Skip to main content

The 5+ Best Sources To Download Freeware Programs

With our lives revolving more and more around the computer and mobile devices, our expenses with technology also seem to be increasing. One can spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on software every year, even if you are only purchasing the bare minimum you need for certain tasks. So what is the solution?
The good news is that there are thousands of software developed everyday that do most of what commercial software does, but for free! Some of the best places to download freeware programs can be found here.

1. CNET

CNET has a huge selection of freeware programs for all platforms and almost 100,000 of them are free. The site also has an active community which comments on the software and editors that review and rate them. The users’ reviews are a major contribution, since you can see what other users’ experience has been with the software.
freeware programs

2. ZDNet downloads

Cbs Interactive Websites: Last.fm, Gamefaqs, Gamespot, Metacritic, Mp3.com, Movietome, Gamerankings, Download.com, Tv.com, Zdnet 

ZDNet also has a huge number of downloads, and selecting “free” as one of the search options will list all of the freeware programs. ZDNet lacks CNET’s interactivity and user feedback, but it advertises itself as being the Web’s largest library of software downloads.
freeware downloads

3. Tucow’s Butterscotch

Butterscotch proposes itself to “…turn you on to the latest and greatest in language everyone can understand…”, and for the most part it succeeds at making the site user friendly and warm looking. Starting from the sweet Butterscotch name to the list of “delicious downloads”, it’s a good site for those who don’t want to experiment much with their freeware, but prefer to follow what most people seem to be using for those particular tasks.
freeware downloads

4. Brothersoft

Brother PED-Basic Software for Downloading Embroidery Designs
Brothersoft also has a very large selection of free downloads. Not much differentiates it from the sites above, except for the Editor’s Blog, which can be informative and a good source of news about lesser known software.
freeware downloads

5. FreewareFiles

The main advantage this site has is that it takes the guesswork and the need to sort through paid software to find the freeware out of the equation, since all of the software featured on FreewareFiles is free.
freeware software

6. Get Jar – Mobile Downloads Only

Get Jar is one of the best websites for freeware programs for your mobile device and you can access it directly from your phone, even if it’s not a smartphone, using any phone browser. It currently has over 70,000 applications and games, many of which are completely free. One of the features from Get Jar that make it a very appealing mobile option is the fact that if you access it from your phone, it will automatically detect what phone you are using and display software that would work on your particular phone model.
freeware programs
When choosing freeware, there are a few things to pay attention to, such as whether the software you are downloading really is free of charge.
Even when using one of the sites above, make sure you are looking at the ones clearly labeled, “Free” or “Freeware”. Some software will be labeled “Free to Try”, which basically means that it’s a trial version (which usually lasts 15 to 90 days) of the paid software and it is bound to expire right when you get comfortable with it, and have spent enough time with it to care whether or not you can use it.
At that point, the software will stop working unless you pay for the “full version”. It is also very important to download, freeware in particular, from reliable sources, to ensure that it doesn’t come infected with viruses. Checking reviews for potential spyware or hidden ads is also a good idea.
Most of the freeware programs you will find are created by dedicated people who are willing to share their work with you for free. Be generous in return. If you really love certain software, and have been using it as a way of helping you make some income, go to their website and check if you can donate a few bucks. It would help ensure that those who create good programs continue to produce them for free.
What is your favorite freeware? And where do you usually download it from? Post a comment and let us know.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How To Hide Text In Microsoft Word 2007, Reveal It & Protect It

Sometimes what we hide is more important than what we reveal. Especially, documents with sensitive information, some things are supposed to be ‘for some eyes only’. Such scenarios are quite common, even for the more un-secretive among us. You want to show someone a letter composed in MS Word, but want to keep some of the content private; or it’s an official letter with some part of it having critical data. As important as these two are, the most common use could involve a normal printing job. Many a time we have to print different versions of a document, one copy for one set of eyes and others for other sets. Rather than creating multiple copies and therefore multiple printing jobs, what if we could just do it from the same document?  That too, without the hassle of repeated cut and paste. We can, with a simple feature in MS Word – it’s just called Hidden and let me show you how to use it to hide text in Microsoft Word 2007. It’s a simple single click process. Open the docum...
1 comment
Read more

Boom, the startup that wants to build supersonic planes, just signed a massive deal with Virgin

Have you heard about Boom? Boom is a relatively new startup that’s aiming to build something pretty crazy. They’re not building an app… or a social network… or even some new gadget for the Kickstarter crowd. Boom wants to build planes. Really, really, really fast planes. Specifically, they’re trying to design and build a supersonic passenger plane that goes 2.2x the speed of sound. If all goes to plan, they’ll be able to shuttle people from New York to London in 3.5 hours, and SF to Tokyo in 4.5. Sound crazy? I wouldn’t disagree. It’s worth noting that the company is in the very early days for something as intensive, massive, and hugely expensive as designing and producing a passenger aircraft. They’re still working on their first prototype, and hope to fly it by late next year. But it’s also worth noting that the team behind the plane has some serious talent in its blood: the company’s 11 employees have collectively contributed to over 30 aircrafts — having worked on thin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fun Tools to Translate Your Name into Japanese Calligraphy

Japanese calligraphy is an artistic writing style of the Japanese language. Its Chinese origins can be traced back to the twenty-eighth century BCE. Calligraphy found its way into Japanese culture in 600 CE and is known as the karayo tradition. For Westerners, calligraphy is forever fascinating. However, it takes years to learn how to properly draw the signs. Two basic principles must be known to understand Japanese writing: there are different writing styles and different alphabets. Kaisho for example, is a writing style most commonly used in print media. Tensho on the other hand is used in signatures. Other writing styles are Reisho, Gyosho and Sousho. The alphabets include Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana. Katakana is used for writing foreign words. It can also serve to highlight words, in analogy to capital letters as we know them from the Roman / Latin alphabet (Romaji in Japanese). Each Kanji character has a meaning of its own, while Hiragana or Katakana characters merely repres...
Post a Comment
Read more