Best Free Software for Windows and Mac

There is a persistent misconception in the computing world: that having a truly useful PC requires spending hundreds of euros on software. Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, video editing tools… the bill adds up quickly, and many users end up pirating these programs or going without them entirely.

The reality is different. In 2026, free alternatives – serious ones, maintained by active communities or major companies – cover virtually all the needs of an everyday user as well as a professional. The problem is not finding free software – it is everywhere – but sorting through the good tools and those that, under the guise of being free, fund themselves by selling your data or flooding your screen with advertisements.

This guide presents a carefully curated selection of genuinely useful software, explaining concretely what each one offers and how it compares to paid alternatives.

Office and Productivity

LibreOffice

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

Alternative to: Microsoft Office (subscription from 69 euros/year)

LibreOffice is the most complete free office suite available. It includes a word processor (Writer), a spreadsheet tool (Calc), presentation software (Impress), a database tool (Base), and a mathematical formula editor. It reads and writes Microsoft Office formats without issue in the vast majority of cases.

What sets it apart from other free alternatives is its maturity. LibreOffice is maintained by an independent foundation (The Document Foundation) and receives regular updates. It works entirely offline, with no subscription, no account to create, and no data sent to third-party servers.

Compatibility with .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx formats is very good for standard documents. It can become imperfect with complex files involving advanced macros or highly specific layouts – but for 95% of everyday use, the difference is imperceptible.

Good to know: If you regularly work with people who use Microsoft Office, make a habit of saving files in .docx and .xlsx format to avoid any compatibility issues.

Notion (free version)

Platform: Windows, Mac, browser, mobile

Alternative to: OneNote, Confluence, Evernote

Notion is difficult to categorise because it does several things at once: it is a notepad, a database, a task manager, and a personal wiki. The free version, which is sufficient for individual use, allows you to create an unlimited number of pages and databases.

Its main appeal is the ability to centralise everything related to a project in one place: meeting notes, to-do lists, reference documents, and schedules. The interface is clean, the learning curve is reasonable, and the result is visually pleasing without any particular effort.

The limitations of the free version relate to version history (7 days) and advanced collaboration features. For solo use or small teams, these restrictions are rarely a problem.

Thunderbird

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

Alternative to: Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail

Thunderbird is the desktop email client from the Mozilla Foundation, the creators of Firefox. It handles multiple email accounts simultaneously (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, professional IMAP/SMTP accounts), and includes a calendar, address book, and RSS feed reader.

Its main advantage over webmail is that it works offline, allows fine-grained control over filters and folders, and consolidates multiple inboxes into a unified interface. Since 2023, it has received significant updates that have modernised its interface and performance.

For anyone juggling multiple professional and personal email addresses, Thunderbird is considerably more efficient than keeping several browser tabs open.

Multimedia and Creation

DaVinci Resolve

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

Alternative to: Adobe Premiere Pro (60 euros/month), Final Cut Pro (350 euros)

DaVinci Resolve is the best free video editing software available – and probably one of the best video editing applications overall, paid or otherwise. Developed by Blackmagic Design, it is used in professional film production, particularly for colour grading.

The free version includes multitrack video editing, professional colour grading with tools that paid competitors do not always match, audio mixing with Fairlight, and visual effects with Fusion. The paid version (DaVinci Resolve Studio, around 300 euros as a one-time purchase) adds some collaboration features and certain advanced effects, but the free version more than covers the needs of content creators.

The learning curve is real: DaVinci Resolve is professional software and behaves as such. Complete beginners may feel overwhelmed at first. But the wealth of available documentation and tutorials more than compensates for this initial hurdle.

Good to know: DaVinci Resolve requires a decent graphics card to run smoothly. On very old entry-level PCs, performance may be limited.

GIMP

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

Alternative to: Adobe Photoshop (25 euros/month)

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is the most complete free raster image editor available. It supports advanced photo retouching, the creation of all kinds of visuals, layer manipulation, the application of filters and effects, and most professional image formats.

It would be dishonest to say that GIMP is equivalent to Photoshop in every respect. Its interface is less intuitive, certain professional workflows are less fluid, and users accustomed to Photoshop take time to adapt. But for a beginner or intermediate designer, a blogger creating their own visuals, or a content creator who does not need Photoshop’s most advanced features, GIMP is more than adequate.

Kdenlive

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

Alternative to: DaVinci Resolve for beginner users

Kdenlive is an open-source video editing application that deserves a special mention for users who find DaVinci Resolve intimidating. Its interface is more accessible, it is quicker to get started with, and it covers everyday editing needs without the complexity of a professional tool.

It is particularly well suited for editing family videos, simple vlogs, or tutorials without complex effects. Its performance is good even on modest hardware configurations.

VLC Media Player

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, mobile

Alternative to: Windows Media Player, QuickTime

VLC needs no lengthy introduction. It is the universal media player: it plays absolutely everything, with no additional codec to install, no advertisements, and no complicated interface. MP4, MKV, AVI, FLAC, MOV, ISO, network streams – VLC handles it all.

What is less well known is the extent of its hidden features: video format conversion, streaming playback, subtitle support, real-time audio and video correction, and screen recording. VLC is one of those pieces of software that has sat on your PC forever and whose full capabilities you never really explore.

Developed by the VideoLAN project, it is entirely open source and collects no data. It has been actively maintained since 1996 – a rare mark of reliability in the software world.

HandBrake

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

Alternative to: Paid video conversion tools

HandBrake is an open-source video converter that does one thing and does it perfectly: converting and compressing video files. If you have a video in an incompatible format, or a file too large to send or store, HandBrake lets you re-encode it in the format of your choice with fine control over the resulting quality and file size.

