is a great time tracking tool that helps you keep track of your time
during projects. It is mostly a web app, however it has a downloadable
desktop app that allows you to use their time clock easily without
having their website up and running. And the best part? It is free!
2. Dropbox
allows you to share files with others who also have Dropbox. I use it
for one of my clients and it makes life alot easier than uploading the
files and sending a link. Dropbox has a desktop application that puts a
folder on your computer, so it acts just like your “My Documents”
folder, and automatically syncs for you.
3. TweetDeck
is an application that helps you manage your social life. Everything
from Twitter to Facebook and everything in between, it helps you stay
up to date in real-time.
4. OpenOffice
great, free alternative to Microsoft Office, OpenOffice handles
everything from documents, spreadsheets and presentations. It will even
open, edit, and save Microsoft Office documents!
5. Klok
is a nice application to help keep track of the time you spend on
client work. Klok costs $15.99 for one license and requires Adobe Air
to power it. I tried out Klok before they switched to a paid version,
and I must say, the interface is very nice!
6. Mozilla Firefox
is indeed one of the best free browsers out there. Fast, tabbed, and
ready to take on IE, using Firefox will make you ditch IE in a
heartbeat!
7. Mozilla Thunderbird
you love Firefox, then you will love it’s baby sister Thunderbird.
Flying high above, Thunderbird is a free alternative to Microsoft
Outlook, and it isn’t too bad functionality-wise either.
8. Skype
messaging, video chatting, and much more, Skype helps you stay
connected. Featuring a nice compact desktop app, most things you can do
with Skype are not only amazing, but some are free too!
9. Adobe Creative Suite 5
think this may be a given for the majority of us freelancers, however,
the Adobe Creative Suite does exist for Windows. It includes such
programs as Photoshop, Acrobat, Illustrator, and many more depending on
which suite you purchase.
10. Intuit Quickbooks
great tool to help you manage your business, Quickbooks has everything
from invoicing to financial record keeping. They have several different
products to chose from, and offer a free trial as well.
11. Evernote
notes, manage your paperflow, and keep an inspiration journal with
Evernote. A companion to manage all of those notes and napkin drawings
right on your desktop. Evernote also features apps for your phone for
on-the-go note management.
12. Avast!
(and when you least expect it), viruses can hit your computer and cause
great frustration and lost of time to take care of. Avast! is a great
anti-virus solution to help keep your computer healthy. They even offer
a free version if you want to try it out.
13. Google Talk
all the Google lovers, Google Talk is the desktop equivalent to Google
Chat found in Gmail. Chat with friends, family, and even clients and
prospects with Google Talk, without ever having to open a browser.
Another great feature of Google Talk is an email alert that alerts you
when you get an email, which I find very handy!
14. Safari
most popular browser for Apple comes to Windows! Safari is an excellent
browser with a little Mac love. Great addition to your list of
browsers, especially for all the web developers and web designers who
need to test their sites in all browsers.
15. SugarSync
convenient way to access your files from anywhere and to backup your
files, SugarSync is an online backup service that features a desktop
download to ease in management and phone apps to allow for access of
your files anywhere.
16. Seesmic
all of your tweets and retweets using Seesmic for Windows. A desktop
app that gives you Twitter at your fingertips, all without firing up
your browser.
17. Microsoft Office
Office features such apps as Word (word processing), Excel
(spreadsheets), and PowerPoint (presentations) and all of your basics
to manage and run your business and increase your productivity.
18. Moneydance
your money dance with Moneydance. A personal finance manager,
Moneydance makes it easy to manage your money and stay on budget.
19. 1Password
forget another password with 1Password. Now in public Beta for Windows,
1Password is an all-in-one app for password management.
20. McAfee
is one of the leading anti-virus apps for Windows machines. With
features like real-time scanning and up to three computer licenses,
McAfee can help keep your computer safe from attacks and viruses.
21. Adobe Reader
leading and free PDF reader, Adobe Reader allows you to view and print
PDF documents. Adobe Reader also allows you to view PDFs in your
browser as well, which is very convenient.
22. Microsoft Outlook
Outlook (now part of the Office suite) is a nice email client that
helps you stay on top of your overflowing inbox. Stay organized, find
messages easier, and reply quicker are many advantages to Microsoft
Outlook.
23. F.lux
new app for me (and I plan to try it out), F.lux is made to help
monitor the brightest of your screen depending on the time of day. Set
how bright you want your computer to be depending on your usage, and
save your eyes!
24. Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live users, there is an instant messaging app just for you!
Windows Live Messenger lets you keep up with your contacts and chat
with them in the convenience of a desktop app.
25. Postbox
is a new email client that claims to be fast and great looking. Save
time for more important things by efficiently working through your
email with speed with Postbox.
26. Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware
app was a life-saver recently when viruses hit my computer hard. One of
the best free scanners out there, Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware will scan
your computer for viruses and malware that sometimes other anti-virus
programs won’t catch. After the scan, it will print you a report of
what it found and take care of all the dirty work in getting rid of any
infections.
27. BubblesHQ
interesting app to surely solve some productivity issues, BubblesHQ
takes any website and makes it a convenient desktop app. I used it with
much ease for managing my Gmail inbox and online CRM, and it was very
nice not having to have a browser open all the time.
28. Tick
simple application to help you keep track of your time, Tick is there
to help you account for all of your billable hours. Tick stores all of
your information online so you never lose your time spent!
29. iTunes
that just because you had a Windows machine you couldn’t get all the
loveliness that is iTunes? Think again. iTunes has a Windows app so
that you can listen to your favorite jams and rock out while you are
working on client work.
30. Kaspersky
great anti-virus software, Kaspersky will keep your computer free of
viruses and infections so that you can focus on your freelancing work.
They feature a free trial to test drive their software as well.
31. Yahoo! Messenger
Messenger is one of the most popular and widely-used instant messaging
apps in use today. Chat with friends and family, video chat with
prospects, and check your friends’ statuses all inside the convenient
desktop application.
32. Active@ File Recovery
has happened to all of us I am sure, something happens and we lose our
files, be it on our hard drives, portable hard drives, CDs/DVDs, or
jump drives. Active@ File Recovery is an app that lets you recover your
files so you can get back to work again.
33. LogMeIn
able to manage and backup your computer from anywhere. LogMeIn is a
great app and service that lets you access your Windows from anywhere
in the world with an internet connection.
34. IncrediMail
fun with your email! IncrediMail is a fun email client that lets you
manage your email with flair. Add backgrounds, sounds, and emoticons to
your emails with the IncrediMail app.
35. Carbonite
lose an important file again because of your computer crashing.
Carbonite is a great online application that also features a desktop
app to help you manage your files and store them safely online.
36. Norton
is an anti-virus software to keep your computer safe from viruses. Keep
your computer safe from trojans and malware with Norton’s desktop
application.
37. AOL Instant Messenger
Instant Messenger (AIM for short) is one of the longest-standing
instant messaging apps out there. Chat with all of your buddies, and
now use your Facebook account as a login and chat with your Facebook
friends though AIM as well.
38. Picasa
from Google is a web album application to manage your photos. Download
the app and enjoy the organization and quick picture-editing features
that Picasa brings.
39. Mozy
all of your files safe and backed up with the online app Mozy. Mozy
also features a desktop application to make it even easier to do those
backups you should be doing.
40. SmartFTP
you need a simple FTP client, SmartFTP steps up to the plate. For
whatever needs you have to upload files to your server, SmartFTP is a
great free app to help you upload and download files on your server.
41. GoToMyPC
is an application that allows for remote access to your PC and your
files. With many ways to use GoToMyPC, you will never be without your
files or programs ever again!
42. Quicken
great financial management app from Intuit, Quicken allows for you to
manage every facet of your personal finances and freelance finances in
an easy to use application. Quicken allows for budgeting, setting
financial goals, and keeping on top of your debt obligations all in one
easy to use app.
43. Twhirl
your social media life with Twhirl. Everything from Twitter to Facebook
to Friendfeed, Twhirl makes it easy to stay on top of your social media
in an application that fits right on your desktop, using Adobe Air to
power it.
44. AVG Anti-Virus
is a wonderful free anti-virus software to protect your PC. Even though
their free version is great, they offer paid versions as well for added
security.
45. PDF Creator
those that don’t want to invest in expensive PDF software, PDF Creator
is a great open-source program that allows for the creation of PDFs.
Create PDFs to your heart is content for all of your business’ needs.
46. IDrive
being asked “Did you back it up?” when something goes wrong? Well
IDrive created its app to help ease the stress of losing important
files by helping you back up your files safely.
47. FileZilla
open-source FTP client, FileZilla is great if you need a simple FTP
solution. Upload files to your server, or set up a FTP client for one
of your clients with an easy to use application for Windows.
48. Pidgin
an all-in-one instant messenger? Well Pidgin (like the bird) is to the
rescue! Pidgin is an universal instant messaging app that will allow
you to log in to all of your accounts, and manage them all of them from
one place.
49. CintaNotes
is a personal note keeper. Keep all of your notes organized with this
free desktop application and get rid of your post-it notes! CintaNotes
features fast searching and the ability to run it on your flash drive,
so you can take it anywhere!
50. Chrome
but certainly not least, Google Chrome. One of the newest additions to
the browser market, Chrome is a fast and lightweight browser that
features tabs and theming, and best of all, it is free!
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