Free software is useful however, they can also be unreliable. The best freeware poses little risk to your computer when it comes from a reputable source and you seek it out. But there are a lot of malware out there. It could be spyware (gathering information without your knowledge) or advertisements (bombarding your computer with pop-ups) or even viruses (corrupting data on your PC).
One of the main ways to avoid getting hit by these harmful programs is to stay away from sites that host pirated software or other copyrighted files. You should also keep your anti-virus and antimalware programs up to date.
FileHippo is a hand-picked list of the most recent versions of the most popular games and apps, along with installation guides and opinion pieces. The site has a huge back catalog of old app versions.
PortableAppz A collection of apps that you can run from an online cloud drive or your desktop. The http://www.isohuntpro.org/ website offers everything from games to photo editing and office software.
Cleanup: A good freeware application that helps you clean Windows and browser history, which includes third party programs. It can help you empty the recycle bin, erase search history, clean URLs and delete system log files.
Open-source software: You can find some of the most reliable open-source applications on community-driven websites such as Github and SourceForge. Linux and LibreOffice are two of the most popular examples. This type of software might not be free, but it is usually less expensive than proprietary programs. It also allows you to modify or improve the code.