Notunderscore's (mostly open-source) recommendations

We sometimes had no idea what to install / what programs to have, and while this list may cover some programs that may be useless to some people, I hope you find it useful anyway.

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NotunderscoreList by Notunderscore, last updated 
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  1. But first...

    I'd like to thatk the platform for helping anyone switch to open source or to simply find alternatives...

  2. Explore diverse software alternatives using a crowdsourced discovery service featuring apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile, with personalized lists.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
    AlternativeTo Dashboard with News and New App Releases
    AlternativeTo Dashboard with News and New App Releases - Dark Mode
    AlternativeTo Dashboard with New Interesting Alternatives, Tech News and People Looking for
    +17
    AlternativeTo Dashboard with New Interesting Alternatives, Tech News and People Looking for - Dark Mode
  3. Browser/extensions

    Things that browse the web or make in it better!

  4. NewPipe icon
     Like

    Everything YouTube premium offers, but open source and lightweight.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Android
    • SoundCloud
    • YouTube Music
    • Flathub
    • Bandcamp
    • YouTube
    • F-Droid
    • Flatpak
    • PeerTube
    Trending,
    Subscriptions
    Bookmarks
    +9
    Popup Player
  5. 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

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • 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)
  6. Open-source browser disables Google integration and background services, increasing privacy, stripping binaries, and offering user control with full transparency.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    ungoogled-chromium screenshot 1
    ungoogled-chromium screenshot 1
    ungoogled-chromium screenshot 2
    +1
    ungoogled-chromium screenshot 3
  7. This efficient browser add-on blocks ads, trackers, and malware by default employing various filter lists, acting as a comprehensive wide-spectrum blocker.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Microsoft Edge
    • Vivaldi
    • Google Chrome
    • Pale Moon
    • Thunderbird
    • Opera
    • Node.JS
    • Chromium
    • Mozilla Firefox
    uBlock Origin screenshot 1
    uBlock Origin screenshot 1
  8. SponsorBlock is a browser extension and open API via crowdsource for skipping sponsor segments in YouTube videos. It's open-source. Users submit when a sponsor happens from the extension, and the extension automatically skips sponsors it knows about using a privacy...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Google Chrome
    • Safari
    • Opera
    • Mozilla Firefox
    SponsorBlock screenshot 1
    SponsorBlock screenshot 1
  9. An AI-powered proofreading tool supports over 20 languages, offering free and premium versions with extensive grammar checks across multiple apps.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Microsoft Edge
    • ONLYOFFICE
    • Google Chrome
    • Microsoft Outlook
    • Safari
    • Visual Studio Code
    • Microsoft Word
    • Eclipse
    • TinyMCE
    • Google Docs
    • Thunderbird
    • Vim
    • Sublime Text
    • GNU Emacs
    • Opera
    • Gmail
    • LibreOffice
    • Apache OpenOffice
    • Mozilla Firefox
    • LibreOffice - Writer
    • Cloudron
    LanguageTool screenshot 1
    LanguageTool screenshot 1
    LanguageTool screenshot 2
    +4
    LanguageTool in OpenOffice.org 3.x
  10. Hey, don't tell YouTube I'm using this, m'kay? It's an app that, you guessed it, downloads YouTube videos without paying for premium.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Python
    • TrueOS
    youtube-dl screenshot 1
  11. Games

  12. osu! icon
     Like

    osu! is a rhythm game based on the gameplay of a variety of popular commercial rhythm games. While aiming to keep authentic gameplay and scoring, osu! increases the epic factor through online rankings, multiplayer, replay exchange, and a huge community following.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    osu! screenshot 1
    osu! screenshot 1
  13. Quaver icon
     Like

