Best Free Software for 2024
Introduction
As another year comes to an end, it’s fascinating to look back at the software that made a significant impact in 2024.
Over the past 12 months, we’ve seen an array of new tools and updated versions of popular applications that have made life easier and more productive.
In this article, I’ll highlight the top 20 free software tools of 2024. These programs cover a wide range of needs—from trusted favorites to exciting new releases that stood out throughout the year.
1. GLOW [ ]
It shows the hardware and software features of your computer in detail.
What makes Glow so special?
Glow has transcended its origins as an alternative to Piriform’s Speccy by introducing practical options for identifying and fixing PC problems.
2. FILES [ ]
Over the last 12 months, this fantastic free alternative to Files Explorer has introduced lots of useful options you won’t find in the built-in Windows tool. These include Smart Extract, which makes it easier to extract the contents of ZIP files and other compressed archives, and the new Cloud Drives feature, which lets you browse folders in online-storage services such as OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox.
In May, Files teamed up with the powerful search tool Listary, allowing you to find any file in seconds, and in June it added a dual-pane mode that lets you view two folders or drives side by side. I also like its new Command Palette, which lets you perform dozens of quick actions by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P and typing a keyword or two.
3. AllDup [ ]
Professional software for finding duplicate files on your hard drives. The search for file duplicates can be carried out using various file properties such as file name, file extension, size or content.
4. Patch My PC Home Updater [ ]
Easily Install and Update Apps on Your Home PC.
Patch My PC Home Updater offers lots of useful options, such as scheduling updates for convenient times, automatically checking for new versions and installing updates ‘silently’ so you don’t need to click confirmation prompts. It can also remove unwanted programs and even update portable tools stored on a USB stick.
Top tip for 2025 Rather than keep Patch My PC opens to update your software, you can automatically minimise it to your taskbar. Click the Settings tab, scroll down to Appearance Options and switch on “When clicking start updater, automatically minimize Patch My PC”.
5. Any Video Converter (AVC) [ ]
Free Video Converter with millions of happy users!
Any Video Converter (AVC) went from strength to strength in 2024, and deserves its place in your top five favourite programs. It’s a versatile free program (a paid-for version is also available), with an ever-expanding range of tools that go far beyond merely converting videos.
AVC began the year by bringing back one of the features it removed in 2023 – the ability to burn videos to DVD so you can watch them on your TV. It also added a clever ‘Speech to Text’ option, which uses AI to generate subtitles by extracting the audio from your videos.
Shortly afterwards, AVC improved its Screen Record tool to let you capture audio and video simultaneously – handy for creating your own tutorials, though the free edition limits you to three- minute recordings. Then in June, AVC was updated to version 9, which redesigned its interface to make all its features instantly accessible from the home screen.
6. Handy Viewer [ ]
Free image and video viewer that supports 150+ formats. View photos, edit and apply effects. Run slideshows in one click.
Unlike the older image viewers IrfanView and FastStone Image Viewer, Handy Viewer offers tabbed browsing. It lets you open and switch between dozens of photos – just click the View menu and choose Tabs View. It also goes beyond the basic editing tools you find in most image viewers to offer all types of creative effects and enhancements.
These include tinting, blurring and warping images; applying mosaic, pencil-sketch and reflection effects; and erasing, cloning and retouching picture elements – including red-eye. Handy Viewer was updated several times in 2024, adding support for layers among other useful features.
7. WizTree [ ]
The FASTEST Disk Space Analyzer
WizTree is impressively fast, free for personal use and helps you quickly identify and delete space hogs using its colour-coded ‘tree map’. However, it was the addition of a duplicate cleaner that caught my attention last April.
8. FreeTube [ ]
FreeTube is a YouTube client for Windows (10 and later), Mac (macOS 10.15 and later), and Linux built around using YouTube more privately. You can enjoy your favorite content and creators without your habits being tracked. All of your user data is stored locally and never sent or published to the internet. FreeTube grabs data by scraping the information it needs (with either local methods or by optionally utilizing the Invidious API). With many features similar to YouTube, FreeTube has become one of the best methods to watch YouTube privately on desktop.
