The best free software solutions for DICOM images

• Best Image Viewer For Mac 2020
• Best Image Viewer For Mac Reddit
• Best Image Viewers For Windows

Here are 18 best free image viewer software.These image viewer software let you view images easily. All these image viewer software are completely free and can be downloaded to Windows PC. These image viewer software offer various features, like: viewing images of different formats like JPG, BMP, GIF, TIF, PNG, WMF, ICO etc., drag & drop support for opening image files, view slide show from. Use button for delete with a confirmation prompt. 6) Best vector image view for SVG format. You can magnify with full quality in real time. 7) Best.psd support. Not only can we view inside the app, by setting the app as the default opener, the system's explorer will use the app's thumbnail handler to generate thumbnails directly in explorer.

Sometimes it's useful to be able to view and manipulate medical images such as X-rays, CT or MRI scans on your own PC, laptop or tablet. This is particularly important when preparing teaching files or practising for your radiology exams. Finding a good free DICOM viewer can be tricky, especially as there are so many options out there. We have tested may different applications (so you don't have to) and the following are our best picks. We grouped them according to the operating system used because unfortunately there aren't any free viewers that run on both!

A popular software for radiologists working in the UK is currently a programme called 'Horos'. This is a free open source version of the software used by the Royal College of Radiologists for the viva part of the Final FRCR 2B exam, so obviously it makes sense to use it for teaching as well. This programme is only available on Apple computers, hence why so many radiologists own MacBooks.

There is a paid version of Horos called 'OsiriX MD', which is produced by Pixmeo, however it is expensive so not ideal for basic teaching purposes, although has great functionality. Pixemo also produce a free demo version called 'OsiriX Lite', however there are major limitations placed on this including pop-ups asking you to upgrade to the paid version, performance restrictions, image viewing restrictions and inability to edit the meta-data attached to DICOM images - for example you can't easily re-order series within a study, which may be important if you are preparing cases for teaching or examinations. It is for these reasons that we do not list OsiriX Lite in our recommendations.

• The OsiriX UK user group are a group of Radiologists in the UK who are keen on digital radiology education and use OsiriX/Horos for teaching. The aim is to achieve a nationally agreed consensus on how cases are collected, organised and used for teaching and examination and thereby achieve a collective common ground/platform/standard for radiology education across the country. The resources on this site are amazing so we recommend you visit it now!

Software for Apple MacOS

Radiology Cafe's top pick:

Main features

• Intuitive user interface and customisable toolbars
• 64-bit
• Advanced manipulation and measurement tools
• Multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) with thick slab (Mean, MIP, Volume Rendering)
• 3D MIP, 3D Volume rendering, 3D surface rendering
• Image fusion for PET-CT & SPECT-CT
• Reads and displays all DICOM files
• DICOM Editing
• OsiriX migration assistant
• Separate iOS app to view DICOM on mobile devices (requires iOS 13.0 or later)

System requirements

• OS: MacOS 10.11 or later

Horos should run on any Mac brought within the last 3 years.

Why we like it

We really like Horos as it is a free open source version of the same software as that used by The Royal College of Radiologists for the viva part of the final FRCR (Part B) exam. Becoming familiar with Horos will help radiology trainees when preparing for this exam. Horos is easy to use and as a full 64-bit medical image viewer for Mac there is a huge amount of functionality contained within. It is updated regularly. We believe Horos is the best free DICOM viewer for Apple MacOS.

Interestingly, Horos is named after the Egyptian god Horus, son of Osiris and Isis. Horos is a based on OsiriX (a similar paid-for medical viewer), named after Osiris. The developers obviously appreciate Egyptian and greek mythology!

Visit the Horos website to download the Horos DICOM viewer!

• There is a useful Mac plug-in for Horos that allows you to quickly upload selected studies / images to Radiopaedia, a free educational radiology resource with one of the web's largest collections of radiology cases and reference articles.
• User guide and installation guide:
  https://radiopaedia.org/blog/radiopaedia-plugin-for-horos-osirix

Software for Microsoft Windows

Radiology Cafe's top pick:

Main features

• Simple and intuitive interface with full-screen mode
• Standard manipulation and measurement tools
• Browse several series concurrently in multiple windows with automatic synchronization between series and cross reference lines in series with different image planes
• Display of dynamic sequences/series (CINE)
• Multiplanar Reconstruction (MPR)
• Fusion of series with different modalities (e.g. PET-CT) or different protocols (e.g. MRI T1/T2–DWI)
• Huge range of DICOM file types supported and support for DICOM overlays
• Export DICOM files to JPEG, BMP and WMV.
• Copy and paste directly into Word or PowerPoint documents
• Read DICOM studies from CD/DVD/BluRay disks and local or network folders
• Asynchronous reading (browse images while they are being opened)
• Multi-core and multi-processor support, and advanced memory management system which facilitates concurrent opening of studies with thousands of images
• Universal installer (32 and 64-bit)
• Multilingual interface (>20 languages)
• Multi-touch support
  more feature details...

