This is a list of my favorite software applications for Linux. I hope this list helps you discover some new and amazing software that runs on Linux. I've provided links to the project webpages for more information. Installation of the software should be done via your distros repository such as Ubuntu (sudo apt install Kdenlive) or Arch (pacman -S kdenlive). Some of the software is available as a SNAP or Flatpak so check for universal package options if it is not in your distro repository or software store.
One command to install most of the non-proprietary software listed below in Arch distro:
$ sudo pacman -S kdenlive peek gimp inkscape tilix fish calibre flameshot krita smplayer strawberry guvcview darktable shotwell remmina thunderbird obs-studio telegram-desktop feedreader deja-dup simple-scan
| Name | Category | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kdenlive | Video | Open source non-linear video editor with powerful video creation and export abilities |
| Lightworks | Video | *Not Open Source* Professional video editing tool |
| FFMPEG | Video | Convert video or audio files flv to mp4 |
| Sublime Text | IDE | Coding and text editor |
| OBS Studio | Recording | Desktop recording and live streaming software |
| GIMP | Image Editor | Image editing tool for Linux |
| Inkscape | Image Editor | Vector graphics and drawing tool |
| Tilix | Terminal | Tiling terminal editor |
| Fish | Shell | Smart command line shell (Set Fish as your default shell instead of Bash: chsh -s /usr/bin/fish) |
| Brave | Browser | Web browser with adblocker built in |
| Firefox | Browser | Web browser with container tabs |
| Telegram | Social | Messaging and social site with strong privacy and encryption (only partially open source) |
| Whalebird | Social | Mastodon desktop tool for social media |
| Zoom | Video Conferencing | *Not Open Source* Best reliable video conferencing software |
| Steam | Gaming | Valve based Steam store and game management tool |
| Itch.io | Gaming | Gaming platform and game management tool |
| Lutris | Gaming | Gaming platform and game management tool |
| Calibre | E-books | Ebook management and conversion tool |
| Flameshot | Screenshot | Powerful and simple screenshot tool with additional editing captabilities |
| Krita | Drawing | Digital painting and drawing tool |
| PIA VPN | VPN | Private Internet Access VPN tool and GUI for internet privacy |
| Bitwarden | Password Manager | The best password manager on the planet. Cross-platform and open source. |
| Bitwarden | Password Manager | The best password manager on the planet. Cross-platform and open source. |
| SimpleNote | Notes | Simple note taking tool that saves to the cloud. |
| SimpleScan | Simple utility to interface and create scanned documents including PDF files. | |
| SMPlayer | Video Player | Video player and playback tool with built-in codecs |
| Strawberry | Video Player | Music player and organizer with beautiful interface |
| Cava | Music Visualizer | Music visualizer through the terminal for fun. |
| Guvcniew | Webcam | Webcam settings editor that works with many webcams for changing default settings. |
| Darktable | Photography | Photography workflow and management tool (RAW support) and video/image downloader works with diverse set of devices including iOS, Android, Nikon, Sony, etc. |
| Darktable | Photography | Photography workflow and management tool (RAW support) and video/image downloader works with diverse set of devices including iOS, Android, Nikon, Sony, etc. |
| Shotwell | Photography | Photo manager and downloader. |
| Screenly | Digital Signage | Photo manager and downloader. |
| Nextcloud | Cloud Server | Nextcloud is a powerful self hosted cloud server application for communication, storage of media, notes, contacts, etc. Available as a SNAP. |
| Mega.nz | Cloud Server | Mega.nz is a privacy and security focused version of Dropbox. |
| Pamac (Arch Only) | Package Manager | For Arch distros ONLY. Great GUI for software management and installation. |
| Kodi | Media Server | Kodi is a free media player that is designed to look great on your big screen TV but is just as home on a small screen. |
| Remmina | Remote Desktop | Remmina is a remote desktop client written in GTK+, aiming to be useful for system administrators and travellers, who need to work with lots of remote computers in front of either large monitors or tiny netbooks. |
| Ukuu | Kernel Tool | Unfortunately some major distros run behind for up to 6+ months on kernel versions. Use ukuu (with caution) to upgrade the kernel for hardware support. |
| Thunderbird | Free desktop email management tool | |
| ProtonMail | Secure and private email service with free and paid options | |
| FeedReader | RSS | Desktop RSS feed reader and management tool |
| DejaDup | Backup | Easy to utilize backup utility for saving and backing up important files |
| Bleachbit | Maintenance | Clean your system and free disk space *use with caution* |
| Multiboot USB | ISO Burner | Burns Live ISO images onto USB drives. Multiboot allows for multiple Live ISO images to be burned onto the same USB drive |
| Clonezilla | Backup | Powerful disk imaging and cloning tool |
This is a list of my favorite software applications for Linux. I hope this list helps you discover some new and amazing software that runs on Linux. I've provided links to the project webpages for more information. Installation of the software should be done via your distros repository such as Ubuntu (sudo apt install Kdenlive) or Arch (pacman -S kdenlive). Some of the software is available as a SNAP or Flatpak so check for universal package options if it is not in your distro repository or software store.
