Alternatives to popular software
Do you have software that isn’t quite cutting it anymore? Maybe it did what you wanted it to when you bought it, but your needs have changed and you require a program that better suits your current situation. Or maybe your budget just doesn’t quite stretch to an expensive commercial solution, but you’d like to find a free or cheaper application that can perform the same tasks.
Well, the AlternativeTo Web site might just save your bacon. As its name suggests, you can look for the particular program you want to replace and it will provide you with a list of good alternative programs that will do the same or a similar job — and very often for free.
When you go to the site, you’ll find a selection of some of the most popular desktop and mobile applications on the market on the home page, with a short description of what each program offers, whether it’s a commercial or free product and which platform(s) it is available on.
If what you’re looking for is there, you’re in business; just click on it to be taken to a list of alternative programs that might suit your needs.
If you can’t find what you want, you can type the name of the program you’re seeking a substitute for into the search box in the top right corner — you can filter results by tag (keyword), licence (commercial, free and open source) and platform (Windows, Mac, Linux and online) — to find a list of alternative programs.
If you see an alternative program that looks like it may do the job, click on it to be taken to a more detailed description and other relevant information, including a link to the program’s Web site where you can find out about download options.
Gail Lipscombe has worked for some of Australia's hottest tech magazines for over 10 years. In her blog, she focuses on demystifying technology, gadgets and the web for average consumers.