System requirements

• OS: Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP (SP3)
• Processor: Intel or AMD 1GHz or faster (multicore Intel processor recommended)
• Memory: 512MB of RAM (2GB recommended)
• Hard Disk Space: 9MB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required for image caching
• Screen Resolution: 1024x768 minimum

Why we like it

We really like RadiAnt as it is free, simple, easy to use and very fast. Watch this YouTube demonstration video to see RadiAnt in action. It is downloaded as a single compact application with an installer size of approximately 5MB. The application can even run directly from a USB stick! This basic DICOM viever does all the things you would expect and is perfect for revision purposes for radiology trainees.

Visit the RadiAnt website to download the RadiAnt DICOM viewer!

Radiology Cafe's one to watch:

Main features

• Designed mainly for CT and MR DICOM modalities
• 3D reconstruction and volume rendering
• Multi-planar and oblique slicing
• Easily anonymize and de-identify patient scans
• Fast surface extraction and export to STL and PLY formats
• Load DICOM data directly from PACS, CD/DVD, USB or local computer
• Patient search to locate patient data on your PACS
• Loads common non-DICOM file formats: NifTi (.nii), Visualization Toolkit (.vtk), and ANALYZE (.hdr)
• Window/level (brightness and contrast) presets
• Screen capture
• Axis-aligned cropping with context
• Side-by-side comparative assessment
  more feature details...

System requirements

• OS: Windows 10/8.1
• Processor: Intel i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 (64-bit CPU for data sizes over 100MB)
• Memory: 8+ GB of RAM
• Hard Disk Space: 1GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required for image caching
• Screen Resolution: 1920x1080 or better

Why we like it

We like Pro Surgical 3D as it is fast and easy to use. Although it is designed for surgeons, it's easy to view patient scans quickly. It works well with studies on CD/DVDs, USB sticks and local DICOM files.

Visit the Pro Surgical 3D website to download the Pro Surgical 3D DICOM viewer!

Online Software

Radiology Cafe's top pick:

Main features

• Free 50GB cloud space to store medical images and clinical documents
• Multi-platform (Windows, MacOS, Linux, IOS, and Android) Support
• Upload, store and view DICOM files
• Upload, store and view non-DICOM clinical documents which are in PDF, BMP, PNG, JPG, MP4 and AVI formats
• Automatic synchronization of compatible series with showing cross-reference lines
• Standard measurement tools
• Ability to anonymize patient data before uploading
• Share patient images with doctors, medical groups, and patients by sending a viewing link and password
• Organize patients into folders and enter custom descriptions to them
• Multiplanar Reconstruction (MPR)
• Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP), Minimum Intensity Projection (MinIP), Average Intensity Projection (AvgIP)
• 3D Reconstruction
• PET-CT, and PET-MR fusion
• Create user groups and manage user Authorizations
• Recycle Bin to prevent accidental deletion
  more feature details...

System requirements

• The following operating systems and internet browsers are supported:
  • Windows: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox
  • Mac OS: Apple Safari, Google Chrome
  • Linux: Google Chrome
  • iOS: Apple Safari
  • Android: Google Chrome

Why we like it

We really like PostDICOM as it is free (up to 50GB online storage), simple, easy to use and fast once the DICOM images are uploaded. As it is cloud based, you can access it on pretty much any device. This DICOM viever does all the things you would expect and is great for sharing studies.

Visit the PostDICOM website to use the PostDICOM viewer!

Radiology Cafe's alternative recommendation:

Main features

• Unlimited cloud storage space to store medical images
• Multi-platform (Windows, MacOS, Linux, IOS, and Android) Support
• Upload, store and view DICOM files
• Fast Cloud DICOM imaging loading
• Automatic synchronization of compatible series with showing cross-reference lines
• Standard measurement tools
• Multiplanar Reconstruction (MPR)
• View DICOM metadata
• Share, tag and comment on cases with other professionals
• Enter custom descriptions to cases
• WebGL browser rendering
• PACS integration using the Collective Minds® Proxy
• One click case upload using the Collective Minds® Proxy
  more feature details...

System requirements

• The following operating systems and internet browsers are supported:
  • Windows: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox
  • Mac OS: Apple Safari, Google Chrome
  • Linux: Google Chrome
  • iOS: Apple Safari, Google Chrome
  • Android: Google Chrome

Why we like it

We really like Collective Minds Radiology as it is a bit different to other sites. It's a radiology collaboration service and centered around sharing cases with other professionals for expertise, advice or teaching. It is free with unlimited storage, easy to use and fast. As it is cloud based, you can access it on pretty much any device. The service is restricted to medical professionals and sharing can be done to specific groups e.g. your hospital community. The ability for users to comment and tag images is particularly unique and great for learning and teaching.

Visit the Collective Minds website to use the Collective Minds Radiology viewer!

So there you have it!

Radiology Cafe's 'top pick' and 'one to watch' free DICOM viewers for Microsoft Windows, Apple MacOS and online. Please send us your suggestions for other great free DICOM viewers!

