Oh dear, after almost 40 years of using computers, I must have used and adored dozens or maybe hundreds of feet tools and services. It would take ages to recall them all and rank them...

So I'll stick with my current set of digital tools.
And I'll mention both applications, apps, and services.
And rule out licenses that come with your computer or OS.
And let's only count tools which have a very usable "freemium".

That narrows it quickly down to a few.

Miro Video ConverterWant to shrink a massive video down in size and weight ? No myriad of settings, just the most obvious ones. This tool does it, and happily. Okay, I couldn't find the Convert button anymore when using the Settings, but for the rest: brilliant ! Andabsolutely malware free ! (Be sure to download it from the official website.)

MalwareBytes (for Mac)
Talking about malware – this tool is actually commercially available (I upgraded to the premium version), but their free 14-days trial period has saved many digital lives ! I guess any Windows user should have some form of permanent malware and antivirus stuff running, but headstrong Mac users only need to do that "once in your lifetime" check, to realise they really ought to be more careful. In such a situation, Malwarebytes serves them well...

Google Search / Maps

We love to hate them, but can we do anything without them anymore ? No other company has ever given us such robust and incredibly precise Search and Mapsservices like them. Apple is lousy at search, anywhere. In there applications, in Spotlight, in their very own app and media stores. Bing tried, but in vain. Every one else fails at search. Google nailed it. At the cost of creating my profile – I know.

Wikipedia

The only other search-driven service I'm a fan of, is Wikipedia. Want to know more, without ads, in-depth and fairly objective ? Then a trip to Wikipedia is imminent. After a few clicks, you're a wiser human. You know how things work and what's going on, from a scientific or historical standpoint. Please feed this friendly dragon a donation now and then. They're well worth it !

WeTransfer

We all know the drill. Need to send a truckload of megabytes to some one, without the struggle of who serves what link to download from where to whom ? Dropbox, iCloud, OneDrive, Gdrive, (or whatever they're called this year) they all try it in that syncing way. But many less capable computer users just don't get it. They lose stuff all the time. So let's keep it easy: shove it from A to B. Done !

NOS

As part of the Dutch public broadcasting system, this newsroom offers reliable, independent round-the-clock reporting on news, current affairs, sports and national and international events. There are many other news sources, but this one is ad-free. This iPad app marks the start of my day (after the Alarm), in silence, in the smallest room in the house...

Oorspronkelijk geplaatst op Quora: What is your favorite legally free software that you use?"