Organizer
Gadget news
Movavi Video Suite 2025 review
6:53 pm | August 1, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Comments: Off

Video editing tools are everywhere these days. You have cheap, not very powerful options bundled with your computing device, you can purchase expensive, very powerful apps with a steep learning curve, or you can opt for a more middle of the road option: software that is brimming with features, looks fun to use, and is affordable.

And it's in the latter camp that I'd place Movavi. It's unlikely to trouble the likes of Premiere Pro and Resolve any time soon, but it's superior to the likes of Apple iMovie or ClipChamp. And it might be one of the best video editing software for beginners around right now.

I took Movavi Video Suite 2025 for a spin to see how it handles the post-production process, and precisely where it fits into this crowded field.

Movavi Video Suite 2025: Pricing & plans

  • A choice of subscription or one-off fee for a perpetual license, with a massive discount at time of review

The Movavi Video Suite is available as both a subscription service or a perpetual licence, with wildly fluctuating prices throughout: you have the standard cost, and more often than not, you’ll have a special limited time discount, which, in our experience with other software and services, almost always gets reset and extended when their time runs out. But in case it doesn’t, we’ll list you all the prices we found on their website.

The monthly subscription is the only one that remains static at around $30. By contrast, the yearly subscription should cost you a little under $250, but was discounted to around $100 as of this writing.

If you fancy combining your rentals, you can grab the Video Suite and Movavi’s Photo Editor for a yearly subscription of $234 (currently discounted to $105).

Should you not be a fan of renting your software however, you have the option of purchasing the latter (i.e. the Video Suite and the Photo Editor) for $334 - or $150, if the discount holds.

All of the above come with a 30-day money back guarantee, and you also have the ability to download a 7-day free trial which works without you having to hand out your card details. This trial has limitations, as you’d expect, such as limiting the length of your outputs and watermarking them, for instance.

You can check out the full pricing details on Movavi's website by clicking here.

  • Score: 4/5

Movavi Video Suite 2025: Getting started

Movavi Video Suite 2025 during our review

(Image credit: Movavi // Future)
  • The software made it somewhat tricky for us to get to a language we understood, so we could start using it

Launching Movavi Video Editor for the first time, we were greeted with a difficult conundrum, one which never happened to us before, so it couldn’t have been our computer’s setting, and we felt it was worth us mentioning it, should it also happen to you: everything was in Japanese, which made any kind work impossible if you’re unfamiliar with that noble language.

Thankfully, feeding a screenshot of the settings window to Google Translate helped us see which menu led to our preferred language. It’s not a hard issue to resolve, but it would’ve been preferable had the software noticed which language our computer was using, and default to it during installation.

  • Score: 2.5/5

Movavi Video Suite 2025: Interface

Movavi Video Suite 2025 during our review

(Image credit: Movavi // Future)
  • Movavi’s video editor is well-organized and surprisingly simple to use, with all the tools you need easily accessible, including some very well-implemented and powerful features

Movavi Video Suite is essentially broken down into three separate tools: the Video Editor, the Video Converter, and the Screen Recorder. We’ll focus primarily on the former as that’s where anyone interested in filmmaking will be spending most of their time, and we suspect, if you’re reading this, that this means you.

And frankly, we were really impressed with it. It’s clean, simple, well organised, and gives you access to all the tools you need quickly and efficiently. The interface offers the media section, top left, the preview window, top right, and the timeline taking up almost half of the screen real estate at the bottom.

To the left you have a sidebar, giving you access to tools, effects, transitions, titles, even Movavi’s online store. Just above the Timeline are the editing tools you’ll use most often, and also includes other features, such as ‘auto subtitling’, which is almost too easy to use (and more competent and flexible than what some higher end software offer).

The whole interface is extremely friendly: drag footage from a hard drive straight onto the media section, then drag the clips you want onto the timeline to start building your edit. You can work with multiple layers of audio and video, apply transitions and various effects just by dragging them onto the clip you wish to affect. It’s all very simple. So much so in fact, that what could be moderately tricky to complex actions, are handled with ease.

We found the AI Tracker, for instance, to provide excellent results with the user barely doing anything to make it work, and the algorithms behind the ‘Background Remover’ were remarkably good, even when the background itself was quite complex (such as foliage).

Movavi Video Suite 2025 during our review

(Image credit: Movavi // Future)

Movavi’s Video Editor also has an online store which is accessible via the ‘Packs’ menu, on the left sidebar. As it’s a store, most items are Premium ones (they have a little dark pink crown, top right of their thumbnail), but a handful can be used for free. In any case, you’re allowed to download even the Premium ones and include them in your project. You’ll just need to deal with financial matters upon export.

Speaking of Exports, this video editor comes with numerous options. MP4 is chosen by default (which makes sense as it’s so ubiquitous), but you have numerous other options available to you, including DVD formats, and even the long obsolete SWF. In addition to generic formats, you also have presets for specific devices, such as iPhones, Xbox and more, and you can upload your project directly to social media with links to YouTube, Vimeo, and TikTok. It’s a well stocked series of options.

  • Score: 4.5/5

Movavi Video Suite 2025: Converter & Screen Capture

Movavi Video Suite 2025 during our review

(Image credit: Movavi // Future)
  • The Movavi Suite comes with two other apps, one to convert video and images to numerous different formats, and the other to record your screen (or take screenshots). Both are full featured, offering numerous options, and very easy to use

The Movavi Video Suite isn’t limited to their excellent Video Editor: it also comes with a Video Converter and a Screen Capture tool. Let’s quickly take a look at them.

The Video Converter’s interface is sparse, but then again, what do you need to convert image and video? An area to drag files onto, and a list of formats to choose from, and that’s exactly what Video Converter offers. It’s incredibly easy to use, whether you’re after software that does it all for you, in which case just select the preset you’re after and you’re done. But should you need to manipulate every available parameter, those are but a drop down menu away.

On top of this, Video Converter also offers you a surprising range of editing tools, from adjusting the audio, to making basic colour correction, applying effects, adding subtitles or a watermark, and cropping and trimming the footage. It’s unexpectedly full featured.

Movavi Video Suite 2025 during our review

(Image credit: Movavi // Future)

When it comes to Screen Recorder, you have the choice of taking a screenshot or a video. The software can instantly recognise open windows (it even selects the frontmost one by default), or allows you to set a specific area, or forego all of that and capture the entire screen.

It will also record the computer’s audio, an external microphone and your webcam, which it burns into the recording (you can’t choose to move it around after the recording or remove it altogether after the fact). Frustratingly, as is the case with every other screen capture tool, you have to grant it so many permissions for it to work properly, it can take a while.

  • Score: 4.5/5

Should I buy Movavi Video Suite 2025?

Movavi Video Suite 2025 during our review

(Image credit: Movavi // Future)

Buy it if...

You’re looking for editing software that covers everything from editing, to formatting, and even has a powerful screen capture tool, with interfaces that are sleek and well designed, to make it as easy as possible for you to get your work done.

Don't buy it if...

You’re put off by the additional tools that come with the suite beyond the editing options, as you either already have similar products or don’t need them, or feel the features available are just too advanced for your needs.

For more creative apps, we've tested and reviewed the best video editing software, the best free video editing software, and the best video editing apps for mobile devices.

Read why I found Deluge to be the best free torrent client
1:34 pm | July 31, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Comments: Off

Torrenting clients give users access to a deluge of content. Unsurprisingly, one of the most popular free torrent clients is aptly named Deluge. It’s a free and open-source torrenting client that’s a favorite for many.

