There's a bunch of software we all use regularly. Some for work, others for entertainment or personal use. Among these software, a few of them may be free to use, while others may be accompanied by a price tag. While the free versions are generally no-brainers since you can use them and uninstall them whenever you feel like, it's the paid ones that require some thought, since you may be investing a certain amount of money either as a one-time fee or as a subscription plan. Unfortunately, I didn't carry out a cost-benefit analysis before spending money on some popular apps, only to realize several free alternatives do the same job. Sometimes, an even better job.

So, a couple of weeks back, I went through the list of software I use regularly, found the ones that I pay for regularly, and decided to find free alternatives. Surprisingly, it didn't take me long to find exactly what I was looking for. Along with saving money, an additional perk offered by a few of these software is that they're open-source, so I don't even have to be worried about an app collecting or misusing my data. Here are all the apps I replaced on my computer, and what I replaced them with. If you, too, are looking to save a few bucks every month, this is the list you need.

5 Adobe Premiere Pro

DaVinci Resolve is free and better

Apart from writing articles like these, I also make videos that I upload to YouTube and Instagram. As a result, I often have to edit my videos, and I've been using Adobe Permiere Pro for this purpose for a while now. It has a host of features that are required to make a video look appealing, and it's one of the most widely-used video-editing software, since it's versatile and powerful. However, it's expensive.

So, I decided to give DaVinci Resolve a shot. My first thought after using it to edit a video, was how didn't I discover this software earlier? The UI -- while different from that on Premiere Pro -- still feels familiar since the layout is similar. All vital features are available for free without a subscription. Even if you want to unlock the Pro features, you can purchase a license for a one-time fee instead of a recurring annual subscription. That, paired with Adobe's shady practices with regard to canceling subscriptions, meant that I've now switched over to DaVinci Resolve to edit all my videos.

4 Evernote

Notion does everything and more

A few years ago, when digital note-taking wasn't as popular as it currently is, I decided to pay for an Evernote subscription since it was one of the most popular apps at that time. Over time, though, I realized that I was paying for features that several other note-taking apps are offering for free. So, I switched to Notion.

Notion is completely free and offers far more features than Evernote. I can easily segregate my notes, have to-do lists inside the app, use it as a personal knowledge management system, and whatnot. The best part is, I could also easily import my existing notes into Notion, so I didn't have any issues moving platforms.

3 Parallels

Run a VM using UTM

Intel-based Macs could easily run Windows via Bootcamp. However, from the time Apple switched over to its own silicon, the only popular way to run Windows on an ARM-based Mac has been via Parallels. Owing to this, I subscribed to the service, and it has been running fine without any issues. In fact, Parallels is one app I don't mind paying for since it works so well.

However, I recently discovered UTM -- a VM software for Mac that utilizes Apple's hypervisor virtualization framework to run ARM64-based operating systems. It's completely free and open source as opposed to Parallels, making it an excellent choice for students who want to dip their toes into the world of virtual machines without spending a penny. It's not as nimble as Parallels in my experience, but if you occasionally run lightweight Windows apps, it's more than capable. Moreover, it also lets you boot into Linux distros.

2 Grammarly Premium

Use LanguageTool instead

Since I write articles for a living, Grammarly Premium has been a mainstay in my list of subscriptions -- until I encountered LanguageTool. The app essentially performs the same functions as Grammarly, but doesn't charge you for it. It's also open-source, so you can rest assured that the app isn't storing the data you type, unless you save a specific word to your custom dictionary.

I also found it to be slightly less annoying compared to Grammarly, since I don't constantly see multiple colored lines even under words or sentences that have no real grammatical errors. If you're a student or a writer who wants to improve or fix their grammar when typing, consider checking out LanguageTool over Grammarly.

1 LastPass

Bitwarden is free and open-source

Using a password manager is as important as it gets. Storing passwords as plain text in your Notes app isn't a wise decision, and you obviously can't remember all the 50 different passwords for each site. So, a password manager is the way to go. Most password managers have premium tiers to unlock all features, but you don't need to opt for it if you decide to use Bitwarden.

Bitwarden is a free and open-source password manager app that's available for unlimited devices. It's also cross-platform, so you can use it on your Windows/Mac/Linux computer and Android/iOS smartphone. It offers pretty much everything that a paid password manager does -- but for free. I highly recommend you stop paying for a password manager since Bitwarden ensures there's no real incentive to do that.

Who doesn't want to save some money?

The best part about all of these free apps is that they don't compromise on vital features or make you sacrifice on essentials just because they're free. They're all feature-rich and can certainly give paid apps and software a run for their money. Moreover, since the software mentioned in this list are all free, you can first download them and test them out before canceling your subscription to a paid service. This way, you know if they can cater to your specific needs.