Free Alternatives to MS Office, Photoshop, and Other Paid Apps

Some platforms and tools such as Microsoft and Adobe are very… very widely used. Whenever someone says to write a document or pdf, we don’t usually think of anything else than Microsoft Word. All this is good, but almost all of the popular tools that we know of are paid and require a subscription to run.

But there are some really good free alternatives to these apps and services, and very few people know about them. Stick with us till the end of this article to become the next person to know about these free tools.

Why should I use these tools? Do they offer the same functionality as paid ones?

Well, the answer to the first question is up to you whether you want to pay for the apps or not. Until or unless you are forced to use the paid apps or you can’t afford to pay for them, it’s best to use these free open-source applications.

And yes, all the services and tools we have listed below have the same level of functionality as the paid ones. The tools will get the job done seamlessly. And if you end up not liking them, you always are free to switch without losing anything.

LibreOffice, Free Alternative to Microsoft Office 365

As we all know, Microsoft Office 365 is a stalwart of tools such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. LibreOffice is also an open-source productivity tool that comes with Write (an alternative to Word), Calc (an alternative to Excel) and Impress (an alternative to Powerpoint). It also has a tool called Draw, that is used to edit PDF files. And most importantly, it is free and doesn’t require you to pay for the subscription. It can be used on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Free Alternatives to Paid Apps — LibreOffice

You can also use official MS Office 365 tools for free, but only online. All you need to do is log in to your Office 365 account and start using the tool of your choice. You can sync files with OneDrive or simply upload or download the files manually.

Kdenlive, Free Alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro is arguably the most widely used expensive video editing tool. But if you are low on pocket and want a good alternative to this, you can try Kdenlive. It’s a popular open-source video editing tool and is available for Mac, Windows and Linux. The tool may require a little expertise, the same as the Premiere Pro. Some experts also believe this to be the best video editing software for the Linux platform.

Krita, an alternative to Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop

Krita, a tool developed for Linux, can be used to edit both raster and vector graphics. This is an excellent and free alternative to the Adobe Photoshop tool (there is one more alternative on this list). The software was first developed for Linux-running PCs, but its compatibility has now been extended to Windows and macOS as well. The tool not only offers a handful of features but has a very simple and functional user interface design. This tool definitely proves what an open source software can do.

Inkscape can replace Adobe Illustrator

While Krita will get most of your job done, it is primarily meant for vector images. If you want to explore a more advanced tool and a champion in its category, then Inkscape is for you. It might take some time for you to get used to this tool, but once you do, you will be able to create some powerful professional-grade illustrations and images. The tool can easily replace paid apps like Adobe Illustrator. It is available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

ChatGPT can also be used for free! (For many things)

ChatGPT is arguably one of the most powerful AI-based tools out there. It can do a handful of tasks such as text-based conversations, live voice conversations, PDF reading, help with calculation, creating excel files, etc. While the basic version of ChatGPT is free, it has its own set of limitations. But don’t worry, there are plenty of ways using which you can use the advanced version of ChatGPT such as GPT 4o for free, without paying anything. You can refer to our past article for the guide.

Photopea, Free Alternative to Photoshop

If you want to replace the paid photo editing tool, Adobe Photoshop and want a free, easy-to-use and advanced photo editing tool then Photopea could be an excellent choice for you. It is almost the same as Photoshop even in terms of user interface.

Using Photopea is fairly easy. You just have to open their website, upload the photo you want to edit or create a new project, and that’s it. Since it is a web-based tool that runs on the browser, you can use it on any OS, be it Windows, macOS, or Linux. You can also install its web-based application to access the tool quickly.

Flux AI, Free Alternative to Midjourney

If you are a techy, then there is a very low chance that you might not know about the Midjounrey. It’s an advanced artificial intelligence-based image generator platform and probably the best. However, it’s not a free service and you are supposed to pay for it. But don’t worry, we have an alternative for you; the Flux AI. Flux AI can be used to free in several ways and it is also capable of generating real-time prompt-based images.

So these are some of the best free tools that you can use to replace your paid useful tools. Almost all of them work the same way and offer functionality similar to that of paid services. But the only thing which is different is that these tools are free of cost.

If you are a student, or a beginner or cannot afford to pay for those hefty subscriptions, then give these tools a try and let us know if the tools deserve their position on this list. Also, share if you have any free tool suggestions.

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Top Free Alternatives to Paid Apps Like MS Office, Photoshop, and More