The 20 Best Open Source Software for Windows
If you don't trust the security and privacy policies of mainstream apps, or just want to use completely free apps, then open source apps are the type of apps you need.
As the name suggests, the source code of open source applications is available to the public for inspection and even modification. This ensures their security and privacy, as vulnerabilities in the code can be discovered by anyone.
Also, these apps are usually maintained by volunteer developers who work on them in their spare time, so they can usually be used for free.
Being free and secure is more than enough reason to get open source apps, but if you're unsure, here are a few more reasons:
- Developers work solely for their passion for the project, and not for money. This results in a better product that only focuses on usability without any bloat to attract new customers.
- Fewer bugs as hundreds of volunteer developers manage the code. More eyes increase the chances of catching bugs faster.
- They have a simpler interface (in most cases) as developers tend to focus on getting the job done rather than adding placebo features to attract customers, which further complicate things.
- Extremely powerful applications can have hundreds of developers (depending on the popularity of the project) implementing and managing features.
- Many open source applications have plugin repositories where hundreds of plugins are available to further extend the application's functionality. Volunteers also create plugins.
- Popular open source apps also have dedicated forums and communities to help and learn more about the apps.
- For enterprises, this is also very flexible, because if a company needs a different feature, its own developers can contribute to its development.
If you're ready to try some open source apps, keep reading and I'll introduce some of the best open source apps for Windows 10.
GIMP
An all-in-one image editing tool that is ideal for both casual and advanced users. Whether you want to do basic editing like resizing, annotating, effects, etc. or use advanced drawing tools, GIMP has it all. GIMP also supports almost all photo formats, and you can further extend its functionality with plugins.
You can check out some GIMP Tutorials to get started.
If GIMP doesn't satisfy you, you can opt for premium software such as Adobe Photoshop or Luminar .
VLC media player
VLC media player is the first application that I recommend everyone to install on their new computer. It will satisfy all your multimedia needs and never disappoint you. The app supports almost all audio/video formats and you can download videos directly from the VLC interface. You can also get more features using add-ons .
ShellfishWin
If you can't afford popular antivirus programs like Avira or Avast then an open source antivirus program like MolluskWin might work for you. It is a completely free antivirus program that is regularly updated. The antivirus is lightweight, but it doesn't have real-time protection like other premium antiviruses.
Luckily, you can schedule scans to make sure your PC gets scanned regularly.
Notepad++
Notepad++ is a Notepad replacement for Windows, which is a much more advanced text editor. I personally use Notepad++ to manage my notes and content ideas as it automatically saves all changes offline and the numbered lines are extremely useful.
Although programmers mainly use it to write code, most of its features help in writing code, including autocomplete based on the current context.
7-zip
7-zip is definitely one of the best archive management and data compression tools out there. You can pack/unpack data in dozens of different formats and even encrypt data with AES-256 encryption. Its compression is also very powerful with multiple compression methods.
Thunderbird
If you want to use an email client to manage all your email accounts, Thunderbird is way better than most premium options. It doesn't require any configuration, just provide your email address and password and it will automatically manage all settings.
Some of the main features include attachment reminders, managing multiple emails at the same time, powerful search, sending huge files, and support for add-ons.
Alternatively, you can try a premium solution like the email client or others mentioned here.
VeraCrypt
VeraCrypt can help create an encrypted vault to securely store and manage this data if you have sensitive information. VeraCrypt can encrypt an entire drive or even a specific location on your PC to store sensitive data. It can even encrypt USB drives for secure data transfer.
KeePass
Your online passwords are the most important piece of information you need to protect. If you don't trust standard password managers, then the open source password manager KeePass will give you peace of mind.
KeePass comes with all the powerful features like encryption, auto login, easy password lookup, password generator, secure clipboard and more. While being open source is enough of a factor to prefer it over others, you can see exactly how its security features work. It has plugins too to make it even better.
