Top 20 Free Applications to Increase Your Productivity
The Internet is loaded with free software, making it hard to know which one’s you really need. This article will act as your guide to the top 20 free applications (Web and Windows) for increased productivity.
These programs will make your PC faster, stronger, and more productive.
1. Launchy
Launchy is the best free program launcher. It allows you to launch your documents, files, folders, and bookmarks with just a few keystrokes. Launchy is also packed with a few extra features. You can use Launchy’s keyboard shortcuts to:
- Search Google
- Check the weather
- Search other sites
- Browse your computer
- Use the built in calculator
- Index your music, pictures, bookmarks, and folders
- and much more…
2. AutoHotKey
When it comes to raw power, it doesn’t get much better than AutoHotKey. This software can automate just about anything by capturing your keystrokes and mouse clicks. This free utility allows you to define your own hotkeys, enabling you to launch an applicaton with a single key press.
AutoHotKey is a bit more technical than Launchy, but it’s well worth the effort. Fortunately, this application does come with a built-in macro recorder.
If you’re looking for free antivirus software, nothing beats AVG Antivirus 7. This product has been continuously improved and updated since 1991.
There’s nothing worse than spyware to cripple a computer. For years, millions of users have relied on SpyBot Search and Destroy to keep their computer running smoothly.
5. Ad-Aware
Ad-Aware works perfectly along side SpyBot Search and Destroy to help protect your computer against harmful spyware.
Other good choices include SpyWare Terminator and Win Patrol.
Free Download Manager is a highly recommended download accelerator and manager. Don’t waste time waiting for your files to download. Free Download Manager will instantly increase your download speed by up to 600%.
7. BK ReplaceEm
Have you ever needed to replace a certain string of text in multiple files? If so, then you know what a pain it can be. Fortunately, there a number of free search and replace utilities that will help you get the job done quickly.
BK ReplaceEm is one of the most powerful search and replace utilities, allowing you to operate on multiple files at once.
Speed up the Web with Google Web Accelerator. This simple program will allow you to enjoy faster web browsing in seconds.
9. CamStudio
CamStudio is free recording software that will allow you to create demonstration videos, online tutorials, or even video-based information products. The possibilities are endless with this professional software. Fortunately, it doesn’t have the price tag that goes along with most streaming video software.
10. Audacity
Audacity is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. You can use Audacity to record live audio, edit sound files, mix sounds together, and much more.
11. Foxit PDF Reader
Here’s a small PDF reader that loads in a flash. It’s an excellent alternative to Adobe’s slow, bloated PDF Reader.
12. 7-Zip
7-Zip is one of the best file compressors available. This open source software will allow you to compress a number of different file formats.
Another excellent zip utility is IZArc, which supports nearly 50 different archive file types.
13. CCleaner
CCleaner is a simple program that will help keep your computer running at its peak. This freeware utility removes unused files from your system, freeing up valuable hard disk space.
14. OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice is the number one open source alternative to Microsoft’s Office Suite. OpenOffice includes a word processor, spreadsheet software similar to Microsoft Excel, web page editor, photo software and a presentation program similar to Microsoft Powerpoint.
15. Skype
Skype allows you to talk to people across the world for free. This program is perfect for business application as well as personal use.
16. Gmail
Gmail is hands-down the best email client available. It comes with built-in Google search technology, 2.6 GB of storage, and a number of excellent features.
Gmail allows you to apply labels to your email, create filters, and presents your email messages as threaded conversations.
17. Better Gmail
To enhance your Gmail for optimum productivity, then you will need to download the Better Gmail Firefox extension. Better Gmail adds a number of features, including:
- Google Calendar in the folder list
- a number of new Gmail skins
- saved searches and…
- additional macros
18. FileZilla
FileZilla is a fast and reliable FTP client that packs a ton of useful features. This is by far the best free FTP client that I have found.
19. RoboForm
RoboForm will help you navigate the Web with ease. It is the top-rated password manager and web form filler that will allow you to browse the Web faster than ever.
