7 Programs to Run Your Computer Completely Free

Best Free Software for Your Computer

So you have bought a new computer or inherited an old one from a friend and do not want to pay for the software to make it run. That is a decision based on many things but once it is made there are several good programs out there for you to use. 

Word Processor

• LibreOffice - The free word processor I use is called LibreOffice. It is very similar to Microsoft Word. It allows you to do all of the same important basic things as Microsoft Word.
  Also it gives you the ability to save documents as a LibreOffice document or to save it as a Word document. Not only is LibreOffice a word processor but it also has programs similar to Excel and Powerpoint.

Media

• Audacity - Audacity allows you to do two things. It allows you to mix together audio content and record audio content. This allows users to create anything from podcasts to audio for videos.
• Skype - Skype allows you to video chat anyone else in the world as long as they have signed up for Skype also. Skype has more features if you sign up for the paid version but the free version works perfectly for me.
• Handbrake - Handbrake allows you to to convert video into almost any format. You can use it along with a DVD ripper to rip video and the put that video on your iPod, computer, or other such device.

Internet

• Browser - This is included to remind you that there are so many other options for your browser than just the one that was originally loaded onto your computer. I personally use Chrome but Firefox and Safari are good alternatives.

Cloud Backup

• Dropbox - Dropbox will back up all of your documents up to approximately 2.5 GB all for free. It syncs with your phone and your computers automatically so you never have to worry about having the newest version of your document when you need it. Just save the files you want into the Dropbox folder and it will be automatically backed up. I use Dropbox for my home files and Drive(Google's version of Dropbox) for my work files.

Finance

• Mint - Mint is an online tool that allows you to manage your cash, credit, and bank transactions. It automatically syncs all of your transactions as long as you set up your account in Mint. You can also create budgets, track your spending in those budgets, create goals, and track your progress towards those goals.