I decided to test Deluge to see whether it’s better than other clients I’ve used. My test centered on its features, performance, user-friendliness, and security, among other crucial factors. Read on to learn my opinion about choosing Deluge as a torrenting client.

Deluge: Versions

Extensive PC compatibility is one of the first things that stood out about Deluge. Its official downloads page listed apps for macOS, Windows, and various Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora.

However, I was disappointed that Deluge lacked an Android app. Many free and open-source software tools have Android apps, which I cherish using to control downloads remotely on my PC. Given Apple's unfriendliness to torrenting apps, I didn’t expect an iOS app. No torrenting app I’ve reviewed is directly compatible with iOS.

Deluge: Features

Deluge might not be as popular as rival torrenting clients like Vuze, but it packs many features that give it a competitive edge. I liked that Deluge can be easily customized with plugins that provide extra functionalities. For instance, I used the Notifications plugin to get notified via email about completed downloads.

Like most torrent clients, Deluge lets you add a .torrent file and download the corresponding content. This file contains the metadata of the movie, audio, software package, or any other content you want to download. When added to Deluge, it extracts the metadata and downloads the required content.

Unlike some torrenting clients I’ve tested, Deluge doesn’t offer a built-in way to find .torrent files. Instead, you’ll get them yourself from external sources. Some torrenting clients have built-in search engines to make finding these torrents easier, but not Deluge.

If you don’t have the torrent file for the content you want to download, you can provide a magnet link or an info hash. Both contain the same metadata as a .torrent file, so Deluge can still extract the data and download the corresponding content.

Deluge is ad-free, a feature I appreciate after testing some torrenting clients. Some free clients had ads covering large parts of my screen, often for dodgy products. However, despite being free, Deluge doesn’t include ads for monetization. It’s an open-source tool maintained by a team of volunteer developers.

Deluge 2

(Image credit: Future)

One major benefit of using Deluge as a torrenting client is its sophisticated encryption software. It uses techniques like Protocol Encryption and Message Stream Encryption to prevent unauthorized third parties from spying on your torrenting activities.

For further security, I turned on a VPN before downloading torrents via Deluge, and you should, too. A VPN routes your traffic through a secure remote server, preventing your ISP and other third-parties from monitoring your downloads. People often run into issues with their ISPs because of torrenting, so a VPN is crucial for protecting yourself.

I liked that Deluge provided both a graphical and command-line interface. The graphical interface is the easiest to use, with a minimalistic feel and neatly arranged elements. Yet, I sometimes enjoy feeling like a nerd and using the command-line interface to control my torrenting activities.

The command line lets users connect with Deluge remotely. Normally, I use Android apps for remote connections, but Deluge doesn’t have this feature. I got some solace because I could control my Deluge torrenting activities from another PC. For example, you can be at work and controlling torrenting activities on your home PC. This way, you avoid any issues concerning torrenting on your office network.

When you download any torrent on Deluge, you automatically become a seeder uploading the same torrent for other users. Torrenting is made possible by users acting as file seeders for each other. The more seeders available for a torrent, the faster the download speed.

The thought of constantly uploading files made me wary of my bandwidth consumption, but then I remembered that most torrenting clients let users limit file upload speeds to conserve bandwidth. Deluge makes this process easy, allowing users to limit their upload speeds and the number of simultaneous connections.

Deluge is a feature-rich torrenting client I enjoyed using. It doesn’t have every feature I wanted, but having its existing features for free is a boon.

Deluge 3

(Image credit: Deluge)

Deluge: Interface and in-use

With my experience testing numerous torrenting clients, I can attest that Deluge has one of the best user interfaces. It’s not overtly modern, like some torrenting clients that feel overdesigned, and it’s also not too old school, like some torrenting clients that looked designed in the 1990s.

Deluge’s interface strikes the right balance between form and function. You can access it via a graphical interface, command line, or web interface. The web and graphical interfaces look very similar. The command line interface can get complicated, but it’s meant for technically adept users who prefer that mode. An average person can quickly become familiar with graphical or web interfaces.

Deluge: Security

Deluge has the standard encryption features of torrenting clients. It encrypts your activities to prevent unauthorized access, but relying on your torrenting client’s security is enough. I always turn on a VPN to provide an extra security layer when downloading torrents.

I ran Deluge through software scanning tools, and the results were clean. Deluge isn’t known to host malware and hasn’t had any history of negligent security practices. My only issue is that Deluge lacks a built-in anti-virus scanning tool for torrents. I had to rely on another tool to scan torrents for malware, unlike some torrenting clients with built-in scanners.

Deluge: Final verdict

I appreciate Deluge’s user-friendliness, feature richness, and the ability to add plugins for more functionalities. It’s a lightweight app that’s easy to use on any PC, and I’ll recommend it to anyone seeking a reliable torrenting client.

We list the most secure VPN providers.

qBittorrent review
10:18 am |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Comments: Off

If you enjoy diverse content like me, torrenting is an easy way to access it. It involves exchanging files via the BitTorrent protocol and can be done via torrent clients. I’ve embarked on a mission to test many torrenting clients to help users choose the best ones. Today, I’m focusing on qBittorrent, a prominent app in the torrenting community.

qBittorrent is a free and open source torrent client, and compatible with the most popular desktop operating systems. I tested it extensively to provide an honest opinion. Read on to learn about its features, user-friendliness, security, and other vital factors.

qBittorrent: Versions

qBittorrent is compatible with the three most popular PC operating systems; Windows, macOS, and Linux. I use a macOS PC and easily downloaded qBittorrent from the official website. You can also do this for the Windows and Linux versions.

However, I noticed that qBittorrent does not have an Android app. I like torrenting clients with Android apps that let me control my PC’s torrenting activities from a smartphone.

I didn’t expect iOS compatibility, as Apple famously doesn’t allow torrenting apps to appear in its App Store.

qBittorrent 3

(Image credit: Future)

qBittorrent: Features

qBittorrent has the typical features of a torrenting app. To download content, I needed to get the .torrent file from an external source. This file contains the metadata of the relevant content to be downloaded, and qBittorrent reads the information to kickstart the download.

If you don’t have the .torrent file, you can provide the magnet link for the relevant content. A magnet link is a hyperlink containing the same metadata as the .torrent file. I pasted multiple links into qBittorrent, and it downloaded the required content without hassle.

I also downloaded content via RSS feeds. This feature lets users subscribe to a specific RSS feed and automatically download new torrents added to the feed. For example, if you subscribe to an RSS feed of your favorite series, you can automatically download all new episodes.

I like that qBittorrent allows plugins that provide extra functionality. My favorite is the search plugin that lets you find torrent files within the app. Instead of spending time discovering and downloading these .torrent files on external websites, I did that directly on qBittorrent, enabling much faster downloads.

There’s no single search plugin for qBittorrent. Instead, the app is compatible with numerous unofficial plugins built for torrenting clients. Installing a search plugin was a noticeably simple process.

qBittorrent 2

(Image credit: Future)

Torrenting works when users exchange files via the BitTorrent communications protocol. When you download specific content on qBittorrent, you automatically become a seeder uploading that content for other users to download. This process of simultaneous downloads and uploads enables users to freely access content via qBittorrent and other torrenting clients.

