Web Apps
Web applications have come a long way. They used to be amateur imitations of their desktop counterparts, with only one or two functions and not at all practical. But my, have these web apps grown. Web apps these days have become so powerful and useful that in some cases, they’ve begun to replace desktop software.
Desktop programs are great and all, but they don’t provide the same benefits as web apps that make use of cloud computing. With most web apps, you only need a browser and an internet connection to access all your data online. That beats having to install annoying programs any day. To give you a better sense of how useful web apps have become, I’ve compiled a list of web tools and apps that can very well replace some desktop programs. I hope you take the time to try them all out. You’ll be surprised how well they work.
Without further ado, here are some great web alternatives to the popular desktop programs we all love.
Sliderocket
Replaces: Microsoft PowerPoint
SlideRocket
Sliderocket is a fully functional presentation web app that allows you to create, manage, edit, and share presentations on the fly. It offers many of the same features present in PowerPoint and then some. Sliderocket is an awesome tool and if you want to read more about it, take a look at our in-depth review of Sliderocket.
Acrobat.com
Replaces: Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat
Acrobat
Acrobat.com is a suite of web applications by Adobe that replaces your office suite. The online suite includes services like Buzzword, Tables, and Presentation which replace Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint respectively. Acrobat.com also offers other features, allowing users to convert files into PDFs, hold online meetings, and collaborate with one another. All of its services are free (with some limitations), but users can subscribe to different plans for more features. Check out the pricing section for more details.
Aviary
Replaces: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Soundbooth
Aviary
We have already covered a list of online image editors, and of that list, my favorite would have to be Aviary. The Aviary web suite offers powerful tools that allow you to edit images, vectors, and even audio! Take a look at the huge list of the tools included in their suite:
• Phoenix: Image Editor
• Toucan: Color Editor
• Myna: Audio Editor
• Peacock: Effects Editor
• Raven: Vector Editor
• Falcon: Image Markup
• Roc: Music Creator. Check out our in-depth review of Roc.
Mint
Replaces: Quicken
Mint
If you’re still using Quicken to manage your money, it’s time to toss it out and move on to the better solution: Mint.com. Mint is a very popular personal-finance tool that allows you to keep track your credit card transactions, balance your budget, and create charts or graphs to help you visualize your spending. Mint is the free and secure way to manage your money online. In fact, Mint has been so successful that the makers of Quicken and TurboTax purchased it in 2009. What are you waiting for? Hurry up and sign up!
Kongregate
Replaces: Desktop Gaming
Kongregate
Forget about your desktop gaming – why waste space when you can play awesome games online? Kongregate is an online gaming community with a library of over 30,000 flash games. Not only do you have access to a variety of games, but you can also gain points, chat, and unlock achievements for the games you play. Developers can upload their own games and even make money off ad revenue for their games! If you’re looking for more online games to replace desktop games, take a look at our game roundups.
JayCut
Replaces: Video Editing Software
JayCut
JayCut is a very easy to use and powerful online video editor. With Jaycut, you can create videos with the same tools used in desktop programs. Add clips, transitions, audio, effects, and more with their simple UI. When you finish editing a video, you can choose to download it or export it directly to YouTube. Export up to 20 videos a month with 2GB of storage under a free plan, or pay monthly for a better plan.
WobZip
Replaces: Unzipping Software
WobZip
Have you ever tried to open a compressed file only to find out you don’t have the right unzipping software to do the job? In comes WobZip, an online tool that helps you uncompress your files. It supports a variety of compression formats, including the popular ZIP, RAR, and 7z formats. You can upload a zipped file from your computer or direct WobZip to a URL. The best part? WobZip will scan the files using BitDefender to make sure there isn’t a nasty virus lurking around.
Zamzar
Replaces: File Conversion Software
Zamzar
Instead of downloading dozens of different programs to convert a file, you can always use the Zamzar, the free online file conversion tool. Can’t open a crucial .docx or .pptx file and your boss is screaming in your ear? No problem, just upload and convert your files using Zamzar. Zamzar supports dozens of image, document, video, and music formats and is the only tool you will ever need to convert files.
Hulu
Replaces: TV Tuner Software
Hulu
I’m a cheap guy who spends all his time on the computer. How could I watch my favorite TV shows without leaving my computer? Well, I could purchase a TV tuner and install their lame software or I could head to Hulu.com and watch my favorite shows for free. Hulu is a website that offers streaming video of popular TV shows and movies in the US. It is ad supported, but allows you to watch your favorite shows from the comfort of your computer. Although Hulu is a U.S. only website, there are ways to access Hulu from outside the U.S.
