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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Softonic?

Established in 1997, Softonic is Europe's leading software download portal with over 30,000 freeware, shareware and trial version software titles available with reviews written in Spanish, German and now English!

With over 3 million users worldwide and an average of 200,000 downloads per day, Softonic has established itself as a key player in the global software download market.

The English language portal was launched in November 2005; one year after Softonic's successful foray into the German speaking market. It marks the latest stage in the company's goal to provide a unique service for software users around the globe.

Softonic International is committed to offering the latest software for all users, on all platforms, now with reviews in three of worlds most popular languages.

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What are some of the features that Softonic offers?

  • The very latest releases and all the best software
  • Coverage on every major platform: Windows, Mac, Palm, Pocket PC and even Mobile Phones!
  • The ability to purchase software quickly and safely directly from Softonic
  • Premium services that get you access to Softonic's private download servers for increased reliability and blazing speeds
  • Insightful reviews by our in-house editors available in Spanish, English and German
  • Multiple, high quality screenshots for every program added because we know a picture is worth a thousand words
  • An automated notification service that lets you know when there are new version of your favorite software available
  • A clear and simple section on every program description page that provides a summary of all users opinions
  • Advanced search functionality which sorts programs by relevance and not by how much the developer paid
  • 4 levels of categories to keep things properly organized... a best-in-industry standard!
  • Unique software comparison tools that allows you to evaluate multiple programs side-by-side before you download
  • Ask us questions about anything you find on our site - including downloaded software - and we'll do our best to help you
  • A solid community that is constantly adding user opinions to give you real-world reviews
  • The active forums are a great place to ask questions and to meet some of the other of thousands of Softonic members
  • The Weekly Tonic sent straight to your inbox to keep you up to date on the latest software
  • RSS feeds for every category and entire platforms to help you keep up on the latest releases
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Do I have to pay to download software from Softonic?

All the programs on Softonic are available to download absolutely free of charge.

Click on the download link on any program page and then select the "Free Download" option at the top of the page.

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How do I find software for my operating system?

At the top of every page, simply click on the tab with your operating system (OS) on it.

From then on, all the software displayed will be for your particular OS. You will need to check the OS information field on the program page to see whether it is compatible with the particular version of the OS you are using.

The operating system is the top most category and each OS is further organized by sub-categories relating to what the program does. See the next question for more information.

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How do I find a specific kind of software?

You have two options: You can use the search tool or you can browse by categories

Searching for software is the easiest and quickest way to find what you're looking for.

See our Search help section for more information.

Categories are used to organize programs and are usually sorted based on their most important functionality. This not only allows users to find software for a specific purpose, it also keeps similar programs in the same place so that you can easily compare them and find the one that suits you best.

Browsing by category allows you to identify the characteristics of the program you're looking for, one step at a time.

The category browser can be found at the top-left of the home page. Only the main categories are displayed at first and sub-categories will be displayed subsequently. You can display a list of all available categories by clicking on the plus (+) symbol in the categories title bar.

An example:

Let's say you're looking for a program to play mp3's on your Windows computer.

Firstly, you would select the Windows tab at the top of the page. Then you would click on Audio in the categories section.

Presented with the selection of sub-categories, you would then chose Players. And then finaly MP3 & Multiformat wherein you would find all the programs that are able to playback MP3s on your Windows PC. It's as easy as that!

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What are the "Top Sales", "Top Downloads" and "Top Weekly" sections?

Sometimes you'll find the most useful software completely by accident. We offer a set of listings to encourage our users to learn more about the different types of programs that are available or simply to see what other people are downloading.

  • Top Sales list the programs that have been purchased most often through Softonic.
  • Top Downloads list the programs that have been downloaded most often. An all time greatest hits, if you will.
  • Top Weekly is the most downloaded files from the previous week. An easy way to see recently added popular files.

You can see a complete list of "top" programs by clicking on the plus (+) symbol in the header of each section.

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Where do I find the latest programs added to Softonic?

A list of the most recently added programs can be found at the bottom of the center column on the Softonic home page.

As you browse through the categories the list changes to reflect the newest programs added to that specific category. To see an extensive list of newly added programs, click on the plus (+) symbol in the Latest Releases section header.

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How do I find free software?

There are plenty of programs available for free. On occasion those programs do an equally good job (and sometimes even better) as applications you have to pay for.

The easiest way is to use the advanced search.

In the advanced search options, select Free from the License drop down list. Now any search you perform will only display programs that are absolutely, completely free!

In almost any program listing on Softonic, you can select Free from the View drop down list at the top of the listing and the page will refresh displaying all the free programs.

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How do I find the best software?

The editors at Softonic take the time to evaluate the best software and each program is assigned a star rating.

After performing a search or browsing through the categories you will be presented with a program listing similar to the one pictured in the previous question.

From the Sort by drop down list, simply select Softonic Rating and the page will refresh automatically, ordering the programs by Softonic rating for the category you are browsing or that match your search.

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What is the difference between Shareware, Freeware and Demos?

Every piece of software is released by its publisher with a license which indicates how the program can be used.

Here are the main types of licenses:

Freeware:
The program is fully functional and does not cost anything to use.
Adware:
The program is fully functional and does not cost anything to use, however advertising is displayed in the programs interface to generate revenue for the publisher.
Shareware:
The program is free to use but it may only be fully functional for a certain period of time or have certain limitations imposed until a fee is paid.
Demo or
Trial Version:
The program is free to use but it may only be fully functional for a certain period of time or have certain limitations imposed until the full version of the software is purchased.
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How do you evaluate the software that is posted on Softonic?

The editors at Softonic bring their numerous years of computing experience to each review that is written for the site.

More than simply testing the program, we aim to evaluate all aspects of its purpose, from its interface to its functionality and especially how well we think the program will work for you.

Since very few programs are completely unique, we also put special emphasis on comparing similar programs by highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. Our goal is to present you with the very best information so you can find the programs you need and perhaps find a few that you never knew you needed.

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I registered but can't log in. What do I do?

Upon submiting the online registration form, an email is automatically sent to the email address that you specified in the form.

In that email you will find a link that you must click in order to confirm your registration.

If clicking the link does automatically open your browser window, please copy and paste the link into a new browser window.

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I forgot my password. Can you send it to me?

Simply click on the Forgot your password? link at the top right of the page just under the login fields or click here.

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