Whenever I use a torrenting client, I always seek to limit my upload speeds to conserve bandwidth. qBittorrent makes this easy. You can limit the upload speed to any level you’re comfortable with, ensuring you upload files for other users without consuming excessive bandwidth.

I appreciated that qBittorrent gave me significant control over my torrenting activities. For instance, I could queue torrents and prioritize specific downloads over others. I could also select specific files within a torrent instead of downloading the whole package. For example, this feature comes in handy if you have a software package missing a few crucial files. You can download just the missing parts instead of re-downloading the software package and wasting bandwidth.

This torrenting client supports IP filtering for security purposes. Users can upload blocklists and prevent any IP on that list from sharing files with their PC. This feature protects you from interacting with malicious actors sharing malware via torrenting clients.

Before downloading torrents, I always turn on a VPN for further security. A VPN routes your traffic through a secure remote server, preventing your ISP and other third-parties from monitoring your torrenting activities. I advise everyone to always use a VPN when torrenting.

My main complaint is that qBittorrent does not have an Android app that allows me to remotely control my torrenting activities. However, I was pleased that its remote control feature is available via a web interface.

The remote web interface is very similar to qBittorrent’s regular interface. You can use it to control your torrenting activities from another PC or smartphone, e.g., starting and pausing downloads on your home PC while at work. However, setting it up was complex, unlike Android apps where it’s usually straightforward.

qBittorrent: Interface and in-use

qBittorrent has a minimalistic interface that I enjoyed using. It’s not overtly modern yet not outdated. Features are arranged neatly on the left, configurations are accessible at the top, and the main dashboard lies on the right. Each feature incorporates a relevant icon that defines their functions. This uncluttered arrangement makes it easy to find any feature and tweak your desired configurations.

qBittorrent: Security

As mentioned, qBittorrent allowed me to block specific IP addresses from interacting with my device. This security feature is crucial because torrents are a common vector for introducing malware into unsuspecting devices.

qBittorrent has no ads and no history of negligent security practices. It’s a free tool maintained by volunteer developers, so there’s little incentive to sneak in adware for commercial purposes, which a handful of torrenting clients are guilty of.

Despite its standard encryption and other security features, I reiterate my advice to always turn on a VPN before using qBittorrent.

qBittorrent: Final verdict

qBittorrent is a free, user-friendly torrenting client I genuinely enjoy using. It’s not as feature-rich as some clients I’ve tested, but it performs its functions well. It’s an ideal torrenting tool for anyone seeking easy access to digital content.

We've listed the best weird and wonderful niche Linux distros.

I tried the BitTorrent torrent client – read why it’s ideal torrenting client for PCs and smartphones
1:21 pm | July 30, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Comments: Off

BitTorrentis the synonymous torrent client of the BitTorrent protocol. This protocol is the world’s largest peer-to-peer file sharing system used by millions. Sharing files over it is known as “torrenting.”

The synonymous torrent client is also the first in its class. It’s the most widely used torrenting app and offers many advanced features. I tested it extensively to help you decide whether it’s a suitable torrenting tool. Read on to learn about its features, pricing, user-friendliness, and other essential criteria.

BitTorrent: Versions

BitTorrent is available on the two most popular desktop operating systems: Windows and macOS. I was also pleased to discover it has an Android app, enabling me to download torrents on my smartphone. It’s incompatible with iOS, like all torrenting apps I’ve tested. Apple doesn’t allow torrenting apps to appear in its App Store.

This app isn’t available for Linux, which I consider a drawback. Though I don’t use a Linux PC, it’s the most popular desktop operating system after macOS and Windows. It would be good if BitTorrent were directly compatible with Linux, but that isn’t the case. Linux users can choose alternatives like qBittorrent and Transmission.

BitTorrent: Pricing

BitTorrent has four variants: Web, Classic, Android, and Remote. Web is available on macOS and Windows, enabling users to stream torrents while downloading.

Classic is the original desktop torrenting app and is only compatible with Windows. It doesn’t support any macOS version later than macOS Catalina 10.15., an outdated version that debuted in 2019.

The Web and Classic variants have the same pricing structure. The free version lets you download torrents conveniently, but you can pay for premium features.

Ad-Free. For $4.95 annually, you can remove all ads from your BitTorrent interface.

Pro. For $19.95 annually, this package is ad-free and includes integrated virus scanning for all downloaded torrents.

Pro + VPN. For $69.95 per year, you can get the enhanced security features of the Pro version plus a CyberGhost VPN subscription. A VPN encrypts your traffic and prevents third-parties from spying on your torrenting activities.

The Android app has a free version that includes ads. For a one-time payment of $3.99, you can remove ads and access battery-saving features.

The Remote BitTorrent app is free to use.

BitTorrent 3

(Image credit: Future)

BitTorrent: Features

BitTorrent has advanced features that make downloading torrents easy. It is more sophisticated than most torrenting clients I’ve tested.

Like most torrenting clients, BitTorrent lets you add a torrent file and download the corresponding content. A torrent file contains metadata of the music, movie, software package, or any other content you want to download. When I add a torrent file, BitTorrent reads the metadata and immediately downloads the content.

The BitTorrent Web version let me stream files even while downloading them, a feature many torrenting clients lack.

Torrenting is a peer-to-peer file sharing system that relies on distributed computers connected to a single network. When you download a torrent file on BitTorrent, you automatically become a seeder uploading the same file for other users. This system is what makes files readily available on BitTorrent.

Because of simultaneous downloads and uploads, torrenting clients often cause excessive bandwidth consumption. Fortunately, BitTorrent mitigated this issue by enabling me to set maximum download and upload speeds.

BitTorrent Classic is a sophisticated version that enables bulk downloads. I used it to download many files simultaneously and prioritized bandwidth for specific files over others. This prioritization allowed me to download those files faster than others.

Suppose you want to download dozens of episodes of your favorite movies. BitTorrent Classic is your best choice. You can prioritize specific files, schedule downloads ahead of time, and subscribe to RSS feeds to download new content automatically. The drawback is that BitTorrent Classic is only available on Windows PCs.

I tested the Android app, and it worked similarly to the desktop apps. I used it to download torrents seamlessly on my smartphone. I also tested BitTorrent Remote, which let me control torrenting activities on my PC from a smartphone. With a smartphone, I could pause, start, or stop torrent downloads on my PC.

BitTorrent 1

(Image credit: Future)

BitTorrent: Interface and in-use

BitTorrent has a simple interface that I enjoyed using. The Web version runs on my web browser, making it convenient to combine downloads with other torrenting activities. The Classic version runs as a standalone app, which is less convenient but suitable for bulk downloads.

With features neatly placed on the left and the main dashboard on the right, navigating BitTorrent was as simple as it gets. The Web app has a modern, sleek interface that anyone can quickly understand.

The Classic version has a more dated interface but is easy to familiarize with. The Android app has a similar interface to the web app scaled down for a smartphone. BitTorrent scores excellently in the user-friendliness criterion.

BitTorrent: Security

BitTorrent has advanced security features to protect users while torrenting. I liked the integrated virus scanning feature, which checked torrents for malware before downloading them on my PC. Malicious actors often abuse torrents to spread malware on unsuspecting computers, so this feature was critical to keeping me safe online.

I also liked that the Pro + VPN feature is bundled with the advanced CyberGhost VPN. This VPN routes your traffic through a remote server and prevents third-parties, especially internet service providers (ISPs), from spying on your torrenting activities.

