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People tend to buy expensive software programs to avoid getting computer viruses from software programs with a freeware license. While viruses do pose some threat, there are several seriously underrated software programs that can be downloaded for free that aren’t typically infected with viruses. Check out this list of useful and underrated software programs that everyone should get.

OpenOffice — Write to Your Heart’s Content for Free

Image via Flickr by Sylvain Naudin

If your computer doesn’t come with a word processor pre-installed, OpenOffice is a great software program to download because it is free. Plus, it has almost all of the same features as some of the main-stream word processing programs.

Audacity — Edit Audio with Ease

Image via Flickr by ross_tt

This little software program is great for people who need to edit audio but don’t want to pay a lot of money for a fancy audio editor. People use Audacity for podcasts, audio in training videos, and more. It’s very easy to use and can be downloaded for free.

Log-Me-In — When Only Your Home Computer Will Do

Image via Flickr by HeyGabe

This neat software program allows you to login to your home computer from anywhere in the world. This is great when you forget to save a file to your DropBox account or you want to access the custom favorites menu in your internet browser at home.

7-Zip — Group Files Together

Image via Flickr by Bull3t

Most email providers have a limit to the file size you can send. Zipping files together can help you save file space and send the files you want without breaking them up into a series of emails.

AVG Anti-Virus — Protect Your Computer for Less

Image via Flickr by TahoeSunsets

If you spend any amount of time on the Internet, your computer is susceptible to viruses. You can prevent them for free by downloading AVG Anti-Virus. It even works if you have one of the new IdeaPad Notebooks from Lenovo.

VLC Media Player — No Media File Is Off Limits

Image via Flickr by Kemal Y.

Most computers come with a media player pre-installed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t download a better one. VLC Media Player is great because it can open up almost any type of media file. You won’t be able to do this with any old media player.

PhotoScape — Pictures Come Out Prettier

Image via Flickr by johndecember

There are several photo-editing software programs, but PhotoScape is appealing because it is free and user friendly. You can make all of your photos look like they were touched up by a professional photographer with this photo-editing program.

CutePDF — Prevent Others From Editing Your Files

Image via Flickr by Nano Taboada

This software program allows you to make any document into a PDF that can be viewed in Adobe Reader but not edited. This is useful when creating eBooks, brochures, or any other documents for clients. CutePDF is really simple to use because you just change the printer when creating a PDF.

There are plenty of other underrated software programs available that can improve your life. All of the software programs mentioned here are free, so there’s no reason not to try them.

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