As you might have noticed, more and more people are switching to Linux these days. However, it is still pretty common for Linux users to look for apps they are used to using on Windows.

If you want to enjoy the Linux experience to the fullest, we recommend switching to Linux apps to perform your day-to-day tasks. That's how your journey will come full circle.

So, to aid you in this process, here is a list of Linux alternatives to popular Windows apps that you can download and use for free.

1. LibreOffice (Microsoft Office)

LibreOffice - LibreWriter

LibreOffice is a cross-platform office suite for Linux that supports all major document formats. It lets you open files from Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

The best thing about LibreOffice is that it is open-source and free compared to Microsoft Office, which requires a subscription plan. The only thing missing is an Outlook alternative, but we have you covered down this list.

Download: LibreOffice (Free)

2. GIMP (Adobe Photoshop)

GIMP image editor

GIMP is an open-source, cross-platform image editing software with powerful features for handling images, graphics, 3D paintings, and artworks. You can add various customizations and plugins to further enhance its features.

GIMP is one of the best alternatives to Adobe Photoshop because it is open-source and consumes much less memory and resources. Even though it is free and lightweight, it still provides all the tools you need for image editing and designing.

Download: GIMP (Free)

3. Inkscape (Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW)

Inkscape - Main

Inkscape is a vector editing and designing software for Linux and other OSes that offers powerful technical and artistic illustration tools. You can use it to create illustrations, cartoons, animations, clip arts, and much more.

Inkscape has gained significant popularity as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW due to its rich feature set and because it is free and open-source. You'll learn Inkscape pretty quickly if you are good at other vector graphics software.

Download: Inkscape (Free)

4. Mozilla Thunderbird (Microsoft Outlook)

Mozilla Thunderbird email client

Mozilla Thunderbird is one of the best free email clients out there you can use instead of Outlook. It lets you add email IDs from any email provider, including Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and others.

Thunderbird allows you to add people to your contacts with one click. It also provides smart folders feature that filters out unimportant emails such as marketing letters and ads.

Unlike Outlook, Thunderbird is free and open-source, and you can further supercharge it with a plethora of plugins and add-ons.

Download: Mozilla Thunderbird (Free)

5. gedit (Notepad)

gedit text editor

gedit is a simple yet powerful text editor for Linux with all the Notepad features. It allows you to write simple text as well as programming language syntax. Moreover, you have syntax highlighting available for major programming languages.

gedit also enables you to print the text files and offers necessary features like undo and redo. It also allows you to edit files from a remote location.

Download: gedit (Free)

6. VLC Media Player (Windows Media Player)

VLC Player - Home

VLC has been one of the top apps for playing videos for a long time now. Although it's open-source and free, it still offers more robust features than the default video players available on different operating systems.

VLC Media Player plays most of the standard video formats. This, along with a ton of other features including the feature to boost the volume beyond 100 percent, make VLC an ideal video player alternative to Windows Media Player on your Linux PC.

Download: VLC Media Player (Free)

7. Slack (Microsoft Teams)

Slack on Linux

Slack is a renowned communication platform that is now available for Linux. After the pandemic, the world has shifted to virtual collaboration and work platforms, and Slack helps you manage and organize your business operations through online meetings, team collaboration, and channels.

Slack also allows you to share files with other users and integrates with popular services such as Google Drive. Unlike Microsoft Teams, it is free to use for basic enterprises and individual users.

Download: Slack (Free, in-app purchases available)

8. Krita (Microsoft Paint)

krita paint software

Krita is an advanced painting app for creating digital artwork that equips you with various tools to sketch and paint on a digital playground. It is commonly used by comic artists, as it has excellent tools in its rich feature set.

Krita is an effective Linux alternative to Microsoft Paint. It's free and open-source and has way more advanced features and tools.

Download: Krita (Free)

9. Kdenlive (Microsoft Movie Maker)

kdenlive video editor

Kdenlive allows you to create professional videos and is suitable for both basic and professional video editing. The app is open-source and lets you use various media components from several audio and video files in different formats.

Most professional video editing apps are not free, but Kdenlive is. It is one of the best free alternatives for Movie Maker you'll ever find because of the powerful features it offers along with a free price tag.

Download: Kdenlive (Free)

10. GParted (MiniTool Partition Wizard)

GParted -  Main

At some point in your computing experience, you have to create or manage the disk partitions on your hard drive. It is a technical process, and data loss is a possible risk, so most users like to have partitioning apps that make it easy to manage the hard disks.

GParted allows you to create, resize, and merge partitions easily. You can also move partitions and get all the necessary tools for disk management. GParted is a solid free alternative to any partitioning software you might have used on Windows.

Download: GParted (Free)

11. Transmission (uTorrent)

Transmission torrent client for linux

Selecting a good torrent client is essential, as different clients vary in connection speed, data privacy, and performance. That's why Transmission is an excellent uTorrent alternative for Linux. It's ad-free, open-source, and runs smoothly.

Transmission is also suitable for your privacy as it doesn't collect any user or analytics data.

Download: Transmission (Free)

12. 7-Zip (WinRAR)

7Zip for Linux GUI Version

A file archiver is a must-have utility for your PC. WinRAR is the most famous file archiver, but sadly, it is unavailable for Linux. Instead, Linux users have found a powerful alternative to WinRAR in 7-Zip.

7-Zip is a pretty lightweight file archiver. Its small size enables it to provide much better performance. Moreover, it is free and open-source, unlike WinRAR, and is available for all major Linux distros.

Download: 7-Zip (Free)

13. EverSticky (Sticky Notes)

Notes Created Using EverSticky

EverSticky allows you to save quick notes on your desktop screen, making it a great utility for to-do lists, notes, and reminders. It is an advanced alternative to Sticky Notes.

The app has a unique feature that allows it to synchronize with Evernote so that you can access your Evernote notes on any Linux device. It also has an auto-save feature for automatically saving the notes as you type.

EverSticky is free and provides all the necessary features you expect from a note-taking app. In addition, it also supports rich text, allowing you to add tables and checkboxes to your notes.

Download: EverSticky (Free)​​​​​​​

14. Okular (Adobe Reader)

Okular app for linux

Okular is a must-have app for handling documents, as it supports all major file formats such as PDF, ePUB, TIFF, Images, DVI, XPS, and ODT. The app has a minimal interface with an interactive sidebar, and you can also annotate the content to make reading effective.

Okular is easily available for all major Linux distros. It is completely free, unlike Adobe Reader and Foxit Reader, which offer a free version with limitations.

Download: Okular (Free)​​​​​​​

15. Clementine (AIMP and Windows Media Player)

clementine music app

We all need a music player app for playing and managing our music collection. Clementine is a music player with a minimal, easy-to-use interface. You can search through and play your local music and even listen to radio on Spotify, SoundCloud, and several other third-party sources.

Clementine provides an automated smart playlist based on your listening history and offers many other powerful features. The app is open-source and available across all the major Linux distros, making it a fantastic Linux alternative to AIMP and Windows Media Player.

Download: Clementine (Free)​​​​​​​

Install Linux Alternatives Instead of Looking for Windows Apps

Linux is an innovative OS with a vast community of developers. You'll find an app for any task you can think of, including some powerful but lesser-known alternatives to Windows apps.

If you are running Linux on an old PC, you might want to install lightweight alternatives instead of resource-hungry apps for Linux.