Best of Windows

Asuka List by Asuka , last updated 2021-06-06

These are the best tools for the job. I don't necessarily recommend all of them. I simply find them better than their alternatives.

Includes both FOSS and Proprietary applications. The former are usually preferred.

Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC
Paid • ProprietaryWindows
OS. Disable animations.
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First and Foremost
These are installed on my PC before everything else. They make Windows usable from the get-go.
Chocolatey
Freemium • Open SourceWindows
Package manager. Use it to install other programs.
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Listary
Freemium • ProprietaryWindows PortableApps.com Windows Explorer
Start Menu replacement (for me). Abandonware, unfortunately.
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AutoHotkey
Free • Open SourceWindows
Keyboard shortcuts, but that would be an understatement.
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WPD
Free • ProprietaryWindows
Windows debloating, without dumb registry hacks.
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Essentials & Utilities
Your typical stuff. Browser, image viewer, etc. These are the best of their category, and they're all pretty good.
Chromium
Free • Open SourceMac Windows Linux Android BSD PC-BSD Xfce
Browser. Not Ungoogled.
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7-Zip
Free • Open SourceMac Windows Linux BSD PortableApps.com ReactOS
File archiver.
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OpenHashTab
Free • Open SourceWindows
File hashes and VirusTotal scans.
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JPEGView
Free • Open SourceWindows PortableApps.com
Image viewer.
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ImageMagick
Free • Open SourceMac Windows Linux Android iPhone iPad Xfce
Quick image edits, conversions, and more.
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Greenshot
Freemium • Open SourceMac Windows
Image screenshotter & uploader. Way better editor than ShareX.
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MPV
Free • Open SourceMac Windows Linux Android BSD Xfce
Media player.
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Icaros
Free • ProprietaryWindows Windows Explorer
Fix for missing thumbnails.
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Microsoft Word
Paid • ProprietaryMac Windows Android iPhone Android Tablet Windows Phone iPad
Word processor.
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Microsoft Office Excel
Paid • ProprietaryMac Windows Android iPhone Android Tablet Windows Phone iPad
Spreadsheet.
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Microsoft Powerpoint
Paid • ProprietaryMac Windows Android iPhone Android Tablet Windows Phone iPad
Presentation program.
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PDF-XChange Editor
Freemium • ProprietaryWindows PortableApps.com Wine
PDF Viewer & Editor. My replacement for both Sumatra and Acrobat.
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Visual Studio Code
Free • ProprietaryMac Windows Linux Online Chrome OS
Code editor. Almost an IDE. Electron-based, yet surprisingly good.
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MobaXterm
Freemium • ProprietaryWindows
SSH, FTP, etc. All in one.
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OBS Studio
Free • Open SourceMac Windows Linux BSD PortableApps.com Steam FreeBSD
Screen recorder & Virtual Webcam.
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qBittorrent
Free • Open SourceMac Windows Linux BSD AppImageHub Snapcraft Flathub
Torrent client.
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FFmpeg
Free • Open SourceMac Windows Linux BSD
Quick video edits, and more.
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QuickSetDns
Free • ProprietaryWindows
Change DNS.
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WindowGrid
Free • ProprietaryWindows
Window tiling. Abandonware.
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Could be better
These are better than their alternatives. They just aren't that good.
Paint.NET
Free • ProprietaryWindows .NET Framework
Image editor. Wish it had more features. This is closer to MS Paint than it is to Photoshop. Greenshot's editor often replaces it. Haven't looked into Affinity yet.
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Adobe Premiere Pro
Paid • ProprietaryMac Windows
Video editor. Has its quirks. Haven't looked into Resolve yet.
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Qalculate!
Free • Open SourceMac Windows Linux
Calculator. Slow to open. History and User-defined variables are worse than SpeedCrunch.
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FreeVD
Free • Open SourceWindows
Virtual Desktop indicator & hotkeys. You can probably replace it with an AH script.
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