Best free softwares you should try once

You got a new PC, got fresh Windows install and now you need some softwares. You may have noticed that all the best softwares are not free. I'm not saying that you're wasting your money on those softwares but some of us don't need all those features that come with the premium softwares. What if you need just few basic features of them? Then paying full premium of that software might seem a little extreme. And acquiring those softwares by "some alternative means" might pose a risk to your system as they could come with viruses and malwares. So if you don't require the full fledged premium software then these free and open source softwares might prove to be more economical option and at the same time, more secure.

So here are some softwares that are worth trying 

Libre Office

It is the biggest competition to Ms-Office for a reason. It supports all the major features of many office suites. If you're not a Ms-Office wizard who does some work with Ms-Office exclusive features then it is definitely a go to software.

GIMP

If you need to do some touch up to your photographs and some simple editing, then it is more than capable of replacing Adobe Photoshop. So if you're not a professional photo editor, then GIMP will do just fine. 

Krita

If you spend more time drawing and colouring, then GIMP will feel a little janky. So you can try out Krita. It is quite popular among new digital artists who just started. On top of drawings, it is capable of simple 2D animations as well. 

Inkscape 

If you want to do some vector arts and logo designs, then it is one of the most popular free software for the task. The only drawback this has is the lack of CMYK colour profile. Those who don't know, CMYK profile is printer friendly. Colours of a CMYK image will look exactly the same on paper when you print it out.

DaVinci Resolve 

If you're a casual video editor then it is the best free video editing software you can get. It is so good that professional video editors recommend it over some of the paid softwares. So it is the perfect free video editing software for beginner to intermediate level editors. However, all that goodness comes with a cost, you will need somewhat powerful PC with dedicated Graphics card for best experience.

VSDC Video Editor

If you don't really need to do much of editing, mostly cut, trim and merge, then this lightweight video editor will be more suitable for you specially if you have a low spec PC. But don't worry, despite being a lightweight and free editor, it does come with some advanced features as well, like color correction, motion tracking and also supports 4K, 3D and VR 360 videos.

Kodi

Well this one is a little interesting one. You don't really need it because most people already use a free media player like VLC and MKV Player. And those are pretty capable one. Kodi is not just a media player, it is a media center. You can link your streaming services like Netflix as well. It is really useful for managing your Library. Specially if you're watching multiple TV series. It remembers last episode you watched even if you forget, which is quite useful if you watch downloaded show(from torrent).

TOR Browser

Originally it was used by dark web users only. But its built in VPN(well technically not a VPN but essentially acts like one)  is also useful for accessing contents blocked by your government or ISP. So it can come handy to stream your favorite shows and access torrent. 

Blender

If you're planning a career in 3D modeling and animation then Blender can be the best first software that's available for free. It may have a steep learning curve but once you master it, you can do so much with it. Like photo and video editing, logo design, intro animation, etc. 

Dia

If you're a science student then you may have encountered a project/assignment that requires a flow chart, circuit diagram, DFD, etc. While simpler ones can be made in MS Word, complex ones can prove to be a pain. Dia is perfect for those scenarios.

Notepad++

A must have text editor for programming students. It recognises majority of programming languages and their syntax. So it can be quite useful for editing those files.

Ashampoo Burning Studio

If you work with CD/DVD a lot then this simple burning software can come handy. It is free to use, you just need to register your account for free.

7-zip

Most of you might already be using winrar or winzip for handling zip folders. But don't you get annoyed with those subscription msgs to get a registered copy? 7-zip is free and comes with more features than those two. Also it recognises much more compression formats.

SMPlayer

VLC is arguably the most popular and most used video player out there. Even I used it for a long time as my primary video player. But it had some issues with certain files, so I looked into alternatives. And now SMPlayer is my personal favorite. 

Pot Player

Pot player could have become my personal favorite but it is not available for Linux so SMPlayer took the win. But if you are a Windows user, do check it out before trying any other video player. It can play 3D and 360 videos too. 

Have I missed anything? Or do you need a free alternative for something that you use? Let me know in the comments.