Computer software is what allows users to perform tasks on digital computers. It acts as a mediator between computer hardware and the user’s application software.
CleanMyPC is a great option if you’re looking to clean up your PC, offering a one-click optimisation and plenty of other tools for the tech-savvy user. It has a good price point too and you can pay annually or on a one-off basis.
1. Acronis Backup
Acronis Backup is a solid, well-rounded online backup service with an excellent price/feature ratio. It also offers a host of extra features that many competitors don’t, including disk cloning and Rescue Media Builder.
The program can even encrypt your backups so that if someone gets access to them, they’ll only see scrambled data. This is a rare feature in this category.
Another nice feature is Active Protection, which monitors the state of your computer for risky activity (like installing a new program or opening a suspicious file) and then rolls back your system to its previous state.
2. Plex
Plex started as software that let you run your own Netflix-like front-end for all your personal media files. You install the media server (which works on Windows, macOS or Linux) and point it to folders of movies, TV shows, music, photos or other content.
The server automatically adds posters, cover art and other information for each item. With a Plex Pass subscription you can get even more: lyrics for music, geo-tagging for photos and hardware-accelerated streaming and transcoding.
3. Dropbox
With Dropbox, you can share files and folders with anyone by creating a link. The service also synchronizes local files on your computer with cloud content, keeping previous versions of documents in case of malware attacks and other catastrophes.
Dropbox offers Selective Sync, which allows you to choose what will be synced on a device. Users can add collaborators, customize access permissions and set link expiration dates. They can comment directly on files (including photos and videos) and offer feedback using draggable boxes and dynamic comments.
4. LastPass
LastPass is a password manager that stores usernames, passwords, notes, files, and payment information in an encrypted vault. The software also provides form-filling and password generator capabilities.
The vault is secure and uses bank-level 256-bit encryption protocols, so hackers would only have access to encrypted data if they somehow obtained the master password.
It has an intuitive experience and supports multiple devices. The desktop app features an integrated browser and offers a password autofill function.
5. Movavi Video Suite
For anyone looking to create stunning videos and slideshows, this suite offers a range of features that are sure to impress. Users can use beat detection to synchronize video and music, and take advantage of noise reduction and quick video creation modes to make creating content as easy as possible.
This program also supports green screen footage, a feature that is popular with vloggers and YouTubers. It also allows for a range of effects, including chroma key, PiP and titling, which are designed to give your videos a cinematic touch.
6. Noisli
Noisli provides users with a digital place for focus. It is designed to reduce the impact of external distractions and allows users to stay focused for longer periods of time.
Features include a Pomodoro timer and a variety of background noises, such as rain, wind, forest with birds, waterfall, coffee shop, rumbling train, and white noise. Users can mix these sounds and create a sound environment that is unique to them.
7. CrashPlan
CrashPlan (from Code42 Software) offers continuous data protection, which means that rather than kicking off a resource-intensive backup session every 15 minutes, it constantly monitors files to determine when they change. It then adds those changes to the backup queue.
This can significantly reduce backup and restoration times compared to other leading cloud backup solutions. Another useful feature is a daily disk scan to account for any new or deleted files that may have been missed by the continuous backup.
8. Paragon Backup
Paragon Backup offers extensive features that help users securely back up large amounts of data. Users can adjust their backup preferences using numerous criteria including frequency, retention, and restoration options.
The tool can also create a backup image of the entire hard drive and its individual partitions. In addition, it can restore files or a full operating system.
Additionally, Paragon Backup can save images to secured hidden folders, external drives, local mounted or un-mounted disk partitions, Blu-ray discs and FTP/sFTP locations. Support for multiple languages is included, with a library of long-form product documentation and helpful blogs available.
9. Norton Utilities Ultimate
Norton Utilities Ultimate cleans junk files, repairs errors in the registry, defragments drives and frees up space, among other things. It also detects and removes system-hogging bloatware to make your computer faster and more responsive.
However, the program is expensive, and it failed to free up as much hard drive space as rival programs did in our testing. It is a power user’s dream, though, and existing Norton users should feel at home with the program’s interface.