There are many great software packages on the market that can help you do pretty much anything you need with a computer. The problem is that the software can cost anywhere from $100 to over $1000 dollars, depending on the software.
While the software you purchase will do what you need, many people don’t realize that there is similar software you can download online. The best part about this software is that the price is great: free. This post will provide a list of some software that you can use to replace some of the more expensive software for free.
Office Suite
Most of you are familiar with Microsoft Office, and probably use it at work and at home. Many documents that are sent in an e-mail are Office documents, and you need either Word, Excel, or Powerpoint to view and edit them. There is a free solution to Microsoft Office.
Open Office. This office suite is becoming popular and has a following similar to Firefox. It is completely free and can read/write documents, spreadsheets, and presentations from various office suite formats. It can be installed in many languages and on all common computers.
Antivirus
Many of the commercial antivirus applications are now suites of applications instead of just an antivirus. Many contain any-spyware and firewalls as well. While the suites may be nice, you can find all you need for free.
AVG. This is a popular free antivirus that is very easy to install and configure. There are regular updates that help keep your antivirus updated. It has the ability to check web sites and e-mails and let you know if a problem is found.
Firewall
There are many commercial software firewalls available today, and there are also some good free ones. I have always used a free firewall, and haven’t had any issues with using them.
ZoneAlarm. This is probably the most popular software firewall on the market. It has been around for many years, is easy to configure, and provides good protection for your computer. If you are not familiar with software firewalls, then you may want to use ZoneAlarm because of its ease-of-use.
Comodo. While Comodo is not as easy to use as ZoneAlarm, it is a very good firewall. From many of the software firewall tests that I have read, Comodo is usually ranked near the top in the list. If you are familiar with software firewalls, you should check out Comodo.
Photo/Image Editor
Photo editing is dominated by two products: Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro. Photoshop is over $600 while Paint Shop Pro is over $50. While both are great photo editors (Photoshop is considered the standard), there is a free application that can easily handle your photo editing tasks.
GIMP. While I haven’t used GIMP too much, it is a recommended application for those who are looking for a free photo editor. Just like other editors, however, GIMP does have a slight learning curve, but once you learn the application, you can easily edit any image or photo.
Final Thoughts
While the above list is no where near complete, it does include software to replace the most popular types. I’m interested on what free software you use on a regular basis instead of purchasing a commercial product.