20. Google Calendar
Organize your life with Google Calendar. You can use Google Calendar to set up automatic event reminders, add important events with a single click, and use the built-in search tool to keep track of all your events.
Kim Roach is a productivity junkie who blogs regularly at The Optimized Life. Read her articles on 50 Essential GTD Resources, How to Have a 46 Hour Day, Do You Need a Braindump, What They Don’t Teach You in School, and Free Yourself From the Inbox.
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Comments
adam says on May 29th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Roboform is not 100% free… it has limitations unless you purchase the “pro” version.
Techie Buzz says on May 29th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
I use quite a few of these applications Launchy is one of my favorites.
Also you could include Google Desktop search which is one of the best free files indexer and search tool.
Keith
Dave says on May 29th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
You totally forgot filehamster you can get it at this site:
http://www.mogware.com/filehamster/Downloads/
Steve Rowe says on May 29th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
I think its good to note that if you’re using Google Calendar that you can also improve it with other free applications like GooSync, Spanning Sync, and Calgoo.
Of these Calgoo is my favorite, followed by GooSync, as mobile sync is less important to me then having a program that gives me offline access and a back up of my appointment info on my hard drive.
- S
Tyler says on May 29th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Number one way I increased my productivity… I bought a Macbook Pro.
StarCraft 2 Wallpaper says on May 29th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
nice list… I used most of the programs… before I switched to linux :))
xxdesmus says on May 29th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
The Gmail “is hands-down the best email client available.” kind of killed the credibility of this list for me. Gmail is not the hands-down best anything. It’s yet another half assed webmail application. It’s no better and no worse than Yahoo Mail, Windows Live Mail, and just about any other webmail app.
As for Google Calendar, it’s far behind 30boxes. So if I was going to recommend a web based calendar app, I’d definitely going with 30boxes instead of picking Google Calendar just because it’s “cool”.
user says on May 29th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
AVG suck if you want a good Virus Scanner get avast @ avast.com
John Hawklyn says on May 29th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Irfanview
Mike says on May 29th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Paint.net! Don’t forget Paint.net!
Allan says on May 29th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Thanks! It’s a nice useful list I can give to people who keep asking me where they can get free software!
Leandro Ardissone says on May 29th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
I prefer Find and Run Robot instead of Launchy. More advanced and better.
Daniel says on May 29th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
AVG and Ad-Aware are two pieces of software I can’t live without. I don’t think I’ve had a serious virus/spyware problem since I started using them.
Shannon VanWagner says on May 29th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
I’d like to contribute http://www.inbox.com as being an awesome alternative to gmail. Inbox.com features:
5GB storage
Calendar that has configurable reminders
Photo Album with snazzy slideshow and album-sharing features
Notes section to keep your notes(you can color code these)
File upload section – keep that favorite document online for access from anywhere
External POP access (all webmail accts should have this (unlike hotmail & MSN?!! WTF?))
Ability to check other POP accounts from your inbox account – this is pretty nifty
Configurable interface – choice is good
No advertisement junk (unlike hotmail)
Auto-reply / sign-up spam filter (I actually don’t like this feature so I have it turned off)
Freedom from a crappy webmail client (unlike hotmail)
Get your free account now, you’ll be glad you did.
Shannon VanWagner says on May 29th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
I’d also like to contribute…
KUBUNTU Linux
http://www.kubuntu.org
Features:
100% Free OS
Very Slick Interface
No “Activation” or arm&leg contribution required
21,000+ free software packages of all types – cost $0
Freedom from being owned by Microsoft
Open Office – Can open your .doc, .xls, etc. files. Can create documents in the aforementioned formats but also features export-to-PDF and save to Open Document Format Capabilites.
Cool and different utilities that work better than Windows in many instances.
Be liberated, be free, be cool like me.. USE LINUX!!
Shannon VanWagner
Barry MxKawkiner says on May 29th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
Some very good picks – but let me add Copernic Desktop Search. It’s free, and it works by indexing your whole system. Then you can search for anything in anything very quickly. The way it displays results is far superior to Windows built in search function. If you have a huge amount of data on your system that you frequently need to extract bits of info from, then you will love Copernic.
