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Freeware Alternative List

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Grand Master

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Freeware Alternative List
Special Thanks to: CoolCatBad, kinetix63, Simon, and Sanctified.

 

This list was last updated October 2011. I have no plans to continue maintaining this list.

There are no Windows 8 apps on this list. Expect some broken links.

 

For the web developers out there, you can download this list as an XML document to do with as you please:

freelist.zip

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https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/934274-freeware-alternative-list/
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Grand Master

Copernic Reporter

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Many thanks Xinok for keeping this alive. A single complaint:

Pls remove Open Freely --> File Management -> Viewers, because IMO is just a scam. The software is similar to Free Opener and (maybe) owned by the same company. Remember all the buzz about Free Opener on freewaregenius, lifehacker etc...? Well, at the begining Free Opener installer was around 20.4 MB now is 1.5 MB and there's a reason. Now is a web installer ''powered'' by InstallIQ , an adware provider. Moreover it seems that same same company produces the same program under different name but all with the same purpose: money from InstallIQ.

Just check this out:

FreeOpener 1.0.1.0

http://www.freeopener.com/

Free File Opener 2011

http://www.freefileopener.com/

Free File Viewer 2011

http://www.freefileviewer.com/

Ultimate File Viewer

http://www.ultimatefileviewer.com/

The same software under different theme and using different names. After doing some research I found that the company behind all this poorly coded stuff is Bitberry Software ApS owner of Trusted Software a website that rips-off Open Source software like GIMP, VideoLan than bundle it with InstallIQ.

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Grand Master

+Xinok Subscriber²

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Pls remove Open Freely --> File Management -> Viewers, because IMO is just a scam. The software is similar to Free Opener and (maybe) owned by the same company. Remember all the buzz about Free Opener on freewaregenius, lifehacker etc...? Well, at the begining Free Opener installer was around 20.4 MB now is 1.5 MB and there's a reason. Now is a web installer ''powered'' by InstallIQ , an adware provider. Moreover it seems that same same company produces the same program under different name but all with the same purpose: money from InstallIQ.

Thanks for pointing this out. I took a better look and besides for being highly suspicious, their software (presumably illegally) bundles other programs as well as install a certain codec pack... So I removed Open Freely as well as Free Opener (it was also on the list).

  • 0
Mentor

iwod

Posted
Posted

I think two new addition should be added to the list. These two, simple, elegant, lightweight, powerful, are the best in my opinion. Not only as a freeware, but also within commercial category.

Bandizip - http://www.bandicam.com/bandizip/

Yes there are TONS of Archivers out there, but they are either very light weight and ugly ( 7 zip ), powerful but heavy ( Power Archivers type.) Bandizip offers many features while being quite lightweight. It is also one of the best if not the best at extracting Unicode filename archives.

KingSoft Office Free - http://www.kingsofts...suite-free.html

Yes i get it from the back page news. Most neowinians hate Chinese. The same for Chinese Software as well. But other then that it is possibly the best Office Suit you can get ( free or paid ) if you dont like Ribbon UI.

  • 0
Grand Master

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Changelog - October 2011

Credit:

@Copernic for pointing out a suspicious program

@iwod for suggesting Bandizip and Kingsoft Office Suite Free

@Vykranth for pointing out that IcoFX is no longer freeware

Category Changes:

Windows 8, a temporary base category until the OS is officially released

Mathematics -> Calculators, arranged calculators not already under a sub-category

Mathematics -> Calculators -> Arithmetic, new sub-category for simple calculators

Uncategorized -> Forensics, moved under System

Program Changes:

Updated IcoFX link to a mirror of the last freeware version

Monthly Stats:

Categories: 771

Programs: 5705

PortableApps: 139

Starred: 259

Tags: 588

3D Graphics -> Viewers

Ogre Meshy

Audio -> Duplicate Finders

Rinse | for iTunes

Audio -> Editors

ocenaudio

Audio -> Editors -> Tools

Free Ringtone Maker

Audio -> Extract

Moo0 VideoToAudio

Audio -> Lyrics & Chords

Lyricist

Audio -> Notation & Tablature

Taboo

Audio -> Organize

Rename and move files by metatags

bliss

Audio -> Players

Calaym

Mpxplay

Audio -> Synthesizers

FluidSynth

Audio -> Text to Speech

YAKiToMe | Web-Based | Free Registration

Backup & Synchronization -> LAN

UrBackup

Business & Office -> Business Card

Easy Card Creator | Restricted

TechnoRiverStudio Community

Business & Office -> eCommerce

KonaKart

PrestaShop

Business & Office -> Help Desk

HESK

SysAid Free

CAD

WireframeSketcher

CAD -> Circuit Board / Electical

VirtualBreadboard

CD & DVD -> Burners

StarBurn Free | Portable

CD & DVD -> Converters

IMG to ISO

UIF to ISO

CD & DVD -> Copy / Rip

DVD43

DVDFab HD Decrypter | Free After Trial

Passkey Lite

CD & DVD -> Images (ISO)

ISO to USB

CD & DVD -> Virtual Drives

TotalMounter | Virtual Burner

Compression & ZIP -> Archivers

:star: Bandizip

KuaiZip

Database -> Administration & Management

Pretty Database Explorer

Database -> Dump / Export / Backup

MySQLBackupFTP

Database -> Monitoring

Pretty Reports

Data Recovery & Repair -> Master Boot Record (MBR)

MBR Regenerator

Data Recovery & Repair -> Passwords

Advanced Password Recovery

Desktop & Customization -> Clipboard

PasteCopy.NET

Desktop & Customization -> Desktop & Explorer

Folder Options X

Desktop & Customization -> Keyboard -> Hot Keys

AloneKey

Desktop & Customization -> Launchers -> Icon / Grid

Folder Bookmarks

Harmony

Desktop & Customization -> Launchers -> List / Menu

SyMenu

Desktop & Customization -> Logon

7Log

Desktop & Customization -> Macros & Virtual Input

WinParrot

Desktop & Customization -> Taskbar

Aero Taskbar Color Changer

Desktop & Customization -> Timer, Alarm, Stopwatch

OnlyStopWatch

Desktop & Customization -> Virtual Desktops

Finestra Virtual Desktops

Desktop & Customization -> Wallpaper

Wallpaper Manager

Desktop & Customization -> Window Control

bug.n

Devices -> Android

Synx

Devices -> Camera

Agisoft Lens

Devices -> Smart Card

Cardpeek

Devices -> Web-Cam

Sentry Vision Security

Documents & PDF -> Auto-Complete / Autofill

CopyTexty

Popchrom | Chrome Add-on

Documents & PDF -> CSV

CSVFileView

Documents & PDF -> Flat Files

Flat File Checker (FlaFi)

Documents & PDF -> Metadata

BeCyPDFMetaEdit

Documents & PDF -> Readers / Viewers

Google Docs Viewer | Firefox Add-on

Documents & PDF -> Readers / Viewers -> eBook

MComix

Documents & PDF -> Speech Recognition

Dictation Pro

Documents & PDF -> Suites

Kingsoft Office Suite Free

Documents & PDF -> Text -> Editors

BirEdit

Educational -> Computers

Efficiency

Educational -> Geography

gvSIG

Educational -> Kids Tools

Bambini

GCompris

Educational -> Language

Fingerspelling Tutor

Educational -> Teaching & Learning

ExamEditor

E-Mail -> Tools

WiseStamp | Firefox Add-on | Chrome Add-on

File Management -> Attributes

Moo0 TimeStamp

File Management -> Checksum

eHash

Fsum Frontend

Moo0 HashCode

File Management -> Copy & Move

FileSieve

n2ncopy

WinRoboCopy

File Management -> Disk Space Analysis

Better Directory Analyzer

File Management -> List Generators

Simple File Lister

File Management -> Organizer / Tagging

DiviFile

Stuff Organizer

File Management -> Search

Dropout

VX Search | Restricted

File Management -> Search -> Find and Replace

GGrep

Image & Graphics -> Color Pickers & Grabbers

Peacock Color Picker

Image & Graphics -> Converters & Resizers

AnyPic Image Resizer Free

Image & Graphics -> Editors

PixBuilder Studio

Image & Graphics -> Editors -> Pixel Art

ASEPRITE

GrafX2

Image & Graphics -> Editors -> Web-Based

Adobe Photoshop Express | Web-Based

Image & Graphics -> Effects

Easy Photo Effects

Focalpoint

Photo Frame & Effects Free

Image & Graphics -> GIF / APNG

Animat | Firefox Add-on

Image & Graphics -> Metadata (EXIF)

