Traditionally the first choice when it comes to compressing and uncompressing files, WinZip is one of the most popular downloads of all time. Despite the fact that its competitors have caught up somewhat, it remains a simple way to archive programs and reduce file sizes.

Much of WinZip's success has been down to its simplicity. From the outset, the program prompts you to choose between Classic mode and Wizard mode. The wizard is great for beginners, although even the classic interface is easily negotiated, giving you instant access to a range of features such as compression ratios, password-protection and a Favorites list.

While archiving files in WinZip is quick and easy, you can't help but thinking that the program has lost some ground on its competitors. For instance, the compression rates aren’t as high as they are in WinRAR, and you can only save files in Zip format rather than RAR, ISO or JAR.

Nevertheless, WinZip performs its function well, helping you archive files quickly and effectively.

Download WinZip 17.5 build 10480 in Softonic

Features

avast! Free Antivirus is loaded with tons of features. From the home tab you can gain quick access to your system status, virus scan, software updater, stats, and the market. Features like the firewall and SafeZone require a premium subscription.

The software updater that's included with avast! Free Antivirus alerts users about outdated applications that are installed but only offers a link to the program page to download the latest update. Paying for a premium subscription will allow you to update your apps within the application. There's even an option to update automatically in the paid versions of avast!

avast! Free Antivirus offers more than just virus protection. The application also includes "cloud services," which gathers information from other avast! users to compare the reputation of similar files. These updates are constantly streamed to and from avast! so users don't have to worry about downloading updates.

New to avast! Free Antivirus is the Market where you can purchase additional features and services. The app itself is very good at reminding users how many features are missing so the Market makes it even more tempting to upgrade. Purchases can be made directly inside the application.

Usability

Using avast! Free Antivirus is very straightforward. Features and sections of the application are clearly marked with short explanations about what each feature does.

Like with many other antivirus applications, the amount of options and features is a little overwhelming. There are icons in the Security tab that are clearly marked with a green status light indicating everything is working as it should. This makes it easy to see what parts of the application require user action.

For the most part, avast! Free Antivirus is an application that you can configure and forget about. The program will display a popup if anything needs your action.

Quality

avast! Free Antivirus is well designed with tons of features. While it's not as simple as it could be, it works well and is completely free. It's nice that avast! Free Antivirus doesn't include an annoying tool bar, but it does install a web extension to monitor malicious links while you're browsing.

While avast! Free Antivirus excels as an antivirus application, it doesn't do much in the way of being a one-stop-shop for all your computer maintenance needs. Other apps like IObit's Advanced Systemcare with Antivirus offer more features that will make sure your computer is running its fastest.

Scans were performed quickly but not the best we've seen. This really depends on your hardware and how many files you have on your computer.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it's easy to see what avast! Free Antivirus remains at the top of our download charts. The amount of features that free users have access to is amazing. While it's annoying that the app nags you to upgrade to a paid subscription, it's a small price to pay for a well designed antivirus solution that's completely free. Now if only avast! could include some computer maintence features.

What's new

Download avast! Free Antivirus 8.0.1489 in Softonic

Media conversion ultimate solution, convert any videos and DVDs to any video and over 100 devices like iPhone, iPad, cell phone, tablet, media player, etc. Rip any copyright protected DVDs Convert any videos (computer video / web video / camera video /...) Batch conversion - 10X faster speed Simple operation - 3 steps convert your media to over 100 formats Video clips, effects

This is media conversion software that support converting video and ripping DVD disc/ISO/Folder. This is ultimate solution for every user's home media conversion.

Download Aoao Video Converter Ultimate 2 in Softonic

Feature 1: rip almost all of DVDs Feature 2: support bacth ripping that means you can rip all of titles at once, save your lot of time. Feature 3: Read full DVD from DVD like subtitle, codec, resolution, etc.

If you like DVD movie, if you afraid your DVD be damaged, if you want to watch you DVD anywhere, if you would like to share your DVD to firend... Aoao DVD Converter is right choice for you.

