Key findings

• Searching GitHub can be difficult, but there are websites that will help you find free, open source software.
• To avoid malware, protect yourself with an antivirus program before downloading apps from the Internet.
• Look for links to packaged code in the README and Releases sections of GitHub repositories.

GitHub is an online platform where developers can collaborate on code and publish their software. Much of it is 100% free and some of it is absolutely top-notch. But because it’s made for developers, it’s not the most user-friendly. Here’s how to find your way around.

How to find (reputable!) free software

Searching for “free” apps online can be dangerous. Malware developers are eager for you to click on a search result that leads to their malicious site (and they are quite adept at making it look attractive) and then trick you into downloading a virus or Trojan.

So before you go out and download things from the internet, make sure you are protected with a reputable antivirus solution (ideally with a web browser integration that flags suspicious downloads). before until they reach your device).

Now you can start searching.

On GitHub, you can find free, open-source productivity software (word processing, drawing, video editing, and design), games, and even entire operating systems. However, it can be difficult to wade through the large number of projects (stored in “repositories”), especially since many of them are developer tools that don’t make much sense for regular users.

For this reason, it’s much easier to use websites that compile lists of free software than to browse GitHub directly. If you’re using Windows, Ninite provides an installer for a collection of high-quality free apps that cover many common PC tasks (so your search for free stuff may end there if you’re looking for something specific).

If you know the category of the app you want or the name of a paid product, you can also type it into AlternativeTo to get a list of similar software and filter them by the free options. Each app on AlternativeTo is rated and reviewed, so you can stick to those that have a good reputation among other users. Although sites like AlternativeTo make it easy to find free software with a user-friendly interface, you will inevitably come across a free app hosted on GitHub and have to navigate through its confusing interface.

How to download ready-to-use apps on GitHub

If you’ve landed on the GitHub page of a free app or game, the next step is to determine if a pre-built version is available. Software is published on GitHub as source code and cannot be run directly on your computer without taking a series of technical steps to build it. Regular users don’t have the tools to do this. However, some developers provide packaged code, either on GitHub or on their own websites. You just have to find it!

To start your search for the legendary download link, scroll down the GitHub project page and look for the README (behind the list of files and developer jargon). This is where the developer provides all the information users need to get started. Often there is an obvious download link included here, so look for the terms “download”, “prepackaged”, “pre-built” and “binaries” (the terms developers commonly use to refer to ready-to-use apps).

Otherwise, look for a link to the project or developers’ website in the README file and go there, as they may host the binaries for their app themselves.

Finally, you can look for pre-built binaries in the “Releases” section of the GitHub page. You can find them in the sidebar on the right: Click on the bold Publications and then download a binary for your platform from there, if one is provided.

Free things should not be tied to conditions

The saying “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is” doesn’t apply to free software, as it’s often as good as it looks. You just need to be careful about what software you trust to install on your devices.

While most free and open source software is created by honest, dedicated developers who just want to make the world a better place with free stuff, there are people who take advantage of that to push malware onto unsuspecting users. If you’re in any doubt about whether to download something, stop, think, and maybe consult a tech-savvy friend or family member before you proceed.

If you’re looking for great software, be sure to check out our powerful alternative to native Windows apps and our list of the best free Windows apps to get you started.