If you use an Apple computer, you’re probably already aware that there are of lots of great applications out there. But did you know how many of them are free to download and use? Here’s a list of some of my favorite Mac freeware apps, sure to make your computer a little easier to use, and more fun.

Adium

If you are looking for a way to combine all your instant messaging accounts into one tidy application, Adium is not only the answer, it blows all other IM apps out of the water. You can add virtually any IM account to it, and combine all your contacts from various accounts into one simple, easily manageable list. A completely customizable interface makes Adium fun to use as well, since you can change all your windows, messages, sounds, and colors to be exactly how you want.

VLC

VLC succeeds where all other video players fail: smooth, flawless playback over an extensive variety of formats. Forget about hunting down codecs for files that won’t play correctly in any other player; just open the files up in VLC and spend your time enjoying video instead of fighting with it. There’s also a large set of additional features, from external subtitle support to audio re-sync, to ensure that you have the best video experience possible.

Camino

I never miss an opportunity to tell people how much I love using Camino as a browser. It’s fast as lightning, way more customizable than other browsers, and it has a huge list of scripts and user add-ons that is growing everyday. You can make Camino look any way you want it to, which appeals to my girlie sensibilities, yet it’s fast and flexible, which appeals to the power user in me.

NeoOffice

Tired of paying for Microsoft Office when you don’t really want to support Microsoft, but still want to create and use Word and Excel files? NeoOffice is a Mac-only spin-off of the multi-platform, open-source OpenOffice project, and its list of features is impressive, including full support for all kinds of Office files, and extras like PDF export. It takes a little getting used to, but for me it’s worth it not to have to use Office anymore.

GIMP

If you want to get into photo editing but don’t want to shell out the cash for Adobe products, GIMP can be a great place to start. You can do many basic and advanced editing processes, as well as saving or transferring your files to and from a variety of formats. If there’s something GIMP doesn’t do, you can probably find an appropriate user-created script to add on to the application.

Jumpcut

Did you ever wish that your clipboard would remember what you copied from three copies ago, as well as what you copied recently? Jumpcut fills the gap where OS X hasn’t yet, in terms of having a multi-level clipboard with an intuitive interface. You can paste things from your most recent copy to the clipboard, or scroll back through past copies to select the one you would like to use. Very handy if you’re in the habit of accidentally copying over your clipboard.

All of these applications are completely free and available to download from from their respective websites.

Did I forget to list your favorite freeware Mac application? If you have any you’d like to add to this list, please feel free to do so in the comments below.