It is particularly useful for compressing large video files without noticeable quality loss, converting files to make them compatible with specific devices, or preparing videos before importing them into editing software.

Security and Privacy

Bitwarden

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, browser, mobile

Alternative to: 1Password (36 euros/year), LastPass

Bitwarden is the password manager that most security experts recommend today. It is open source – meaning its code is publicly inspected and no one can secretly introduce malicious features – and its free version is remarkably complete: unlimited password storage, synchronisation across all your devices, a secure password generator, and an extension for every major browser.

Using a password manager is no longer optional in 2026, it is a necessity. Reusing the same password across multiple sites, or using passwords that are too simple, creates real risks. Bitwarden solves this problem by allowing you to have a unique, complex password for every service without having to memorise any of them.

Compared to its competitors, Bitwarden stands out for the transparency of its security model and the fact that its free version is not a stripped-down edition designed to push you towards a paid subscription.

Brave

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, mobile

Alternative to: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge

Brave is a web browser built on the same engine as Google Chrome (Chromium), which means all your favourite websites and Chrome extensions work in it. The difference lies in what it blocks by default: advertisements, advertising trackers, fingerprinting scripts, and third-party cookies.

The practical result is a faster browser – advertisements and tracking scripts account for a significant portion of page loading time – and one that is less demanding on RAM and battery life. On a laptop, the difference in battery life can be noticeable.

Warning: Brave faced controversy in 2020 over unwanted URL redirections. These practices were corrected, but they serve as a reminder that vigilance is necessary even with tools that present themselves as privacy-conscious.

Windows Defender

Platform: Windows only (built-in)

It is worth stating explicitly: Windows Defender, the antivirus built into Windows, has become a serious and capable tool over the years. Independent tests consistently place it in the upper tier of antivirus solutions, sometimes ahead of paid products.

The argument that you absolutely must install a third-party antivirus on Windows 11 is becoming increasingly unfounded. Windows Defender provides real-time protection, receives automatic updates, and is not notably inferior to Bitdefender Free or Avast for the vast majority of users.

If you want an additional layer of protection, Malwarebytes in its free version is a relevant supplement for occasional scans – not a replacement for Defender, but a complementary tool.

System Utilities

7-Zip

Platform: Windows (The Unarchiver for Mac)

Alternative to: WinRAR (paid), WinZip (paid)

7-Zip is the reference compression and archiving tool on Windows. It opens and creates all common formats (ZIP, RAR, 7z, TAR, GZ, ISO), is entirely free and open source, and contains no unwanted additional software, unlike some of its competitors.

Its native format, 7z, offers one of the best compression ratios on the market, which can make a significant difference when dealing with large volumes of data. It integrates cleanly into the Windows context menu (right-click) and requires no configuration after installation.

Everything

Platform: Windows only

Alternative to: The built-in Windows search

Everything is one of those applications that does a single thing but does it so well that it completely transforms an everyday habit. Its purpose: to find any file on your computer in real time, instantly, regardless of the size of your hard drive.

The built-in Windows search is slow and sometimes incomplete. Everything indexes your entire file system in seconds and displays results as you type, with no perceptible delay. The software is tiny (less than 2 MB), uses very few resources, and can be run as a portable version from a USB drive.

OBS Studio

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

Alternative to: Camtasia (300 euros), Streamlabs paid version

OBS Studio is the reference tool for screen recording and live streaming. YouTube creators, Twitch streamers, online speakers, and trainers producing video tutorials: virtually all of them use OBS.

It allows you to capture the full screen or a specific window, overlay a webcam feed, manage multiple scenes with transitions, broadcast live to multiple platforms simultaneously, and record locally in high quality. All of this for free, with no watermark and no time limit.

ShareX

Platform: Windows only

Alternative to: Snagit (paid), Lightshot

ShareX is the most complete free screenshot tool available on Windows. It goes well beyond the Print Screen key: selective capture of an area, window, or full screen, video recording, scrolling capture for long pages, annotations, blurring of sensitive areas, and automatic upload to a dozen online services.

It is open source, actively maintained, and has nothing to envy from the paid tools in its category. For any professional producing documentation, tutorials, or visual reports, ShareX is a considerable time-saver.

How to Download Safely

The main risk with free software is not the software itself, but its distribution. Dozens of sites offer downloads of popular software bundled with adware, toolbars, or spyware.

Rules to follow

• Always download from the official website of the software.
• Prefer the Microsoft Store or recognised platforms like Ninite whenever possible.
• Be wary of sites that offer an installer for software that does not normally require one.
• Read each step of the installation process and systematically decline any additional software offered.

A note on CCleaner

CCleaner is often recommended for cleaning up Windows. This advice deserves some nuance. Since its acquisition in 2017, CCleaner has been involved in a malware distribution incident and has adopted intrusive installation practices. Its actual usefulness is disputed by many experts: Windows 10 and 11 handle their own temporary file cleanup natively, and the registry modifications CCleaner proposes can destabilise a system.

If you want to free up space, the built-in Disk Cleanup tool in Windows and the storage management section in Settings are more than sufficient and carry no risk.

Conclusion

Free no longer means compromised. The software in this list holds its own against paid equivalents for virtually all everyday use cases, and some – DaVinci Resolve, Bitwarden, VLC – are simply the best tools in their category, paid alternatives included.

What all of these applications have in common is that they are actively maintained, financially viable, and transparent about how they work. These are more important criteria than the feature list displayed on a marketing page.

If you can only install five today, start with those that will have the most immediate impact: Bitwarden to secure your accounts, Brave to improve your browsing, VLC so you never have a media playback issue again, LibreOffice if you need an office suite, and 7-Zip to manage your archives. The rest depends on your specific needs.