I download and use freeware. My primary freeware source is snapfiles.com. I also use other sources.
Two software sources, Softpedia.com and Softonic.com, have similar-sounding names but different reputations, and I can’t easily remember which is which, so when I find some software available via one of them I have to find if it’s the site I want to trust, using the Google search [softpedia softonic].
A few items down in my first page of Google results I found this article which was originally published January 14, 2014. It includes this list of software sites the author considered safe:
Majorgeeks.com
Softpedia.com
TechSpot.com
Filehippo.com — See this.
SnapFiles.com
fileforum.betanews.com
downloadcrew.com
Read the full article at thewindowsclub.com.
A little farther down my Google results page I found this ghacks.net article, dated November 22, 2012. In it, Martin Brinkmann says : “Before we take a look at software download portals that use web installers to bundle third party offers, I’d like to take a moment to list a few portals that do not: Softpedia, File Hippo, Freeware Files and Major Geeks. If you need to download something, I’d suggest you check out those portals first.”
Be sure to also read the comments to that article, ghacks.net comments.
Whatever site you choose to download from, please try be as smartly safe as you can. Don’t quickly accept the biggest DOWNLOAD button they show you.