Shannon VanWagner says on May 29th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
I’d also like to contribute…
DeepBurner Free from http://www.deepburner.com
Free CD/DVD Burning application for Windows.
Features:
Capability to burn .iso files in about three clicks
Create Data / Audio CDs on the fly
Cool Utility!
Shannon VanWagner
Shannon VanWagner says on May 29th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
I’d also like to suggest BartPE from http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/
This is an awesome utility that can help you recover data from a corrupt installation of Windows.
There are also many plugins and driver add-ins that allow you to surf the web, diagnose your computer, and edit partitions on RAID arrays. You can also move files across a network connection that you can setup through the Interface.
Shannon VanWagner
logan says on May 29th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
AVG sucks. I recommend Active Virus Shield, which is a repackaged version of Kaspersky that AOL gives away Free to anyone with a valid email address.
activevirusshield.com
Ross says on May 29th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
Colibri is better than launchy IMO.
Scott Wegner says on May 29th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
This is a handy list. I am looking, though, for a free and simple “time tracking” program. It would be useful at work, as well as at home, to keep track of how much time I spend on specific projects and tasks. Currently I’m using Momo (http://sourceforge.net/projects/momo-tt), but it’s a little buggy for me. Any suggestions?
Nick The Geek says on May 29th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Awwww … you guys …
[KISS]
Right back at ya
:)
Nxqd3051990 says on May 29th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
I’m wondering that there isn’t any explorer app replace for windows explorer -.-
nXqd
Pixel Man says on May 29th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
How come there isn’t anything about regular expressions with some type of grep tool? These are so useful and increase productivity greatly… wingrep or even a tool to do find replace with regular expressions… amazing stuff.
http://pixelspotlight.com/
mikeligalig says on May 30th, 2007 at 12:17 am
When I installed Google Web Accelerator it did the opposite thing. My Internet browsing became a funeral parade. Why?
kai says on May 30th, 2007 at 12:46 am
Great list, I’d like to add several other…
Avast – No-hassle virus protection, easy to setup
Bulk Rename Utility – A powerful yet flexible batch renamer
Google Desktop – Index your computer for quick searches, even into the text of your emails
InCtrl5 – Checks which files and registry settings are added/changed during installation
Notepad2 – Replacement for Notepad, with auto-tab, color-coding, auto-detect file type, powerful yet fast
I use linux quite a bit too, but I’ve gotten so reliant on these great utilities. They’re the only things that holds me back from using linux full-time.
Jeff says on May 30th, 2007 at 2:38 am
Most of those had nothing to do with productivity.
Cool.
Iason says on May 30th, 2007 at 4:02 am
The best free desktop search progam is by far Copernic (http://www.copernic.com/en/pro.....nload.html)
dennis says on May 30th, 2007 at 4:04 am
Been using one program for many years now already: StrokeIT
THE best mouse-gesture program. You just have to define what each gesture does for each program and you are good to go.
http://www.tcbmi.com/strokeit/
Mike says on May 30th, 2007 at 5:09 am
This list could be much much better with the inclusion of some not-so-popular software that far outclass the ones you listed.
I also agree with Jeff (above comment)
Argancel | ceclair.fr says on May 30th, 2007 at 5:40 am
You forgot note taking programs like freemind.
Bunz says on May 30th, 2007 at 7:47 am
lol@logan
You just gave a perfect reason NOT to use Active Virus Shield – ‘AOL gives away Free to anyone with a valid email address.’
David, biologeek says on May 30th, 2007 at 9:15 am
21. Install Ubuntu.
Robert says on May 30th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Actually Keybreeze is the best free program launcher. It does everything Launchy does and more — macros for automation, sticky notes, text insertion, window display properties, Skype integration, and a whole lot more.
Ethan says on May 30th, 2007 at 9:58 am
Hrmmm… most of those apps do nothing for productivity… why even tell people that bloatware from google and other “companies” should be intalled on their computer? I just love having 50+ programs running in the background.
