Download Squad

FileHippo Update Checker - FileHippo is one of the best places out there to download software. The site is well organized, and they do a good job of only listing quality apps. Their update checker makes it easy to keep your core free applications up to date. It's also available as a portable application.

GetIt - Wondering why AppSnap, AppUpdater, and Win-Get aren't listed? It's because GetIt rolls all three into a single interface, is able to download over 400 applications, and integrates nicely with FARR. Don't worry about installing the supporting cast ahead of time, GetIt will grab them for you on the first launch. GetIt is also portable now, though you'll need to install the regular version first then create the portable file yourself.

Chrome Nightly Updater - If you prefer to rock a cutting-edge (and unstable) browser, nightly builds are the way to go. CNU makes short work of keeping your Chromium install hot-off-the-compiler fresh.

Ketarin - Are you the hands-on type? Ketarin is the downloader for you - think of it as a kicked-up frontend for wget. Since developers can frequently change folders and filenames (hello, version strings!) Ketarin can be a bit of work to maintain. It's not all DIY, though, as Ketarin also supports FileHippo program IDs - which never change.

User Suggestions

Radar Sync - Want to keep both your applications and drivers updated? Check out RadarSync. The free (ad supported) version has all the functionality you need, and upgrading to the pro version will get you scheduled scanning and downloading. You can also choose to backup your software as an online pack with Packzoola. It's a nice safety net in case something goes horribly wrong with Windows and you have to re-download.

Update Notifier - Launch the EXE and you can choose to install Notifier or run it portably. It supports a broader range of apps than FileHippo. The download procedure is a little cumbersome, however. You'll be sent to the Notifier web site to manually click through (and read AdSense ads).