Software: Free Vs. Paid

This is a decision that many of us have had to make many times: Do I shell out big bucks for the brand name software, or is there a cheap or free alternative (usually called open source)?  If I get the alternative, will it do everything that I need to do, and will it be compatible with the brand name software?  These questions are not always easy to answer and the answers will be different based on your needs and requirements.

While I can’t cover every software package and their free counterparts, I will address many of the most popular software titles.

Microsoft Office – Unless you are running complicated macros, there are plenty of options here and you can even save the files as MS office type files (DOCX,XLXS, etc.)                   FreeOffice 2016 – Windows and Linux versions

            LibreOffice – Windows, Mac and Linux versions

            WPS Office 2016 - Windows, Mac and Linux versions

Adobe Photoshop – Most people don’t need this level of photo editing.  These free alternatives can do most of what Photoshop does.

            Gimp - Windows, Mac and Linux versions

            Paint.net – Windows and Mac versions (This is not a website, it is a downloadable program)

Outlook – This is the number one email client and it is loaded with features.  Unless you have Exchange email, you can’t take full advantage of these features so the alternatives are great when that is the case.

            Mozilla Thunderbird – Windows and Mac versions

            Opera Mail - Windows and Mac versions

            Pegasus Mail - Windows and Mac versions

Adobe Acrobat – Almost all programs and most printers now let you print to pdf or save as pdf, but if you need to do more than just create a pdf these can help you.

            PDFCREATOR – Windows only

            PDFLITE – Windows and Mac versions

These are the most used programs and they can set you back a lot of money.  If you are needing one of these programs, it would be worth the time to at least try the alternatives out first. 

Make sure you are downloading from the source and mouse over the download before clicking to make sure it really is the download that you want.  While installing, make sure to read very carefully and don’t use the “express” option to install.

If you have questions about this or need help getting these set up, call me, I can help.     

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