Pixelgarde

Image & Graphics -> Print & Scan

DVD Slim

Image & Graphics -> Screenshot -> Upload

Clupper

xScreenshot

Image & Graphics -> Stereoscopic

Agisoft StereoScan

Image & Graphics -> Thumbnails

Moo0 ImageThumbnailer

Image & Graphics -> Viewers & Organizers

Helicon Photo Safe

Image Components

ModernView

Information Management -> Calendars & Time Management

Calendar Editor Pro

Information Management -> Database

Piggydb

Information Management -> Genealogy (Family Tree)

Visual Family Tree

Information Management -> Mind Mapping

Mind On Track

VYM (View Your Mind)

Information Management -> Notes

Memonic Desktop | Online | Free Registration

Information Management -> Notes -> Stickies

StickMeUp

Information Management -> PIM

PIM Xtreme

Information Management -> Time Tracking

Kapow Punch Clock

MapleXp

Information Management -> Todo & Task Management

DeskTask

Instant Messengers -> Other

PrivyTalks | Web-Based

Instant Messengers -> Tools

Messenger Plus | Adware

Mathematics -> Calculators -> Financial & Loan

Loan Calculator Plus

Mathematics -> Calculators -> Geometry

Geometry Solver 3D

Mathematics -> Calculators -> Other

CPMP-Tools

Mathematics -> Calculators -> Scripted

Frink

Network -> Auditing & Inventory

Prime

Network -> Bandwidth Monitoring

SysTray Bandwidth Monitor

Network -> Hotspot

Virtual Wi-Fi Router

Network -> MAC Address

DynaMAC

Network -> Remote -> Access / Desktop

Mouse Without Borders

QuickScreenShare | Web-Based

Tonido

Network -> Scanners

EMCO MAC Address Scanner

Network -> Sniffer

Capsa Free

NetworkTrafficView

WebCookiesSniffer

WebSiteSniffer

Network -> Tools

EMCO Ping Monitor Free

Online Services -> Education

Codecademy

Online Services -> File Transfer

Kicksend

LargeDocument

Operating Systems

Zorin OS

Operating Systems -> Bootloader

SARDU

Optimization & Tweaks -> Cleaners

Broken Shortcut Fixer

Moo0 DiskCleaner

Optimization & Tweaks -> Other

Simple Performance Boost

Programming -> Code -> Analysis

KinetiCount

Programming -> Code -> Formatting

DustMite

Tigris Delta

Programming -> Code -> Generation

CodeGenerator | Free Registration

Programming -> Compilers & Languages

Groovy

Programming -> Documentation

NDoc

Programming -> Editors

medit

ZionEdit

Programming -> Game Creation

TADS (Text Adventure Development System)

Programming -> Hex Editors

Hexalt(ed)

Programming -> IDE -> D

Poseidon

Programming -> INI

IniSpector

Programming -> Licensing

IntelliProtector

Programming -> Obfuscator -> EXE / DLL

Orange Heap

Programming -> Regular Expressions

PyReditor

RSS -> Readers

Newzie

Science & Medical

BrainVISA

OpenEMR

Virtual Environment Laboratory (VLE)

Science & Medical -> Astronomy & Astrology

Astronomy Calculators

Ephemeris

SkyORB

Science & Medical -> DICOM / Imaging

Biocomputing Unit (Multiple Products)

BrainVoyager QX

BrainVoyager Viewer

DICOM Browser

MRIcro

Science & Medical -> Genetics

Syntainia

Science & Medical -> Molecular

BALLView

CueMol

PyRx

Science & Medical -> Neurology

BrainVoyager Brain Tutor

BrainVoyager TMS Neuronavigator

Lucid Scribe

Security -> Anti-theft

Norton Anti-Theft

PC-Alarm and Security System | Free Registration

Security -> Anti-virus -> HIPS

Registry Alert

Security -> Anti-virus -> Scanners

Comodo Cleaning Essentials

Security -> Autorun Blockers

USB Flash Drives Control

Security -> Encryption

Secure Archive

Security -> File Shredders

Moo0 Anti-Recovery

Moo0 FileShredder

Security -> Monitoring / Keylogger

Ultimate Keylogger Free

Security -> Program Blockers

AppAdmin

Security -> Web

Bitdefender TrafficLight

Cocoon | Firefox Add-on

System -> Benchmark

ATTO Disk Benchmark

System -> Devices/Hardware -> Lock

USB Disabler

System -> Drivers -> File Systems

SDFS

System -> Info & Monitoring

TinyResMeter

System -> Info & Monitoring -> RAM (Memory)

