The Best (and if possible free!) non-gaming software
These are my favorite and / or affordable tools. There might be something in there you might want to have a look at... Note: Everything is Windows, unless mentioned otherwise!
(Last update: 01.12.2025)
Categories
Scroll down to check the different categories:
I. File management
II. Office suites
III. Graphics (2D)
IV. Audio
V. Video
VI. 2D CAD
VII. 3D Modeling
VIII. 3D Printing
IX. Programming
X. Other
I. File management
II. Office suites
III. Graphics (2D)
IV. Audio
V. Video
VI. 2D CAD
VII. 3D Modeling
VIII. 3D Printing
IX. Programming
X. Other
I. File management
Total Commander
- The best, and though it isn't free it's worth every penny.
- Home - On this blog
II. Office suites
LibreOffice
- Free. Good. No AI.
- Libreoffice home - More
Microsoft Office
- AI... AI... AI. I'm pretty much done with AI by now. If it wasn't for Excel...
- Microsoft 365 - More
Google Docs
- Free. A bit limited and some odd behavior, but great for multi user work and writing novels.
- Info - More on this blog
- Very fast, simple 2D viewer. Tons of formats. And free.
PhotoImpact XL / X3
- Shouldn't work on Windows 7 / 8 / 10 / 11 but still does. Has some issues with multi monitor setups. But it still works, and because I'm so used to it I still use it...
Xara Designer Pro X
- Fantastic piece of software, but too expensive, and switched to a subscription model. I used it to build some websites (like the landing page of Ninelizards)
ProCreate (iOS)
- My daughters favorite. Very impressive on an iPad pro.
Krita
- Works quite well with my old Wacom Cintiq, and is freeware
- Krita home - More
Affinity
- I haven't played much with this one, but it looks very promising and capable
- Affinity home - More
The Gimp
- Annoying but free. I'm not sure what people like so much about it.
IV. Audio
- Indeed Audacity. Period. Does it all. (It'll never beat Cool Edit Pro in ease of use, but it's free.)
Audition
- Actually this is Adobe Audition - once known as Cool Edit Pro (bring big bucks as this one's expensive, even if it may be the best)
V. Video
- Free and pretty good. My current editor after the downfall of Hitfilm (Express)
Hitfilm (Express)
- I liked it, and now I hate it, because - in spite of owning a full license - I can no longer use it due to unavailability of an activation server
VSDC
- Do not buy. Works fine in free mode. If you want hardware encoding / decoding you need to pony up . However, that part is licensed using a subscription model, and - even worse - they don't state that clearly.
VI. 2D CAD
LibreCad
- Free, open source, no frills. Has lots of trouble reading .DWG files, and the UI does some odd things now and again.
NanoCad
- DraftSight is no longer free for personal use, but NanoCad still is.
VII. 3D Modelling
- Free for limited personal use.
3DTools Viewer
- Nice viewer for STL files
VIII. 3D Printing
3DTools Viewer
- Nice viewer for STL files
Simplify 3D
- Not free, but this was pretty much the only workable application for the old Dremel D20, but these days I own a Bambu Lab X1C, which comes with its own slicer. This package might no longer be that relevant...
IX. Programming
- Sometimes I need something special I can't find, and then I'll use PureBasic. It's a functional, feature-rich 'Basic' derivative, but it is not object-oriented. Which is fine by me.
- Home - Survival Guide - More
X. Other
WallX
TouchPortal (iOS / Android device)
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