The World’s Most Popular Freeware – Updated
Welcome to the official second edition of the PC Pitstop Free Software Report. I want to thank everyone for the tons of comments both positive and negative. We are listening. More importantly, many of our readers learned more from the comments than our Top Software List! In fact, I even learned a few things.
Here are the changes between this and the last one. First and foremost, we removed Adobe Reader from the list entirely. The reason is as everyone advised us. PC Pitstop is able to measure the popularity of a FreeWare. The idea is that if a freeware is popular, then it is most likely the best as well. There are a few instances in which this concept falls apart, and Adobe Reader sticks out. The reason is that Adobe Reader has high popularity because it is pre-installed on computers, not because of its inherent value.
Based on all of the advice, I have personally removed Adobe Reader from my main computer and have replaced it with Foxit Reader, and I am very pleased. Not only is it a lot faster, more secure, it also has a slick tabbed interface like FireFox. Thanks for the recommendation. You can also find Foxit Reader on the Free Software List, although it debuts at #20 with a puny 3.63% of PC’s tested.
Another item removed from the list is WinRAR. The reason is WinRAR is considered trialware and not freeware. I was personally using WinRAR, and after 15 days, it wanted me to pay. This list is dedicated to 100% free software, not trialware.
In addition to the above, we added and ranked the following:
| - | Adobe Reader |
| - | WinRar |
| + | µTorrent |
| + | AusLogics Disk Defrag |
| + | avast! Antivirus |
| + | Comodo Firewall |
| + | DeepBurner Free |
| + | DriverMax |
| + | Foxit PDF Reader |
| + | GOM Player |
| + | MicroSoft SyncToy |
| + | Online Armor |
| + | Pidgin |
| + | True Crypt |
| + | Revo Uninstaller |
| + | Secunia PSI |
| + | Gimp |
| + | winamp |
| + | SUPERAntiSpyware Free |
See how your favorite did below!
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I recommend Belarc Advisor. If you want a complete rundown of what programs are on you computer, usage, security & a lot of other things.
One point I’d like to point out about this program is it does a very good job of checking the Windows operating system files & updates. If any updates are not installed correctly, it is flagged. Also, updated regularly. Totally free.
http://www.belarc.com
I agree with many of the programs on your list, although I have not tried them all. I would have to add a few more, though. I was surprised Irfanview was not on the list. I have been using it for years. It’s the best free image viewer there is. It’s also great for doing a few simple things quickly, such as cropping, gamma and saturaton correcting or image optimizing. Other free programs I think highly of and use are- Unlocker
by Cedrick Collomb, TreeSize, BSPlayer,a media player up there with Videolan, CDisplay for reading comics, Quintessential Media player for music, it shrinks away to almost nothing, PeerGuardian2, and DamnNfo Viewer.
a wonderful list there are a few i would have added, but i admire the work you’ve done, so i wont press the issue.
I tried the Glary Utilities, based on this recommendation here, and used the encrypt feature to create an exe self-decrypting file. Then I took the file to another computer to see if it worked and Spybot S&D flagged it as containing the Fakebill virus. So I went Glary Utilities forum, and found that the site overall looked pretty shady, so I’m not overly confident that the utility is safe.
Thoughts?
Anyone know of a free program to backup/image your PC? I want to buy a new PC but don’t want to have to pay for Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image if I can avoid it.
Parrotlover in simi valley,ca says thanks for the tip on the Revo uninstaller I couldn’t get that real player and all it’s garbage out of my p.c and registry! plus it has some great extra features! does ANYBODY know of a program that will record videos I watch online? snag-it only grabs the video not the audio so it’s kinda useless! also RE:SR Ironware I read the features and how google chrome adds clutter but I need the ABC/spell check DOES Ironware browser have that feature? Lastly I Bookmark a lot of sites in firefox is doing this a bad idea? to have a bunch of them?? thanks PC Pitstop and you all great forum*
PC Pitstop has some good pointers sometimes, but I can’t underatand why peaple want to use any software that evan touches the registry. if 1 does use registry software, they are likely, headed for some big problems down the road. I have had to compleatly erase a lot of Hard drives and reload the entire operating system on a lot of computers due to this, and the problems don’t start right away, always they build up over a bit of time.
also PC Pitstop needs to be sure the software they sell is VISTA compatible, that is a major concern in a VISTA system
Kevin, there’s an even better free PDF reader than Foxit. It’s called PDF-XChange Viewer. It also uses tabs but then there’s much more – with PDF-XChange Viewer, you can type directly onto any PDF file. There are more features also, but this is huge! You can fill out forms before you print them and you can save any changes you make. Try PDF-XChange Viewer, it’s the best free PDF viewer out there right now.
As “Stephen” pointed out, KeePass DEFINITELY needs to be on this list. KeePass is free, open source, simple and effective. It’s a free password manager with good features and the ability to use plugins. It’s a great way to keep track of all of your passwords.
“Roger” mentioned SIW, which is a great system info tool. Look on the website (gtopala.com) for the standalone version. It’s a useful tool to see your computer specs. Still, a tool that might be even better in some ways (like being able to see power and voltage info) is PCWizard from CPUID. Free and very nice.
Here’s another huge miss, as “Lawrence” point out: Where’s IrfanView? It’s the best freeware image viewer out there. Not only is it very fast and can read many image, sound and video file types, but it can also do some editing of pictures. Basic stuff, but very helpful when all you want to do is crop or other simple edits. It can do an automatic image enhancement (called auto adjust colors) which makes most photos look better with just one click. Has a batch mode and can use your scanner to acquire images too. It can do more too, go get it!
