It’s not only illegal downloaders who can get their hands on computer software without paying a penny. Whether you are looking for a video-editing suite, a word-processing package or an antivirus kit, there is a range of free software out there. True, it’s not usually as good as its paid-for equivalents, but if you are not looking for bells and whistles it will do the job. To demonstrate how much freeware is available we compiled a shopping basket of software that a typical user might buy and found we could save nearly £500 by downloading it for nothing.

Where’s the catch, you might ask? Why do companies dish out software free? The answer is usually to promote other products, just as a supermarket sells some popular items at a loss. Google, for example, gives software away to tempt people towards its revenue-generating services such as its search engine.

Some companies will provide free software in the hope of selling you more feature-rich versions of the same product (this is the case with the security packages below). Other titles are distributed by the open-source community – developers who believe that software is best created by allowing everyone to contribute and improve on the product. All you need to know is that the products we’ve chosen are decent pieces of software in their own right.

Be warned, however, that unscrupulous websites can hide viruses and other unwanted nasties in free software. We’ve checked every product recommended here, so ensure you download the packages from our recommended sites.

OFFICE TOOLS

There is no need to splash out on the powerful Microsoft Office 2007 suite to create professional-looking documents. OpenOffice 2.2 (www.openoffice.org ) is a powerful free office suite that can be downloaded and installed on your computer. OpenOffice has the familiar look and feel of Microsoft Office 2003, meaning you’re instantly at ease with the word processor and spreadsheet software. Unlike Office, it can be installed on as many PCs as you wish, so you don’t have to pay twice if you buy a new laptop.

Unlike Microsoft’s Office suite, which includes Outlook Express, OpenOffice doesn’t come with e-mail software. Never fear, because Thunderbird (www.getthunderbird.com) pulls all the right strings. It’s fairly simple to set up and can collect mail from several different accounts. Messages can be conveniently colour-coded into different categories.

“Cloud computing” is a new buzz word in the tech world. In essence it defines a type of software that exists on the web, instead of on your hard drive. This means that you can access your files wherever you are, so long as you have a web connection.

Zoho is a free online office suite in this mould. Simply register at the website (www.zoho.com) and create an account, then you can edit and access documents from anywhere. The word processor boasts ample fonts and formatting tools to make documents sparkle, and it can handle Microsoft Word documents sent from colleagues. The Zoho spreadsheet is equally adept, producing swish graphs for sales reports and presenting data cleanly. There is a selection of other tools for managing projects and hosting presentations, for example.

There are also lots of free tools out there for creating your own website, should you wish to host your own material online. See InGear’s guide at tinyurl.com/yv7za7 .

Money saved: £177 on Microsoft Office 2007 and Outlook 2007 (all prices from www.amazon.co.uk )

HOME EDITING

Not so long ago video editing required a Rolls-Royce PC and hundreds of pounds worth of software. Now it can be done with nothing more than a web browser.

The impressive Jumpcut (www.jumpcut.com) enables you to edit video clips, photos and music soundtracks online – you need only upload your files to the site. It also includes professional touches such as adding credits, tints and transitions between scenes.

When it comes to organising and editing your digital photos, Google’s magnificent Picasa 2 (picasa.google.com ) stands out. This downloadable software catalogues your albums and is also adept at fixing badly exposed snaps with an autofix function.

You can also edit your digital photos with Picnik (www.picnik.com ). This innovative service will scour your PC for photos or fish them out of your online albums stored on photo-sharing sites such as www.flickr.com. Once again, a one-click autofix button often works wonders, but Picnik also provides sliders to adjust exposure, colour balance and sharpness, as well as a smattering of creative tools.

Once the edits are done, the files are saved back to your PC or online album.

Money saved: £84 on Adobe Premiere Elements 3 and Photoshop Elements 5 bundle

COMPUTER PROTECTION

The free version of AVG AntiVirus (tinyurl.com/4v832) has been a long-standing favourite among those in the computing know. However, Avira Antivir PersonalEdition Classic (www.free-av.com) is an even more effective bug squisher. The software is painless to install and set up, and is set to scan all the files on your PC once a day, although this can be tweaked as desired. Scans are performed with minimum fuss and Avira will quarantine anything untoward on your system.

You’ll also need a good firewall to keep out intruders. Windows XP and Vista boast a basic firewall, but the free ZoneAlarm firewall (tinyurl.com/ynocfd) is a stronger choice, which will alert you to potential dangers.

Banishing spyware is another necessary evil. These programs install themselves on your computer and surreptitiously monitor your actions, often transmitting the findings to a third party such as a hacker. The Ad-Aware SE Personal software from www.lavasoftusa.com will detect and remove spyware for free. Problem solved.

Money saved: £45 on Norton Internet Security 2007

MANAGE YOUR MEDIA

Much like Microsoft’s Media Center, MediaPortal (www.team-mediaportal.com) turns your PC into a home entertainment centre from which you can watch and record television, view DVDs and photos and listen to your digital music collection. MediaPortal’s television features are impressive, providing an on-screen guide to the next seven days and it can schedule recordings straight to your PC’s hard disk (requires TV tuner hardware for your PC).

It’s infuriating when friends send a video or audio file that doesn’t open on your PC. The wonderfully flexible VLC player (www.videolan.org/vlc/) plays pretty much anything that’s thrown at it (with the notable exception of the ever-awkward Real media files), and achieves the distinction of working on both Macs and PCs. Its slightly eccentric controls are its downside.

For burning CDs and DVDs, there’s little to beat the simplicity of InfraRecorder (infrarecorder.sourceforge.net). Once you’ve installed the software and started it up you need only select the files you want to record to disc, drag them across the screen, and press record.

Money saved: £180 on Windows Vista Home Premium edition (with Media Center facilities)

TOTAL SAVING: £486

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