If you already have a VPN installed, you can use it to protect yourself online without paying $69.95 annually for the Pro + VPN version.

BitTorrent: Final verdict

BitTorrent is one of the best torrenting clients, with excellent download speeds, enhanced security, and a user-friendly interface. My main complaint is that some key features are locked behind a paywall, but overall, BitTorrent is a stellar client I’ll recommend to everyone.

You might also like

I tried the BitTorrent torrent client – read why it’s ideal torrenting client for PCs and smartphones
1:21 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Comments: Off

BitTorrentis the synonymous torrent client of the BitTorrent protocol. This protocol is the world’s largest peer-to-peer file sharing system used by millions. Sharing files over it is known as “torrenting.”

The synonymous torrent client is also the first in its class. It’s the most widely used torrenting app and offers many advanced features. I tested it extensively to help you decide whether it’s a suitable torrenting tool. Read on to learn about its features, pricing, user-friendliness, and other essential criteria.

BitTorrent: Versions

BitTorrent is available on the two most popular desktop operating systems: Windows and macOS. I was also pleased to discover it has an Android app, enabling me to download torrents on my smartphone. It’s incompatible with iOS, like all torrenting apps I’ve tested. Apple doesn’t allow torrenting apps to appear in its App Store.

This app isn’t available for Linux, which I consider a drawback. Though I don’t use a Linux PC, it’s the most popular desktop operating system after macOS and Windows. It would be good if BitTorrent were directly compatible with Linux, but that isn’t the case. Linux users can choose alternatives like qBittorrent and Transmission.

BitTorrent: Pricing

BitTorrent has four variants: Web, Classic, Android, and Remote. Web is available on macOS and Windows, enabling users to stream torrents while downloading.

Classic is the original desktop torrenting app and is only compatible with Windows. It doesn’t support any macOS version later than macOS Catalina 10.15., an outdated version that debuted in 2019.

The Web and Classic variants have the same pricing structure. The free version lets you download torrents conveniently, but you can pay for premium features.

Ad-Free. For $4.95 annually, you can remove all ads from your BitTorrent interface.

Pro. For $19.95 annually, this package is ad-free and includes integrated virus scanning for all downloaded torrents.

Pro + VPN. For $69.95 per year, you can get the enhanced security features of the Pro version plus a CyberGhost VPN subscription. A VPN encrypts your traffic and prevents third-parties from spying on your torrenting activities.

The Android app has a free version that includes ads. For a one-time payment of $3.99, you can remove ads and access battery-saving features.

The Remote BitTorrent app is free to use.

BitTorrent 3

(Image credit: Future)

BitTorrent: Features

BitTorrent has advanced features that make downloading torrents easy. It is more sophisticated than most torrenting clients I’ve tested.

Like most torrenting clients, BitTorrent lets you add a torrent file and download the corresponding content. A torrent file contains metadata of the music, movie, software package, or any other content you want to download. When I add a torrent file, BitTorrent reads the metadata and immediately downloads the content.

The BitTorrent Web version let me stream files even while downloading them, a feature many torrenting clients lack.

Torrenting is a peer-to-peer file sharing system that relies on distributed computers connected to a single network. When you download a torrent file on BitTorrent, you automatically become a seeder uploading the same file for other users. This system is what makes files readily available on BitTorrent.

Because of simultaneous downloads and uploads, torrenting clients often cause excessive bandwidth consumption. Fortunately, BitTorrent mitigated this issue by enabling me to set maximum download and upload speeds.

BitTorrent Classic is a sophisticated version that enables bulk downloads. I used it to download many files simultaneously and prioritized bandwidth for specific files over others. This prioritization allowed me to download those files faster than others.

Suppose you want to download dozens of episodes of your favorite movies. BitTorrent Classic is your best choice. You can prioritize specific files, schedule downloads ahead of time, and subscribe to RSS feeds to download new content automatically. The drawback is that BitTorrent Classic is only available on Windows PCs.

I tested the Android app, and it worked similarly to the desktop apps. I used it to download torrents seamlessly on my smartphone. I also tested BitTorrent Remote, which let me control torrenting activities on my PC from a smartphone. With a smartphone, I could pause, start, or stop torrent downloads on my PC.

BitTorrent 1

(Image credit: Future)

BitTorrent: Interface and in-use

BitTorrent has a simple interface that I enjoyed using. The Web version runs on my web browser, making it convenient to combine downloads with other torrenting activities. The Classic version runs as a standalone app, which is less convenient but suitable for bulk downloads.

With features neatly placed on the left and the main dashboard on the right, navigating BitTorrent was as simple as it gets. The Web app has a modern, sleek interface that anyone can quickly understand.

The Classic version has a more dated interface but is easy to familiarize with. The Android app has a similar interface to the web app scaled down for a smartphone. BitTorrent scores excellently in the user-friendliness criterion.

BitTorrent: Security

BitTorrent has advanced security features to protect users while torrenting. I liked the integrated virus scanning feature, which checked torrents for malware before downloading them on my PC. Malicious actors often abuse torrents to spread malware on unsuspecting computers, so this feature was critical to keeping me safe online.

I also liked that the Pro + VPN feature is bundled with the advanced CyberGhost VPN. This VPN routes your traffic through a remote server and prevents third-parties, especially internet service providers (ISPs), from spying on your torrenting activities.

If you already have a VPN installed, you can use it to protect yourself online without paying $69.95 annually for the Pro + VPN version.

BitTorrent: Final verdict

BitTorrent is one of the best torrenting clients, with excellent download speeds, enhanced security, and a user-friendly interface. My main complaint is that some key features are locked behind a paywall, but overall, BitTorrent is a stellar client I’ll recommend to everyone.

You might also like

Zoner Studio photo editor review
9:20 pm | July 21, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Tags: | Comments: Off

Zoner Studio is a WIndows-only take on both Photoshop and Lightroom - not as powerful as either (although a slew of regular updates is changing that), but a good entry-level/intermediate photo editor and organizer that comes in at a fair price.

After a recent name change from Zoner Photo Studio X to Zoner Studio, to better reflect the broader usage, the company says, I took the latest version out for a spin to see how it measures up against some of the best Adobe Photoshop alternatives.

Zoner Studio: Pricing & plans

Zoner Studio is available for a monthly subscription of $5.99, or $59 for the year. A family plan, letting two or more users in the same household use the app, is available for $9.98 a month or $98 a year.

For me, the pricing here is a big plus. There may not be a free version available (although there is a welcome free trial), but the cost is low, especially when compared to Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite of apps. The Photoshop and Lightroom Photography plan is currently priced at $22.99 a month. Your other option would be a tool like Affinity Photo, which has a one-off cost of $70.

The main differences between Zoner Studio and its rivals is that Zoner is only available on Windows machines, and it leans slightly more towards entry-level and intermediate users compared to Affinity Photo and Photoshop’s professional-grade photo editor.

You can check out Zoner Studio by clicking here.

Zoner Studio: First impressions

Zoner Studio during our review

(Image credit: Zoner // Future)
Minimum requirements

Operating system: Windows 10 or Windows 11 64-bit

Processor: Intel or AMD CPU 64-bit with SSE 4.2 support

RAM: 8GB

Storage space: 2GB

Screen resolution: 1280 × 800

If you’re familiar with photo editing software, you’ll have no problems navigating Zoner Studio. And, if you’re not, it’s not especially tricky to figure out - for me, that’s part of the appeal of the app, making it pretty welcoming to new users who want to do more with their photographs.

