A lot of money is spent on technology and there are things that cannot be obtained for free: the laptop, the tablet, the tablet, the computer, the router, the printer, the smartphone and then also applications, games and programs. Fortunately, many technology resources are also free and, as we write every day in this blog (on How2do we always and only talk about free resources except when it comes to recommended purchases), it is possible to use software, websites and web applications that do not cost nothing and, at the same time, work just as well as paid alternatives. Sometimes these are open source programs, which are developed by volunteers, sites or applications that earn through advertising or tools that, although they can be used for free, can offer additional functions to those who are willing to pay.Among the many free PC resources, we see here the 15 most important, among sites, applications and programs that everyone can use on their PC without paying anything and without limitations, which are absolutely not inferior to the more expensive paid programs and tools, with professional-level functionality and performance (and can also be used for commercial use).
Below, my 15 favorite web and technology resources, available to everyone, at all times.
1) Free online storage in the cloud
Thanks to cloud storage services it is possible to access important files from any computer, tablet and smartphone and also share documents, photos and any multimedia material to transfer it from one device to another. By saving documents, photos and videos in the cloud, they can then be used from the office computer, laptop or even from a phone.
Among the free Cloud services, the most popular all offer a 5 GB free plan and easy access: with a Google account, you can use Google Drive, with a Microsoft account, Onedrive.
Amazon Prime members can also use 5 GB of Amazon Cloud Drive space.
READ ALSO: Increase the space of Cloud services at most for free up to 100 GB
2) Free Office programs
While Microsoft Office remains the most popular and best working software out there, there are still equivalent free programs that work great and have no limitations.
The most popular is the free and open source LibreOffice Office suite with the Writer, Calc and Impress programs inside which are equivalent to Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. LibreOffice can open and edit documents created in Microsoft Office and save new files in Word, Excel and Powerpoint formats.
Another free online level option is Google Docs. Google Docs is an entire suite of programs for the job, which includes Google Docs equivalent of Word, Equivalent sheets of Excel, Presentations equivalent of Powerpoint.
READ ALSO: All the ways to use and download Office for free
3) Free photo editing software
Photoshop is an expensive program for professionals, but those who want to work on photo editing in a serious way, have the open source program GIMP, a convincing, high-quality and free alternative to Photoshop. GIMP has many of the same features of Photoshop: filters, brushes, gradients, tools for cropping and erasing, for coloring and also for managing the levels of an image.
Who wants something simpler, can use Photopea, like Photoshop, but for free.
4) Free audio editors
As for the manipulation of audio files, to create song remixes, to cut songs or to make professional level modifications and mixes, there are many free and powerful software.
Audacity is the most popular free open source audio editor, capable of practically everything you could do with audio and even record from your computer. For ease of use, Audacity rivals professional software such as Adobe Audition.
In other lists on How2do.org we have also seen:
The best programs for mixing music
Best free audio editor to edit music and recordings
5) Free video editors
Most free video editing programs like iMovie and Windows Movie Maker are still good tools for making video edits, albeit severely limited. Those looking for more advanced software like Final Cut Pro can find free alternatives such as DaVinci Resolve, Openshot, Shotcut and LightWorks, among the best free video editors, which are also used by professionals of video and film editing.
6) Free antivirus
Do you still need to buy an antivirus today?
Absolutely not, since Windows 10 already includes the excellent Windows Defender that offers equal or even greater protection than other antiviruses.
7) Free firewall
Aside from antivirus or antimalware protection software, another essential tool to protect your computer from hackers and cyber attacks is the firewall. The integrated Microsoft firewall is already present in Windows 10 and also in Windows 7, but if you want something more, especially to protect incoming connections, you can install a program such as TinyWall to manage the internet access of the programs and protect your PC from connections to malware or malicious software. Unlike other free firewalls, TinyWall is silent, works in the background, is easy to set up and doesn’t disturb your computer work.
Another option is ZoneAlarm, one of the best free firewalls.
8) Free writing and proofing tools
For those who work writing on the computer, you can install a very powerful spelling correction tool such as Microsoft Editor, spelling and grammar checker, a free alternative to the Grammarly tool, which also works for the Italian language.
In addition to this, we have also seen the best programs to write on the computer, very useful as FocusWriter, a distraction-free word processor.
9) Free 3D design software
For interior designers looking for 3D design programs instead of the expensive AutoCAD, there are free alternative programs to Autocad to create CAD and DWG drawings such as SketchUp, which provides an intuitive push-and-pull system and a robust tutorial for beginners.
Furthermore, for those who do not want too complicated software to use to create the house plan, there are programs such as EasyHome Homestyler to design the house, furnish rooms and interiors in 3D to design doors, windows, furniture, appliances in a three-dimensional space.
10) Free books and audiobooks
One type of resource on the web that is really worth knowing is that of free books, available in eBook format to read or even as audiobooks to listen to.
In this regard, we have seen:
– Best sites to download books for free
– Sites to download audiobooks for free
– App to read manga and comics for free
11) Free music
When it comes to downloading free music, we always think of piracy. In reality, however, there are free services to download or listen to music without paying anything and can also be used for commercial projects. These are the sites to download free music, free to listen, where there are songs that have a free reuse license.
Do not forget also the sites to listen to music online for free, including Spotify, Youtube Music and Amazon Music.
12) Create websites for free
Everyone can create websites for free today and the only difficulty is just finding time to do it.
By removing the time issue, you can use free resources like Webly to create a professional and free Web page yourself.
13) Free games
I love free games and there are still many, both online and to download and install on PC. We have seen in this regard:
– Best sites with online games
– Best sites to download free games
14) Draw on PC
Thanks to some websites and programs, it is possible to transform the PC into a drawing environment complete with each tool. In this regard, we have seen:
– Free web apps to draw online on PC and Tablet
– Best programs to draw and create images on PC for free
15) How2do.org (let me tell you) is the best site to find free online resources, so just do a search to find almost anything.