MemInfo

System -> Keyboard -> Sharing

ShareMouse

System -> Power -> Management

Boray POWer

System -> Process -> Terminate

VPN Watcher

System -> Startup / Autorun

StartupEye

System -> Stress Test

StressMyPC

System -> System Restore

System Restore Explorer

Uncategorized

Aber Lite

JSesh

Razuna

SSLCertScanner

Uncategorized -> Audio

Reactive Music Language Editor

Uncategorized -> Data Mining

DASS-GUI

Uncategorized -> Documents

DocumentBurster

Uncategorized -> Network

Foglight Network Management System

Uncategorized -> Programming

Cedalion

Uncategorized -> Sports

Dartscore 2005

Uncategorized -> System

Advanced Tokens Manager

GetWindowText

Uncategorized -> Time

Moo0 WorldTime

Video -> Capture & Recording

:star: ScreenVirtuoso

Video -> Effects / Filters

Pixelfusion | for Windows Media Player

Video -> Metadata

Moo0 VideoInfo

Video -> Stereoscopic

NVIDIA 3D Vision Video Player

Video -> Streaming / DLNA

Serviio

Video -> Subtitles -> Downloaders

OpenSubtitlesSearch

Video -> Subtitles -> Editors

Gaupol

Virtualization -> Physical to Virtual

Parallels Transporter Agent

Virtualization -> Virtual Drives

VFD

Web & Internet -> Anonymity

Osiris

Web & Internet -> Browsers

Waterfox

Web & Internet -> Browsers -> Data

Find Favorites

Web & Internet -> Browsers -> Default

Change Default Browser

Web & Internet -> Design -> Editors

Wakanda Studio

Web & Internet -> Servers

Fortitude HTTP

Web & Internet -> Sites -> Facebook

Kurst FlickNav

PhotoGrabber

Web & Internet -> Spider / Crawler

The Image Collector

WebESC

Web & Internet -> Website Monitor

Newzie

NotiPage

ReloadIt

Windows 8

MetroController

Metro UI Tweaker

Start Menu Selector

Windows 8 Developer Preview Tweaker

Windows 8 Login Screen Capture

Windows 8 Start Menu Gadget

Windows 8 Start Tweaker

Windows 8 Tweaker

  • 0
Rookie

kslogan

Posted
Posted

Can i suggest two free softwares i use daily.

Search Everything: locate files and folders by name instantly, a lot faster then windows search.

Kingsoft PC Doctor: maybe a windows tweaking tool, i've no idea which category it should be in since it also get malware removal features, reviews from wilderssecurity are pretty good, worth a try.

  • 0
Veteran

TDT

Posted
Posted

I don't know if this was answered before or not, but is Adobe Reader free for business use? Not redistribution, just regular use on company pc's. If it is, can someone please point me to the "proof", because I don't see anything about this in that stupid eula... Thank you. :)

  • 0
Grand Master

Vykranth

Posted
Posted

Desktop & Explorer (Category 11-10)

Better Explorer - http://bexplorer.codeplex.com/

A replacement of standard windows explorer with more features for more convenient work! One of that is Tabs, Ribbon interface, additional conditional tabs and so on!

  • 0
Neowinian

616e6f6e

Posted
Posted

1-4a Rename

http://www.1-4a.com/rename/

A mass file renamer. I used this religiously until I discovered ReNamer, which I found much easier to use, but 1-4a is still one of my favourites. It's a standalone program (i.e. no installation required) and the entirety of the functionality/interface is contained on one large screen.

AHK BBCodeWriter

http://www.autohotke...page/index.html

This program allows you to type up BBCode forum posts offline with the ability to preview them as they'd appear online, including emoticons.

Android Sync Manager WiFi

http://global.mobile...oad/android.jsp

Along with the corresponding (free) app on your Android device this program allows you to sync your device with your PC over the WiFi connection.

AVIAddXSubs

http://aviaddxsubs.blogspot.com/

Takes .srt subtitles and adds them to the AVI container (i.e. the video is not re-encoded). It converts the original .srt into XSub or idx/sub formats, depending on your needs.

