5 PAID-FOR TRIALS WORTH SIGNING UP FOR
The best things in life are free… for a few weeks at least. As much as we love free software we know the most powerful programs often have a price tag. The trick is not just to know which ones are worth paying for, but to know which ones you can try for free – without ever having to enter your payment details.
Desktop tool Fences www.snipca.com/24027
Free trial: 30 days Fences tidies your messy desktop with the speed and panache of Mary Poppins. It sorts your shortcuts and other clutter into groups, automatically and instantly – and it’s a joy to behold. There’s no free version, but you can save $9.99 (£8) by using the free trial – for a month, anyway. Clicking ‘Try it Free’ redirects you to a download mirror site, but the installer has no junk. You’ll need to confirm your email address during setup, but there’s no registration and no request for a payment card number. You won’t get a bill after 30 days, and Fences won’t disappear from your PC – it’ll simply stop working.
File manager Xplorer2 Ultimate http://zabkat.com
Free trial: 21 days Xplorer2 is to Windows Explorer what a Ferrari is to a milk float. It can find duplicates, sync folders, calculate statistics, archive content and much more – all in a highly customisable tabbed window. Click ‘Download Free 21 day trial’, then Ultimate to get the installer. No commitment or registration needed. A full licence costs $49.95 (£40); the Professional version is $29.95(£24).
Photo & video software Adobe Creative Cloud www.snipca.com/24023
Free trial: 7 days Get Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere Pro and many more superb Adobe tools completely free – but only for a week apiece. Click ‘Start your free trial’ to install the Creative Cloud launcher. You’ll need to create a free Adobe ID, but you won’t have to provide payment details. Run the launcher, then click Apps to browse the programs. Click Try to install trial versions, and Install to get free tools such as Adobe Bridge (see screenshot below). As with Fences, the trials will stop working when their time is up.
Email client Postbox www.snipca.com/24030
Free trial: 30 days Manage multiple email accounts and download attachments automatically using this fast email client. Scroll down and click ‘Try Postbox for free’, then enter your email address. Click the Windows link in the ‘Welcome to Postbox’ email (see screenshot above) to get the installer. We could barely boil the kettle in the time it took Postbox to import our entire (huge) Gmail inbox. If you decide you can’t live without this program, a lifetime licence costs $40 (£32).
Uninstaller Revo Uninstaller Pro www.snipca.com/24026
Free trial: 30 days Many of the free programs we’ve mentioned here have more powerful paid-for versions, and Revo is a prime example. Pro adds a Quick Uninstall option (see screenshot above) that removes multiple programs at once then deletes their leftovers. It also has Force Uninstall, spreadsheet export and registry backup. Click Download Free Trial to get the installer. No registration or payment details are required.