The main part of the screen is devoted to your selected image, with files and folders beneath, which can be scrolled through with your mouse. It’s a nice touch, making navigation that much easier.

Where new users may come unstuck are the five options to the right of the screen. Manager, Develop, Editor, Print, and Video (ok, those last two are self-explanatory). So, a little exploration wouldn’t go amiss - Zoner does at least feature non-destructive editing, letting you experiment with new tools without irretrievably modifying the original file.

Basically, Manager is for organizing and tagging photos. Develop is Zoner’s take on Lightroom, where you can edit RAW images, and Editor is for all other tweaks you want to make to your media, like adjusting the color temperature, or sharpening images. It’s all nicely laid out and generally easy to find what you’re looking for - and most options are also replicated in menus along the ribbon, which contextually change depending on which mode you’re in.

Zoner Studio: In use

Zoner Studio during our review

(Image credit: Zoner // Future)

Using Zoner Studio isn’t especially tricky, but it may still feel a little overwhelming if you’re new to image editing given the sheer amount of options available here. I’d also advise beginners to hover over the side-panel icons - there are a lot here, and not all of them are especially intuitive, so hovering your mouse will serve up a name and brief description of each.

Your photos automatically appear in Zoner, since there’s a file explorer tab to the left of the screen (there is an import function along the ribbon, too, but I never found the need to use this). These will appear on a timeline at the foot of the main panel. When you’ve selected your image, it can then be edited and adjusted via the Editor tab.

All the familiar tools are here, from cropping and rotating to adding watermarks or directional blurring. As expected, then, there are heaps of tools for toying with the exposure (shadows, contrast, and so on), white balance (temperature and tint), and color (like saturation). I also like the addition of the tone curve, as you’d find in Lightroom, for lightening or darkening an image, or bringing specific color channels to the fore.

Zoner Studio during our review

(Image credit: Zoner // Future)

There’s also a Quick Edit option, which populates the panel with the core tools most photographers and designers use without needing to fumble through the menus. The editing process can further be streamlined with the likes of Quick Fix and, ideal for social media, Quick Filters. All of these work instantly, just a press of the button.

The software includes some AI-powered tools, all of which deliver good results impressively quickly. This includes AI Masking, found in the Develop tab. Choosing this gives you the option to let Zoner automatically select the photo’s subject, background, objects, or sky for fine-tuning. For anyone looking to streamline the workflow, these are must-use tools, and I was pretty pleased with the speed and accuracy here.

One of the stand-outs for me is the AI Background Remover, which I found generally works very well. Once completed, I could then add a color background or create a transparent one for compositing into other images. Occasionally, the process removed elements of the image subject - typically when on darker or a similarly colored backgrounds - but on the whole, I had no serious complaints with this one-click background removal tool.

Perhaps the biggest issue, at least for those looking to make the switch away from Photoshop, is the lack of support for .PSD files. Instead, the software uses its own .ZPS files, which functionally work the same with layers and effects. But there’s no way to import or export Photoshop files into the app.

Overall, Zoner Studio packs in a wealth of tools for photo editing. It will take some getting used to if you’re new (and absolutely no time at all if you’re familiar with any of the best photo editors). But if you don’t need .PSD file support, there’s plenty to like here, especially for the price.

Should I buy Zoner Studio?

Zoner Studio during our review

(Image credit: Zoner // Future)

Buy it if...

You’re new to photo editing: This is a great place to start if you’re new to editing images but want a good amount of powerful tools for bringing out the best in your photos.

You don’t want to spend too much: Zoner Studio is a lot cheaper than Adobe Photoshop or similar pro-grade packages.

Don't buy it if...

You want a basic app: If you’re just looking to crop or brighten images, you’ll find plenty of other options that won’t overwhelm.

You want a professional-level app: Similarly, if you want a pro-level software that delivers the very best results, you’ll get better results from the likes of Photoshop and Lightroom.

CorelDRAW Go review
5:04 pm | July 20, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Comments: Off

If you need to do graphic design, you need dedicated software, ideally installed on a powerful computer.

But CoreDRAW Go is turning that idea on its head, by offering you graphic design software, but from a web browser… so let’s check it out.

CoreDRAW Go: Pricing & plans

CorelDRAW Go during our review

(Image credit: Corel // Future)
  • This is an online service so you can only access it via an ongoing subscription, although the 15-day free trial is welcome, and so’s the 30-day money back guarantee

Being an online service, CorelDRAW is, you’ve guessed it, only available as a subscription, although you do have two options: you can choose to pay on a month by month basis, which would cost you $10 (or £9) each time, or select a yearly contract, which will set you back $100 (or £95).

There are often discounts on offer, like at the time of writing, Corel reduced the price of each of these by 30%. You’re also free to try CorelDRAW Go for 15 days without even having to hand out your credit card details, and Corel do offer a 30-day money back guarantee, should you decide the service isn’t for you.

You can check out CorelDRAW Go by clicking here.

  • Score: 4/5

CoreDRAW Go: Getting started

CorelDRAW Go during our review

(Image credit: Corel // Future)
  • So many templates and presets are available to you to start a new project with ease. It’s just a shame this service is limited to only two browsers

Whether you grab yourself a subscription immediately or dip your toes in with the free trial, you need to also set up an account with Corel. It's free and can be done at the same time, and will allow you to save your projects to a dedicated personal space on Corel’s servers.

One potential issue is the limited number of browsers that CorelDRAW Go supports: it will only work with Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome. If you’re not a fan of either, and prefer one of the other many options, I’m afraid you’re out of luck: choose one of these two, or look for another service.

The first place you get to once logged in, is the Home page. From here, you have the option of starting with a handful of blank presets broken down by category, such as Social Media, Poster, and more, or choose to open a file stored on your computer (only .cdr and .svg files are supported).

The bulk of the Home page however is devoted to Templates, and there are more than just the few on display: click on ‘Explore More Templates’ at the bottom of the page, to reveal hundreds more, all organised by categories, with a handy search field to help find what you’re looking for quicker.

The same is true for those blank Presets. Click on ‘More’ to their right, and find a similar pop-up window with hundreds of options for you to choose from.

  • Score: 3.5/5

CoreDRAW Go: Interface

CorelDRAW Go during our review

(Image credit: Corel // Future)
  • A nicely designed interface that offers nothing new to an experienced user, yet makes it easy to immerse yourself into this service

You’ll find the interface extremely simple and well organised. In fact if you’re familiar with other graphic design apps, you’ll feel right at home in no time, delving into CorelDRAW Go. Your tools are located in three sidebars, two of which are collapsable to increase the space devoted to your project.

On the left you have the various tools you’ll be using all the time, from Shapes, Brushes, and Text, to Stock Assets, the ability to import your own objects, as well as your project’s Settings.

Top right is your Properties panel, where you can change various parameters of a selected item. Lower right, that’s where you have control over your layers, where you can select one, create new ones, move them around, and delete them, lock them to prevent further changes, or hide them.

There’s also a menu at the top where you’ll find undo and redo commands (also accessible via keyboard shortcuts), as well as an export option.

All in all, there’s nothing new here, yet that’s a definite advantage, as the muscle memory you developed elsewhere will be of great value here as well.

