My favorite programs for Windows

Kastlet20 appsUpdated Jan 27, 2022

These are apps that you should start using, everything here is open source unless marked otherwise.

Transmission
Like
Transmission has the features you expect in a BitTorrent client: encryption, a web-based interface, peer exchange, UPnP and NAT-PMP port forwarding, web seed support, watch directories, tracker editing, global and per-torrent speed limits, and more.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Torrent Client
Peer-to-Peer File Sharing
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Snapcraft
Flathub
PortableApps.com
Haiku
Cloudron
Xfce
+3
Kastlet’s note
Open source torrenting client, much better than µTorrent and BitTorrent and whatever other proprietary torrenting client exists, worth mentioning qBittorrent and Deluge
MPV
Like
Versatile media player supporting multiple video formats, wide codec range, subtitles, hardware acceleration, OpenGL output, and intuitive CLI controls.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Media Player
Audio Player
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
BSD
Snapcraft
Flathub
F-Droid
Haiku
Xfce
Chocolatey
OpenAPK
Kastlet’s note
You should use this instead of VLC Media Player, it's pretty much VLC but way better in alot of ways, it has a minimalistic look, you can customize it with custom OSCs, (also doesn't look like an ancient media player) and you can improve it even further by creating a config file, you can learn more about this by following iamascum's guides. If you feel like it's too hard to use, you should try mpv.net, fork of MPV that is more user friendly.
scrcpy
Like
Mirror and control Android devices on PC with up to 120fps performance and resolutions above 1920x1080. Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Screen Mirroring App
Mobile Remote Control Tool
Platforms
Windows
Mac
Linux
BSD
Android
Debian
Ubuntu
Arch Linux
Fedora
Gentoo
Alpine Linux
FreeBSD
Manjaro Linux
Nix Package Manager
Chocolatey
MacPorts
Kastlet’s note
Screen mirroring tool, much better than something like ApowerMirror
ShutUp10++
Like
O&O ShutUp10++ means you have full control over which comfort functions under Windows 10 and Windows 11 you wish to use, and you decide when the passing on of your data goes too far. Using a very simple interface, you decide how Windows 10 and Windows 11 should respect your...
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
System Tweaker
Privacy Tool
Platforms
Windows
+2
Kastlet’s note
Closed source tool to improve your privacy on Windows, to improve your privacy further you should also debloat Windows, there are many tools such as Windows10Debloater and Debloat Windows 10.
Megabasterd
Like
megabasterd - Yet another portable cross-platform Mega/Megacrypter/ELC down/uploader and video/audio streaming suite.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Download Manager
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
+4
Kastlet’s note
Useful tool to download multiple files from Mega easily, no limits on how much you can download.
Chocolatey
Like
Command-line tool for managing Windows applications with no registration, centralized audits, automatic package creation, offline support, disk space optimization, and synchronization.
Cost / License
Freemium
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Software Installer
Package Manager
Platforms
Windows
Chocolatey
Kastlet’s note
Package manager, somewhat like Linux's package managers, if you want an alternative not tied to NuGet, you should try Scoop, however scoop has a smaller amount of packages compared to Chocolatey.
BleachBit
Like
BleachBit frees disk space and maintains privacy by quickly removing unnecessary files such as cache, cookies, browser history, temporary files, and system logs. It can also shred files and clean free disk space to prevent data recovery.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
System Cleaner
File Shredder
Platforms
Windows
Linux
Flatpak
Flathub
AppImage
Kastlet’s note
Open source alternative to CCleaner, I wouldn't trust CCleaner so I recommend using this instead.
Bulk Crap Uninstaller
Like
Free and open-source tool for batch uninstalling multiple apps with minimal input, removing portable, protected, and damaged software, and cleaning up leftovers.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Software Uninstaller
System Cleaner
Platforms
Windows
Kastlet’s note
Open source program uninstaller, can easily uninstall Chocolatey and Scoop packages, can uninstall multiple programs at once and removes traces of files.
PyCharm
Like
IDE for Python and Django offering refactoring, code analysis, VCS integration, debugger, deployment, and more, with a Community Edition option.
Cost / License
Freemium
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
IDE
Code Editor
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Kastlet’s note
