Bloatfree alternatives to bloated programs | Free yourself from bloat!

[Schadenfroh]

Created to help those seeking a minimalistic approach to their software. All programs are free to home users (see license for other groups that apply). Memory footprint listed is from the application open, but idle. I chose these programs based on the following criteria: Simple UI, small install, small memory footprint. I mentioned alternatives in the list as well, I gave the most information on the ones that I consider to be the smallest and simplest. Enjoy and feel free to contribute, anything you contribute that is added to the OP will be credited to you.

Wikipedia article on the matter

• Found by iskim86

Vista users: Be sure to checkout the Windows Vista Tweaks & Performance FAQ Thread

Adobe Acrobat Reader

• FoxIt Reader
  • Starts up instantly
  • Works with all of the adobe acrobat files that I have come across
• Sumatra PDF
  • Very fast and small PDF viewer
  • Open Source
  • Recommended by BlueWeasel
• PDFCreator
  • Open Source
  • Create your own PDFs!

AOL / YAHOO / MSN / ICQ Messengers

• Miranda
  • more than 350 free plugins available for download that allows users to extend the functionality of Miranda IM.
  • Miranda IM uses very little memory and is extremely fast. It requires no installation and can be fitted on a single floppy disc.
  • Uses the least RAM of any IM
  • OpenSource
  • Protocol support:
    • AIM (AOL Instant Messenger)
    • Gadu-Gadu
    • IAX (Inter-Asterisk Exchange)
    • ICQ
    • IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
    • Jabber
    • MSN
    • Netsend
    • Tlen
    • Yahoo
    • More available via plugins
• Many prefer GAIM (pidgin), but Miranda is even more simplistic

Bit torrent client

• uTorrent
  • Recommended by fierydemise & Noema

iTunes / iPod / Ripping / Converting

• vPod
  • Tiny program that synchronizes media on PC with iPod (works with stock firmware)
• RockBox iPod Firmware
  • Supports many new formats, your iPod can now play FLAC
  • Allows you to load music via Windows Explorer, so no need to have preinstalled software on the computer to load music onto your iPod
  • I suggest using RockBox Utility to load it
  • Open Source
• CDex with LAME
  • Able to batch convert nested music files into many other formats
  • Open Source
  • Many prefer EAC to CDex, really more of a personal preference but CDex is more simplistic

FireFox (Occasionally known to hog memory)

• Reducing memory usage in FireFox

Media Players

• QuickTime Alternative
  • Allows your web browsers and your favorite media players to play .mov files.
• Real Alternative
  • Allows your web browser and your favorite media players to play realplayer's format.
• Media Player Classic
  • A quick and compact application with a clean UI that can play your media (including DVDs)
  • Open Source
• VLC Player
  • Recommended by xgsound
  • Open Source
  • Plays many popular video and audio formats
• FOOBAR
  • Recommended by jazzboy and potato28
• FFDshow
  • Suggested by Pandamonium
  • Allows you to play several varying formats through the media player of your choice
• Up for more suggestions, I am not up-to-speed on how much system resources the latest version of foobar and Winamp use.

Batch image resizing / conversion and editing

• irfanview
  • irfanview features
  • Supported formats
• paint.NET
  • Freeware photoshop alternative
  • Suggested by nordloewelabs

Nero burning / Audio editing

• DeepBurner Free Edition
  • Provides basic CD / DVD copying as well as "drag and drop" from within the program.
  • Easy ISO burning
• Some people prefer CDBurnerXP, over DeepBurner Free Edition, but it is a larger program due to added features (recommended by Czar)
• imgburn
  • Make and burn CDimages with this ultra slim program (recommended by Brazen )
• Audacity
  • Quick and easy way to edit audio
  • Open Source
• DVD Shrink
  • Small program for ripping DVD's to folder or ISO
  • Burn ISOs using your favorite ISO burning program (deepburner or imgBurn)

svchost.exe's cpu and memory usage off the charts

• High CPU usage by SVChost might be caused by a problem noted in the following link. You can find what svchost is actually doing by using tools from sysinternals.
• Please see Microsoft KB932494 for solutions to this issue
• Solution found by Stash

New(er) versions of your favorite programs a little bloated?

• Check out OldVersion.com for downloads of your favorite version of that application (note these may contain security vulnerabilities).
  