One command to install most of the non-proprietary software listed below in Arch distro:
$ sudo pacman -S kdenlive peek gimp inkscape tilix fish calibre flameshot krita smplayer strawberry guvcview darktable shotwell remmina thunderbird obs-studio telegram-desktop feedreader deja-dup simple-scan
| Name | Category | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kdenlive | Video | Open source non-linear video editor with powerful video creation and export abilities |
| Lightworks | Video | *Not Open Source* Professional video editing tool |
| FFMPEG | Video | Convert video or audio files flv to mp4 |
| Sublime Text | IDE | Coding and text editor |
| OBS Studio | Recording | Desktop recording and live streaming software |
| GIMP | Image Editor | Image editing tool for Linux |
| Inkscape | Image Editor | Vector graphics and drawing tool |
| Tilix | Terminal | Tiling terminal editor |
| Fish | Shell | Smart command line shell (Set Fish as your default shell instead of Bash: chsh -s /usr/bin/fish) |
| Brave | Browser | Web browser with adblocker built in |
| Firefox | Browser | Web browser with container tabs |
| Telegram | Social | Messaging and social site with strong privacy and encryption (only partially open source) |
| Whalebird | Social | Mastodon desktop tool for social media |
| Zoom | Video Conferencing | *Not Open Source* Best reliable video conferencing software |
| Steam | Gaming | Valve based Steam store and game management tool |
| Itch.io | Gaming | Gaming platform and game management tool |
| Lutris | Gaming | Gaming platform and game management tool |
| Calibre | E-books | Ebook management and conversion tool |
| Flameshot | Screenshot | Powerful and simple screenshot tool with additional editing captabilities |
| Krita | Drawing | Digital painting and drawing tool |
| PIA VPN | VPN | Private Internet Access VPN tool and GUI for internet privacy |
| Bitwarden | Password Manager | The best password manager on the planet. Cross-platform and open source. |
| Bitwarden | Password Manager | The best password manager on the planet. Cross-platform and open source. |
| SimpleNote | Notes | Simple note taking tool that saves to the cloud. |
| SimpleScan | Simple utility to interface and create scanned documents including PDF files. | |
| SMPlayer | Video Player | Video player and playback tool with built-in codecs |
| Strawberry | Video Player | Music player and organizer with beautiful interface |
| Cava | Music Visualizer | Music visualizer through the terminal for fun. |
| Guvcniew | Webcam | Webcam settings editor that works with many webcams for changing default settings. |
| Darktable | Photography | Photography workflow and management tool (RAW support) and video/image downloader works with diverse set of devices including iOS, Android, Nikon, Sony, etc. |
| Darktable | Photography | Photography workflow and management tool (RAW support) and video/image downloader works with diverse set of devices including iOS, Android, Nikon, Sony, etc. |
| Shotwell | Photography | Photo manager and downloader. |
| Screenly | Digital Signage | Photo manager and downloader. |
| Nextcloud | Cloud Server | Nextcloud is a powerful self hosted cloud server application for communication, storage of media, notes, contacts, etc. Available as a SNAP. |
| Mega.nz | Cloud Server | Mega.nz is a privacy and security focused version of Dropbox. |
| Pamac (Arch Only) | Package Manager | For Arch distros ONLY. Great GUI for software management and installation. |
| Kodi | Media Server | Kodi is a free media player that is designed to look great on your big screen TV but is just as home on a small screen. |
| Remmina | Remote Desktop | Remmina is a remote desktop client written in GTK+, aiming to be useful for system administrators and travellers, who need to work with lots of remote computers in front of either large monitors or tiny netbooks. |
| Ukuu | Kernel Tool | Unfortunately some major distros run behind for up to 6+ months on kernel versions. Use ukuu (with caution) to upgrade the kernel for hardware support. |
| Thunderbird | Free desktop email management tool | |
| ProtonMail | Secure and private email service with free and paid options | |
| FeedReader | RSS | Desktop RSS feed reader and management tool |
| Deja Dub | Backup | Easy to utilize backup utility for saving and backing up important files |
| Bleachbit | Maintenance | Clean your system and free disk space *use with caution* |
| Multiboot USB | ISO Burner | Burns Live ISO images onto USB drives. Multiboot allows for multiple Live ISO images to be burned onto the same USB drive |
| Clonezilla | Backup | Powerful disk imaging and cloning tool |
