The best free PC software 2016

Everyone should install these 10 superb app

 
 
 
 

Note: Our best free PC software round-up has been fully updated.

Every PC needs good software, but that doesn't have to mean serious investment. Thanks to the beauty of open source and ad-supported development – and the generous, competitive spirit of many of the biggest names in tech – you can pick up high-end, top quality apps which don't cost a penny.

But the world of free software can be a bit of a minefield – you could get bombarded with ads, or find a once-reputable package has either gone bad, stopped development or disappeared altogether.

So, we've scoured our sources, listened to your feedback and compiled this guide to our top 10 free PC apps for 2016, a collection that will ensure you have everything you need on your PC for all but the most obscure tasks.

That's not to say that these are the only free programs out there that do these things, and you may well disagree with our picks; leave a comment and let us know if we've missed one of your favourites!

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1. Best web browser: Google Chrome

While Microsoft is putting up a heck of a fight with Edge – the rejuvenated, rebranded Internet Explorer – and Mozilla's Firefox is a competent, memory-friendly browser, we still find ourselves recommending Google's Chrome browser over any other.

It's super-stable, highly compatible, and comes with a huge catalogue of free extensions to fully customise your web experience or intercept security threats. Signing in to it with your Google account means your bookmarks, browsing history and personal configuration will move with you to whichever machine you're on.

Chrome's key feature is one you won't necessarily see: it runs each of its tabs in a distinct memory space, meaning a crash in one won't take down your whole browser. This isn't necessarily friendly to machines with small amounts of RAM, then, but Chrome is still the best browser around.

2. Best office suite: LibreOffice

Creating documents might seem like the sort of thing you'd only trust to a paid package like Microsoft Office. ButLibreOffice – the forked, superior successor to OpenOffice – lacks little compared to its venerable competitor.

It's fully compatible with opening and saving files in all of Microsoft's standard formats as well as the widely supported Open Document Format, and you'll find all of the formatting and formula tools you'd expect in a high-end office package.

With a word processor (Writer), a spreadsheet (Calc), Powerpoint-style presentation software (Impress), a database (Base) and more, this package is ready for just about anything. LibreOffice is, admittedly, not highly polished – we've learned to cope with the occasional crash – but it's by far the best free office suite around.