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Buying Guide: Back-to-School Software for Students: Desktop and Cloud-based Software
Contents
- Back-to-School Software for Students: Desktop and Cloud-based Software
- Productivity: Word Processing, Spreadsheets, and Presentation Software
- Security
- For Downtime: Music, Movies, TV
- Complete List of Products
If you recently purchased a new laptop or desktop computer for school, you'll want to make sure it's loaded with all the software you'll need to make it through the next few semesters. First, check to see what's pre-loaded on your new machine, as many laptops and desktops for students just come bundled with the basics, such as the academic version of Microsoft Office and a bare-bones image editing application.
Living the university lifestyle usually means money will be tight (even with student discounts), so where possible, free alternatives to some of the pricier software packages are listed. Free versions of software sometimes come with strings attached, like limited content or unavoidable advertisements, but it's worth it if it can save you hundreds of dollars.
While many of the software suggestions on this list point toward academic essentials, we've also included plenty of applications and extras that we think college students will want on their machines for downtime, too.
Here's all the software you'll need to get back to school.
Browsers
The very first piece of software you need to install on a new computer is another browser to speed up downloading more software. If you bought a Windows machine, it likely came with Internet Explorer (4 stars) pre-installed, and if you're on a Mac, you've got Apple Safari (4 stars). Even if you like these browsers, both have their limitations, so you'll want to install at least one more.
Google's Chrome (free, 4.5 stars), is our Editors' Choice and is especially useful for students because it's fast and has a built-in PDF reader. You'll also find dozens of useful Chrome Extensions—look in the productivity and education categories.
Similarly, Mozilla's Firefox (free, 4 stars) has a wealth of plug-ins, called Firefox add-ons. Another good choice is the minimalistic but super speedy Opera, which also has a plug-in gallery, though it's not nearly as comprehensive as Firefox's or Chrome's.
PDF Reader
After installing a browser or two, the second thing you should make sure you have on your machine is a PDF reader, which you'll need to access a ton of paperwork and school forms in addition to readings that your professors will assign. Most students should be able to get by without the full version of Adobe Acrobat ($199, 4.5 stars), which lets you edit and manipulate PDFs, so stick with free software here.
Free alternatives: The obvious choice is Adobe Reader (free). Mac users can also use the pre-installed PDF viewer known as Preview (free, for Mac only).