Are you paying for Word file processors and Image editing tools?

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October 20, 2020
2:38 pm

Free alternative tools online for using .doc files and editing images.

Before investing your money on expensive software, do try these free programs. Generally we rely on costly computer programs to editing photos and video, dealing with office work or protecting computers from malware. But aren’t there any free options?

Many times commercial SAAS software development companies do offer the many basic versions of their products totally free of charge. However, not all free apps are valuably equal. Listed below are 10 of the finest free alternatives.

1. Office suite: LibreOffice

If you need a all-inclusive office suite that can do just about everything Microsoft Office can, then opt for LibreOffice. Even though it lacks the visual polish of the expensive product, it still performs the same functions, and it works flawlessly with files created in Office.

This office suite is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux and includes these six main programs:

  1. Writer for word processing,
  2. Calc for spreadsheets,
  3. Impress for presentations,
  4. Base for databases,
  5. Draw for building diagrams, and
  6. Math for writing formulas.

2. Untethered office suite: Google Drive

If you are mostly working on more than one device or regularly collaborating with your colleagues, you may favor a cloud-based alternative to Microsoft Office i.e. the suite for Google Drive.

Drive offers the following benefits:

  • Accessible them from any browser on any computer
  • Easily share files for collaboration with other people.
  • Tight integration with Google’s other web services, eg Gmail.
  • The package includes Docs for word processing, Sheets for spreadsheets, and Slides for presentations.
  • You can also access these apps if you are working offline.

3. Photo editor: GIMP

If you are looking for advanced image-editing program with same abilities like Adobe Photoshop, try GIMP, short for GNU, a Image Manipulation Program. Its silent features are:

  1. This free app is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux,
  2. It allows you to create digital artwork from scratch or tweak photos already clicked with color adjustments and filters.
  3. It has almost all the tools you need, like sophisticated support for layers and selections, drawing tools like clone tool and a healing brush.

4. Untethered photo editor: Pixlr

If you want photo editor app from multiple machines, you can swap GIMP for the cloud-based Pixlr.

This web app is accessible on any browser and has two versions: an advanced full editor and a streamlined express editor.

  • It comes with a plethora of image editing and filtering tools
  • It can fix skin blemishes on a portrait and filter an image till it looks like a classic painting.
  • It also provides a wide variety of brushes and advanced selection tools, plus a magic wand.
  • It supports the most common image-adjustment options, such as color, brightness, hue, and saturation.
  • This version works best when you try to transform a dull-looking image into something more eye-catching.

5. Illustration: Inkscape

If GIMP is a decent substitute for Adobe Photoshop, then Inkscape is the counterpart to Adobe Illustrator.

  • It is a powerful vector-based drawing app that lets you create artwork like the images in the galleryon a Windows, macOS, or Linux machine.
  • It saves your images as a collection of points and lines, like a CAD drawing, thus you can simply resize and adjust them without losing quality.
  • Inkscape offers flexible tools for creating lines, shapes, and text.
  • It also provides grouping and layering options to manage objects on the canvas.

6. Audio editing: Audacity

Audacity is one of the finest freeware applications that handle audio editing and manipulation, which can reduce the hiss in a song ripped from a vinyl record, and edit an audio interview for your podcast, and even normalize two audio files to the same volume level.

  • Audacity works on Windows, macOS, and Linux and supports all of the most commonly used audio formats.
  • This software lets you add effects and filters for adjusting volume, pitch, tempo, fades, and more.
  • It’s simple interface helps you to record audio from a microphone or a live stream.

7. Antivirus protection: Bitdefender Free

Since it’s important to protect your computer from malware, you can try a free version of antivirus tool, called Bitdefender Free, for Windows and macOS machines.

  • Since Bitdefender Free doesn’t eat up many system resources, it won’t reduce your computer speed too much.
  • The simple interface of Bitdefender gives you more advanced features—like protection against spam emails and data encryption tools—in its paid-for products.
  • While Bitdefender Free offers only the basics, still you can’t beat the price.

8. Video editor: OpenShot

OpenShot is a free video editing application available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, that is simple to use but still has lots of useful features.

  • OpenShot covers all the basics of clip editing and resizing and supports all of the popular audio, video, and image formats.
  • The free app lets you stack an unlimited number of video and audio tracks.
  • And helps you to take your video creations further with titles, image overlays, watermarks, previews between scenes, subtitles, and even a few 3D animation effects.

9. Apple-only video editor: iMovie

As an alternative to OpenShot, Apple users can try the free iMovie that is only available on macOs. If photo editor is not there, you can download iMovie through the Mac Store.

This program assists you in quickly combining clips, audio, and images, and also gives you quick filters for your content. It includes some fun features like an automatic video shake-fixing tool and also simple green screen effects.

10. Remote access: TeamViewer

The TeamViewer app is free if you don’t use it for commercial purposes.

  • After launching TeamViewer on the device, you’ll get a computer ID and a passcode which you can pass on to someone else, and they can use them, in conjunction with their own copy of TeamViewer for controlling the original computer from far place.
  • TeamViewer also helps you access your home or office computer from anywhere around the world.
  • TeamViewer also offers a paid version for more devices and multiple users.