As “Jack” mentioned, SpywareBlaster should be listed, it’s a great free anti-spyware program.
PS – Instead of GIMP, you might try GimPhoto, a version of Gimp that’s designed to be more like Photoshop.
Also, SMPlayer is a great free media player. It’s just MPlayer with it’s own GUI, but it’s simple and works great at playing most things.
For what might be the best “.zip” program right now, try IZArc. It handles most types of compressed files, (including .7z and .rar) works great and has a simple interface. It can basically do anything that 7-Zip or WinRAR can, but it looks better and is truly free, unlike WinRAR.
Finally, Go-oo, an improved version of OpenOffice, also handles Works (.wps) files, for those unfortunate enough to have to deal with them, because Works comes free on computers and some people actually use it instead of OpenOffice.
There’s more, but this should be good for now. Please remove P2P file sharing programs from your list, do not promote stealing. (Torrents CAN be good, but only for legitimate uses, like downloading Linux or OpenOffice legally.)
DriverMax should not be on that list.What a waste of time,I would rather do it manually.Driver Max must be a sponser of Pc pitstop.You removed Win Rar because it gave you a nag after 15 days,yet put up with this(driver Max)program.
Thanks for a really useful list.
One program I’m surprised isn’t on the list is Spywareblaster.
NO TO DRIVERMAX… must agree with those who said it already. drivermax is a pain and not really free since you have to buy the pro version if you want it to work with any degree of ease.
You a really doing a great service. I must have missed your first edition. I find that I can not forward pdf files sent to me in emails (using hotmail). Maybe I have to be able to create the files before I can send them. Are there any free pdf creators that do not put advertisements on the pages?
Milton
To:
“Art Says:
June 17th, 2009 at 7:17 am
I see you list WinRar as a free programme. It isn’t. Only the trial version is.”
WinRar is being delisted altogether. It and Adobe Reader both have a red “-” in front of their entry, indicating they have been removed.
To:
“Steve in Escondido, CA Says:
June 16th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
The last time I tried Foxit Reader, it would not allow me to use the USPS’s Priority Mail printing feature. So, Adobe Reader went back on.”
I had the same issue. The work-around is to open Foxit behind the USPS page to print/test print the label, then after clicking on the button to print the label, minimize the USPS browser window and the Foxit printing wizard should be there.
I cant see why 7zip is on the list…all the way back (I do believe) starting with XP, windows have included a compressing utlity….right click on a folder, go to send to….then “comressed (zipped) folder”.
To unzip a file, just double click it.
Unlike with like programs like abobe, for the life of me I cant understand why people installs unneeded software……i got rid of adobe and got Foxit….truley awesome, thank you all for that tip.
Jim
DriverMax
This must be the most annoying “freeware” ever. Unless you pay for the Pro upgrade, even the dinkiest little driver of a few measly megabytes takes me 30 mins to get installed because of the annoying things they have deliberately put there such as “Pausing download to free your internet connection” . . . As if I need that with 6 Mb Cable!
Good lord, take this thing off the freeeware list. I would pay 15 bucks for a year of Driver Detective anyday to have it done fast and painless. =(
TheDuke’s tip about ‘Everything’ is a good one… If you frequently use ‘Search’ you’ll know how slow and frustrating it can be. Compared to anything else I’ve used Everything works like lightning! It may not be all singing and dancing but it finds everything I ever need. It’s free from: – http://www.voidtools.com/
I haven’t seen any mention of Rohos, http://www.rohos.com/
If you’d like an invisible, password protected, partition on your USB drive this is the site for you… There is a free ‘Mini Drive’ available as well as the full version.
Poppa.
I’ve also used Advanced system care and upgraded regularly for quite a while, but now after the scan and repair of registry and spyware etc. it tells me that there are still hundreds of problems on my pc and I must upgrade (and pay)to have the problems sorted out. No problems according to Windows Defender or platinum XP, or trend micro, so AWC is history. not freeware anymore anyway, is it? Becoming like the other smart ass con artists.
Great work.
It’s always important to make sure that only 100% free & fully functional SW is listed. Also I beleive strongly that the SW must be easy to uninsatll, something too often overlooked.
Thanks
A good list.
Avira antivirus is gaining a lot of support and is easy to use.
Outpost Firewall is also gaining a lot of support. Too many problems with installing ZoneAlarm And some internet connection issues with Comodo that were unresolved.
Easy Cleaner is better at finding unnecessary files than CCleaner, but I use them both. CCleaner is better at registry cleaning, but I don’t use that function very often.
SyncBack is all you need to sync backup files. Easy/simple to use.
I still like Karens PTReplicator for creating a backup of just data files.
How about “Everything” for a search replacement?
Everyone may call me crazy but I have stopped running all those malware/spybot programs as they haven’t found anything on my two computers for years.
I’ve been using SmartDefrag by Iobit. For those who prefer a more hands-on and customizable approach, SmartDefrag has a number of options. The full optimize mode takes a little longer but the program overall is very effective. Curious that it’s not on the list.
I’ve just tried AusLogics Disk Defrag. It is very simplified as compared to SmartDefrag so it completes a defrag sooner. It’s a small and simplified application with a few extras, including scheduling.
I’ll hold on to them & decide which is better for me.