Finder is the default file management system in macOS since the operating system's debut in 1985. After several years, Apple did improve Finder by leaps and bounds. That said, it does fall short in multiple areas for reasons best known to Apple's software team. You can try a file management app that comes loaded with several useful features.

That's why we have compiled a list of 5 best macOS Finder alternatives that you can try out on your Mac. Of course, you can't remove Finder. So these apps will help you extend the functionalities. Before you get started, here are the three key reasons why one should look beyond Finder.

• Customizability: There's no way to change the Finder menus and glorify the top ribbon with easy shortcut buttons. Even Viewing options are quite limited to previewing media files only.
• Dual-Pane View: One of the heavily demanded features for comparing files/folders between sections without opening two or more windows.
• Network Storage Management: Connecting to remote file servers via AFPS, SMB, and FTP/SFTP offers the bare minimum experience, which is not devoid of flaws.

The cost of individual file managers can be hefty on your pocket, and the free trials may not give you a full-blown experience. To overcome that, you can subscribe to the SetApp Store at $9.99 per month to gain access to over 190 macOS apps. And that list includes the different Finder alternatives on this list. So let's check out the Finder alternatives for Mac.

Best Image Viewer For Mac 2020

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1. Path Finder

Path Finder is the first choice of many power users for features beyond the lauded dual-pane navigation. The Drop Stack feature is quite handy for selecting multiple files to move or copy them in a single step. So if you tend to take a backup of different files often, then Drop Stack acts as temporary storage to move and copy files and folders. For smarter file management, Path Finder does that by merging the contents of two folders automatically so that there are no duplicates. It uses FolderSync for comparing such folders before syncing files. You can add the folder path directly in the path navigator section.

This file manager comes loaded with a boatload of file management features like Batch renaming, Smart sorting, File tagging, File List Filters, Advanced Low-level Search, Secure Delete, Keyboard shortcuts, etc. You can also deal with various types of file archives directly. The app takes the cake with built-in support for Terminal and command-line tools, and HEX editor. That means you can run commands right from the Path Finder's GUI and check out results there. Users can also preview images and edit text straight from the interface, without opening any other app.

The latest version also adds support for modules to tweak and optimize different functions. Path Finder is available as a free trial for 60 days,$36.

2. Commander One

Commander One is one of the top choices as the free alternative to Finder. It launches with dual-pane browsing, and the buttons on the interface are customizable. You can use Regular Expressions (RegEx) to perform an advanced and nuanced search for specific files. That includes even hidden files and folders.

Commander One's unique feature is Android and iOS devices' support to open and transfer files between those devices and Mac. Another thing that you would like is the built-in process viewer and controller. Apart from built-in FTP support for connecting to local and remote servers, you can also add support for many cloud storage services.

By default, Commander One comes with a 15-day trial period, and after that, you'll have to pay $30 to purchase it.

3. ForkLift 3

ForkLift is yet another dual-pane file manager that supports Spotlight search, Smart Folders for files management, and Quick Look for media files. All three features allow easy searching, viewing, and managing multiple files. At any time, you can customize the way it looks by replacing the buttons at the top and even the way it behaves. ForkLift does offer an extremely convenient feature dubbed multi-rename to rename files more quickly compared to Finder.

Even ForkLift offers support for remote connection to FTP, SFTP, AFS, SMB, and other protocols. You can also add your Google Drive, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, and other cloud storage services. Along with that, you can edit remote files and even manage the archived files. When copying or moving files, you can set upload or download limits and even reorder the transfers.

While you can try ForkLift 3 for free, the PRO license will cost you $29.95.

4. DCommander

If you would be happy with features like advanced search, editing binary/hex files, or batch renaming, then DCommander should serve you well. It'll cover the basic FTP, SFTP, and SCP protocols for remote connectivity.

Yes, even this app comes with a dual-pane interface to view and manage your files. Use the keyboard shortcuts to navigate and manage your files. You can even open archive files like ZIP, JAR, or ODT files to browser them like normal folders.

DCommander comes with a 30-day trial. After that, you'll have to buy the Premium license for $29 or get it for free with the SetApp subscription.

Best Image Viewer For Mac Reddit

5. Filepane

If you want a bit more than Finder, then you should give Filepane a try. You can use the basic drag and drop gesture to move around the files and even save your favorite locations like Downloads or Documents folder. While you can edit images, you can also change various files to different formats.

Whenever you select a file, it quickly detects the filetype shows a couple of quick actions. It's more like a utility if you don't want a full-blown file manager. If you like the slick and spiffiness of Filepane, you can buy it for $6.99 or get it using the SetApp subscription.

Best Image Viewers For Windows

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Manage Files Smartly

Apple's Finder replaces the iTunes for backing up the iPhone and iPad. Besides that, it has seen very few major feature additions. We can only hope that Apple takes a leaf or two from the third-party Finder alternatives on this list and many others. That said, Finder alternatives come at the price of individual app license or use the SetApp subscription.

Next up:Want to edit PDF files on your Mac? Check out the next link for the list of the best PDF Editors for Mac.

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