If you’re looking for a safe download, we recommend checking out our top picks for the best free software for Windows. Additionally, we’ve also included a few of our favorite sites to download free software.
Are Free Software Download Sites Safe?
There are only two ways to be sure a download site is safe. You can check its reputation and you test its downloads yourself.
There are businesses that rank how safe sites are. One of the most popular sites for this is WOT or Web of Trust. WOT rates sites based on community ratings, reviews, and their own machine learning algorithms. There are WOT plugins for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera browsers. If you have the plugin installed, you can check the download site.
You can also check the site before you go to it. Go to Virus Total and enter the web address of the site. It’ll check with a bunch of other sites that track reputations and viruses and lets you know if the site is safe.
The first way is to use a virus scanner to check for viruses and malware. The second way is to run the downloader’s anti-virus software.
Safe And Free Software Download Sites for Windows
We researched the download sites to compile this list. At the time of writing, none of the sites showed any issues on website checkers. ..
FileHippo
FileHippo is a solid software company that has been around since 2004. They hand-pick the software, and test it for malware and viruses. They also don’t allow software that bundles other software into it or browser toolbars. FileHippo currently has over 40,000 program versions listed.
Be careful if you do a web search for FileHippo. There are a lot of sites out there with similar names and URLs.
Nirsoft
Nirsoft is a site that provides free software utilities. Nir Sofer, the site’s creator, is a single-handedly responsible for all of the software on the site. ..
Some of the most popular utilities on the site are password viewers, which will show you passwords stored on your computer, in your browser, etc. ..
Ninite
Ninite is a site that offers both a free software download and package management system. It can be used to install your favorite software with just one click, which is likely the safest site on the list. ..
Ninite offers a limited number of free apps, but they are all well-worth the download. Chrome, Firefox, 7-zip, iTunes, VLC, Malwarebytes are among the free downloads Ninite can provide and manage.
Softpedia
Since 2001, Softpedia has been a go-to source for free software downloads. They maintain a large collection of files on their own physical servers, which gives them an incentive to make sure the software they offer is safe. With over 1.2 million files available, they have a lot of work to do in this area. ..
Download Crew
Download Crew is a well-known Windows freeware site that offers a variety of software to download. This site has been around for over 10 years and boasts over 300,000 members. Download Crew has been known to offer software that is easy to find and download.
The sister site of Download Crew is Download Crew Store, where you can get deeply discounted proprietary software. Between the two of you, you’ll get all you need as cheaply as possible.
File Horse
When it comes to free software download sites, File Horse is a stand out. They offer downloads as well as archives of previous versions of the software. This makes File Horse a valuable resource for users looking for the latest and greatest software.
If you’re unhappy with an update to your favorite app, you can download the older version here and roll it back. File Horse also has a directory of free cloud apps. ..
Major Geeks
Major Geeks is a legitimate free software download site that has been around since 2001. They have built a reputation by being one of the first to test all the software they offer, which makes them a reliable source for software downloads. ..
The company Major Geeks is a top-notch software developer and has a reputation for being virus-free. They also use several virus scanners to make sure the software is safe before installation, which warrants their military-style theme.
Microsoft Store
Microsoft Store is a website and an app that’s probably already on your computer, and it’s probably also on your phone. Microsoft has a lot of good freeware, so you should definitely check it out. They have a reputation for being safe, so you can be sure that the software they offer is of the highest quality.
Some of the apps you know and love are free. But there are also thousands of apps that are free but can be very useful. Just search on ‘free’ to find them.
Microsoft has purchased Sysinternals, a site that provides tools for system administrators. The tools are still updated, but are geared more towards geeks.
Anymore Good Free Software Sites?
There are a few more good safe free software sites, but if you can’t find what you need on the sites above, then they’re not going to help much. Over time, you’ll get to know the sites you like that have the software you need.
Remember to always check the downloaded file with your antivirus app or through Virus Total. If possible, test the program installation in a virtual machine or sandboxed environment.
