer operating system tricks, the latest tips for your mobile phone, finding out about the newest gadgets, or letting you know about the free software programs for your computer, Brett In Tech has boundless topics on technology for the astute YouTube viewer.

[koczisek]

What I think you missed is Notepad++ for Windows. There's no point in recommending a raw text editor for Linux - it's like a blasphemy, but on Windows, this Notepad++ marvel is absolutely unrivaled.

[ancientclown]

Blender & Gimp have been the first programs i install on any new computer or laptop for decades...just for fun.
I highly recommend them to anyone with a creative flair or curiosity.
While Blender can seem daunting at first glance that is only because it is a powerhouse that can do just about anything you can imagine across different mediums from game/3D design to animation/film and anything between with a massive community that provide tutorials on YouTube so you can jump in and learn at your own speed.

[larryblack]

Thanks for the latest. At the end you said to mention any free editors that we like that you haven't mentioned I'm a huge fan of a free program called Lossless Cut. As the name implies, you can edit stuff out of a video and keep the remainder separate or merge them or both. Unlike other editors, it only takes a few seconds because it doesn't recode. That also means the size stays the same. If you want to record a TV show or a movie from Tubi or Freevee, etc. and cut out the ads, it has no peer.

[TheRedPolyhedral]

Interesting recommendations, as always. I have Vivaldi as my browser of choice, on my Windows laptop, iPad and iPhone. Sync works really well across devices and operating systems.

[machawley]

Great work, Brett!
Thank you!
With Macrium Reflect going away next year, we need a good drive/partition backup option.

[bambazam]

Excellent video Brett! No fluff, no BS, just the info people need. Well done.

[jackfroste]

Will definitely check out your Virtual Box series Brett.
Ever since Mudahar confirmed that he runs all his windows in a virtual machine on Linux, I was thinking: That's probably a VERY good idea.

[TraderRobin]

This is a very well done video, but I was hoping for a photo viewer that can replace the garbage viewer that came with Windows 10 (64 bit). I loved the one I had in Windows 7. Any suggestions?

[acidbreath]

Try Handbrake too. Terrific program for video compression! And it's free and open source too!

[WolfQuantum]

I used to use Open Office. For the last few years though I have been using Libre Office and it is THE office suite on any computer I have. Windows or Linux. Very happy with it.

[jamesslick]

VLC is the FIRST thing I install on all my machines. Libre Office and Thunderbird are the NEXT things!

[sgwtier]

Thank you. This clip mostely confirm my choices, although I still like Firefox in the knowledge that there are better Browsers. Also, it's questionable to use an additional antivirus program instead of the build-in of Windows. Anyhow...

What I miss is:
* Audacity for audio editing
* Scribus for Desktop Publishing
* Visual Studio Code for Developing
* Power Shell Core for Scripting
* 7Zip for compressing
* Calibre for working with eBooks
* Notepad++ for Editing
* FileZilla for FTP
* Putty for Remote Shells

Perhaps next time?

[douglasmcneil]

I have Apachi Open Office. And it works well for my needs.

[erie]

Thunderbird doesn't connect to an Exchange server. Evolution does for email, but not the calendar.

[mutantplants]

When talking about VLC, I think you could have mentioned the extensive controls, especially the video and synchronization controls which make this such a great player.

[bioLarzen]

Great recommendation for those who really rarely look for free replacements for usually paid software - otherwise these are basically the best known and most widely used free alternatives. Sure, most of them are popular and much used for a reason.

[fredchacha]

Thank you very much, your videos are precise and insightful

[AdventureSMBW]

I just found you. You are the only youtuber Ive ever checked out that knows what programs actually are best. Thanks for your awesomness.

[Gundesalf]

I prefer Krita over Gimp, but I cannot possibly trash Gimp. Maybe I just got used to my brushes and add-ons collections. Some also love Krita for its animation and video-editing capabilities. I haven't tried those, though.

[kdhavle]

I love Libre Office, mainly for its database. It is lightweight, and just right for my needs as a freelancer. I use it to create my invoices and other reports.