What do you need to do?
Describe the job in your own words. We’ll show you the software that does it best, free, open source or paid, with an honest verdict on each.
Head to head
All 89 comparisons- Sublime Text vs Notepad++Notepad++ is free and Windows-only; Sublime Text is paid but runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.
- Pi-hole vs AdGuard HomeBoth are free, self-hosted DNS ad blockers; Pi-hole is Linux and Docker focused, AdGuard Home adds built-in encrypted DNS and per-client filtering options.
- Bitwarden vs VaultwardenBitwarden is the official service and software; Vaultwarden is an unofficial, Bitwarden-compatible server you host yourself.
- Dropbox vs SyncthingDropbox is a hosted sync and storage service; Syncthing is free open-source software that syncs between your own devices with no central server.
- ONLYOFFICE vs LibreOfficeBoth are free office suites; ONLYOFFICE adds self-hosted and cloud editing, LibreOffice has six desktop tools including Base and Draw.
- Adobe Acrobat Pro vs Stirling-PDFAcrobat Pro is a paid Adobe subscription; Stirling-PDF gives you 60+ PDF tools for free, with paid Team and Enterprise tiers for organisations.
Browse by job
All categoriesCollections
All collections- Free Windows apps worth installingSmall, free tools that cover everyday jobs Windows doesn't handle well on its own. Every one is free with no subscription, and all but Everything are open source.
- Self-hosted apps to run on your own serverApps you install on a home server, NAS or rented server so your photos, passwords and files stay with you. All are free and open source. The trade-off is the same for each: you install, update and back them up yourself.
- Privacy tools for everyday lifeTools that keep your messages, email, browsing, passwords and files private. Every one publishes its source code. Claims about logging and audits are the vendors' own; we link to their pages so you can check them.
- Best free AI toolsOne free plan per job: chat assistant, images, voice, writing, meeting notes, slides and coding. Each note names the limit on the free plan, as listed on the vendor's own pages in October 2026.
Guides
All guides- Which AI assistant should you use?A plain comparison of ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity and Le Chat (now Mistral Vibe) by free plan, price and platforms, plus options for keeping data on your own computer.
- How to edit a PDF for freeMerge, split, compress and convert PDFs at no cost with PDF24 Tools or PdfCraft. Here is what each one does well, and when Adobe Acrobat Pro is worth paying for.
- Free alternatives to PhotoshopGIMP, Krita, darktable and PhotoCraft are free Photoshop alternatives. See which one fits your work, how mature each is, and when Photoshop is still the right call.
- How to record your screen for freeOBS Studio records your screen for free on Windows, macOS and Linux. Camtasia adds editing for a yearly fee. Here is how to choose between them.
How we recommend software
Ranked by fit
Tools are ordered by how well they do the job you described, never by the commission they pay.
Free next to paid
Open source and free options sit beside paid ones, so you can see when you don’t need to pay.
Dated and checked
Every page shows when it was last updated and when prices were checked on the official site.
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