If you are looking for free alternatives for the popular software, then you are at the right place. Here we had listed the best free and open-source alternatives for paid software.
There are lots of free paid software alternatives that can save your money. With many similar features, they’re just as good as the ones you might be used to.
Free and Open Source Alternatives for Paid Software
This list contains all the useful software you are going to use every day. We will also link you to the installation guide of every software.
1. Linux
Linux is the best alternative for Windows operating system. Everyone knows that Windows is the most popular operating system. Some of us buy windows, some of us go with the pirated version. If you go to buy the original Windows it will cost you around $199. Why you should spend money on buying OS.
You can go with a Linux operating system. If you don’t know about Linux, let me tell you that Linux is a free and open-source operating system. There are many distributions of Linux such as Ubuntu, Mint, and Kali Linux. Do you know Linux OS is also used in the server?
The most popular Linux distribution is Linux Ubuntu. You can install Ubuntu on Windows 11 using VirtualBox to try Linux.
2. GIMP
GIMP is a free and open-source Image Manipulation Program available for Linux, macOS, Windows, and more operating systems. We can do almost everything we want to do in our photos. Besides editing photos, it can also be used to design graphical elements such as logos and icons.
If you are looking for the best alternative for Adobe Photoshop then definitely I will suggest GIMP. It has almost the same user interface as Adobe Photoshop has and the same tools to edit our photos.
You can further enhance your productivity and the functionality of GIMP by adding third-party plugins. Check out how you can install GIMP on Windows 11.
3. LibreOffice
LibreOffice is a free and open-source, office suite available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. It is developed by “The Document Foundation“. LibreOffice is the best alternative to MS Office, we get all the tools MS Office offers.
Even we can open and edit the documents which are initially prepared on MS Office. Yes, it’s true.
If you want to buy MS Office then you can buy. But you have to pay a monthly subscription, here you can check the price of MS Office.
4. ShotCut
If you are a YouTuber or video producer then there is a good chance that you are searching for a video editor to edit your videos. Shotcut is a free, open-source, and cross-platform video editor available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS.
It supports all the video and audio formats and even you can edit 4K videos smoothly if you have good hardware. It doesn’t just provide you with trimming and splitting, it has a whole bunch of features.
The features of Shotcut include video compositing across video tracks, auto-rotate, color correction, wipe transitions, overlay, text, and the most advanced feature which is only available in the paid software like chroma key, you are getting it for free on Shotcut. Chroma key is a feature that lets you change the background of your video. But you have to shoot the video in the green background.
5. Audacity
Sound production has been one of the most illustrious career options if you are a creative person. Sony Sound Forge has always been a pinnacle of software for this domain. However, it is safe to say that the application is not free of cost, and hence, many people get frustrated with this fact.
Meanwhile, we are suggesting a fantastic alternative, Audacity! It is a free and open-source cross-platform audio editing software. It is an easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems.
With the help of audacity, we can remove background noise, add a sound effect, amplify, and edit our audio. We can also download and install plug-ins or libraries to add extra functionality. We can import and export all the audio formats such as MP3, ACC, WAV but to export in MP3 we have to download lame_enc.dll
6. Thunderbird
If you are looking for an open-source alternative to Microsoft Outlook, then Thunderbird is preferably the best choice for you. Thunderbird is an email solution from the house of Mozilla that was launched in early 2004.
Mozilla successfully meets the overwhelming response from the dedicated email client. However, the company is not focused on this email client because they know that they will fail to make an impact on an industry like Firefox.
This is an open-source application that is available for Windows versions. Thunderbird offers a lot of features other than the email client. It includes a calendar, check client and even the user can handle RSS feeds.
7. LibreCAD
For many years now, AutoCAD has been a software that drives the architecture industry in terms of digital illustration. However, the application is not free to use, and over the years, the price has been sky-rocketed. So, if you want to make a career in this industry, you would have to pay for the application.
That said, we have a better solution – LibreCAD! It can be a direct replacement of AutoCAD, and you can do almost everything that you do in AutoCAD.
It runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and the best part is, you can modify all the existing AutoCAD documents. Therefore, it is worthy of giving a try.
8. Blender
Autodesk Maya is a noteworthy 3D designing software application for many years now. However, with growing popularity, the application has become quite expensive. So, if you have a dream to design 3D animations, you will have to spend a lot of money to begin designing in the first place.
Blender is free and open-source software with the help of Blender you can create animation files, visual effects, VFX and even you can create intro and outer for your YouTube videos. It is Developer Blender Foundation and written in C++ and python.
Blender, however, can be an ideal choice for you instead. You can use it in whichever OS you own, and more importantly, it is free to use. Now, it may not have an extensive library like Maya, but it has got features that will help you to test-drive your 3D skills. Therefore, you must try Blender once.
9. Krita
Krita is one of the best alternatives to Photoshop which has almost the same features as Adobe Photoshop. This tool is highly recommended by people in online forums for photo editing. Another important characteristic of the software is, it looks and gives the same feeling as Photoshop software.
The developer has arranged the tool in a similar way just like Photoshop. Krita offers a lot of features to its users like the slice tool option, multiple images in tabs, etc.
Despite offering users a plethora of features, the software is totally free for users. Krita has also paid version available for professionals that is rich in features and is exclusively built for top-notch photo editors.
10. Lightzone
Lightzone is a direct alternative to Adobe Lightroom. Available on Windows, Mac, and Linux, this incredible app has all the features that make you fall in love with Lightroom in the first place.
One of the exciting facts about Lightzone is that it is free to use. Now, if we compare it with Lightroom, you can smoothly organize, cull, and edit your images with ease.
According to some users, they believe the export quality is even better than Lightroom. You can also benefit from the 16 segments it offers, which could make your edits a new dynamic look.
Conclusion
So, here is the list of free alternatives for paid software. However, you must understand a fact, all the software that we have mentioned are not the first choice of the users.
Yes, there is a possibility that people don’t know about these, but chances are, these software packages are not picked as people like what they are using. We are, however, highlighting them for those who are unable to pay for these software packages.
