WorldRemit is just one of many different money transfer services that have become increasingly popular, especially since coronavirus has taken hold. Money transfer services are perfect for moving funds around, and thanks to quite a lot of competition they're now a relatively cheap and easy way of getting the job done. WorldRemit was set up in 2010, is headquartered in London and sits in the same marketplace as the likes of Azimo, Transferwise, CurrencyFair, Lebara Money Transfer, PayPal, Zelle and other competitors.
You can access the service online using a web browser or app and the company aims to provide competitive prices if you’re looking to send money overseas. This is particularly so when WorldRemit put up against traditionally major players in the money transfer marketplace, such as Western Union.
You can use WorldRemit to transfer money via a web browser or using its app (Image credit: WorldRemit)
Pricing
WorldRemit offers plenty of different ways to pay for your transfer such as cards, including debit, credit and prepaid options, bank transfer, Poli, Interac, iDEAL, Klarna, Apple Pay and Trustly. WorldRemit doesn’t accept Google Pay any longer though. When it comes to determining just how much you’ll pay for a transfer then a good practical way to establish this is to use the WorldRemit site to set up your transaction and then view the resulting costs that will be shown.
The pricing is not completely black and white due to the variables involved with sending cash from different countries to other locations around the globe. Costs can also fluctuate depending on the transfer method you’re employing and what the currency is. Nevertheless, WorldRemit still gets praised for its affordability levels.
Moving money can be done in just a few simple steps (Image credit: WorldRemit)
Features
If you’re looking for plenty of options when it comes to transferring money then WorldRemit is a good bet. Currently the service allows you to send money from over 50 countries to more than 150. This is helped by the way that WorldRemit has partnered with the likes of M-Pesa, EcoCash, MTN, Metrobank and others.
Convenience is a big part of transferring money and WorldRemit is pretty good at offering a smooth and seamless experience, with transfers that can be received as bank deposits, often within 10 minutes, a cash pickup, mobile money or even an airtime top-up. If you’re likely to send money to the same people on a regular basis then it’s possible to build up a contact list of recipients.
WorldRemit will also send both you and the recipient of the funds an SMS or email alert once a transfer has completed, while the service is FCA approved and fully licensed. In addition, WorldRemit employs the latest technology standards to protect customer transfers.
WorldRemit offers a variety of ways to transfer money with some taking as little as 10 minutes (Image credit: WorldRemit)
Performance
Being a web-based money transfer solution, WorldRemit offers a quick and efficient means of moving funds. All you need to do is create an account by registering on the site. Alternatively, the app for either iOS or Android makes a good option too as it offers that little bit more mobile convenience.
Considering WorldRemit offers an array of different transfer methods, including bank transfer, cash pickup, mobile money, WorldRemit Wallet and AirTime Top-Up the service has been nicely engineered to work effectively across all options.
WorldRemit has a handy Help Hub to help if you have any transfer questions (Image credit: WorldRemit)
Ease of use
Using WorldRemit is just as easy as transferring money with many of the other services in this arena. Core actions for getting the job done involve selecting a destination for the money transfer, confirming the service, choosing the amount of money that you want to move and adding a recipient for the funds. You’ll then need to specify a payment method and, once you’ve done that you should be good to go. There’s not much more to it than that.
There are solid support options available too if you need to contact WorldRemit (Image credit: WorldRemit)
Support
Although there’s not a huge amount of work involved with transferring money WorldRemit still offers piece of mind by having a Help Hub within its website. Inside here you can find answers to any queries you might have about the service and its capabilities.
There are frequently asked questions, which cover most topics and there’s a neat little chat-style tool in the bottom left of your web browser that does a fine job of helping you with quick pointers along the way.
This virtual assistant also pings up helpful videos on core points. If the FAQs and Chat solutions don't hit the spot then there are email and phone options, with numbers available for all of the geographical regions served by WorldRemit.
Final verdict
WorldRemit is a practical money transfer solution for all kinds of users and will appeal especially to individuals who don't have easy access to everyday banking services. WorldRemit has developed a useful selection of options that make it quick and easy to transfer funds, including mobile to mobile, which adds a useful variation to the money moving theme.
Having been authorized by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority the service is carefully regulated, while WorldRemit itself has strong connections with international partners. The benefit of this is that the transfer services it offers are competitively priced and, invariably, pretty efficient too. There’s plenty of choice in the money transfer market and WorldRemit is doing a good job of convincing many that it’s as good an option to use as any.
WorldRemit is just one of many different money transfer services that have become increasingly popular, especially since coronavirus has taken hold. Money transfer services are perfect for moving funds around, and thanks to quite a lot of competition they're now a relatively cheap and easy way of getting the job done. WorldRemit was set up in 2010, is headquartered in London and sits in the same marketplace as the likes of Azimo, Transferwise, CurrencyFair, Lebara Money Transfer, PayPal, Zelle and other competitors.
You can access the service online using a web browser or app and the company aims to provide competitive prices if you’re looking to send money overseas. This is particularly so when WorldRemit put up against traditionally major players in the money transfer marketplace, such as Western Union.