Download Aoao DVD Converter 4.5 in Softonic

Everything you need for burning discs

Free Create-Burn ISO is so simple to use. Select the files or folders you want to add to the project (ISO, UDF, ISO/UDF), then hit Create ISO and the file will be created automatically. If you've already got an ISO image, you can use this app to burn it to disc.

Free Create-Burn ISO also lets you carry out more standard burning projects, like simple burning CDs and DVDs (CD-RW, DVD-RW , DVD + RW), erasing rewriteable discs and other features, like data verification and automatically ejecting discs after burning.

Suitable for everyone

Almost 100% of Free Create-Burn ISO's feaures are accessible from the main screen, and using it is very intuitive, which means that everyone, even less-experienced users, should have no problems using it at all.

It delivers

Free Create-Burn ISO worked well during our tests. It was stable, and features worked exactly as you'd expect. Another positive? It's light on system resources and didn't put any stress on our computer at all.

Our verdict

Free Create-Burn ISO is the perfect app for people who want to burn ISOs and discs easily and quickly. It worked well, and doesn't have a confusion of features that would only stand to confuse less experienced users.

Download Free Create-Burn ISO 2.0 in Softonic

Aurora Blu-ray Media Player is the best and most powerful media player for Windows in the world. It can support Windows systems perfectly, especially the Windows 8. Meanwhile, it can support all media formats existing today, including ISO format.

Download Aurora Blu-ray Media Player 2.12.7 in Softonic

Other Features: - Copy/Clone CD/DVD/BD - Backup CD/DVD/BD - Create/Burn CD/DVD/BD - Convert to ISO - Customizable Cd/DVD/BD Cover - Play Multiple CDs Simultanously - Create Customized CD/DVD/BD - Burn CD/DVD/BD

Distinguishing Features: - Original CD Emulation Software - Cover Flow Design - Touch Screen Support - Clone and Copy CD/DVD/BD - Cutomizable CD/DVD/BD - A Network Edition for Businesses

Who Need VirtualDrive? - Gamers - Heavy CD/DVD/BD users - Backup, Copy CD/DVD users - Laptop, netbook - UltraBook - PC without CD/DVD drive - CD/DVD Emulator - Library - School - Public PC - Business CD/DVD archives

Download FarStone VirtualDrive Pro 15.01 in Softonic

Other Features: - Preserve CD/DVD from getting scratched by virtualization - Convenient, Accessible Training - Reduced Need for Supervision - CD/DVD/BD Archiving - ISO Support - Set access rights - The trusted CD/DVD manipulation, sharing and archiving solution - Administrator can set max number of users to use a CD/DVD simultaneously

Distinguishing Features: - Original CD Emulation and Management - The only solution designed for managing & sharing CD over network - Centerized Management - Cover Flow Design - Touch Screen Support - Clone and Copy CD/DVD/BD - Cutomizable CD/DVD/BD - CD/DVD/BD Access Control - CD/DVD/BD Usage Log for Administrator

Who Need VirtualDrive Network? - Schools - Libraries - Attorney firms - Business CD/DVD archives - Public CD Management - Testing and Engineering Div. - Heavy CD/DVD/BD - Backup, Copy CD/DVD - Training Center - Share CD/DVD/BD on a Network

Download FarStone VirtualDrive Network 15 in Softonic

Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player provides the best video/audio quality for users. It supports all kinds of Blu-ray Disc to play on PC. Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player provides the lifetime free update to users and 24/7 support to users.

Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player is designed for people who love watching movies/videos on computer. People can easily enjoy.

Download Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player 6.1.16 in Softonic

This ideal if you are a gamer or if you have problems with your DVD or CD drive. This latest version of Alcohol 52% features a revamped interface with Unicode support a New Folder Management feature and enhanced Reading engines. There's even a plug-in now available that will automatically convert your disks to MP3. There are no limitations on this version although you can only create 6 virtual drives. If that's not enough, you can upgrade and find support for 31 virtual drives.

The main benefit of software such as Alcohol 52% is that it allows you to play CDs and DVDs without the need for the physical disc which is particularly useful for notebook users and PC Gamers. The reading speed of Alcohol 52% is 200X, which supports most normal CD DVD and CD RAW sub-channel reading methods and should be enough to keep-up with the demands of most game players.

