) ZapierĪnother in the world of automations between services and apps, Zapier puts the focus on businesses and helps them get the most out of all the disparate services they use.

(Some tools don't give you full access, but hey). Want your lights to come on when you walk in the door? Want a backup created when you make a new contact? Want email or text warnings when the weather turns bad? The combinations and permuations are endless and limited only by your imagination. If This, Then That, aka IFTTT, is a service with a website and apps that let you create automations that hook up your various web and smart home services and devices. It is perfect for noobs and pros alike, on any desktop OS. It then outputs exactly what you need, even to MP3 if you use a plug-in. Open-source Audacity can record and edit audio files on more tracks than you can imagine. Software for productivity is what this list is about there are plenty of other places to find free PC games.įor more free software, check out The 100 Best iPhone Apps and The 100 Best Android Apps. Some freemium software depends on showing ads to exist, however. The program should have little or no advertising to support it. Preferably the program has had an update in the last year or two. It has to have at least a free-for-life option. If the software is on a tiered sales model, the free version cannot be trial-ware. However, we've included web-based apps that are as good, or better, than some downloadable programs. The software should (typically) have a Windows-based download. The software must be available directly from the developer/creator/original publisher. That's why one of the criteria for inclusion here is that the program is available directly from its maker. It's not foolproof-after all, developers want to eat, too-but it helps. For more about how to spot and avoid this problem, see How to Rid a New PC of Crapware, and check out the Uninstaller section below.Ī pro tip: only download desktop software from the maker of the software directly. Worse, the installation routine obfuscates the steps, so you provide the unwanted program tacit permission to be installed. To make ends meet, many creators of otherwise great free software, or the services that offer the programs for download, bundle in things you don't want.

Something to always watch for: crapware installers.

Best free file sync software 2020