The browser that came with your machine is fine until a site breaks. Google Chrome is what the web gets tested against, and what that costs in blocking and privacy.
Webmail tabs and the built-in Mail app fall short once you're juggling several accounts. Mailspring answers with a native client and unlimited free accounts.
Notepad++ is the free, open-source text editor most Windows users install the day plain Notepad stops being enough. Fast, tiny, and endlessly extendable.
7-Zip is a free, open-source file archiver that opens almost everything and compresses tighter than most paid rivals. A plain interface is the only real cost.
WinRAR is Windows archiving software that compresses, encrypts, and repairs files, and its free trial never really shuts off. The real question is whether that beats 7-Zip.
CCleaner is a PC cleaner for junk files, browser traces, and uninstall leftovers on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. The free tier still does the real work.
Internet Download Manager speeds up big downloads and resumes broken ones, but the 30-day trial turns into a paid license once it runs out.
LibreOffice is a completely free, open source Office & Productivity suite covering six apps, though heavily formatted Word and Excel files don't always translate perfectly.
One long read on the week's biggest shift, every Sunday.
