Windows has been running applications before the word “app” meant anything to anyone. The list of applications that can run on Windows can be matched by no other platform. Microsoft risked their application supremacy on Windows 8 with the introduction of the Windows Store. Now Microsoft finds themselves severely lacking in the app race.
The good news is that almost all Windows 8 devices can still download the regular old desktop apps. You don’t have to use Windows Store apps unless you really want to. Windows RT users don’t have that luxury, which is a big reason why there aren’t many Windows RT users.
For those of you that do want to use Windows Store apps we have compiled a list of the top desktop Windows apps and their Windows Store alternatives. Finding a list of the top Windows applications was not easy. The list below is according to alternativeto and softpedia.
Dropbox
Notepad++
µTorrent
Skype
Evernote
TeamViewer
Pidgin
Office
Included in every version of Windows 8 and RT.
Windows Live Messenger
As you can see by the small list, there aren’t a lot of Windows Store apps for top desktop apps. If you want to do things like use Photoshop (or even GIMP), Sony Vegas Movie Studio, Filezilla, or use a different browser you are plain out of luck. The Windows Store has a long way to go.