 

[Noema]

Very nice thread :thumbsup:

Down with Bloatware!! :thumbsdown:

I'd like to recommend MicroTorrent, which is an incredibly small file, yet a very powerful bittorrent client.

 

[BUTCH1]

Adobe is the worst, 1 gig of ram?? ha, I spit in your face!

 

[fierydemise]

I'd add utorrent to the list

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: fierydemise
I'd add utorrent to the list

Done, thank you and Noema, looks to be even smaller than bitcomet. Also added a link to help correct the memory usage issue in FireFox, if anyone knows of a more detailed guide, I would be happy to add it to the OP. Keep the suggestions coming.

 

[schneiderguy]

Opera could also be used as a lower memory alternative to FF

 

[gneGne]

Vote for sticky!!!

Oh and add CCCP codec pack with those alternative players.

 

[potato28]

Quoted from another thread:

Originally posted by: potato28

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Quintessential Player uses 13mb of RAM (while playing StairWay to Heaven (8 minute song)) with its music library (playlist) fully loaded with my 2500ish songs.

I would love to hear about the RAM usage of FOOBAR and WinAmp (latest versions of both) over in the Freeware bloatfree alternatives to bloated programs thread.

FLAC's use 35 mb of RAM, and MP3's use 29 mb of RAM. Album art, columns UI, pretty popup and browser plug-ins all in use.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Sticky, now.

 

[JSt0rm]

I use a older version of flashfxp for ftp duties. It doesnt install on the os and is very clean and tidy.

 

[Thetech]

I Senator Noob, vote yea on proposition 1726-Making this thread a sticky.

 

[GundamSonicZeroX]

Why no Winamp?

 

[xgsound]

Under media players how about VLC from http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ ? It uses 8 MB loaded. It needs few codecs, doesn't interfere with other players, and plays most everything audio and video except real ... and who needs real?


Jim

 

[BlueWeasel]

Sumatra PDF Viewer
Just a viewer only, but only uses ~5MB while idle and reading PDFs is very smooth, even with very large ones.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: xgsound
Under media players how about VLC from http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ ?

I cant believe that I forgot about VLC, good program.

Originally posted by: BlueWeasel
Sumatra PDF Viewer
Just a viewer only, but only uses ~5MB while idle and reading PDFs is very smooth, even with very large ones.

Nice Find! Added to OP

Originally posted by: schneiderguy
Opera could also be used as a lower memory alternative to FF

That my friend would be asking for it.....

Originally posted by: GundamSonicZeroX
Why no Winamp?

When I last used WinAmp (years ago) it was not something that I would consider a minimally bloated application. I have yet to use WinAmp 5. I notice that WinAmp 5 has a lite verion, lite use little system resources?

 

[Czar]

http://www.cdburnerxp.se/
add this to the burner

 

[Schadenfroh]

OP updated, added a fix for svchost.exe cpu usage spikes under certain circumstances and cdburnerxp pro.

 

[jazzboy]

Hi there.

Another unbloated media player which I like is Foobar. Also, Opera seems rather less bloated than Firefox, although in my experience that can be occasionally at the expense of website compatibility.

 

[bigsnyder]

good post

 

[potato28]

Update:Foobar only uses 4 megs when minimized playing an mp3 @ 320kps CBR. Thats with all of the plug-ins, and shuffle.

 

[imported_Rogie]

Originally posted by: jazzboy
Also, Opera seems rather less bloated than Firefox, although in my experience that can be occasionally at the expense of website compatibility.

I used to browse some sites that were rendered incorrectly in Opera.
Opera 9.2 and higher rendered them perfectly.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Not to rain on your parade but anyone with RAM issues in this day and age needs to upgrade. Plus alot of the apps you claim are bloated may be used by people who have used them for a long time and are used to the interface and how everything just works for them.

 

[LS20]

PDFCreator to print not only to PDF, but other formats as well (jpg, png, etc)

FoxItReader is a good pdf reader

uTorrent ^^ is the best, imo. better than azureus

 

[MrChad]

ImgBurn is my favorite free CD/DVD burning program.

 

[Argo]

Watch out for FoxIt Reader - while it's fast, I had an issue with a PDF where the whole section was missing in FoxIt Reader, while it was present in Acrobat.