Most importantly, Free Tube has been updated to keep up with YouTube’s latest changes to ensure you can continue watching videos without Google’s ads or trackers. Click ‘More info’ then ‘Run anyway’ if it triggers a SmartScreen warning.
9. Tor Browser [ ]
Tor Browser provides a reliable alternative or accompaniment to a VPN, to help you stay anonymous online. Its powerful protection against trackers, hackers and snoopers lets you browse the web - and not just the dark web - without revealing your identity, location and activities.
Tor Browser is completely legal to use, and you won’t stumble across dubious onion sites unless you type their 56-character URLs.
10. ValiDrive [ ]
“Is your USB stick a fake?”
This free tool exposes USB sticks that don’t offer anywhere near the amount of storage they claim. Sold on online marketplaces including Amazon, eBay and AliExpress, these deceptive devices can result in you losing valuable data rather than preserving it.
ValiDrive works by checking a USB stick’s declared storage space, and verifying whether it can successfully store data in random sectors. Unlike similar tools, it won’t overwrite any files and doesn’t require you to reformat the drive. Validated sectors are shown as green blocks, while those with no storage are indicated in red.
The program can also detect read and write access errors, in case your memory stick has become corrupted - or already was when you bought it. These are shown as blue and yellow blocks.
11. PDFgear [ ]
Read, edit, convert, merge, and sign PDF files across devices, for completely free and without signing up.
12. O&O ShutUp10++ [ ]
Free antispy tool for Windows 10 and 11
13. Get_IPayer [ ]
Last February, the BBC made the highly unpopular decision to shut down its iPlayer Downloads app, which let you save TV shows to your PC to watch offline.
- Downloads TV and radio programmes from BBC iPlayer/BBC Sounds
- Allows multiple programmes to be downloaded using a single command
- Indexing of most available iPlayer/Sounds catch-up programmes from previous 30 days (not Red Button, iPlayer Exclusive, or Podcast-only)
14. Zen Ad-Blocker & Privacy Guard [ ]
Zen blocks ads and trackers at system level, both in your browser and other software on your PC.
15. uBlock Origin [ ]
Free, open-source ad content blocker. uBlock Origin is not just an “ad blocker“, it’s a wide-spectrum content blocker with CPU and memory efficiency as a primary feature.
16. Snappy Driver Installer Origin (SDIO) [ ]
Install Missing Drivers and Update Old Drivers
Snappy Driver Installer Origin is a portable Windows tool to install and update device drivers. It can be used offline to install drivers where Internet isn’t available. No more searching for drivers after a clean install, just let Snappy Driver Installer Origin do it’s thing and your job will be done in no time. The perfect technician’s tool.
17. RUFUS [ ]
Rufus is a utility that helps format and create bootable USB flash drives, such as USB keys/pendrives, memory sticks, etc.
This ingenious free tool allows you to create a bootable version of Windows (and other operating systems) on a USB stick, using an ISO file you download directly through Rufus.
It was recently updated to beat Microsoft’s latest upgrade restrictions.
18. Malwarebytes [ ]
When Malwarebytes 5 was released last February – it was Best Free Software. Sadly, my excitement (and probably yours too) was tempered by the fact that most of the antivirus software’s features still require a paid subscription, after a 14-day free trial.
Although you can scan for and remove malware for free, real-time protection – which automatically blocks viruses, ransomware and other threats – costs from £30 a year. Malwarebytes’ VPN is only available in the Plus plan (£60 a year).
19. Upscayl [ ]
Free and Open Source Ai Image Upscaler.
This free software ‘upscales’ your images, increasing the size of photos while preserving their quality, and turning low-resolution pictures into high-res ones.
Upscayl offers a choice of AI models, so you can experiment to get the best results, and supports JPEG, PNG and WEBP images. The upscaling can be quite slow on lower-specification PCs, but a faster ‘cloud’ version of Upscayl is currently being tested.
20. Camomile [ ]
CPU optimization and longer battery life for your computer.
Camomile checks the temperature of your PC’s CPU, GPU and SSD, then cools everything down with a single click.
To stop your system overheating, you simply switch on its Cooling Mode or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Space.