10+ of the best freeware apps for Windows 10/11

July 2024 · 13 minute read
What are the best freeware for Windows

Many PC users are looking for fresh new software. And the software industry is one of the few in which lots of things come free, so we might as well make the most of freeware.

There are some terrific freeware packages for almost every software category. These are the best freeware programs that you can run on Windows 10 and 11 and other platforms.

What is the difference between freeware and free apps?

Although the terms appear to be very similar, there is a fine distinction between freeware and free apps, and we need to clear that up.

Free apps are software that you can download and fully use with all the included features without any payment commitment.

Usually, these apps will display ads inside the program or will invite you to donate in order to support further development.

Freeware software tools are usually free versions of the full software that provide basic or limited features.

We would also need to mention the third type, the free trial apps that offer a free preview or the software will all the features available but only for a period of time.

That being said, here’s our compilation of the best Windows 10 and 11 freeware apps for your PC.

What are the best Windows 10 & 11 freeware apps?

CCleaner is among the most highly rated system maintenance software for Windows that Piriform boasts and it has more than two billion downloads.

Although the CCleaner freeware version might lack features such as scheduled cleaning, software and driver updater, it still packs in plenty of handy system optimization options.

If you want to try these features, you can do that with the Pro version that is available for a free trial. A registry cleaner is one thing Windows lacks, and CCleaner fills that void with its flexible registry utility.

The registry cleaner enables users to customize scans by selecting various registry categories and can fix numerous software issues.

Here are some of the best features you’ll benefit from:

CCleaner

Optimize your system performance with this award-winning software for a healthier PC!

If you want to save space on your PC, or simply group or compress files that you’re planning to send, it’s advised to use good file archiver software.

Windows has its own file archiver built into File Explorer, and while this archiver is good for the most basic tasks, it doesn’t have many features that WinZip has.

This awesome tool supports all popular compression formats, and the list includes RAR, ZIP, CAB, LHA, LZH, TAR, GZip, ISO, BZIP2, VHD, VMDK, IMG, and 7-Zip formats.

As for the speed, WinZip offers faster compression speed than its competitors.

The application can recognize the type of files that you’re compressing, and it can offer you the best compression method based on the files that you’re working with.

A very useful feature is the ability to split archives, so you can easily send your archive in pieces. This is incredibly useful if you have a file size limit for your email attachments for example.

Another great feature that separates WinZip from other file archivers is the ability to encrypt your files using 256-bit encryption. As a result, you can safely archive your files and make sure that only the people with the correct password can access them.

Overall, WinZip offers many great features, it supports a wide range of formats, offers great compression, as well as file encryption.

Here are some of its best features:

WinZip

WinZip is the best file archiver but it also has an excellent cloud storage integration!

Diving into the gaming experience, on the top of our list is the Android emulator LD Player, which isn’t just a freeware that runs apps, but also a breaking barrier between PC and mobile games, with an awesome interface. 

Using few resources for lightspeed performance, the emulator is compatible with minimum requirements of 2GB RAM, and hard disk space of 36GB, being efficient at operating games like PUBG or Clash of Clans.

LD Player is the newest mirroring software on the market, which allows you to use custom control with mouse and keyboard for your favorite Android games.

It also allows you to execute scripts that manage the game automatically and power up your gameplay with high FPS/graphics.

Take a look at its most important features:

LD Player

This software is a tailor-made solution for any gamer who needs to emulate games from Android on PC, so try LDPlayer now!

Speccy is another Piriform program that is also bundled with CCleaner Plus. This is one of the most detailed system info utilities that provide details you might not find listed on the Windows System Information app.

It is a fairly essential freeware package for anybody planning on upgrading hardware, and you can add it to Windows from the CCleaner website.

Speccy provides one of the most comprehensive system overviews. The software gives you detailed reporting for RAM, CPU, OS, motherboard, graphics card, storage, drives, audio, and more besides.

Usually, these kinds of apps are cryptic, designed for specialists but with this tool, anyone can access and comprehend the PC specifications.

Let’s review some of its best features:

Speccy

Learn about all the specs of your PC with this friendly and rich tool for Windows.

MailBird is email client software compatible with Windows platforms from XP to 10 and 11. This is an intuitive and straightforward email application that’s easy to set up and configure accounts with.

The freeware version is restricted to three email accounts, but it still boasts a decent feature set.

MailBird is email software with which you can open Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, iCloud, and Outlook.com emails among others.

The client has a unified inbox so that you may easily open emails from multiple accounts in one place.

The software has plenty of formatting options for emails, and it also includes customizable themes and layouts for the inbox.

Here are the top features of this tool:

MailBird

Manage all of your emails and contacts from various accounts in one consolidated Inbox, and personalize it to your preferences!

World of Tanks isn’t a new Windows game, but this is still one of the best MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) blasters.

When the game was at its peak it set a world record for the number of players online on a single MOG server. So, if you haven’t already played World of Tanks, you’ve got to check it out.

This freeware tank game runs on Windows platforms from XP to 10 and 11, and you can get its installer for free.

Anybody remotely interested in mobile warfare will love World of Tanks. The game pits heavyweight tanks from World War One to the early Cold War era in one-on-one or team battles.

The title has six game modes that include random, tank-company, historical, stronghold, and team battles.

However, perhaps the best thing about the game is its tech tree and the amount of tank customization it provides for players.

Players start with basic tanks and can then build them up into formidable, armored monsters.

