To MacFormat, the UK’s best-selling Apple magazine

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. But they also say the best things in life are free; frankly, it’s probably time we stopped listening to whoever these people are.

What’s indisputable is that, these days, free alternatives to big-name apps are often very, very good. Now, to be sure, for some people nothing but Photoshop will do. For some, using anything other than Microsoft Office is a false economy. But for lots of us, with tight budgets and perhaps different needs, some free alternatives are not just necessary evils – they can actually be hugely powerful and polished too. So banish from your mind the idea that free alternatives are, by definition, poor relations to ‘proper’ apps. What’s more, if you’ve been thinking about trying your hand at something new, then free apps give you the opportunity to have a dabble without throwing money at it. As always, though, we’ve packed loads more into the issue as well – tutorials, reviews, my feature on making sure you can access your files decades from now, and plenty more besides. Welcome again to the issue from me and the whole team – we hope you love it!