Meebo
Replaces: Desktop Chat Clients
Meebo
With Meebo, you can chat with your friends from anywhere as long as you have a browser and an internet connection. Meebo is an online tool that allows you to login to any major IM network, including AIM, MSN, GTalk, and Facebook. You don’t even need to create an account, just input your IM information and you’re ready to go. If you take the 20 seconds to set up a Meebo account, you can login to multiple accounts at once. This sure beats downloading and managing three IM programs at once, doesn’t it?
TokBox
Replaces: Video Chat
TokBox
TokBox is an online video chatting app that enables you to chat with up to 20 people for free. There are no downloads required, just sign up and start a video chat! Invite your friends via social networks or IM and set up a chat in just minutes. TokBox is free to use, but if you’d like more options, you can sign up for monthly plans. TokBox may be free, but you’re going to need your own microphone and webcam.
Moof
Replaces: iTunes
Moof
You may have a huge iTunes library, but what happens when you go out and forget to bring your iPod along? Moof is the solution. Moof is another web app that streams music online, but I think of it as an iTunes alternative. You can export your entire iTunes library as an .xml file and upload that to Moof, so you can have a full backup of your music online. Where does Moof get all its music from? Youtube. Yeah, I know, it’s a little disappointing, but the quality isn’t that bad. Don’t like Moof? Check out our roundup of the top apps for music streaming.
ESET Online Virus Scanner
Replaces: Anti-Virus Software
ESET
While the ESET Online Virus scanner is a great alternative to Anti-Virus programs, you shouldn’t literally replace your Anti-Virus program. Think of this tool as a backup tool, in case your Anti-Virus software malfunctions. Made by the folks that brought you NOD32, the ESET online scanner uses the same threat signatures as NOD32 and allows you to scan your computer from your browser. It may take a while, but after the scan, suspicious files will be quarantined for you to restore or permanently delete. A great tool for your security toolbox.
Bitlet
Replaces: BitTorrent Client
BitLet
When you don’t have access to a BitTorrent client on your computer, you can use the BitLet app to download your torrents. BitLet is a Java based file sharing protocol that allows you to download torrent files from your browser. Just upload a .torrent file from your computer or direct BitLet to the torrent URL and it’ll do the rest for you.
iCloud
Replaces: Operating System
iCloud
We’ve already covered dozens of web alternatives to desktop software, but why not go a bit further and include a web app that replaces your entire operating system? Meet iCloud, the future of operating systems. iCloud is a very slick web operating system that gives you access to hundreds of built in applications, including an office suite, a media player, a chat client, nifty games, and much more. You have 3 GB of free storage and can opt to buy more if needed. You can get everything you need in this web OS. For those of you interested in Web OSes, be sure to read our article about other operating systems that utilize cloud computing.
Conclusion
As the world turns to cloud computing, we’re only going to see more and more web apps that function like their desktop counterparts. I’ve only listed a few of the web alternatives to desktop software, and I’m sure there are many more out there. As these web applications become more powerful and appeal to the masses in terms of functionality, we may soon see a decline in desktop programs as we all move towards the web and the cloud. Is this the end of desktop software? Who knows, we’ll have to wait and see.
Do you use any web apps in place of desktop programs? What do you think is going to be the future for desktop programs? Share your comments below!
Like the intro. image? Get the high resolution vector at GraphicRiver.net by author iqbalbaskara.
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Web applications have come a long way. They used to be amateur imitations of their desktop counterparts, with only one or two functions ...
Web applications have come a long way. They used to be amateur imitations of their desktop counterparts, with only one or two functions ...
Web applications have come a long way. They used to be amateur imitations of their desktop counterparts, with only one or two functions ...
Web applications have come a long way. They used to be amateur imitations of their desktop counterparts, with only one or two functions ...
Web applications have come a long way. They used to be amateur imitations of their desktop counterparts, with only one or two functions ...
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How about GTD apps?
TeuxDeux and Remember the Milk are great web apps.
I was thinking of including Remember the Milk as a GTD replacement, but couldn’t think of any good desktop programs to replace. But I agree with you, RTM is a great application for task management.
It can be replaced, Things, or any other desktop to do list.
Wow this is really interesting and nice compilation of wonderful online apps.
WOW! Thanks so much!
Also check out GrooveShark for iTunes replacement.
And lovelycharts.com for Visio replacement.
Really like zamzar for file conversion, that’s an awesome one. I’ve not heard of avarary before so I’ll be sure to check that one out.
I’d also say grooveshark is pretty good alternative to itunes.
