In times of increasingly high subscription and licensing costs for software, many people are looking for cost-effective alternatives. Fortunately, there are a variety of powerful free tools that can compete with the expensive market leaders in many areas. Here are the best free alternatives you can turn to.
Image editing and graphic design
Adobe Photoshop is considered the ultimate in image editing software, but it’s not exactly cheap at $19.99 per month. Here are three good freeware alternatives for design and image editing purposes:
- GIMP: GIMP is one of the most popular alternatives to Photoshop and offers a similar range of image editing tools, such as layers and masks, selection tools, cloning, filters, and image adjustments. Although GIMP’s user interface is less intuitive and lacks some advanced features (such as support for Smart Objects and CMYK), it is still a similar solution to Photoshop and completely free. See also: GIMP Basics: The Best Tips and Tricks for Beginners.
- Paint.NET: While this Windows tool is not nearly as comprehensive and professional as Photoshop, it is the fastest way to achieve your goals when it comes to basic image editing. Paint.NET supports layers, selection tools and image adjustments, an unlimited undo function, and a number of other useful image editing features.
- Canva (free version): The free version of Canva offers many options for professional graphics and presentations on social media. The intuitive interface makes image creation a breeze even for non-professionals, but image editing is reduced to the basics. For more features, templates and elements you need the paid Pro version ($10 per month). Canva is web-based and therefore platform independent.
GIMP is one of the best alternatives to Adobe Photoshop.
GIMP
Another big favorite in the field of graphic design is CorelDRAW, which offers a comprehensive suite of tools that will make many designers’ hearts beat faster. However, the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2024 costs $549 for a single license or $22.42 per month for an annual subscription – a significant investment. It is also possible to use Inkscape, for example, completely free of charge.
Inkscape is a strong open-source alternative to CorelDRAW, especially when it comes to vector graphics. It offers comprehensive tools for creating and editing vector designs and is excellent for projects such as illustrations, technical drawings and diagrams. While it can’t quite compete with CorelDRAW in some areas (for example, it doesn’t offer native support for multi-page documents and fewer plugins), Inkscape’s versatility and ability to achieve impressive results without high costs is impressive.
Kristian Kask
Video editing software
Adobe Premiere Pro is an industry standard for professional video editing, but it also costs $22.99 per month. Two good free alternatives are:
- Kdenlive: Kdenlive is a comprehensive open-source video editing software that offers many features found in more expensive programs. With multi-track timelines, effects, transitions and even keyframe animations, Kdenlive offers an impressive range of features that are more than enough for many projects. It’s an excellent choice especially for Linux users, but it’s also available for Windows and macOS.
- Shot cut: Shotcut also offers a wide range of video editing tools and supports a variety of video formats. The software is platform independent and – despite the lack of user-friendliness – is a solid and powerful solution that you can test without risk.
Kdenlive offers professional video editing features — all for free.
Kdenlive
Live streaming software
Many people rely on paid tools like Vimeo or Streamyard for live streaming. If you want to save the subscription costs, it is better to use the open source tool OBS Studio.
This tool offers a wide range of features for professional live streaming, including scene transitions, source control, and support for various platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook Live. OBS Studio is available on all platforms and, despite being free, offers powerful options to customize your live streams and broadcast in high quality.
Professional streaming doesn’t have to cost anything – OBS Studio proves it.
Note Studio
Office software
Microsoft 365 is the most used Office package in the world and offers a wide range of applications that are indispensable for daily office work – such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. But with an individual license costing $69.99 for an annual subscription, the Office package quickly adds up.
A great offline alternative is LibreOffice. It may look a bit old-fashioned, but it combines all the essential Office applications and also offers some additional PDF editing features.
A bit old-fashioned, but still powerful: the Word alternative LibreOffice.
PC world
For those who prefer to work online, there are also powerful free alternatives. Microsoft itself offers a slimmed-down online version of Word, Excel and PowerPoint that can be used for free as long as you are logged in with a Microsoft account. Although these versions are not as feature-rich as the full versions, they provide enough tools for most daily tasks.
Another excellent option is the Google Suite (Google Docs, Sheets, Slides). These online tools are free, available on all platforms, and enable seamless collaboration in real time. All you need is a free Google account.
There are also free PDF editing alternatives that can be useful. ONLY OFFICE PDF Editor (the free version), PDFgear and PDF24 Creator provide a solid core set of features that are sufficient for many everyday tasks. With these tools, you can edit PDFs, comment on them, fill out forms, and even convert documents – without paying a cent.
Antivirus software
Instead of paid antivirus software like Norton or Avast Premium, there are also some free alternatives that offer solid protection. One of these alternatives is Windows Defender. The tool is integrated into Windows and provides basic protection against viruses, malware and other threats. It is extremely user-friendly and uses few system resources.
Another free option is Avast Free Antivirus, which offers protection against malware, viruses, and phishing and is available for Windows, macOS, and Android.
Chris Hoffman/IDG
Important note: While free antivirus software offers good protection, it can’t always keep up with the latest threats. If you want to be on the safe side, it is better to opt for a paid solution. When it comes to safety, the savings factor should not be the focus.
Further reading: The best antivirus software for Windows PCs
This article originally appeared in our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German.