There are other password managers you can look into.
qBittorrent
qBittorrent is a powerful torrent downloader and manager that tries to replicate the interface and functionality of the premium uTorrent app. The app allows you to download torrents right in its interface by searching a custom list of torrent sites, and you have full control over the download speed, priority, and even the download schedule. Unlike uTorrent, it doesn't have annoying ads.
WinDirStat
My helper when I need to clear disk space.
WinDirStat shows all the data on the disk in a tree view where you can easily see which folders/files are taking up the most space. You can also sort the data by file type if you are looking for a specific file. I really like the disk map it creates to make it easier to see what type of data is there and how much space it takes up.
Greenshot
I use Greenshot for all my PC screenshot needs and it hasn't disappointed me in the last 5 years. Greenshot allows you to take screenshots in several ways and automatically saves them to the right place. It saves not only on PC, but also allows you to upload screenshots to online photo managers and cloud services.
You can also use the built-in editor for quick editing.
clonezilla
If you need an exact copy of your data, disk cloning software can help. Clonesilla is a cloning tool that will create an exact copy of your hard drive so you can easily recover your data or even continue using the new drive. You can clone up to 40 drives at the same time and also protect them with AES-256 encryption.
Psiphon
Psyphon is an open source VPN specifically designed to access censored content. It does not promise any security while browsing as it is not specifically designed for this purpose, but you will be able to access restricted content. However, this is not a completely free service; you will need to buy points to use the VPN for a certain amount of time.
Bleach
Bleach is similar to CCleaner, but open source enthusiasts prefer it to CCleaner. It frees up space on your PC by cleaning temporary files and speeds up applications by deleting unnecessary data. It also has other tools like file shredder and free space cleaner to prevent data recovery. For an open source application, I must say that its interface is quite elegant.
Everybody
Unlike the Windows search bar, All is a tool that instantly shows all files and folders when you search. This can be a great replacement for the Windows search bar if you need to search for files frequently, especially if you've disabled the search bar to improve performance. The application has its own interface, separate from the Windows search bar, and requires very few resources.
The AutoHotkey
AutoHotkey is the perfect tool to automate many repetitive tasks by creating custom macros and shortcuts. It is a scripting language that you can use to create macros to press various buttons and perform clicks according to your requirements. There are tons of tutorials out there to get you started using AutoHotkey.
Brave Browser
Brave Browser prides itself on offering faster browsing than Chrome while respecting your privacy and protecting you from online threats. It claims to use 33% less memory than Chrome while still being 3x faster.
I really liked their attitude towards advertising. You can turn off ads or watch them and earn points to spend online or withdraw cash. The type of ads you see is also under your control.
Explore other alternative Chrome browsers for better privacy.
virtual box
If you are interested in using multiple operating systems without having to install them, then Virtualbox is the solution. This tool will allow you to create a virtual environment where you can install and use/manage a supported operating system completely separate from your real OS.
This can be a great solution for running unsupported apps, testing apps, and running a separate instance of your PC without affecting the actual OS.
Courage
Courage is an audio recording and editing software that is ideal for both beginners and experienced users. You can edit multiple audio tracks at the same time using simple keyboard shortcuts and menu buttons. There is even a spectrogram view for analyzing frequencies and selecting them individually.
All in all, this is an easy-to-use audio editing software that should meet all your audio editing needs. If you get stuck, you can check the tutorials for help.
LibreOffice
If you're not interested in buying the Microsoft Office suite, LibreOffice can be a great free alternative. The package consists of a word processor, presentation tool, spreadsheet, drawing tool, databases, and formula editor. It offers all the usual features you see in the best document creation tools, and you can further extend the functionality with the .
Summarizing
Of these, I regularly use many of them when needed. In my experience, these apps are even better than the leading premium apps, both in terms of usability and features. I would also recommend that you support your favorite open source applications with a donation, since usually the cost of maintaining them depends solely on donations.