  • Score: 4.5/5

CoreDRAW Go: Tools

CorelDRAW Go during our review

(Image credit: Corel // Future)
  • A wide range of tools to help you create complex designs in next to no time

CorelDRAW Go has a wealth of tools to help you create projects, and caters to beginners and advanced users alike. Any creation tools you might need can be found in the sidebar on the left. From there, you have access to a myriad of shapes, brushes and text tools.

Clicking on one of these reveals a secondary menu, where you can choose exactly the one you’re after. The shapes for instance are vectors, so you can resize them, without any loss in quality, until they look perfect for your needs by dragging one of the outside handles, or clicking and dragging on a little dot inside the shape to alter its configuration further.

You can do the same with Stock Assets object. You’ll find thousands of ready-made vector images, and millions of photos to choose from and add to your project, and when it comes to fonts, there are thousands waiting for you, ensuring your designs are as unique as they can be.

Of course, the Properties panel is there to make sure you’re able to change an object's colour, or add a gradient, control its outline, transparency and shadow, easily covering the basics of what you need to do. However, CorelDRAW Go has a few fancy tools up its sleeve. It can, for instance, turn a shape into a ‘Mask Frame’, allowing you to drag an image into it, creating a complex masking effect in seconds.

  • Score: 4.5/5

CoreDRAW Go: Exporting

CorelDRAW Go during our review

(Image credit: Corel // Future)
  • CorelDRAW Go has a surprisingly generous number of exporting options, from dpi to file formats

Once you’ve completed your project, it's time to share it with others. That’s where the Export menu comes into its own. You’re offered various choices, from its size (in pixels), to its resolution (from 72 to 600dpi). You also have a selection of formats, including JPEG, PNG, PDF, and SVG.

All in all, CorelDRAW Go is a well rounded graphic design application which has a wide range of tools to help you create unique projects, but perhaps what’s most impressive, is that you’re doing all of that inside a web page. It’s amazing how far web development has gone that you easily forget you’re not working in a dedicated app installed on your computer.

  • Score: 4.5/5

Should I buy CorelDRAW Go?

CorelDRAW Go during our review

(Image credit: Corel // Future)

Buy it if...

If you’re looking for a graphic design service you can access from anywhere, with a generous number of powerful tools and an interface that’s similar enough to other competing products to hit the ground running.

Don't buy it if...

You don’t fancy subscribing to yet another service, don't like the idea of working within a web browser, or you're using an incompatible browser.

Adobe Scan (2025) review
4:03 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Comments: Off

Taking photos of documents with your phone is an incredibly convenient thing to do. But you know what would be better? Being able to convert those photos into PDFs, recognise the letters on the page, turn them into selectable and editable text, and more.

Now most phones come with a document scanning app that allows you to do some of that, but why not try an app that does it all, like Adobe Scan can?

Adobe Scan: Pricing & plans

Adobe Scan during our review

(Image credit: Adobe // Future)
  • A free app is always enticing, but as expected, the best features are locked behind a paywall. The good news is if you already pay for Creative Cloud, those premium features will be unlocked immediately, otherwise, you’ll have to pay the Adobe Piper

Adobe Scan is free. You can download and install it with ease. You will need an Adobe ID though, which is free too, and you’ll have to log in before you can use Adobe Scan. If you already have another Adobe app on your device, you’ll be automatically logged into your Adobe account when you first launch Adobe Scan.

One thing worth mentioning, is as you’ll be using your phone’s camera through this app, you’ll need to grant it permission to do so first. If you’ve had to do this for other apps, the process is exactly the same: you’ll get a message asking you to ‘Allow’ the app access. Once you’ve done it once, you won’t need to do it again.

Adobe Scan will also ask you for permission to send you notifications messages. This one is less crucial, and you could easily use the app without ever having granted it that capability. Your mileage may vary of course, but don’t we already have far too many notifications on our phones as it is?

Now free Adobe Scan might be, but its more advanced features only come with a subscription. These features include being able to combine files, export to other formats, password protect your files, edit text in scanned documents, and high-speed scanning, among others. Yes, the coolest features are locked behind a paywall. Now if you already have a subscription to Creative Cloud, those features will be unlocked automatically. On its own, Adobe Scan’s premium side will cost you $10 a month (with a free 7-day trial available).

  • Score: 4.5/5

Adobe Scan: Interface

Adobe Scan during our review

(Image credit: Adobe // Future)
  • A simple and well-organized interface with a ridiculously frustrating bug that lets the whole thing down

Adobe Scan’s main interface looks for all the world as a camera app, aside from the various options at the bottom of the screen, which aim to facilitate the type of information you wish to scan. Each is pretty self explanatory. You have Whiteboard, Book, Document, ID Card and Business Card. Each uses the tools in different ways, which we’ll look at further down.

Top left is a ‘Home’ button which takes you to your library of previously scanned documents. This is also where you get to edit the text contained within those documents, and share and export them.

Simple and straightforward enough, although bear in mind this app only works in portrait. Change the phone’s orientation and nothing happens to the interface. Although you can of course take photos in landscape, there is a puzzling and frustrating restriction when in ‘Book’ mode. That option allows you to take the facing pages of a book at the same time, lining up an overlay so you can be sure to capture the left page and the right page as best as possible based on its guides…

Except the overlay restricts you to holding your phone with the camera button on the right. Turn your phone so that button’s on the left and the result is a mess with upside down pages saved in the wrong order which you’ll have to fix manually later. An irritating bug - or is it a feature to primarily annoy left-handers?

  • Score: 3/5

Adobe Scan: Tools

Adobe Scan during our review

(Image credit: Adobe // Future)
  • Lots of nice touches in the app’s various sections, like it being able to automatically scan a page for you, and the copying and editing of a scanned document’s text is unexpected and a great addition

Despite the flaw mentioned above, Adobe Scan is a well organised app, and separating the various functions makes sense when scanning a document. ‘Book’ works well (when your phone is forced in the right orientation) and the app cuts your image into two based on the vertical overlay line in the middle - so make sure your book’s spine is placed in that general area as well. ‘ID Card’ expects the card you’re scanning to have text on both sides, and then combines both shots into a single file for convenience. And ‘Business Card’ will create a new contact for you and place it in your address book, should you want it to.

By default, Adobe Scan will take a shot automatically for you once you’ve positioned your camera over the document correctly, which can help you scan multiple pages in quick succession (although we also ended up having shots of us turning a page if we weren’t quick enough - something we had to fix later). However, you can also override that and take a shot manually yourself.

When it comes to editing, Adobe Scan has a wealth of tools. From the basics, such as deleting unwanted pages, or reordering them, to more intricate features such as cleaning up an image, adjusting its brightness and contrast, and erasing unwanted parts of a photo with a ‘magic eraser’ which will attempt to fill the removed area with the same surrounding background.

You also have a markup tool for quick hand drawn annotations, but perhaps the app’s most impressive tools are its OCR capabilities. When you’re in the ‘Edit Text’ mode, Adobe Scan automatically detects the text on the page, and not only does it allow you to copy it, you can also alter the original content, even changing the font, colour and alignment. Being able to password protect your scanned document is also possible, as is the ability to fill in a scanned form and sign it.

All in all, Adobe Scan makes use of many of Acrobat’s premium features, but allows you to take advantage of them on the go, directly from your phone. It’s not perfect and has some frustrating interface decisions, but overall it’s darn good at what it does.

  • Score: 4/5

Should I buy Adobe Scan?

Adobe Scan during our review

(Image credit: Adobe // Future)

Buy it if...

