These days most software is either free or cheap to buy. But some Windows programs still cost £100s. Either that or you have to pay a subscription fee (such as Microsoft Office 365 or Adobe CC). But there are free equivalents to just about every paid-for program, from Word and Excel to Photoshop, antivirus and games.
Here is the best free Windows software you can download right now, but do check out the best free games as well.
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Which is the best free office suite?
You might not need a whole office suite, just a word processor. In case you didn’t know, Windows has one built-in: it’s called Word Pad. It lacks many of Word’s features but may have enough for your needs.
If you must have Word, then here are a few ways to use Word for free.
Now that Microsoft has made a concerted effort to switch everyone to a subscription model for Office 365, it’s even more tempting to opt for a free alternative. Our pick is LibreOffice,which is now far from being a mere off-shoot of OpenOffice. For most people LibreOffice offers everything you need, being just about as compatible with Microsoft Office as it’s possible to get.
If you want a suite which copies Microsoft’s ribbon interface, look at Kingsoft Office Suite Free.
Also, there are plenty of free PDF editors which allow you to convert a non-editable file into a format, such as .doc or .xls so you can change it.
What’s the best free alternative to Photoshop?
Photoshop is still the benchmark for photo editors, but there are two cheaper alternatives: Lightroom 6 (£109.99 from John Lewis) and Photoshop Elements 15 (£80.99 from Ebuyer). However, there are plenty of free photo editors, including some web apps.
Some people find that Paint.net offers everything they need for offline use, while others will be more than happy with PicMonkey.
You’ll find more recommendations in our dedicated roundup of the best free photo editors.
Also, don’t forget that in the Creators Update to Windows 10, the built-in Paint app has had a massive upgrade!
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