Home > English, maths and digital skills > Digital Skills > Hardware and Software > Recommended programs and apps
This page provides a list of various programs and mobile apps you can use depending on what you want to achieve...
Instant messaging applications are similar to mobile texting, except that they offer more features when sending documents or adding emoticons into messages. Unlike SMS texting, they do not use up your mobile credit as long as you are connected to the internet. You can also download apps on your PC so that you can use a PC and mobile interchangeably to send and receive messages.
One of the most popular end-to-end encrypted instant messaging services
Telegram
A competitor to Whatsapp, has all of the same features but is not owned by Facebook, so does not use your data for marketing
Signal
An alternative to Telegram and Whatsapp, Signal prides itself on security. But it's not widely use
Instant Messenger+
IM+ can integrate with major IM services, including Facebook, Google Talk, AOL/AIM/iChat
Office 365
The most widely used suite by Microsoft offering Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Your employer may already be using Office 365. and your College account provides access to Office 365. It offers both cloud-based and desktop based editors.
Google suite
A free alternative to Office 365, you can store up to 15GB worth of documents free in Google Drive, though it doesn't have as many features as Office 365. It is cloud based so all your documents are stored online. Your College account provides access to the Google suite. It is entirely cloud-based.
Libre Office
LibreOffice is a free alternative to Office 365 and works on Windows, Mac and Linux. It is quite feature rich but the interface is somewhat dated, resembling outdated versions of Microsoft Office. Libre Office is not cloud based, it must be installed and used on your local computer.
OpenOffice
Another free, cross-platform alternative to Office 365 which is quickly becoming more popular. It is not as feature rich as Libre Office but has a modernised interface that resembles Office 365. It offers both cloud-based and desktop-based editors.
