10 free open-source apps you can download and use

Would you like a faster, safer, and more flexible Windows PC that’s free of charge? Open-source software delivers all three. These are open-source projects by design, and anyone can look at the code; many are maintained by experienced contributors who have worked for companies, universities, and nonprofits. The result: lean applications that respect your privacy and are often faster than commercial alternatives.

Here are 10 remarkable open-source tools that I recommend installing on any new Windows-based machine. They are free, actively developed, and widely trusted among the power users who ply both the consumer and IT channels. I’ve pointed out what each is best at, along with some relevant context from organizations and studies that monitor things like software security, productivity, and standards.

LibreOffice: a full open-source office suite for Windows

The Document Foundation’s office suite offers a full replacement for Word, Excel and PowerPoint (and the ISO/IEC OpenDocument standard), with good support for other standards but relatively weak DOCX/XLSX/PPTX compatibility.

It operates locally — no cloud lock-in — and manages power features such as styles, pivot tables and database forms. For teams that care about custody of their data and the open standards, it’s a discoverable win.

Bitwarden: open-source password manager with audits

This open-source password manager combines end-to-end encryption with apps and browser extensions for a wide variety of platforms. Its code base has been independently audited, including by the security firm Cure53, and it works with hardware security keys and passkeys. Bitwarden supports unique, long credentials and aligns with NIST’s advice on utility and speed.

7-Zip: high-ratio file compression and AES-256 support

7-Zip has routinely been tested as having one of the best compression rates in a variety of independent tests, and its LZMA/LZMA2 (the latter since version 4.60) format delivers very good compression overall.

It even adds support for opening and archiving files with AES-256 encryption, so you can easily open encrypted ZIP files that it creates. And for IT pros shifting large datasets or operators of media libraries, it’s invaluable.

VLC media player: versatile, standards-friendly playback

According to the nonprofit organization behind the open-source software, VLC plays most multimedia files as well as DVD, Audio CD, VCD, and various streaming protocols, including pseudo-streaming with hardware-accelerated decoding on Windows. It does network streaming, transcoding, and can even turn a damaged file back into an operable one. If you deal with mixed-format content, this is the no-drama, standards-friendly player for you.

GIMP: powerful open-source photo editor for Windows

The GNU Image Manipulation Program does with Windows what it does with Linux, exploiting the OS to provide a powerful open-source photo editor. It has support for ICC color profiles and high-bit-depth workflows, so it is definitely in the running for creators who don’t like subscriptions. Power tip: combine GIMP with a RAW processor and extra filters from the community.

OBS Studio: pro-grade streaming and screen recording

Open Broadcaster Software is the industry standard for streaming and screen recording and can be found everywhere from education to esports to enterprise. It records from multiple sources, can mix audio, and outputs to platforms like YouTube and Twitch. You can build studio-level workflows on a laptop, with scene collections and plug-ins. OBS is widely referred to in remote learning toolkits by universities for a good reason.

ShareX: advanced screenshots, capture, and annotation

Screenshots, scrolling capture, GIF recording, editing (annotation), redaction, OCR—ShareX does it all and packs its massive range of features into a single compact tool.

It can auto-upload to services, or to a self-hosted location—perfect for support teams and technical documentation. For the everyday person, it’s a quicker and more manageable option than its embedded Windows counterparts.

AutoHotkey: automate tasks and reclaim time on Windows

AutoHotkey allows you to turn complex, frequently repeated clicks into a single keystroke — or remap network drives with just a few keyboard shortcuts. The syntax is easy to understand and the community already has thousands of scripts written. In studies of productivity, small savings from avoiding context switching add up — AHK is how power users scrape back minutes each hour.

Flow Launcher: fast, keyboard-first app launcher

This quick, open-source app launcher offers a number of handy tools like fuzzy file search, fast math, copy to clipboard, web queries, and plug-ins in Windows.

It’s keyboard-first and distraction-free, so you can access all of the apps, documents, or settings with just keystrokes. As for people who are dearly missing the cashmere wonder of Spotlight search on Windows, Flow Launcher is a revelation — and it can hook right into Everything search if you go that route.

Duplicati: encrypted, deduplicated, scheduled backups

Backups are important, and Duplicati treats them like a pro: encrypted (AES-256), deduplicated, incremental, scheduled. It is aimed at local drives or cloud storage providers, such as S3-compatible services, OneDrive, and Google Cloud. Verification and restore tests are a cinch from the dashboard, following best practices recommended by both data protection pros and cyber insurers.

Why these open-source picks stand out on Windows

Each one of these apps solves a common Windows pain point while not harvesting your data or locking you into an ecosystem. A number are named as among the more reliable, standards-aligned options by nonprofits or academic IT groups and industry analysts. Install a couple, pick up some power features in each, and you’ll start to feel the difference: fewer roadblocks, faster workflows, and tools that work for you.