On 12.06.14, In Looking for a freeware? These sites have it.
We love free softwares, also called freewares. They will cost you nothing, offered by generous software developers who believe the best things in life are free, or that to be discovered and known in this competitive world of computer technology offer something useful, give it away for free and expect the rewards of recognition later.
There are many sites which offer these freewares. Some stand out from the rest. Here are top sites which I go to for freewares. They are totally legit, reputable and reliable.
1. Freewarefiles - Excellent site! Simple and easy to navigate. Includes publisher’s description of the software, users’ reviews and top picks by the site editors. In the home page, freewares are classified into 15 general categories such as AntiVirus, audio & Video, Drivers, Internet, Desktop Enhancements, etc. Click on any of the general category and you will come up with specific sub-categories. For example under Internet category, there are 22 specific classifications such as Browsers, Bookmark Managers, Email, File Sharing, Download Accelerators, Toolbars, Instant Messaging, Webcam Tools, just to name some. What got me into this site is the clean and uncluttered interface as well as their intensive collection. Whatever freeware you are looking for, chances are you will find it here.
2. Download.Cnet – It is the main download directory site of one of the leading tech media companies – CNET.com. And this here is an authority built on a solid reputation. It’s Software section alone includes over 100,000 freewares and sharewares. Downloads, more often than not, are rated and reviewed by top-notch editors. In addition, there is also a description of the file from the software publishers, and reviews and ratings from registered members. Cnet has become one of the most trusted and popular freeware download sites on the web.
3. MajorGeeks – I ain’t no geek, but I go to this site to be one! For good reasons. One, anything computer related, they have it. Two, the listings are clear and extensive. In the home page itself, 42 major categories of freewares and sharewares are lined-up. And beneath them are hundreds of files for you to discover on every conceivable applications and programs. Each file comes with detailed descriptions and features, with three or four download sites. For those seeking freewares on systems utilities, security, protection, and tools to improve computer performance, this the go-to site. Originally known as Tweakfiles when it first launched in 1997, it was renamed MajorGeeks in 2000. It has a dedicated support forum with more than 240,000 members and over 1.2 million posts as of March 2012.
4. Tucows - This company has been around for quite some time and is best known for its popular website directory of sharewares and freewares. It maintains mirror sites to allow traffic to its site be distributed among several worldwide server locations. In layman terms – direct download from the site, no third-party download location. Tucows feature softwares for many major computer platforms including Windows, Mac and Linux, and even older versions of Windows. This means that hard to find softwares or earlier version applications may be found at this site. Tucows also carry software reviews and ratings.
5. Softpedia - It bills itself as “the encyclopedia of free software downloads!” It runs true to that billing. It has a large and excellent collection organized by platform – Windows, Mac and Linux. The site include ratings and comments by users. Those comments can number into dozens for a particular software, and these can be very helpful in determining a product’s popularity, usability and reliability. Some of the comments are even more insightful than the actual product description of the software creator/publisher. A highlight of Softpedia is their “100%” clean guarantee, meaning downloads are secure and the files are free of any malwares.
Many other great freeware sites abound such as SourceForge, Freeware-Guide, Freebyte and Freeware Home. The list is long. However, the top five in this article have the advantage of being around for a number of years. They are pioneering freeware aggregators. Hence, they have built a huge following and solid credentials. Likewise, their site members and users are very active and engaged, providing bountiful useful tips in the comments section.
Do you have a good freeware site? Feel free to share them.
