Free Software
Software for your home or business computer can be very expensive. The most commonly used Office Suite retails for over $400, a full feature office suite can be downloaded for free. Photo editing software can cost hundreds of dollars, a full feature software editing program is also available for free. So it is possible to get quality software programs for free that can meet your need.
Free software often called open source or freeware make money by voluntary contributions from users, example: Open Office. Another type of free software are demos which are limited function software that are offered by a manufacturer with the hope to get you to upgrade and pay for the full version, examples are free antivirus software.
There are both pros and cons of free software. The most obvious pro is the cost. There are also cons, the biggest 3 being 1) limited support options, 2) possible compatibility issues, and 3) learning a new software program.
I am going to list below different types of software by function. Also for those who are unable or prefer to use paid software, I will often tell how you can get the paid software at a discounted price.
Contents
Antivirus/Internet Security
Office Suites
Photo Editor Software
Antivirus/Internet Security
Windows 10 has a free built in antivirus, Microsoft Windows Defender Security Center. unfortunately, it isn't as good as some of the other free security software. Free antivirus/internet security is available that can offer better protection than Windows Defender. For many people the free versions give adequate protection. For those who use social media a lot, download a lot, purchase, and do banking on the internet it may not be adequate. For the best protection, the full paid version is the best. Your internet service provider may offer free full version security software to their customers. Both Xfinity (Comcast) and Spectrum do.
If your internet security provider does not offer free security software, you should at the minimum install one of the free versions in addition to Windows Defender on Windows 10 pcs. If you can afford it, buy the better security protection. Be sure to install not just antivirus, but internet security which provides additional protection (parental control, password protection, firewall, data encryption, etc.) not found in an antivirus.
Free antivirus/internet security software in order of ranking according to pcmag.com are: Kaspersky Security Cloud Free, Avast Free Antivirus, AVG AntiVirus Free, Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition, and Sophos Home Free. All offer paid versions.
Paid internet security software in order of ranking according to pcmag.com are: Bitdefender Internet Security, Norton 360 Deluxe, Kaspersky Internet Security, Kaspersky Security Cloud, Bitdefender Total Security, McAfee Total Protection, Norton 360 With LifeLock Select, Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security, Kaspersky Total Security, and Trend Micro Maximum Security.
You can get Internet security software at a discount. You will find the cheapest prices on holidays and especially on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You can often get a cheaper price buying the retail product from a local or online seller rather than the manufacturer. It may be cheaper to buy the retail product again instead of renewing your subscription. If you need to protect multiple devices be sure to buy the 3 or 5 license versions to save money.
Office Suites
Office suites are software that include at least a word processor, a spreadsheet, and a presentation program. The most used is Microsoft Office, which comes in several versions. Including licenses (you pay once for the version) and subscriptions (you pay a monthly fee).
For Windows, Macs, and Linux PCs the best full function completely free office suites that support multiple languages are LibreOffice and OpenOffice. Both have local hard drive and mobile or cloud versions. The major difference between the 2 is only LibreOffice can save files in the most recent Microsoft Office format.
Mobile android devices (tablets and phones, consider Google Docs, Microsoft Office Mobile, Polaris Office, and SmartOffice (only one with no paid versions). Download them from Google Play on your mobile device.
iOS Microsoft Office Mobile offers free and paid versions. Download on the App Store on your mobile device.
For those who must have Microsoft Office, you have the following options to paying full retail. If you are a student or teacher (with educational address) you can get it at a discount (academic discount). Some companies offer it for a reduced price to their employees, check with your company.
If none of these options are available to you you can get Microsoft Office for a substantial discount. Go to Ebay, search for Microsoft Office, and buy a license key, download, and then install the software.
Photo Editor Software
There are many photo editor software available. Adobe Photoshop is the number 1 photo editor. It isn't free. If you want a free photo editor that's free and has many of the same features that Adobe photoshop has consider GIMP. It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.