A review of Ashampoo GmbH & Co. KG; an international software company

Ashampoo was founded in 1999 by Rolf Hilchner. My introduction occurred a few years later when I purchased a copy of a European magazine, Computer Shopper . The compact disc accompanying the magazine included several free programs produced by Ashampoo. Although the software appeared to be well written, I tend to place little value on anything I get for free. Ashampoo offered to sell me, via e-mail, a new and improved version of each of these titles, but I ignored their advance. Eventually, I removed the software and moved on.

Three years later, Ashampoo sent me another e-mail, again offering free versions of their software. Among the titles I downloaded, was Photo Commander 6 . To my surprise, it appeared fully as competent as my beloved ACDSee Photo Manager . Certainly it was easier to use and, in my opinion, the editing functions were superior. Another title I liked, WinOptimizer 2009 advanced , seemed every bit as good as the utility portion of my favorite program, System Suite 9 . I accepted Ashampoo's offer of a deal on the latest versions of these programs. Over the last few years I've also purchased Burning Studio , a program intended to burn CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs, as well as a rebranded 'lite' version of SoftMaker office .

I find Ashampoo products to be powerful and simple to use. Their price range is competitive. Although backup discs can to be purchased, the software does not come in nicely packaged containers - you purchase it via the web and download the product. Your license keys are stored on their server. This can be useful if you want to reinstall the software and have lost the associated key.

When you purchase software, you earn Yiggle points. As these points accumulate you receive larger discounts on products you purchase. This might be a moot point in view of the fact that the company often offers sales of up to 60% off.

Like many software companies, Ashampoo offers free trials of their products. Generally the trial lasts 40 days and, if you're interested, they will give you a decent deal. It's always best to try before you buy.

Below I have compiled a partial list of their products:

• Burning Studio 10
• WinOptimizer 7
• WinOptimizer 8
• Core Tuner
• Uninstaller 4
• PowerUp 3
• Photo Commander 9
• My Autoplay Menu
• Movie Menu
• Music Studio 3
• Anti-malware
• Magical Security
• 3D CAD Professional 3
• 3D CAD Architecture 3
• Home Designer Pro
• Office 2010

Ashampoo provides updates and fixes to their software no cost to you. Like the competition, they tend to produce a new version, every year, which can be purchased at a reasonable cost. I'm cheap, however, and look closely at the improvements and changes before I upgrade to the latest version.

They are very enthusiastic about their software. I receive, on average, three e-mails a week. informing me of new products, sales, and updates to my software. I could easily opt out of their e-mail advertising - but so few people write me, it's nice to have the contact.

I've always found Ashampoo to be reliable and trustworthy. The software I've purchased from this company has worked as advertised. Payments forwarded to the company have been handled properly, and, as far as I know, Ashampoo has never sold my e-mail address. They have my recommendation.