Convert AVI to MP4

http://www.convertavitomp4.com/

A basic yet extremely useful tool for doing the obvious. It only allows you to convert one file at a time, and there's no control over the internal settings of the program, but it works perfectly. I've found that the converted file almost always plays on the PS3 whereas the converted MP4 files from other software don't.

FileASSASSIN

http://www.malwareby...ts/fileassassin

This program comes bundled with Malwarebytes' Anti-malware, but it's also available as a separate program. It's a file unlocker/deleter.

Applian FLV Player

http://applian.com/flvplayer/

Self-explanatory! The only thing I should mention is that after installation the final part of the setup wizard asks if you want to install Freecoder Toolbar, and the option is ticked automatically, so don't be too hasty as you click through.

GASHISOFT GXSCC

http://www.geocities...B236/indexE.htm

A MIDI/SMF/RCP player which emulates the sound of 8-bit audio similar to that of the old games consoles and chiptunes.

Mega Manager

http://www.megaupload.com/?c=tools

For users of MegaUpload.com with either a free or premium account, it allows you to upload and download to/from the website and manage various aspects of the process.

Net Transport (Free)

http://freeware4revi...on-of-fast.html

This is a download manager much like the plethora of others out there, but this one can handle RTSP protocols which means downloading streaming media is possible. The link provided is to the last free version of the program (it's now paid) and the download link provided on the page is to a file hosting service. I'm not sure if this is permitted, but it's there if you want it.

NoSleep HD

http://nosleephd.codeplex.com/

A tiny standalone program which prevents your external hard drives from sleeping by simply writing to a text file on each selected drive at the time intervals you require.

ORCA MSI Editor

http://www.technipag...msi-editor.html

Allows you to edit .msi installation packages. It is no longer officially supported by Microsoft but it still works fine. If you have PC DVD backups and wish to split them into CDs, or vice versa, you'll most likely need this program along the way.

Pastebin

http://pastebin.com/tools#windows

Upload pasted text from your PC to the Pastebin website and control how it will be presented. It requires you to have a free login account to be used. It's also available for many other OSs and even comes in the form of browser extensions/add-ons.

Wim's World Clock

http://www.wimsprogr...m/programs.html

Displays multiple time zones of your choosing from a System Tray icon. It can be hovered over to show a tooltip or can be clicked to show a configurable window displaying the times/dates. It optionally syncs itself with a selection of government time websites.

XdN Tweaker

http://xenomorph.net.../vb/xdntweaker/

Allows you to tweak various aspects of Windows. Works with XP > Windows 7.

  • 0
Neowinian

616e6f6e

Posted
Posted

I'm not sure if it's just me but the dashes between the category numbers in the Table of Contents are somehow a different character than the dashes used throughout the rest of the thread, making it tricky to use Ctrl+F to find anything. It hasn't always been this way, which is the weird part! Does anyone else have this problem?

  • 0
Neowinian

616e6f6e

Posted
Posted

BlueStacks

http://bluestacks.com/

Essentially an Android emulator for Windows. It's still in BETA stages but it works quite well with most apps already (as of today I've personally tested it with Words with Friends, Hanging with Friends, Android Market and Get Jar!).

ChromePlus is now called CoolNovo

http://coolnovo.com/

Comodo Dragon Browser

http://www.comodo.co...ars/browser.php

A free browser based on Chromium with extra emphasis on privacy and security.

CDisplayEx

http://www.cdisplayex.com/

A comic book reader which I personally find much easier to use than ComicRack.

Spider Player is now discontinued and as a result the developer is now offering the Pro license for free.

http://spider-player.com/

  • 0
Grand Master

Copernic Reporter

Posted
  • Reporter
Posted

You can recover the lost pictures with data recovery software. I've tried iDisksoft Data Recovery, the deep recovery mode is powerful and helped me recover files. Free to download it from http://www.idisksoft.com

SPAM. Your software is ''free to download'' and not FREEWARE.

  • 0
Veteran

DrJohnSmitherson

Posted
Posted

Found this the other day.

oCam - Screen recorder

http://ohsoft.net/product_ocam.php

Okay this is amazing. I have had a real hard time finding good free screen recorders. This is the best! THANKS!  (i've tried CamStudio and it isn't this good for me)

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