You take a lot of photos of documents, receipts, books, etc, love the idea of copying and editing text from a scanned image, and greatly appreciate how free most of the service is.

Don't buy it if...

You don’t like the tease of giving you some features for free but expect you to rent the best ones on a monthly basis, and you’re happy enough with the tools offered by default on your phone.

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2025 review
4:10 pm | July 19, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Comments: Off

Ever fancy having a collection of software to help you tackle photo editing, page design, and vector illustrations all under one roof? Well that’s what CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2025 is all about.

It's part graphic design software, part photo editor, and one of the most comprehensive alternatives to Adobe Photoshop around. We tried out the latest version to see how it compares to rivals.

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2025: Pricing & plans

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2025 during our review

(Image credit: Corel // Future)
  • The Corel suite is cheaper than a lot of the competition, and on top of that, you also have the option of purchasing a licence, if you prefer that over subscribing. The 15-day trial is also welcome

We know it’s been six years since the momentous occasion, but it’s worth mentioning often: after a 20-year absence from the field, Corel finally made its professional apps compatible once more with the Mac in 2019, and version 2025 is no exception: whether you own a Windows or Mac computer, you can download this suite and test it out free for 15 days by clicking here.

After the trial is up, you’ll need to open your wallet, although unlike companies like Adobe, Corel offers you a choice: a one-time purchase for $549 / £659, or an annual plan, where you pay $22.42 / £26.58 each month (which means a one-time purchase is roughly equivalent to two years of rental, but without any possibility of upgrades, and the loss of some additional features which we’ll explore below).

This price includes PHOTO-PAINT (a Photoshop equivalent) and DRAW (an Illustrator equivalent). Quickly checking the competition, you’ll find subscribing to those two Adobe apps would cost you around twice as much ($45.98 / £45.96), so right there Corel’s offering is a pretty good deal. But what can you do with the suite?

  • Score: 4/5

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2025: The suite

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2025 during our review

(Image credit: Corel // Future)
  • 6 apps, but really only 2 major ones, comprise this suite. The online service is a good addition but it’s only for subscribers, and why couldn’t they include ‘Capture’ with the Mac version, or at least reduce the Mac’s price since it doesn’t include all the apps that are part of the Windows suite?

This Graphic Suite comes with a host of creative apps. The main one, the one the suite borrows its name from, is CorelDRAW. This is a vector illustration and page layout program. If you’re familiar with Adobe Illustrator, it’s similar. CorelDRAW comes with PowerTRACE, which is an AI-powered bitmap-to-vector tracing tool, and is a massive time saver (as all good time-saving AI tools should be).

Next is Corel PHOTO-PAINT, which is Corel’s Photoshop equivalent. With it, you can edit images and create pixel-based projects. Corel Font Manager is an alternative to your computer’s default font management tool which we found fun and easy to use, and also gives you direct access to over 1,000 Google fonts.

CorelDRAW Web, is a browser-based service that lets you create projects online, wherever you may be. There is one drawback to it, mind: it’s only available to customers who subscribe to the suite. Those who opted to purchase their licence are sadly out of that loop.

And finally, there’s Capture, a screen capture tool which is sadly Windows only. Even though Mac users pay the same price for the suite, they end up with 5/6th of what Windows users get. Be that as it way, we’ll take a brief look at the two main apps, PHOTO-PAINT and DRAW.

The integration between all apps in the suite allows for the sharing of numerous features, including Pantone Dualities, which bring powerful colour management between all apps in the suite, designers and printers, through industry recognised palettes.

  • Score: 4/5

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2025: Corel PHOTO-PAINT

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2025 during our review

(Image credit: Corel // Future)
  • We found this image compositing program to be very competent, with tools similar to its competition, even if its way of working is different and will necessitate a bit of a learning curve if you’re used to the way other apps do things

One of the two main apps of this suite is PHOTO-PAINT, which is designed to be as welcoming as it can be. OK, you must sign in (or create an account) before you can use it, but once you’re in, you’ll be greeted with a welcome page offering you numerous online tutorials to help you understand which features are available and how you can make use of them.

Even when you open a file, you’ll find a ‘Learn’ sidebar on the right to guide you through any creative process, but if you don’t need this, just close it to get on with your work.

If you’re familiar with other image compositing tools, it won’t take you long to acquaint yourself with PHOTO-PAINT as the concept is pretty much the same: you have tools in a sidebar on one side, with an inspector sidebar on the other, and contextual parameters above.

You’re offered a range of tools to retouch or enhance an image, and of course create one from scratch. If you’re used to Photoshop or other tools that borrow easily from that program’s interface, you will quickly feel comfortable in PHOTO-PAINT, although there are enough differences to impose a learning curve on you. Still, for most of the basics, you’ll find yourself up and running in no time. All the tools you’d expect are there, from drawing and painting, to selecting, colour correction, filters and effects.

We did find it taxed our computer’s CPU the longer we experimented with it though, forcing us to quickly relaunch the program to resolve the issue - something we haven’t encountered with other image compositing software. Still, it could be because we were using an oldish Mac (a 2019 Intel Core i9 MacBook Pro with 64GB of RAM), but we thought it worth mentioning nonetheless.

  • Score: 4/5

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2025: CorelDRAW

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2025 during our review

(Image credit: Corel // Future)
  • CoreDRAW is an impressive vector-based drawing package with powerful tools, which seamlessly combine bitmap drawings and photos with resolution independent vectors

When you launch CorelDRAW, you’ll be graced with a very similar welcome page to PHOTO-PAINT, along with tutorials and a ‘Learn’ section when you’re in the app proper. This family resemblance extends to file formats, as CorelDRAW can open PHOTO-PAINT documents. The reverse is not as seamless, as the DRAW files need to be converted; DRAW can handle bitmap content just as well as vector ones in its files.

CorelDRAW is a program designed to work with vectors, essentially resolution independent art, represented by mathematical equations. You have at your disposal powerful tools and brushes to design complex artwork which will look sharp and crisp at any resolution. Perhaps the most impressive tool we explored is PowerTRACE, which is fully embedded within CorelDRAW itself.

Its purpose is to convert a bitmap image (i.e. any photo, or any drawing created in PHOTO-PAINT, Photoshop or similar), into a vector equivalent. Depending on your image’s complexity and your computer’s power, it may take a few seconds for the action to complete, but we were highly impressed by the results. We chose particularly complex images, and the output was truly excellent.

Other impressive tools are the Painterly brushes, which allow you to replicate realistic brush strokes inside CorelDRAW: it’s a pixel-based brush tool that’s controlled by vector curves, combining the best of both worlds when it comes to design and illustration. This means you get great detail and effects, which are easily scalable with zero resolution issues. CorelDRAW comes with hundreds of preset brushes but if you feel the urge to own more, there's an online store which you can access via the Welcome screen, where you can purchase additional packs. Also, as yet another incentive to get you to subscribe rather than buy, you’re given a further 100.

A further bonus for subscribers is CorelDRAW Web, which allows you to perform quick edits to projects directly from a compatible web browser, from any machine. You can upload existing work and carry on with this online, or bring projects you started in the browser to further refine in CorelDRAW itself. It’s a very nice touch, and it’s pretty amazing what you can achieve from within a web browser these days - for those who don’t mind renting their software, that is.

  • Score: 4.5/5

Should I buy CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2025

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2025 during our review

(Image credit: Corel // Future)

Buy it if...