    Quaver is a community-driven and open-source competitive rhythm game with two game modes and online leaderboards. Create your own maps or challenge the world in online multiplayer matches.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • SteamOS
    • Steam
    Quaver screenshot 1
    Quaver screenshot 1
    Quaver screenshot 2
    +5
    Quaver screenshot 3
  14. Dolphin is an emulator for two recent Nintendo video game consoles: the GameCube and the Wii. It allows PC gamers to enjoy games for these two consoles in full HD (1080p) with several enhancements: compatibility with all PC controllers, turbo speed, networked multiplayer, and...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    Dolphin Emulator screenshot 1
    Dolphin Emulator screenshot 1
    Dolphin Emulator screenshot 2
    +6
    Dolphin Emulator screenshot 3
  15. Steam icon
     Like

    Steam is a digital distribution, digital rights management, multiplayer and communications platform developed by Valve Corporation. It is used to distribute a wide range of games and related media entirely over the internet, stretching from one-man independent efforts to some of...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • Windows Phone
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    • SteamOS
    Steam Store
    Steam Community
    Library
    +1
    Big Picture Mode
  16. Utilities

  17. ShareX icon
     Like

    It is: · a screenshotting tool

    but also: · a color picker · a qr code maker and scanner · an image converter · an OCR program · monitor tester · an on-screen ruler · a quick DNS switcher · a hash verifier

    All in a nice app.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    • Steam
    Main window
    ShareX screenshot 1
    ShareX screenshot 2
    +29
    ShareX screenshot 3
  18. WinCDEmu icon
     Like

    Even if this app seems like it's only for emulating ISOs, you can also create them!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    WinCDEmu screenshot 1
    WinCDEmu screenshot 1
    WinCDEmu screenshot 2
    +14
    "Select drive letter & mount"-Dialog
  19. 7-Zip icon
     Like

    Efficient file archiver offering superior compression and encryption. Supports multiple formats such as TAR, ZIP, with a unique self-extracting feature.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • ReactOS
    Main Window
    Add to Archive
    Options
  20. You can use HFS (HTTP File Server) to send and receive files. Its different from classic file sharing because it uses web technology to be more compatible with todays Internet. It also differs from classic web servers because its very easy to use and runs "right out-of-the.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Wine
    Main window for backend
    Main window with file transferring occurring
    User account creation
    +2
    Frontend view
  21. Hourglass icon
     Like

    Hourglass is the most advanced simple countdown timer for Windows. Just enter a time in just about any format, and hit Enter.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Hourglass screenshot 1
    Hourglass screenshot 1
  22. DeskPins icon
     Like

    DeskPins can be used to make any application topmost, that is, to keep it above all other windows. Just grab a pin from the DeskPins icon in the system notification area (a.k.a. taskbar tray) and click on any window.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Windows Explorer
    DeskPins screenshot 1
  23. AntiMicro icon
     Like

    antimicro is a graphical program used to map keyboard keys and mouse controls to a gamepad. This program is useful for playing PC games using a gamepad that do not have any form of built-in gamepad support.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Main window under FreeBSD / LXDE
    Taskbar tray icon & menu under FreeBSD / LXDE
    AntiMicro screenshot 2
  24. 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
  25. If you want to write pecifully without distractions, I used it to write a 10000 word sory!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    FocusWriter screenshot 1
    Themes
    Modify theme
    +7
    Set timer
  26. developent

    aka headache makers

  27. The Linux kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system. It's responsible for managing the system's resources and facilitating communication between hardware and software. It was first created by Linus Torvalds in 1991 and is open-source, allowing for...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
  28. Node.js icon
     Like

    Node.js is a platform built on Chrome's JavaScript runtime for easily building fast, scalable network applications.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • BSD
    • Self-Hosted
    Node.js screenshot 1
    Node.js screenshot 1
    Node.js screenshot 2
  29. Arch Linux is an independently developed, x86_64 optimized GNU/Linux distribution targeted at competent Linux users. It uses pacman, its home-grown package manager, to provide updates to the latest software applications with full dependency tracking.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    arch with KDE 4.4 desktop
    another arch with KDE 4.3 desktop
    arch for console addict
    +1
    arch with openbox window manager
  30. MySQL Community Edition is a freely downloadable version of the world's most popular open source database that is supported by an active community of open source developers and enthusiasts.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    MySQL Workbench
  31. phpMyAdmin is a tool written in PHP intended to handle the administration of MySQL over the Web. Currently it can create and drop databases, create/drop/alter tables, delete/edit/add fields, execute any SQL statement, manage keys on fields.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    • PHP
    Main UI
  32. MariaDB icon
     Like