I actually tried Autohotkey once…. it couldn’t do what I needed it to do… and the help file is useless also. Macromaker is a much better and easier program to use.. even if it is a lot older.
Larry says on May 30th, 2007 at 11:21 am
Proxomitron- This program great for spoofing and filtering.
Klaus says on May 30th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Nxqd3051990: I rather like the (free) xplorer² at http://www.zabkat.com
Much better than that Microsoft Explorer…
steeltoe says on May 30th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Any list without Irfanview is suspect. Best free app ever.
Rob Dunn says on May 30th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Roboform is fine for up to 10 websites, but then after that…you need to purchase (like someone here said).
Comodo makes I-Vault, which is a pretty respectable offering, except it is lacking Firefox support. But I think the best is probably Keepass.
AOL’s free AV offering is a very slimmed down Kapersky version. Like the others said, Avast! is the best, hands-down.
While Irfanview is fine, there are waaay too many(!) options for the casual user, the interface is dated, not to mention my petty disdain for the program icon :). There are a few other quality apps hot on its heels now (Faststone MaxView, Fresh View (I’m using this one now), and Google Picasa).
John says on May 30th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
Yep, you are totaly right Dave; FileHamster is awesome. In fact, I would place it at #1 on the list.
SporkFanatic says on May 30th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
SiteAdvisor makes http://www.freedownloadmanager.org look like a good place to pick up some malware.
Nxqd3051990 says on May 31st, 2007 at 1:48 am
@Klaus: I’ll give a try :)
nXqd
webdr says on June 6th, 2007 at 2:36 am
Why it is limited to 20?
Here are some applications from my comp.
imgburn
truecrypt
unlocker
foobar
winscp (better than filezilla imo)
orbit download manager
notepad++
pspad
keepass instead of shareware roboform (there would be automatic fill in with version 2)[personally i use sticky password which also has an ability to fill in password areas in win applications]
instead of foxit there is PDF-XChange PDF Viewer.
Marcos Reis says on June 8th, 2007 at 10:40 am
Don´t forget nCleaner and AVS Shield
Renato says on June 15th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
I use Thunderbird with Lightning and Plaxo extensions to manage my calendar and address book, respectively.
I also use SyncBack to synchronize my desktop and Notebook. It has great features to compare and update folders which make may life a lot easier.
I also like Xplorer2, which is a file management tool much better than Windows Explorer (pane and tabs navigation, bookmarks, robust copy and much more).
For the GTD implementation I use Thinking Rock. Its simpler and faster than any other (or at least it was the one that best suited my working flow).
For image manipulation, the best one around is XnView. Easy to use and can make virtually anything in batch operations (rename, resize, set dpi, crop, …)
Finally, I use Netvibes (www.netvibes.com) as my Home Page to aggregate news feeds and other widgets (including, for example, to-do lists). Clean visual and powerful features.
Ben says on July 8th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Good list of applications. More excellent free apps (for mac/linux/windows) can be found at http://www.freeapps.co.uk
inspiroi says on July 21st, 2007 at 12:52 pm
I’ve been searching for good free video editing software. Do You know any good one?
Dra'Gon says on August 28th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
1. I’ve had the pleasure of using Autohotkey! Though I’m nowhere near being a programmer, I like to play at it and AHK gives me a chance to do that.
2. The entry for Skype says it’s free but all you have to do is go to the website and see it’s not. Perhaps someone should change that entry!
Dra’Gon
raziel says on July 16th, 2008 at 1:18 am
actually i just purchased avg pro 8.0 and to tell ya the truth avg 9 x’s out of 10 will catch anything that is out there esp. if you have uniblue suite.i will give both of these programs a 200% out of a 100 try them both together and you will never have a slow comp again.
raziel says on July 16th, 2008 at 1:23 am
oh and one more thing skype is free unless you plan on making calls if you have a head set or built in mic on your com you can still talk to others even type to them its basicly like a messenger on crack lol two thumbs up to skype way to go keep it up.
DanGTD says on June 9th, 2009 at 7:03 am
I would recommend checking out http://www.Gtdagenda.com for an online project manager.