A lot of ‘free’ PC software is risky. Use these alternatives instead | usagoldmines.com

Infostealer malware keeps popping up in the news these days. Those headlines about millions of compromised passwords, some linked to major services like Gmail? Just a year or so ago, such big info dumps were largely full of less critical data—weak or recycled passwords for sites not central to your digital life.

But when an infostealer lurks on a PC, it can capture a lot of sensitive data, including login information for banking, email, and cryptocurrency accounts. Victims often don’t know until their account shows signs of odd or fraudulent activity because infostealers perform their advertised function to avoid detection.

So, how do you avoid this kind of malware? Use reliable apps and browser extensions, ones that have good reputations in addition to many downloads. Many are free (or very affordable), and some don’t even require an install. Just point your browser at a website, and off you go.

For example, here are a few trustworthy alternatives to popular apps like Photoshop and Acrobat—and a couple of better choices for a popular type of browser extension.

• Photopea (Adobe Photoshop) — Unless you’re a heavy power user, this web-based image editor is plenty robust in its own right. You can use an ad-based version for free, while ad removal and AI features cost $5 per month. (Read about our hands-on experience with Photopea.)
• PDF Candy (Adobe Acrobat DC) — This web-based PDF editor offers an advanced feature set and is free for use, though with a heavy limitation of just one task per hour. For unlimited access, you can pay $6 per month or $48 per year as a subscription, or a flat rate of $99 for a lifetime license. (Read our review of PDF Candy.)
• OnlyOffice (Microsoft Office 365) — This document editing suite is a sleeker, more familiar-feeling alternative to Microsoft Office apps compared to the better-known LibreOffice. Apps are available for PC and on mobile. (Read our overview of OnlyOffice.)
• uBlock Origin Lite — If you’re looking for a good ad-blocking extension, this long-time extension has weathered both the years and Chrome’s move to Manifest V3. Want another option to consider? My colleague Michael Crider swears by AdGuard.

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

(If you’re most interested in image editing, I recommend trying sites like Canva and Adobe Express as well. Their free versions can handle simple projects, while making them easier to complete—the tools heavily reduce the labor of manual tasks.)

Want more good free software suggestions? You can check out a few of PCWorld’s round-ups of free software recommendations, like the best free software for your PC, free Photoshop alternatives that actually work, best free PDF editors, the best free password managers, and Chrome extensions we always install.

Besides choosing known, trusted alternative apps and extensions, another smart move is to keep your PC and browser streamlined. Think of it this way: The fewer chunks of code you install on your PC, the less you have to monitor or worry about.