Alcohol 52% supports a huge range of formats including CD-DA, CD+G, CD-ROM, CD-XA, Video CD, Photo CD, Mixed Mode, Multi-session CD DVD formats supported: DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio Support for all current (ATAPI SCSI) drives: CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW. There's also full support for IEEE-1394 (Firewire) and USB protocols. The only slight drawback is that you can't burn CDs or DVDs with Alcohol 52% but you can with Alcohol 120%.

Alcohol 52% is a powerful virtual cloning tool which creates instant copies of CDs and DVDs.

Download Alcohol 52% 2.0.2.4713 in Softonic

Without any third party DVD decrypter, WinX DVD Copy Pro has unlimited access to all region codes and copy protection systems. It faultlessly supports Disney's Fake, severely scratched DVDs and Sony ARccOS bad sector, while these three obstacles beat off most of DVD copy software in the current market.

WinX DVD Copy Pro is designed for anyone in need of an easy and fast solution to back up their legally owned DVDs to avoid scratch or damage.

Download WinX DVD Copy Pro 3.4.7 in Softonic

Beini offers an array of WiFi security audit tools. The downloadable file is an ISO that can be burned to CD or USB to use.

Beini is noted for its speed and extensive list of WiFi supported-devices and chipsets - AR9271, Ralink, Atheros, among others.

Using Beini for auditing your WiFi

In order to use Beini scenarios to carry our your own wireless security audit - i.e. to test the strength of the encryption of a WiFi connection - you must use both utilities included, Bib and Feedingbottle.

The first is a WiFi scanner which measures the intensity of the signal and can discover networks around you. The second is a packet injection utility where you should select the WiFi card, the listening mode and type of attack. There are plenty of online tutorials that will tell you how to use Beini, but remember that lots of uses are illegal - you should only use Beini for assessing the security of WiFi connections you own.

Test your WiFi with Beini.

Download Beini 1.2.5 in Softonic

VMware Player can be used by anyone to run virtual machines on a Windows computer, in a completely closed, safe environment. It’s a great way to test new software – like we do here at Softonic every day – provide customer support or run a series of tests on your computer without damaging the “real” system.

The "virtual machines" you use with VMware Player can be created with the program itself, as long as you have the original DVD or ISO file. You only need to configure the system’s settings (hard drive size, RAM memory, etc.) in a few easy steps and you’re ready to go.

VMware Player lets you browse the web, access any USB devices you connect to the computer, share folders with the host computer and even drag and drop files between them. The only thing VMware Player requires is a relatively powerful system, in order to meet the demands of two operating systems running at the same time.

A simple and secure way of testing software on your PC, VMware Player offers peace of mind and a straightforward way of running multiple operating systems.

Download VMware Player 5.0.2.1031769 in Softonic

Using the program is a pleasant experience - at the most basic level, add the files you want to compress/decompress using the file explorer on the right and chose the action you want from the main toolbar or by right clicking. The PeaZip interface is fresh and easy-to-use with a few built-in themes to spice things up.

Right-clicking on a file or folder and choosing Add to archive or Browse path with PeaZip will also provide direct access to the program's factions. The compression/decompression process is very quick and smooth, and there are impressive advanced options for users who want to get a little more technical.

Among the best of these advanced PeaZip features are the encryption/password options, compression variables, and the File tools, which allow you to split files, join them and even view the checksum files. PeaZip really impressed us - it's a top-class program that performs at a really high level, and is a worthy rival to apps such as WinZip or 7Zip.

PeaZip is a fantastic program for all your compressing/decompressing needs.

Download PeaZip 4.9.1 in Softonic

That said, you’d be hard pressed to say that anything else about this program is simple - reviewing Blender was like one of those nightmares where you suddenly realize that you are in deep water, but don’t know how to swim.

Full of features

Amazing in its variety, flexibility and features, Blender is huge, and a single review just doesn't seem to do it justice. For the uninitiated, the interface is overwhelming. There are bunches of panels and bars, all full of explanations and icons, with tooltips for everything. It is also completely customizable, as you can add and remove sections as desired, as well as moving them around and resizing.

