I used to think that editing photos, cutting videos, or making PowerPoint presentations required installing all sorts of paid software. Later, I discovered that GitHub and the open-source community offer plenty of useful tools, so you don’t actually have to spend money to meet your everyday needs. I’ve compiled a list of 10 truly useful free and open-source software programs; their features and official websites are listed below. Feel free to bookmark this page and check them out at your leisure.
🔥 ① GIMP | A Free Alternative to Photoshop
GIMP is free, open-source image editing software that allows you to cut out objects, work with layers and masks, adjust colors, and retouch photos. It’s more than sufficient for everyday photo editing, creating images for social media, simple posters, and basic design tasks, and it can also handle jobs like WeChat Official Account covers and small e-commerce images. It supports plugins and is cross-platform, making it easy for beginners to get started by following community tutorials. Compared to Photoshop, however, it still lags behind in terms of its professional plugin ecosystem and compatibility with complex PSD layers; opening important PSD files may result in lost styles or smart objects, and users accustomed to Photoshop shortcuts will need to readjust. Before migrating your projects, test compatibility by working on a copy first.
🔗 Official Website:https://www.gimp.org/
🎬 ② Kdenlive | A Free Alternative to Premiere
Kdenlive is free, open-source nonlinear video editing software that supports multi-track editing, subtitles, keyframes, transitions, color grading, and audio processing. It’s suitable for creating game highlights, short videos, instructional videos, and everyday vlogs. Its interface resembles that of professional editing software, and it can handle projects ranging from lightweight to moderately complex. It’s also cross-platform, and beginners can quickly produce finished videos by following preset projects. It’s free, actively updated, and offers good support for common video formats; however, complex projects, specialized codecs, and large-scale projects can be performance-intensive and format-specific, with render times increasing significantly as project size grows. Its ecosystem of professional plugins also doesn’t match that of Premiere. It’s best to test the export process and subtitle compatibility with your actual footage before making a decision.
🔗 Official Website:https://kdenlive.org/
📊 ③ LibreOffice | Free Office Suite
LibreOffice is a free, open-source office suite that includes Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), and Impress (presentations). It can handle common Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files and export to PDF, covering everyday tasks such as writing documents, creating spreadsheets, and making basic presentations. It is cross-platform and subscription-free, making it suitable for personal, student, and home office use. It generally opens Office files sent by others without any issues. However, complex formatting, macros, special fonts, and advanced charts may encounter problems when transferred between software, and formulas and page breaks may sometimes be misaligned. Before transferring important files, open them first to check the formatting, formulas, and page breaks.
🔗 Official Website:https://www.libreoffice.org/
🎨 ④ Inkscape | A Free Alternative to Illustrator
Inkscape is free, open-source vector graphics software designed specifically for creating logos, icons, poster elements, SVG illustrations, and scalable graphics. It supports path editing, node adjustments, layers, text, and basic typography. Unlike bitmaps, vector graphics do not become blurry when scaled up, making Inkscape ideal for learning vector design, creating business cards, and producing everyday graphics. It’s free, cross-platform, and offers excellent SVG support; exported graphics can be used directly on the web and in print. However, you’ll need to test compatibility for complex commercial design files, professional printing workflows, and some Adobe formats. The interface and keyboard shortcuts are different from Illustrator, so it takes some getting used to. Start by using it for learning, creating icons, and lightweight design projects, then assess whether it can handle professional workflows.
🔗 Official Website:https://inkscape.org/
🖥 ⑤ RustDesk | Remote Computer Control
RustDesk is free, open-source remote control software that allows you to remotely operate another computer. It supports screen sharing, file transfer, and setting up your own server, making it ideal for remotely assisting family members, connecting to your own devices, or setting up a remote work solution that you control. It is open-source, self-hostable, and cross-platform, offering greater autonomy over your data and control—so you don’t have to worry about being restricted by commercial services. However, remote control involves cybersecurity and privacy concerns, so you must ensure that passwords, permissions, two-factor authentication, and network configurations are all properly set up. Be especially cautious when using it on the public internet, and keep in mind that setting up your own server requires some technical knowledge. Start by testing it within a local network or among trusted devices, and only deploy it in critical scenarios once you’ve confirmed it’s secure and stable.
