Much like the usual run-of-the-mill operating systems such as Windows and macOS, Linux also makes use of applications to further enhance user productivity. While some apps require a license or incorporate paid features, a majority of these apps are entirely free – with no artificial restrictions of the sort.
You can find a list of such recommended Linux applications detailed below, which are supported on almost every major distribution of choice, from Arch to NixOS.
Top 10 Linux apps
1) Firefox
An internet browser is your gateway to the online world, and Firefox still remains an ideal choice for the power user. Unlike most other browsers, Firefox is not based on Google’s Chromium and comes with a host of additional features – especially when taking into consideration its competitor, Google Chrome.
For those who prefer more compatibility, a Chromium based browser such as Brave (or even ungoogled Chromium) might remain better alternatives.
2) Libreoffice
Libreoffice is a free, open-source drop-in replacement for Microsoft Office, and is surprisingly well built for most users. It features a familiar UI and just about enough compatibility with MS Office products to make it worth checking out, given that modern Office refuses to work well under Linux.
It’s not perfect though, but it sure is better than having nothing.
3) Sublime Text
Text editors are crucial to the Linux experience, with options such as Vim and more being preferred amongst the power users. Sublime Text is GUI-based text editor, much akin to Wordpad on Windows (or TextEdit on macOS).
Wrapping your head around the interface can be quite confusing at the start though, but Sublime Text is a very good text editor for all use cases.
Those on the KDE desktop environment might want to check out Kate instead.
4) bpytop
Monitoring system performance and active processes is always useful. While Windows has its own Task Manager for this particular purpose, Linux does not exactly come with a universal alternative built in.
Bpytop is a great alternative to htop and comes bundled with a CLI-styled GUI that details a ton of information on your display. It even comes bundled with themes!
5) mpv
Mpv is a dead simple media file player. It uses a very rudimentary but aesthetically pleasing user interface that minimizes bloat while providing adequate functionality in the process.
Mpv can also handle streaming, and has support for an extensive list of file formats.
A much easier to use alternative might be VLC.
6) Lutris
Gaming on Linux has progressed leaps and bounds in recent years, largely thanks to developments from Valve’s Proton translation layer. Lutris is an all-in-one game manager, which can run both Linux and Windows based games with relative ease.
Lutris leverages wine and is quite configurable too.
7) Gimp
Gimp is a free, open source photo editor. While admittedly not as user friendly compared to something like Photoshop (or similar paid tools), it still is quite powerful and probably one of the best choices for Linux.
8) Qemu
Qemu is a virtual machine platform, used to emulate other systems (including Windows and macOS) with hardware acceleration. It’s a much superior alternative to Virtualbox, albeit comparatively a lot more complicated to set up and use.
Qemu is extremely powerful, and can be used to set up things such as VFIO and GPU passthrough.
9) Gparted
Managing disks and partitions can be confusing, especially when trying to attempt it from the terminal. Gparted comes into play here, offering a nice, clean graphical user interface that makes it easier to manage your disks.
Just make sure to install the necessary plugins and dependencies first.
10) Any GPU-accelerated terminal emulator
Terminals are your gateway to the world of Linux, and are absolutely essential to navigating and understanding your system precisely. You will have to get comfortable using the terminal sooner or later – so make sure to invest your time in a powerful terminal emulator.
Terminal emulators bundled within DEs such as Gnome and KDE are quite sufficient and configurable, but those using a titling window manager (such as Hyprland or i3) might find alternatives such as Kitty and Alacritty a better fit.
