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It's Thanksgiving! A day to be thankful for all the great things we've been blessed with (or just another rainy Thursday in November if you're not in the US, but stick with me here). So we here at TechRadar thought it would be the perfect opportunity to round up five free programs we're truly thankful for.

These are some of our favourite apps, the best free software we reckon is available today. They've enriched our lives, made work easier and saved us when we thought all hope was lost. So today, after you've gorged yourself on turkey and pumpkin pie, spare a minute or two to say thanks for these brilliant programs.

Got a favourite that we haven't mentioned? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Who needs Photoshop? Seriously, when you start using GIMP you won't need any other image editor. It may be free, but the guys and gals behind this superb piece of kit have spared no expenses in making it as powerful as possible. With layers, scripts, advanced manipulation tools, tons of brushes and a whole heap more, GIMP gives you more goodies than Santa on a particularly good day (hold on there, still a month to go...).

The high king of free software, GIMP proves that you don't need to spend big to get huge results. With enough firepower to put paid alternatives to shame, getting this much for free feels almost...wrong. But it's so, so right GIMP is open source and developed by volunteers dedicated to keeping it as free and as awesome as possible, and if that's not something to praise, we don't know what is.

If there's ever software to be thankful for, it's recovery software, and Recuva is one of the best in its class. It's an absolute life saver for anyone who has emptied the recycle bin, only to realise there was something important lurking in there. Similarly, it can recover damaged, corrupted or even unsaved data, providing a lifeline just when you thought your precious files were gone for all eternity.

And if that wasn't enough to prompt tears of joy, it's free! Yes, all the heartache of accidentally deleting your marriage photos banished forever, and not a penny spent to do it. No matter whether you deliberately deleted the files and then changed your mind, or if you were blighted by a catastrophic computer crash, Recuva should be your first port of call when it comes to bringing your files back from the dead.

When it comes to something as important as keeping your computer safe and secure, you want to know you're getting the best that money can buy. Except in this case, because with avast! Free Antivirus, you get all the essential protection you need without having to pay a penny. With a robust antivirus and anti-malware scan, home network checking and a useful browser cleanup tool, the free version has all you need to stay safe from online nasties.

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Five free programs to be thankful for this Thanksgiving