You’re looking for an affordable design suite that allows you to work with bitmap pixel-based images, and vectors, work online when you need to, gain access to Google fonts, and even record your screen (PCs only)

Don't buy it if...

All you want is to draw a little and don’t wish to feel overwhelmed with a powerful set of tools with far too many features, and you don’t like that those who buy get fewer features compared to those who subscribe.

DaVinci Resolve 20 (2025) review
5:09 pm | July 18, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Comments: Off

When it comes to professional video editing, the first software that likely comes to mind would be Adobe Premiere Pro; some might come up with Avid Media Composer; Mac users would probably point to Final Cut Pro.

But did you know there’s another option that offers professional grade tools at an unbeatable price? That option is Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve.

It's not just one of the best free video editing software tools out there - it's some of the best video editing software we've ever tested, period. There are no compromises here. Packed with pro-grade features for creative professionals, for what you get here (absolutely loads), it's impressive that it doesn't cost a cent.

DaVinci Resolve: Pricing & plans

  • You can’t beat free, especially for a professional-grade product, but if you want even more power, then grab the ‘Studio’ version for just under $300

Why does it have an unbeatable price? Put simply, because it's free. That’s right: you don’t pay anything to get your hands on a powerful video editor, which also comes with media management, impressive colour grading, compositing and sound editing tools, and not an ad or watermark in sight.

How can such a tool be free? Likely because it's heavily subsided by Blackmagic Design’s extensive hardware portfolio. But surely it must have some limitations, right? Well yes, there are, but frankly they may not be seen as a hindrance to most editors: the biggest limitation is restricting exports to 4K and 60fps.

If that clashes with your workflow, then you should consider DaVinci Resolve Studio, which raises the ceiling to 32K and 120fps, and includes a host of other advances features, including HDR10+ formats, digital cinema packages for theatrical distribution, including a host of advanced AI tools which have been released with version 20. Studio will cost you just under $300 - all future updates, large or small, are included in that one-off fee.

This review’s focus is on the free version, which you can download for your PC, Mac and Linux machine, which you can get by clicking here.

  • Score: 4.5/5

DaVinci Resolve: Interface

Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve during our review

(Image credit: Blackmagic Design // Future)
  • A wealth of editing tools wrapped inside a very well organised interface, coupled with detailed online video tutorials. Perfect for pros and novices alike

DaVinci Resolve is a big app. As we’ve mentioned above, not only can you edit a video project with it, but you have access to other features that would often be offered as a separate dedicated program. In order to facilitate working with so many tools, Resolve is broken down into seven different categories, which are referred to as ‘Pages’.

These are organized in the order in which your project progresses: you import and sort out your clips in the ‘Media’ page, then use ‘Cut’ or ‘Edit’ to build your project; after that, ‘Fusion’ is where you assemble complex special effects, followed by ‘Color’ for colour correction, ‘Fairlight’ to work on your audio, and finally, ‘Deliver’ to export your work and share it with others.

It’s all very well designed and straightforward, with perhaps the exception of ‘Cut’ and ‘Edit’. Why would anyone need two separate pages to cut a movie? The answer is simple: one is to do quick work, while the other offers more tools and additional precision. ‘Cut’ can also be seen as an introduction to Resolve, for those with little to no previous experience with video editing.

You can easily switch from one to the other, using tools in ‘Edit’ that aren’t available in ‘Cut’, then moving back to ‘Cut’ to carry on in a simplified environment (you can still see the effects of the tools you used in ‘Edit’ even if you can’t access and alter these effects while in ‘Cut’).

If you’re an experienced editor, you’ll acclimatise to Resolve’s way of working in little time, but newcomers to this art might well feel overwhelmed by the sheer power at their disposal - this is not your basic run of the mill limited free app.

But don't panic and run for the hills, as this software can and does grow with your skills and confidence - being able to switch between the basic ‘Cut’ to the more advanced ‘Edit’ is testament to that. And to help you on your journey, Blackmagic Design offer a detailed series of tutorials, complete with project files, on their website, again, completely for free (click here).

  • Score: 5/5

DaVinci Resolve: Features

Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve during our review

(Image credit: Blackmagic Design // Future)
  • So many new features designed to improve, enhance and add to your editing experience. Sadly (but unsurprisingly) the best ones are kept for paying customers

DaVinci Resolve was recently updated to version 20, and the number of new and improved features is huge - the list is far too long for us to discuss each in turn. Instead, you can check what’s new here. We’ll discuss here the ones that struck a chord with us the most.

Version 19 was released only a year ago, and the improvements are stark… although, as you’d expect, Blackmagic Design have unsurprisingly kept the best for their paid-for Studio version. Need another incentive to upgrade? How about getting Studio to automatically edit a Multicam project for you? Or get it to retime a score so it fits the exact length you’re after? Or how about feeding it a script and let AI edit a scene for you based on the clips you’ve imported, complete with multiple takes spread across multiple layers so you can choose between them?

But fret not: the free version of Resolve also comes with a host of new and very useful features, which will greatly improve your workflow. For instance, you can now (finally!) easily extract a multi-layered PSD file and work with its layers individually in the Edit page’s timeline (prior to 20, this was only possible in the Fusion page).

Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve during our review

(Image credit: Blackmagic Design // Future)

You can record a voice over directly from the Cut and Edit pages, with controls located just above the timeline. You’ve even got numerous options, such as a countdown timer, being able to choose from all connected microphones (even your iPhone), where to save the recording and on which layer to display it, for instance.

The text tools have received some love too. Your text can (finally!) wrap inside a text box, and there’s a new ‘multi text’ clip within which multiple text boxes can be created, enabling you to create complex titles without cluttering your timeline.

If you’re working with multiple timelines within a single project, you’ll likely appreciate being able to open a second one in the source viewer. This is nothing new, but 20 allows you to also edit that timeline from there, enabling you to see two timelines at once, switch between them and edit either (to help you differentiate them, the playhead changes colour from red to blue depending on which timeline you’re in).

Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve during our review

(Image credit: Blackmagic Design // Future)

And we’ve got just enough time to gush over the revamped keyframe tools. They’ve been greatly improved and are now available in multiple locations, depending on your preferred way of working.

You can see them top left, either as a list, or as curves (which makes it so much easier to tweak them - you can even hold down the shift key to restrict their movement, allowing for much greater precision). These keyframes are also available in the timeline itself, giving you a greater visual feel for how they affect the clips in question.

Let’s be honest: this is just scratching the surface. Blackmagic Design have worked hard to deliver a significant update to Resolve (and especially Resolve Studio), and despite the fact the best tools are reserved for paying customers, those on an extremely tight budget haven’t been abandoned.

Resolve is an incredibly powerful application, with complex tools, from video editing, to image compositing, colour correction and audio manipulation. If you’re serious about filmmaking but have to watch your budget, downloading DaVinci Resolve should be a no brainer.

  • Score: 4/5

Should I try DaVinci Resolve?

Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve during our review

(Image credit: Blackmagic Design // Future)

Try it if...

You need a professional grade video editing solution with advanced compositing tools, audio manipulation, extensive colour correction, and you’re on a seriously tight budget

Don't try it if...

You don’t like free software with no ads and no watermark. Seriously, the only reason you shouldn’t try it is if you’re not interested in video editing.

For more creative software, we've tested and reviewed the best video editing software for beginners and the best video editing apps for mobile devices.

« Previous PageNext Page »