Great list – I had not seen cloud yet.
I wonder what is the logic behind wobzip. If you have more than three files in an archive, after unpack you start download? That’s almost as dumb as osx behave with archives…
And what about jaycut? You upload 4gb mkv file to convert, edit then download ? Really? Is THAT simple? Same for audio editor…
I don’t like the trend of making web app just for making… web app.
Hey Ionut,
Thanks for the feedback. I’ve always been a little slow, so I didn’t quite understand everything you said. If you could elaborate a little more on what you meant, I’d be more than happy to get back to you. Sorry for the trouble!
Uh… I was pretty tired then. How do you extract an archive with many files in wobzip? After uploading a file you start to right click on each file then save? How will be the workflow for… let’s say unzipping wordpress.zip ? I’m just curious…
Oh, I see what you meant. I suppose WobZip isn’t ideal for extracting archives with thousands of files, as you’ll have to save each file individually. WobZip is designed so you can get a few of the files you need out of an archive, without having to download WinRAR. If you’re going to be working with archives like Wordpress.zip, WobZip isn’t the tool for you.
Sorry for the confusion there, I should have been more clear.
Wow…nice post
Ahhh…. more murky reasonings.
Since when has a cloud app had all the features of the app it supposedly replaces?
Since when have these cloud urls all become such secure connections so that we’d keep a database of our account information stored in the cloud, somewhere (and thus transmitted via insecure connections)?
What percentage of files need applications that have collaboration capabilities?
Argue any point you wish to, try to discredit my reasonings all you wish, but I’m not moving until all these points are addressed in TOTAL.
A senseless fad that seems to not want to die….. Oh well, carry on without me.
While I agree that web apps have their flaws and may not be on par with desktop apps at the moment, I don’t think they are “senseless fads”. These apps offer tons of functions that the average user would use, but if you don’t think they suit your needs, feel free to stick with your desktop tools.
I didn’t write this article to try and get people to move away from desktop apps. These apps are meant to be alternatives – to be used when desktop software isn’t readily available or when it’s unnecessary.
Use the web apps you find useful. Ignore the others.
Cheers!
Something tells me programs like iCloud won’t replace current operating systems completely. Agreed, next-gen OS’s may integrate better with the cloud, but to trust EVERYTHING to a remote computer where you have no control — or if you have no internet access, you’re screwed — seems like a big jump. And I’m sure many people won’t like it, or accept it.
I was thinking the same thing at first. The main use that I can see for a cloud OS like this is for people who don’t own a computer – I know that there are lot’s of people who still don’t own a computer and go to the library to do homework and surf the web – even online gaming. Wouldn’t it be easier for them to do that if they can just log in to their cloud OS, and have all the same settings and application data as when they logged off?
Not that useful for someone who has a laptop they can take around…but for some people, it could be really useful.
Nice list, will give some of them a try.
Thanks for sharing.
Great list…much appreciated. I agree with the earlier comment…there are alternatives that welcome investigation. And, for those that may be too young to remember, we are essentially coming full circle with the Cloud Computing. Remember the days of dumb terminals? I like to combine the use of online and and desktop offerings.
Awesome list of alternatives. I found Hulu very much useful to me. Thanks
Hi there, have you met http://put.io. Definitely replaced my torrent client and even jdownloader.
Users outside USA can’t use Mint due to zip-registration. Too bad!
they all seem to work, that’s for sure
These are awesome! Thank you so much for the list.
Do try out Mixmoov, the Online Video Editing solution from Intuitivlab – we launched recently.
Wonderful compilation. Thanks guys! bless you!
thts a pretty good list, quiet usefull indeed thanks
Wow these are great! I will have a deeper look in some of the apps for sure.
What a high level of webdesign some of them incorporate by the way…
Thank you : )
You forgot imo.im, skype alternative + other IM.
If you are interested in playing online, http://swiffoutgames.com use an hybrid approach : I use a desktop client to play online flash games.
That makes possible to play in complete full screen instead of just a thumbnail in the browser.
Ah yes, good old cloud computing, it’s wonderful until you have internet connection problems, or the cloud computing service your using goes out of business and you lose all your data.
Zamzar and jaycut – both going into my bookmarks!
Thanks a lot dude. Awesome stuff!
Jaycut is the best for me..
Great!!
Do we have much more processing power in our notebooks or desktops today than before? Yes we do. Do we finally have enough hard drive space inside our desktops or notebooks? I think we can be satisfied with what we have…. right? Well, I don’t have anything against online applications, but …. I don’t want to turn my monster PC into a “console”… and to rely on the internet speed and some server god knows where. Kinda, ironical a little bit, don’t you guys think so?
