Programs I Use (some proprietary, some open source)

This is a list of programs I use for various purposes. Feel free to browse the list for recommendations.

Caden Durden
Caden DurdenList by Caden Durden, last updated 
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  1. Image & Video

  2. GIMP icon
     Like

    I love using this software, it has most of the tools Adobe Photoshop has. I use it for various purposes, like making art, memes, and more. However, when it comes to using my drawing pad, I like using a different program.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    • AmigaOS
    yes
    GIMP 2.99.18 on Windows, non-default theme.
    GIMP screenshot 2
    +5
    GIMP screenshot 3
  3. Krita icon
     Like

    This is my preferred raster image editor when I'm using my drawing pad. It is a terrific software with many tools, and is perfect for making cartoons.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android Tablet
    • KDE Plasma
    • Epic Games Store
    • PortableApps.com
    • Steam
    • F-Droid
    Main Window
    Startup page with news
    Brush editor
    +3
    Gamut Mask editor
  4. Pinta icon
     Like

    Pinta is my preferred alternative to Microsoft Paint, which comes with the Windows installation. I love using this software along with Krita and GIMP.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • Mono
    • Snapcraft
    Pinta 3.0
    Pinta screenshot 1
  5. Inkscape icon
     Like

    When making logos, this is the perfect free vector graphics editor. It has a lot of stuff you might find useful, like 3D boxes, shapes, text, and many, many more!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    Inkscape screenshot 1
    Inkscape screenshot 1
    Inkscape screenshot 2
    +8
    Inkscape screenshot 3
  6. ShareX icon
     Like

    ShareX is one of the gold standards for open source screenshot software, having a ton of sharing options for the screenshot.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    • Steam
    Main window
    ShareX screenshot 1
    ShareX screenshot 2
    +29
    ShareX screenshot 3
  7. This software can let you convert images to a large variety of formats, such as PNG, JPG, TGA, ICO, and many more.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Converseen screenshot 1
    Converseen screenshot 1
    Converseen screenshot 2
  8. Kdenlive icon
     Like

    Intuitive multi-track video editor with robust hardware-accelerated support; offers chroma key, color grading, and extensive audio/video format compatibility.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Logging
    Editing
    Audio
    +2
    Effects
  9. Natron icon
     Like

    INRIA's Natron is an amazing software for making intros & lower thirds. It's perfect for your YouTube needs, and there are loads of tutorials on how to use this handy software. It has a similar GUI to NUKE, which costs money.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Natron screenshot 1
    Natron screenshot 1
  10. This is my preferred screen recorder for gaming videos, is full featured, and a perfect alternative to NCH Software's Debut Video Capture Software.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Steam
    • FreeBSD
    OBS Studio screenshot 1
    OBS Studio screenshot 1
    OBS Studio screenshot 2
    +8
    OBS Studio screenshot 3
  11. nomacs icon
     Like

    nomacs is a free, open source image viewer, which supports multiple platforms. You can use it for viewing all common image formats including RAW and psd images.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • FreeBSD
    • Flathub
    nomacs screenshot 1
    nomacs screenshot 1
    nomacs screenshot 2
    +1
    nomacs screenshot 3
  12. Cross-platform, free media player supports multimedia files, DVDs, streaming, offers hardware acceleration, 4K, lossless audio, and more.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • AppImageHub
    • Apple Watch
    • Snapcraft
    • Google Chrome
    • Apple TV
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • F-Droid
    • Kindle Fire
    • Haiku
    • Android TV
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    VLC Media Player screenshot 1
    VLC Media Player screenshot 1
    VLC Media Player screenshot 2
    +4
    VLC Media Player screenshot 3
  13. Strawberry is a music player and music collection organizer. It is a fork of Clementine released in 2018 aimed at music collectors and audiophiles. The name is inspired by the band Strawbs. It's written in C++ using the Qt framework.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    Strawberry screenshot 1
    Strawberry screenshot 1
    Strawberry screenshot 2
  14. HandBrake icon
     Like

    Even though I use VidCoder for video converting & transcoding, it is based on this software. You can remaster remaster videos, and rip DVDs.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Haiku
    HandBrake screenshot 1
    HandBrake screenshot 1
    HandBrake screenshot 2
  15. Publishing & Ebooks

  16. Scribus icon
     Like

    This is my preferred alternative to InDesign, and is perfect for publishers who can't afford Adobe's A-list publishing software.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Oracle Solaris
    • Flatpak
    Scribus screenshot 1
    Scribus screenshot 1
    Scribus screenshot 2
    +2
    Scribus screenshot 3
  17. Web, E-mail, torrents, and file sharing

  18. Bluefish is a powerful editor targeted towards programmers and webdesigners, with many options to write websites, scripts and programming code. Bluefish supports many programming and markup languages, and it focuses on editing dynamic and interactive websites.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Haiku
    Bluefish Editor screenshot 1
    Bluefish Editor screenshot 1
    Bluefish Editor screenshot 2
  19. Open-source browser with Gecko engine, supporting HTML add-ons and providing privacy features like Enhanced Tracking Protection and third-party cookie blocking.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    • iPad
    • AppImageHub
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Samsung Galaxy Store
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    • Gecko
    Firefox Desktop (Light Theme)
    Firefox Desktop (Dark Theme)
    Firefox iOS (Light Theme)
    +7
    Firefox iOS (Dark Theme)
  20. The qBittorrent project aims to provide an open-source software alternative to µTorrent. Additionally, qBittorrent runs and provides the same features on all major platforms (FreeBSD, Linux, macOS, OS/2, Windows). qBittorrent is based on the Qt toolkit and libtorrent-rasterbar library.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • AppImageHub
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Cloudron
    qBittorrent screenshot 1
    qBittorrent screenshot 1
    qBittorrent screenshot 2
    +2
    qBittorrent screenshot 3
  21. Gaming

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