Beneath the options menus are Blender’s functions, ranging from rigging and modeling to animation and game creation. In fact, Blender 3D has so many features that listing them all here would take hours, so take a peek at the definitive guide here. Among the more surprising elements included in the program are a built-in text editor, audio playback/editing and a game engine.

Steep learning curve

Blender has no configuration options to speak of as all the program's features can be toggled from the main interface. It is really a program for experts, or for users who hope to become much more proficient. Although there are good Blender tutorials on the website, this 3D modeling program is not something to casually play around with. Beginners would probably be better off, in fact, having a look at something more accessible, such as Google SketchUp.

If 3D creation is your thing and you don't have a copy of Blender, you're almost certainly missing out.

Blender is a hugely impressive 3D modeling program that is likely to scare off the uninitiated.

Download Blender 2.66a (32 bits) in Softonic

Wondershare DVD Creator is a powerful but easy to use DVD burning tool that uses a handy wizard to help you burn custom DVDs from your collection of images, videos and music.

Wondershare DVD Creator allows highly customizable burning, including animated menus that give your DVDs a highly personal touch. Simply select the multimedia files you want to add via the setup wizard, place them in the order you want them to appear and add a static or animated menu.

You can burn the results either onto a DVD or as an ISO image. Wondershare DVD Creator supports a wide range of video formats and also converts all regular SD and HD videos to high quality DVD format. Unlike some converters, Wondershare DVD Creator does a good job of maintaining quality after conversions too.

Wondershare DVD Creator is a powerful DVD creation tool that gives your DVDs a truly personal touch.

Download Wondershare DVD Creator 2.6.5 in Softonic

Can keep directory structure; Options to choose iso9660 filesystem extension (like Joliet or RockRidge extensions); Generate CD image(ISO format) and save to hard disk; Burn hard disk CD image to blank CD disc; Multithreading are supported and the more files you burn the faster; Supports device types include CD-R/ CD+R/ CD-RW/ CD+RW; Prevent burning if used space > CD+R/RW capacity; Show output of growisofs/mkisofs to view burned % and estimated remaining time.

Suitable for home users and company users to burn files or dirs to a data CD.

Download FreeStar CD Burner Software 2.0.1 in Softonic

Among the features in CDBurnerXP you’ll find tools to burn data discs, music discs, ISO images and also copy discs all from your memory stick, without leaving any trace on the host computer. All of these options are conveniently organized in a tool menu – the main screen you seen when running CDBurnerXP.

Each button in this launch menu opens the corresponding application in a separate window. From then on, the recording process follows the standard procedure: select data to burn, press the Record button, tweak burning settings and you're done. CDBurnerXP supports CD, DVD (including HD-DVD) and also Blu-Ray discs.

The only downside to CDBurnerXP is the fact that the main screen closes every time you choose a burning task, so if you want to switch from erasing a disc to burning something else on it, you’ll have to start CDBurnerXP twice.

CDBurnerXP is a powerful burning tool that lets you create music and data discs, burn ISO images, copy discs and more.

Download CDBurnerXP 4.5.1.3868 in Softonic

CDBurnerXP is already a renowned program among recording applications, so its portable version could only be a pocket-sized variation of an excellent tool.

CDBurnerXP Portable features the powerful recording tools of its original version arranged into a USB-sized application that doesn't even require installation. You can burn data discs, music discs, ISO images and also copy discs all from your memory stick, without leaving any traces on the host computer.

CDBurnerXP Portable supports CD, DVD (including HD-DVD) and also Blu-Ray discs. The program features a launching menu where you can choose the task you want to do, so that it opens the corresponding application in a separate window. From that moment on, the recording process follows the standard procedure: select data to burn, press the Record button, tweak burning settings and you're done.

Too bad this portable version is not updated as often as the original one; other than that, it's an excellent choice for quick recording tasks.

CDBurnerXP Portable lets you carry all the great features of the powerful CDBurnerXP burning tool right in your pocket.

Download CDBurnerXP Portable 4.5.1.3868 in Softonic