Python IDE, there's an open source and a closed source version.
VSCodium
Like
This repository contains a build file to generate FLOSS release binaries of Microsoft's Visual Studio Code - Open Source ("Code - OSS") project, the open source core of the proprietary Visual Studio Code.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Code Editor
IDE
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Flathub
Electron
Snapcraft
Homebrew
Chocolatey
Kastlet’s note
Open source fork of Visual Studio Code, pretty much the same but with removed telemetry.
Windows Terminal
Like
Windows Terminal is a new, modern, feature-rich, productive terminal application for command-line users. It includes many of the features most frequently requested by the Windows command-line community including support for tabs, rich text, globalization, configurability...
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Platforms
Windows
+3
Kastlet’s note
Has more functionalities than Windows Command Prompt, you can have multiple tabs, it's open source but it's still owned by Microsoft, another alternative would be Cygwin.
Files
Like
Modern Windows file manager with tabbed browsing, dual-pane view, column navigation, integrated archive tools, file tagging, QuickLook support, and appearance customization.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
File Manager
File Search Utility
Platforms
Windows
+4
Kastlet’s note
Alternative to Windows's File Explorer. Supports tabs and custom themes and overall feels much smoother than the normal File Explorer.
Everything
Like
Locate files and folders by filename on Windows instantly, displaying all items on NTFS volumes and mapped network drives. Supports 19 languages.
Cost / License
Free
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
File Search Utility
File Manager
Platforms
Windows
Kastlet’s note
Closed source, however it's very useful when searching for a specific file, much better experience than searching for it in File Explorer.
MarkText
Like
Markdown editor for Mac, Windows, and Linux with real-time preview and distraction-free interface. Open source, free on GitHub, supports various Markdown specs.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Text Editor
Note-taking Tool
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
+4
Kastlet’s note
I like using this more than Windows Notepad, has a cleaner UI + open source. If you do not like this, you should use Notepad++.
GIMP
Like
Free open-source suite with advanced photo retouching, composition, batch processing, plugin extensibility, custom scripting, and wide file format compatibility.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Image Editor
Digital Painting Tool
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Snapcraft
Flathub
PortableApps.com
Haiku
Flatpak
AmigaOS
AppImage
+5
Kastlet’s note
Decent alternative to Adobe Photoshop If you want something more like Adobe Photoshop, then you should try Photopea, it's a closed source website which has pretty much the same UI as Adobe Photoshop.
SumatraPDF
Like
A free, open-source viewer for Windows, supports PDFs, eBooks, Comics, with a simple, fast, and portable design prioritized for ease of use.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
PDF Reader
Ebook Reader
Platforms
Windows
+3
Kastlet’s note
Minimalistic open source PDF Reader.
YACReader
Like
YACReader is a comic reader and comic manager with support for cbr cbz zip rar comic files.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Comic and Manga Reader
Ebook Reader
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
iPhone
iPad
Kastlet’s note
Useful comic reader, if you do not like this, try CDisplay Ex.
WebCatalog Desktop
Like
Turn websites into desktop apps, stay signed in to multiple accounts, and organize your work with spaces and built-in widgets.
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application type
Web Browser
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
+5
Kastlet’s note
I love this app, it allows you to create webapps.
LibreWolf
Like
This project is a custom and independent version of Firefox, with the primary goals of privacy, security and user freedom.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Web Browser
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
AppImageHub
Linux Mint
Arch Linux
Gentoo
Flathub
Fedora
Ubuntu
Debian
Homebrew
Chocolatey
OpenBSD
Kastlet’s note
A Mozilla Firefox fork, but with improved privacy by default, better than Microsoft Edge.
ImageGlass
Like
A feature-rich, simple-to-use app seamlessly integrated with a clean, minimal and modern user interface.
Cost / License
Freemium
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Image Viewer
Image Editor
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
+1
Kastlet’s note
Open source alternative to Microsoft Photos.