Being a fan of open-source software and code, I believe that creation shouldn’t be stifled by crippleware, expensive subscriptions or licenses. Below is the list of the programs and digital tools I use daily, which are either totally free, or have a one-shot affordable license fee for a lifetime of usage. A special mention goes to Blender, a very comprehensive and sleek machine in itself, with an enthusiastic and generous community of creatives!
Modelling, sculpting, animation & rigging, storyboarding, rendering, simulation, scripting, etc.
Quick & dirty social media posts online creation interfaces
Screen recording & streaming
Moodboard & reference images organiser
Video production
Audio production
Photo / image editing
Image manipulation & glitching
Code
Visual Studio text editor
Codepen (front-end sandbox and social network)
Processing.py (creative coding)