Cool Dude Explains - 10 Expensive Apps You Should Delete Right Now

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Replace paid software with free alternatives, since the video argues most expensive subscription apps have free, open-source, or built-in equivalents that do the same job. It lists 10 items to stop paying for, starting with Windows Security as a replacement for paid antivirus. Each pick is a free substitute for a commercial product that costs roughly $30 to $2,295 a year.

Key Points

• The promised list of 10 apps to delete or replace, with each paid app and its free alternative:
  1. Norton antivirus → Windows Security (built-in, formerly Windows Defender)
  2. Snagit (about $50) → ShareX (screen recording and screenshots)
  3. Wondershare video converter (about $50 a year) → HandBrake (video conversion)
  4. Adobe Illustrator ($22.99 a month) → Inkscape (vector graphics)
  5. Adobe Lightroom ($11.99 a month) → Darktable (photo editing and organizing)
  6. Adobe Photoshop ($19.99 a month) → Paint.NET (Windows image editor)
  7. Adobe Premiere Pro ($22.99 a month) → Shotcut (video editing)
  8. Autodesk Maya (about $2,100 a year) → SketchUp Free (browser-based 3D modeling)
  9. AutoCAD ($2,295 a year) → FreeCAD (2D and 3D design)
  10. Microsoft 365 ($99.99 a year) → WPS Office (office suite)
• The video's core argument is that paid tools mostly charge for things free software already does.

Details Worth Noting

• Concrete instructions: Download each free replacement (Windows Security is already on Windows; the others are downloaded from their developers). For antivirus, optionally add Bitdefender Antivirus Free for real-time protection, and run a weekly scan with Malwarebytes Free, which has no real-time protection and so will not conflict with your main antivirus.
• ShareX is Windows-only, so Mac users will need another screen capture tool.
• HandBrake's interface is dated, but the video says it handles H.264, H.265, AV1, and DVD/Blu-ray ripping, and can queue jobs overnight.
• Darktable edits non-destructively, storing changes as a recipe so original photos are never altered.
• WPS Office's free version contains ads, and some features are locked behind a premium tier.
• Several alternatives are harder to learn (Inkscape, FreeCAD, Darktable); the video notes SketchUp Free and Shotcut are simpler.

Bottom Line

The video frames paying for these subscriptions as unnecessary, since each listed free tool covers the core needs, though trade-offs in polish, learning curve, platform support, and ads remain.