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Customizing the tanks is essential to victory in the multiplayer battles, and building them up is half the fun in World of Tanks.

Let’s see some of its most enjoyable features:

World of Tanks

Play alone or in teams, compete for dominance and climb the leaderboard, or form your own clan and rule the world!

Bitdefender is a renowned anti-virus utility for Windows. It comes with a full suite of scanning and detection tools for killing off malware and other types of viruses.

The publisher has already released the latest version, so now might be a good time to add this utility to Windows 10.

For a full-featured version of Bitdefender antivirus, we suggest you choose one of the paid options which comes with good tech support.

Bitdefender includes antiphishing, USB auto-scans, email auto-scans, and ransomware protection tools.

It includes a handy gamer mode that temporarily suspends scans and notifications to free up system resources for the game. The tool also scans for outdated software and helps you update antiquated programs.

Here are the best features of Bitdefender:

Bitdefender Free Edition

Bitdefender Free Edition

A cyber-security solution meant to defend systems and devices from all forms of malware, spyware, Trojans, and viral assaults.

Icecream Password Manager is a freeware password manager that has been getting rave reviews. This is ideal software with which to save website login details.

You may add Password Manager to Windows platforms from XP to 10 and 11 for free by clicking on the link provided below.

Password Manager users can save website login details, credit card, and bank account details with the software, which has its own master password.

However, this software is a little more than a password manager as it comes with a form filer with which you may fill out repetitious website forms.

You can also save notes, attach files, and set up automatic backups with Password Manager. In addition, the software has a Chrome and Firefox extension that you should feel free to save website passwords with.

Let’s see some of its best features below:

Icecream Password Manager

With the aid of plugins for Chrome and Firefox, you can generate passwords, keep secure notes, and automatically fill out web forms.

Screen Recorder is both a screencast and screenshot software for recording video and capturing static snapshots in Windows.

The software has a freeware and pro version that also enables you to schedule and convert recorded videos to alternative formats.

Screen Recorder is a great alternative to Windows’ built-in Snipping Tool for capturing snapshots, and you can download its trial for free.

Screen Recorder includes a flexible tool for capturing video and snapshots with which users can capture both full-screen output and selected areas.

It includes extensive drawing options with which you can annotate videos or screenshots by adding text, step numbers, shapes, and arrows to them.

Take a look at some of its best features:

Icecream Screen Recorder

Record your entire screen or just a piece of it, apply a watermark, convert videos and schedule screen recording.

Advanced SystemCare is system optimization software to give your Windows laptop or desktop a good clean. This is, in fact, five IObit utility applications wrapped into one single package.

There is a notable difference between Advanced SystemCare’s Free and Pro versions, but the freeware package still offers great value.

The software incorporates IObit’s Uninstaller, Driver Booster, malware, and hard disk defrag software.

You can also scan for empty folders, completely erase documents, remove startup programs, and fix invalid shortcuts with the software.

However, the best thing about Advanced SystemCare is its all-in-one Clean & Optimize scan that will delete junk files, clean the registry, optimize the Windows startup.

It also fixes shortcuts in one sweep, which isn’t something you get in CCleaner or many other software tools.

Take a look at some of its best features:

Advanced System Care

Advanced System Care

All-in-one PC optimizer that cleans trash files, scans for privacy traces and speeds up starting. Improve your PC’s performance with the new AI Mode.

Office suites are among the essential software. There are numerous freeware office suites, and WPS Office Free is one worth noting in.

WPS Office includes a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation application.

This office suite also has premium and professional versions that include extra split and merge options for PDFs. You can add WPS Office Free to Windows platforms from XP to 10 and even 11.

For more features, you may consider the paid version. It’s not so expensive but it’ll be worth every penny.

WPS Office Free has an intuitive tabbed UI that is similar to the MS Office UI design. Unlike LibreOffice, the software opens multiple documents in separate tabs instead of multiple windows.

The WPS word processor is more like desktop-publishing software as you can drag-and-drop paragraphs to alternative page positions.

Let’s review some of its best features:

WPS Office Free

Free customizable word document templates, spreadsheet reports, and presentation slides for school students, teachers, and financial workers.

E-books are no longer limited to just e-book readers and tablets. You can embrace e-books with the Icecream Ebook Reader software for Windows, which supports a variety of e-book formats.

The software has a pro version with more extensive options, but the freeware version is still a nifty bit of kit that you may download for free.

Ebook Reader supports all the primary e-book formats, such as MOBI, EPUB, CBR, PDF, and FB2. The software enables you to both import and export e-books to other devices.

Users can set up bookmarks, customize fonts and themes and add notes for certain sections of e-books. Translate is another of Ebook Reader’s handy options with which you can translate selected passages if required.

Here’s what you’ll be benefitting from:

Icecream Ebook Reader

Manage your digital ebook library in FB2, EPUB, PDF, and MOBI formats, as well as translate, export, and annotate it.

Those are just a few of the best freeware programs you can add to Windows 10 and 11.

We tried to cover all the possible needs for PC usage, including productivity, security, and even gaming that will improve your experience.

Even though some of them might lack a few of the options and features in their proprietary versions, they still offer terrific value.

Also, all the apps above are Windows 11 compatible so if you switched to the new OS, you will be able to enjoy them seamlessly.

If not, we have a list including the best Windows 11-ready laptops you can buy right now to give you an incentive for keeping up with the trends.

Have you tried any of the products or do you have better ideas? Leave us a line in the comments section with your thoughts about our list.

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