🔗 GitHub:https://github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk
📦 ⑥ 7-Zip | A Free Compression and Decompression Powerhouse
7-Zip is a free, open-source compression and decompression tool that supports common formats such as 7z, ZIP, and RAR. It can compress, decompress, split files into volumes, and create encrypted archives, making it sufficient for everyday tasks like packaging, transferring, and backing up files. It’s compact, ad-free, and offers decent compression ratios. It’s particularly popular among Windows users and saves more space than the system’s built-in tools when handling large folders. However, the interface is basic; some special formats or encrypted files require testing, and split volumes and command-line operations can be a learning curve for beginners. When dealing with important compressed files, keep the original files and first test the integrity of the extraction; only delete the source files after confirming they can be extracted properly.
🔗 Official Website:https://www.7-zip.org/
📝 ⑦ AppFlowy | An open-source alternative to Notion
7-Zip is a free, open-source compression and decompression tool that supports common formats such as 7z, ZIP, and RAR. It can compress, decompress, split files into volumes, and create encrypted archives, making it sufficient for everyday tasks like packaging, transferring, and backing up files. It’s compact, ad-free, and offers decent compression ratios. It’s particularly popular among Windows users and saves more space than the system’s built-in tools when handling large folders. However, the interface is basic; some special formats or encrypted files require testing, and split volumes and command-line operations can be a learning curve for beginners. When dealing with important compressed files, keep the original files and first test the integrity of the extraction; only delete the source files after confirming they can be extracted properly.
🔗 GitHub:https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy
💻 ⑧ Penpot | An open-source alternative to Figma
Penpot is a free, open-source UI design tool that supports web and app interface design, components, prototyping, and team collaboration. It can also be self-hosted, making it ideal for learning UI design, creating basic products, and facilitating internal design collaboration within teams. It is open-source, self-hostable, and well-suited to web design workflows, making it a good fit for individuals and small teams looking to save on subscription fees; design files can be viewed directly in the browser. However, its plugin ecosystem, community resources, and advanced collaboration features are less robust than Figma’s. Before migrating complex design systems, you’ll need to test component and file compatibility, as there may be discrepancies in fonts and constraints. Start by testing it with learning projects or internal prototypes before deciding whether to integrate it into your team’s official workflow.
🔗 Official Website:https://penpot.app/
🎧 ⑨ Audacity | Free audio editing tool
Audacity is free, open-source audio editing software that allows you to record, trim, reduce noise, adjust volume, splice clips, and apply basic effects. It’s convenient for recording game commentary, processing voiceovers, editing audio, and creating simple podcasts. It’s free, cross-platform, and easy to learn, making it sufficient for individual creators and students to handle everyday audio editing and light post-production—you can even record using your computer’s built-in sound card. However, complex multitrack mixing, professional effects, and plugin workflows require some learning. The interface is somewhat traditional, so be sure to back up large projects—lost project files can be difficult to recover. Start by testing recording quality, noise reduction, and export formats with short audio clips; only use it for official content once you’re satisfied that it meets your needs.
🔗 Official Website:https://www.audacityteam.org/
🖌 ⑩ Krita | Free professional drawing software
Krita is free, open-source digital painting software that supports graphics tablets, layers, brushes, animation frames, and digital painting. It is ideal for illustration, comics, character design, concept art, and daily practice. It offers comprehensive drawing features and a rich brush system, making it user-friendly for individual creators and students. The built-in brushes and textures allow you to start drawing right away. However, professional workflows, specialized brushes, file compatibility, and performance on large canvases should be tested on your specific device. You’ll also need to adapt your workflow from commercial software, and older computers may struggle with large canvases. Try out the brushes, layers, and export workflow first, then decide whether to make it your go-to tool.
🔗 Official Website:https://krita.org/
One final reminder: All 10 of these are free, open-source software programs based on real-world projects, but that doesn’t mean they can completely replace commercial software. Especially when it comes to professional engineering files, plugins, and team collaboration, we recommend testing compatibility first before deciding whether to switch. However, for everyday tasks like photo editing, video editing, file management, and office work, there are indeed plenty of options worth trying.