Lots of sites take advantage of people looking for free downloads and hit you with malicious ads, fake virus warnings, or even tampered files. While good antivirus software will protect you from the worst sites, it's better to avoid shady free download sites altogether and stick to trustworthy ones.
Let's look at some of the best and safest sites for downloading Windows software. In addition to general reputation and personal experience, we used URLVoid to check website safety.
This tool checks sites against dozens of security software blacklists. Before we get into the sites that offer lots of different Windows software, it's worth remembering that the safest place to download most popular software is often right from its official website.
If you're looking to download a browser, security suite, media app, or similar, it doesn't get much more secure than its homepage. Some software may still try to foist unwanted bundled junk on you from its official website, but you can be pretty sure it's free of malware. If you don't know an app's download page, a quick Google search for "download Spotify" or similar will bring up a box that takes you right to it.
Ninite is simple. The website presents you with a list of programs to select, and you check the boxes for all the apps you want. Then, clicking the download button will download a custom installer file that bundles all the selected programs together so you can install them in bulk. Ninite is known for its safety and security. It automatically declines toolbars and extra junk, runs in the background, and doesn't require you to click Next over and over.
Thus, there's no risk of malware or bundled garbage. Running the same installer file later will cause Ninite to automatically update everything you downloaded originally. Softpedia is one the largest download sites around; it's delivered over three billion downloads over the years. The most popular apps are updated every day, allowing you to you get clean and malware-free software that's also as recent as possible.
On top of that, it has an easy-to-use interface that makes it painless to browse for programs on any platform. You can browse what's been updated recently, or search using filters like categories, last updated, and cost. In addition to Windows, you'll find Mac, Linux, and Android apps too. Even though the site looks like it hasn't been updated since the s, MajorGeeks has been one of the most reputable software download sites for some time.
Its list of Top Freeware Picks is a great place to start, but don't be afraid to browse the left sidebar and look through all kinds of highly-rated programs that you might find handy. Otherwise, searching will help find what you're looking for. What is abandonware, anyway? Abandonia was founded in when the concept of abandonware was merely two years old. After a few inactive years, Abandonia blossomed into one of the leading sites where you can download your favorite old games.
At the time of writing, Abandonia features over 1, downloadable games with over , members. Abandonia gives each game a thorough review, screenshots, and an editor and user rating.
You can browse and download old PC games by name, year, rating and category. As the site is focused on DOS games, you won't find any of the "newer" abandonware games here, but the vast DOS archive should satisfy most of your old gaming needs.
Abandonware Dos is another abandonware site focusing onyou guessed itDOS games. It also features a reasonable repertoire of Windows titles, though nothing too recent. Abandonware Dos is a very active site, too. Each title comes with a site rating, title specification e. You'll also find handy articles and lists to aid your search for the best old games to download. What I like about Abandonware Dos is its open approach to its abandonware site status. The site owner clearly states their compliance with take-down notices.
Furthermore, the site features direct links to GOG. These are found on the direct game page, as well as featured titles on the site homepage. Once you start building your abandonware library, it is sometimes difficult to keep track of each title you have.
If that sounds like you, check out these video game launchers that let you add the titles you want to play. You can search for games using genre and operating system, as well as the company name, legal status, year released, and interestingly, video mode.
Furthermore, testament to the mission of RGB Classic Games, you can play a significant number of titles on a site-hosted emulator, including Keen Dreams, Hexen, and one of my all-time favorites, Transport Tycoon.
Although Uplay works nicely with Steam, it is required to play any Ubisoft game as many of the anticheat clients run through Uplay. Uplay is worth checking out as it often offers discounts not available on other storefronts and sometimes has free-to-play periods for popular titles, giving players a chance to try the game before deciding to purchase.
Fanatical had a start similar to Humble Bundle: It offered large collections of games at incredible prices. It originally went by the name Bundle Stars, but later shifted to Fanatical—but it still has the same great prices. Individual titles can also be found at steep discounts. In addition to games, Fanatical sells eBooks and educational materials, too.
Fanatical also has a Star Deal that is usually a specially featured game at a discounted price. You can also find DRM-free games here. Patrick is an Atlanta-based technology writer with a background in programming and smart home technology. Read Patrick's Full Bio. We hate spam too, unsubscribe at any time. Table of Contents. Subscribe on YouTube! Did you enjoy this tip? If so, check out our very own YouTube channel where we cover Windows, Mac, software, and apps, and have a bunch of troubleshooting tips and how-to videos.
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