Nice list, btw.
btw you could use the meebo widget on your website … its perfect!
Nice! Thanks for the links!
In regards to ESET, you should not have 2 anti-virus software solutions in place at once. They can interact together in odd ways.
Zamzar is really good software and I used it almost daily. Still far I do not get any problem with it. Where as I used Hulu little bit and found it is comfortable as well. Thanks for providing list of software’s on single page.
Wow, this post is great! Thanks for sharing. I just added a few more ‘must check outs’ to the list…including Moof…potentially replacing Grooveshark? We’ll see. (I do love me some Grooveshark.)
In this age of collaboration, there are some great options for web conferencing that don’t require you to download a plug-in or software or anything – which is so (SO) so nice for firewalls and security.
So…how about something like web-based Fuze Meeting to replace a GoToMeeting or WebEx?
Wow so much great discovery. I bookmarked 5 websites!
I guess the most useful is going to be Wobzip, it’s always a big pain in the ass to have to download different software for each extensions!
Great share!
don’t forget dimdim or fuze as a replacement for GoTo Meeting or WebEx
I like web applications that support offline availability.
they save my life when I can’t find internet connection.
Best software
So er… what we’re saying is that the “future” is uploading our files to someone elses server then working with those files on that server then downloading what we’ve done back to our computer?
Ok. I can understand it if you don’t have the necessary software yourself (video editing etc) but it seems pretty tedious and frankly how can we be sure that the files we upload aren’t saved by the server and used by the server’s owners for their own needs. I see both time issues and privacy issues here.
I’m sorry to be a cynic but I don’t trust a lot of websites anymore. For instance, Google and Facebook all of a sudden became a security concern. A website is a business so I can understand why their loyalties would be “mixed” but there’s no way I’m trusting a website with my financial records or anything else for that matter.
Why not just better freeware/economoyware rather than all the mucking around? There are some stunning freewares out there and your files and information stay where they should be – on your private hard drives.
Amazing article! So many free apps so many free amazing apps! This is a good collection! Very helpful! I bookmarked it!
How about web apps that replace cad software? I own a small business that frequently works with mechanical and structural designs, cad sofware is expensive to buy, tedious to install, and quickly outdated. added to that, designs drawn on one program cannot always be read by another and as such you need several cad suites to cope with the standards of your clients. A single web app will simplify the situation as well as cut costs.
oh; yes you have a very good idea with the site. i’ve bookmarked it and i’ll check regularly for updates
Kongregate is great fun, I’m quite addicted to it now!
Thanks for sharing such a detailed list
I love all the information I just got for this article. I like the web based replacement for itunes, I’m going to have to check that out for sure.
I tend to agree with those who think this “cloud” frenzy is just another trendy thing, nothing to do with either productivity, security, efficiency, or the like. Although sometimes they may come handy (when you are REALLY stuck somewhere in the middle of the desert, your own computer lost/broken/etc, and you really need to work on/unzip/convert/etc that file so badly that you disregard the unsecure connections and go ahead with trusting some faceless people on the net to do it for you…
But my favorite is the WebOS craze. Let us imagine for a moment that it really works. Wow. You can really replace an entire computer with a (slow) web browser app. It looks like an OS all right, albeit a lot slower (by definition, it MUST be slower, because it is running WITHIN an application on a host OS). Now… we got an OS-app-OS chain. Cute! But what the **** is it good for? If you already have an OS (the one the app: browser is running on), what is the added value of running an OS within another OS? (Yeah, I know, it’s fun to run Windows within Linux or vice versa, but again: why?)
My crystal ball rather shoes exactly the opposite trend happening very soon, if not right now: people desperately need a customized device that gives them back the FREEDOM taken away by cloud computing, ourtageously priced data plans, expensive mobile telephony, etc. People just want to gather and disseminate information, a.k.a “communicate” with each other. Some morally handicapped but thick wallet creatures stand in between this much desired freedom and the people who wish it: blocking every attempt of people to break free.
I see the coming of a Robin Hood who will design a hardware that is 100% made of non-proprietary parts, running an OS that is 100% non-proprietary, that is capable of running applications that are similarly 100% non-proprietary, and communicate on an Internet that is free as it should be via channels that are also 100% free and non-proprietary (and not littered with ads).
I bet that would be the time when even Warren Buffett will see a viable business modell in computing and Internet…
Nice list of cloud attempts, but let me repeat: this is not the future. This is an abomination at best, soon to be blown over… at least, that’s what I feel, I think, I foresee.