Start the new year with a feast of fantastic freebies.Robert Irvine recommends 20 new programs, apps and downloads that won’t cost you a penny
We all love a good freebie, but over the past 12 months free stuff has been increasingly hard to come by. Lots of software that was once free to download has become ‘freemium’ (see our Cover Feature in Issue 664); legal wrangles have forced the Internet Archive to remove swathes of free content (see Issue 666, page 60); and streaming services such as Netflix have increased the price of their ad-free plans and stopped users sharing their passwords for free (see Issue 660, page 60).
The good news is that 2024 looks set to be a less frugal and more generous year than 2023. Not only is inflation finally falling, but there are some fantastic freebies on the horizon. These include exciting new PC programs and mobile apps; long-awaited updates to popular free tools; and alternatives to software that was recently discontinued – or is about to be.
In this feature, we recommend the best free programs and apps to download in 2024, so you can try innovative new features before everyone else. We also round up other great free stuff that’s available to download now or very soon, including books, films, TV shows and much more.
Some of our 20 recommendations are still in early beta versions, but they’re all safe to use and are certain to prove handy in the year ahead.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
• Ditch Chrome for a smarter and more private browser
• Boost your PC automatically when it’s low on memory
• Use a streamlined email app with no Microsoft junk
• Watch YouTube videos on your PC without any ads
• Interact with two AI chatbots at the same time
• Install hundreds of extensions in your mobile browser
• Legally download free ebooks and audiobooks
10 BEST FREE PROGRAMS TO DOWNLOAD IN 2024
1 Switch to a smarter browser
2023 has been an exciting year for new web browsers, with DuckDuckGo, Mullvad and Zoho (with its Ulaa browser – see Issue 658, page 19) launching privacy-focused alternatives to Chrome and Edge. The most intriguing browser for 2024 is undoubtedly Arc (www.snipca.com/48297), which is already available for macOS and coming to Windows later this winter. You can join the waiting list at www.snipca.com/48298.
Although Arc is based on Google’s Chromium code, it has a radically different design, with all its features located in a left