    MariaDB is a backward compatible, drop-in replacement of the MySQL® Database Server. It includes all major open source storage engines.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Deploy
    Monitor
    Backup
  33. Remote control

  34. Veyon icon
     Like

    Veyon, Virtual Eye On Networks, is a free and Open Source software (FLOSS) for computer monitoring and classroom management supporting Windows and Linux.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Main application
    Veyon screenshot 1
    Setup and configuration tool
    +1
    CLI tool
  35. TightVNC icon
     Like

    Personally, I use tightvnc even though it's unencrypted because I only control computers on LAN, but if you want encrypted VNC, use tigervnc 👇

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Access Control
    Administration
  36. TigerVNC icon
     Like

    TigerVNC is an advanced VNC implementation. It is based on the fourth generation of VNC. TigerVNC also includes features from the TightVNC and TurboVNC projects. This includes accelerated JPEG compression. TigerVNC supports the latest X.Org X server.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Viewer Interface
  37. Video/Image/Rendering

  38. Comprehensive software providing screen recording and live streaming on Mac, Windows, and Linux with powerful encoding support and unlimited scenes.

    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
  39. Blender icon
     Like

    Free open-source 3D software for modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, rendering, compositing, video editing, and simulation.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Steam
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Splash Artwork for Blender 4.3
    Cycles Render Engine
    Modeling, Sculpt, UV
    +9
    VFX
  40. Paint.NET icon
     Like

    Free image editor for Windows, offering layer support, plugins, special effects, and portable use without installation. Lightweight and ad-free.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • .NET Framework
    Paint.NET screenshot 1
  41. 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
  42. OpenBoard is a cross-platform (Linux / Windows / macOS) interactive whiteboard application. It is currently maintained by the Education Department (DIP) of the Canton of Geneva in Switzerland.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    OpenBoard Whiteboard screenshot 1
    OpenBoard Whiteboard screenshot 1
    OpenBoard Whiteboard screenshot 2
    +2
    OpenBoard Whiteboard screenshot 3
  43. Gaupol icon
     Like

    Gaupol is an editor for text-based subtitle files. It helps you with tasks such as creating and translating subtitles, timing subtitles to match video and correcting common errors. Gaupol includes a built-in video player and also supports launching an external one.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Xfce
    Gaupol screenshot 1
    Gaupol screenshot 1
    Gaupol screenshot 2
  44. Audacity icon
     Like

    Free open-source multi-track audio editor and recorder with 32-bit float processing. Supports many formats and plugins for Windows, macOS, Linux.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • AppImageHub
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    Editing Audio
    Audacity 2.2.0 in default Light theme running on Windows 10
    Recording with Audacity 2.2.0 in Dark theme on Windows 10
    +4
    Audacity 2.2.0 MIDI playback running on macOS
  45. Create, notate, and playback music with free, open-source software for Windows, Mac, and Linux supporting MIDI, MusicXML, PDF export, and community sharing.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    MuseScore 4.0
    Old screenshot of MuseScore 3.0
    Old screenshot of MuseScore 3.0
    +1
    Old screenshot
  46. Chat

    You want to communicate, right?

  47. Signal icon
     Like

    An encrypted messaging app focused on privacy, supporting texts, calls, photos, videos, files, and group chats, with no ads or trackers.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    • Ubuntu
    • Debian
    Signal screenshot 1
    Signal screenshot 1
    Signal screenshot 2
    +4
    Signal screenshot 3
Page 1 of 2

And that's the end of the list, folks! I hope y'all find it useful, and thanks for viewing this list!

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