Code Editors
VS Code ★ REC
Free, open-source, and the most popular editor in the world. Enormous extension library. Built-in Git, terminal, and debugger. Works on Windows, Mac, Linux.
Neovim
Keyboard-driven, terminal-based editor. Steep learning curve, but blazing fast once you know it. The editor of choice for many senior devs and Linux enthusiasts.
Sublime Text
Lightweight, lightning-fast, and polished. Free to evaluate indefinitely (occasional purchase prompt). Great for quick edits and large files.
Notepad++
Free, open-source Windows text editor with syntax highlighting for 80+ languages. The go-to for quick file edits on Windows.
Version Control
Git ★ REC
The industry-standard version control system. Free, open-source, and non-negotiable for any serious developer. Install it first on any new machine.
GitHub ★ REC
Free public and private repos, Actions for CI/CD, Pages for hosting, and Copilot for AI coding assistance. The central hub of modern software development.
GitLab
GitHub alternative with more built-in DevOps features. Free tier includes private repos, CI/CD pipelines, and a container registry.
GitHub Desktop
A clean GUI for Git and GitHub. Great for beginners who aren't yet comfortable with command-line Git. Free, official app from GitHub.
Terminal & Shell
Windows Terminal
Microsoft's modern terminal. Supports multiple shells (PowerShell, CMD, WSL), tabs, profiles, and custom themes. Free from the Microsoft Store.
WSL 2 ★ REC
Windows Subsystem for Linux — run a full Linux environment inside Windows. Install Ubuntu with one command. Essential for Windows developers.
iTerm2
The best terminal emulator for macOS. Split panes, search, profiles, rich configuration. Free and open source.
Zsh + Oh My Zsh
Zsh replaces Bash with better autocomplete and scripting. Oh My Zsh adds themes and plugins. Makes the terminal dramatically more pleasant to use.
Package Managers
npm / npx
The JavaScript package manager. Comes with Node.js. Use npm install to add any of the 2M+ packages on npm. npx runs packages without installing them.
pip
Python's package manager. pip install requests adds any of 500k+ Python packages from PyPI in seconds.
apt / dnf / pacman
System package managers for Linux. apt on Ubuntu/Mint, dnf on Fedora, pacman on Arch. Install system software and dev dependencies.
Homebrew
The missing package manager for macOS (and Linux). brew install git node python — installs almost anything. Free, open source.
Chocolatey
Homebrew-style package manager for Windows. choco install vscode git nodejs — automate your entire dev machine setup.
Databases (Free)
SQLite ★ REC
A self-contained, serverless SQL database stored in a single file. Perfect for local dev, small apps, and learning SQL. No setup required.
PostgreSQL
The most powerful open-source relational database. Industry favourite for serious applications. Free, runs locally or in the cloud.
MySQL
The world's most-deployed open-source database. Powers WordPress, most shared hosting, and countless web apps. Free community edition.
MongoDB Atlas
Document-based NoSQL database. Free Atlas tier gives 512MB hosted in the cloud. Great for JSON-heavy apps and flexible schemas.
DB Browser for SQLite
Free GUI for browsing, editing, and querying SQLite databases. No terminal required. Perfect companion for SQLite development.
API Testing
Insomnia ★ REC
Clean, powerful REST and GraphQL API client. Free desktop app. Easier to use than Postman, without the bloat.
Hoppscotch
100% browser-based, open-source API testing. No install needed. Supports REST, GraphQL, WebSockets, and more. Surprisingly full-featured.
curl
Command-line HTTP client. Built into Linux/macOS. curl https://api.example.com/data — no GUI, no install, just works everywhere.
Design & Graphics
Figma ★ REC
Browser-based UI/UX design tool. Free tier supports 3 projects. The industry standard for prototyping web and app interfaces.
GIMP
Free, open-source image editor. The Photoshop alternative for desktop. Handles photo editing, compositing, and basic graphic design.
Inkscape
Free, open-source vector graphics editor. The Illustrator alternative. Create SVGs, logos, and illustrations. Essential for scalable graphics.
Canva
Browser-based design tool with a huge template library. Free tier is generous. Great for social media graphics, presentations, and quick mockups.
AI Coding Assistants
GitHub Copilot ★ REC
Free tier for individuals (2k completions/month + chat). Integrates directly into VS Code. Context-aware code suggestions that learn your codebase.
Cursor
VS Code fork with deeply integrated AI. Free tier includes 50 "premium" requests + unlimited basic requests. Excellent for AI-assisted refactoring.
Codeium
Completely free AI code completion and chat. Supports 70+ languages and most major editors. No usage limits on the free tier.
ChatGPT
Free tier is genuinely useful for explaining errors, reviewing code, and generating boilerplate. Don't blindly trust its output — always verify.
Deployment & Hosting (Free)
GitHub Pages ★ REC
Free static site hosting from any GitHub repo. Perfect for portfolios, project pages, and documentation. Custom domain support included.
Netlify
Free tier includes 100GB bandwidth/month, custom domains, HTTPS, and serverless functions. Drag-and-drop deploy or connect a Git repo.
Vercel
Free hobby tier for personal projects. Excellent for Next.js but works with any framework. Instant global deploys and preview URLs for every branch.
Cloudflare Pages
Unlimited requests and bandwidth on the free tier. Fast global CDN. Great for high-traffic static sites.
Railway
Free tier for small backends with databases. Supports Node, Python, Go, and more. Simpler than Heroku alternatives for hobby projects.
Fly.io
Free tier includes 3 small VMs and persistent storage. Runs containerized apps globally. Great for Node.js, Python, and Go backends.
Productivity
Obsidian ★ REC
Free local-first notes app using Markdown. Link notes like a wiki. Your entire knowledge base stored as plain text files you own forever.
Todoist
Clean, cross-platform task manager. Free tier handles personal use comfortably. Natural language input: "buy milk every Monday" just works.
Toggl Track
Free time tracking for freelancers and devs. One-click timer, project tagging, and reports. Free tier is genuinely sufficient for most use cases.
Rectangle
Free macOS window manager. Keyboard shortcuts to snap windows to halves, thirds, and corners. Essential quality-of-life tool for Mac users.
Download our step-by-step "new machine setup" checklist covering all the tools on this page — Windows and Mac versions available.