You can use WorldRemit to transfer money via a web browser or using its app (Image credit: WorldRemit)
Pricing
WorldRemit offers plenty of different ways to pay for your transfer such as cards, including debit, credit and prepaid options, bank transfer, Poli, Interac, iDEAL, Klarna, Apple Pay and Trustly. WorldRemit doesn’t accept Google Pay any longer though. When it comes to determining just how much you’ll pay for a transfer then a good practical way to establish this is to use the WorldRemit site to set up your transaction and then view the resulting costs that will be shown.
The pricing is not completely black and white due to the variables involved with sending cash from different countries to other locations around the globe. Costs can also fluctuate depending on the transfer method you’re employing and what the currency is. Nevertheless, WorldRemit still gets praised for its affordability levels.
Moving money can be done in just a few simple steps (Image credit: WorldRemit)
Features
If you’re looking for plenty of options when it comes to transferring money then WorldRemit is a good bet. Currently the service allows you to send money from over 50 countries to more than 150. This is helped by the way that WorldRemit has partnered with the likes of M-Pesa, EcoCash, MTN, Metrobank and others.
Convenience is a big part of transferring money and WorldRemit is pretty good at offering a smooth and seamless experience, with transfers that can be received as bank deposits, often within 10 minutes, a cash pickup, mobile money or even an airtime top-up. If you’re likely to send money to the same people on a regular basis then it’s possible to build up a contact list of recipients.
WorldRemit will also send both you and the recipient of the funds an SMS or email alert once a transfer has completed, while the service is FCA approved and fully licensed. In addition, WorldRemit employs the latest technology standards to protect customer transfers.
WorldRemit offers a variety of ways to transfer money with some taking as little as 10 minutes (Image credit: WorldRemit)
Performance
Being a web-based money transfer solution, WorldRemit offers a quick and efficient means of moving funds. All you need to do is create an account by registering on the site. Alternatively, the app for either iOS or Android makes a good option too as it offers that little bit more mobile convenience.
Considering WorldRemit offers an array of different transfer methods, including bank transfer, cash pickup, mobile money, WorldRemit Wallet and AirTime Top-Up the service has been nicely engineered to work effectively across all options.
WorldRemit has a handy Help Hub to help if you have any transfer questions (Image credit: WorldRemit)
Ease of use
Using WorldRemit is just as easy as transferring money with many of the other services in this arena. Core actions for getting the job done involve selecting a destination for the money transfer, confirming the service, choosing the amount of money that you want to move and adding a recipient for the funds. You’ll then need to specify a payment method and, once you’ve done that you should be good to go. There’s not much more to it than that.
There are solid support options available too if you need to contact WorldRemit (Image credit: WorldRemit)
Support
Although there’s not a huge amount of work involved with transferring money WorldRemit still offers piece of mind by having a Help Hub within its website. Inside here you can find answers to any queries you might have about the service and its capabilities.
There are frequently asked questions, which cover most topics and there’s a neat little chat-style tool in the bottom left of your web browser that does a fine job of helping you with quick pointers along the way.
This virtual assistant also pings up helpful videos on core points. If the FAQs and Chat solutions don't hit the spot then there are email and phone options, with numbers available for all of the geographical regions served by WorldRemit.
Final verdict
WorldRemit is a practical money transfer solution for all kinds of users and will appeal especially to individuals who don't have easy access to everyday banking services. WorldRemit has developed a useful selection of options that make it quick and easy to transfer funds, including mobile to mobile, which adds a useful variation to the money moving theme.
Having been authorized by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority the service is carefully regulated, while WorldRemit itself has strong connections with international partners. The benefit of this is that the transfer services it offers are competitively priced and, invariably, pretty efficient too. There’s plenty of choice in the money transfer market and WorldRemit is doing a good job of convincing many that it’s as good an option to use as any.
DriverFinder is brought to you by California software engineer DeskToolsSoft Inc. Like many others on the market, it's a driver updater that scans your PC for missing or out-of-date device drivers. By identifying your system accurately, DriverFinder can pinpoint the drivers most suitable for your devices and operating system. You can also download and install drivers from within the program.
DriverFinder promises fast download speeds and a library of over one million drivers. But how does it fare upon closer examination? In this DriverFinder review, we test whether it’s one of the best driver update software choices available today.
These are DriverFinder's plans and prices (Image credit: DeskToolsSoft)
DriverFinder: Plans and pricing
You can install the software for free from the DriverFinder website. However, to actually scan for missing drivers, you need to purchase a license. The free version lets you find missing and outdated drivers, download individual drivers, and manually install individual drivers but other features are restricted, including automatic driver installs and access to technical support.
If you do decide to plump for the paid version, there are three licenses to choose from: Basic, Premium, and Lifetime. All plans unlock all features, with the only differences between the payment systems being the duration of the license and the number of PCs that it can be activated on.
The Basic plan is the cheapest option at $29.95 for a one-year license for a single PC. Premium provides a two-year license for three PCs, costing $39.90. Finally, a Lifetime license costs $199.97. All come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
With DriverFinder, you can back up your drivers to an external device (Image credit: DeskToolsSoft)
Features
DriverFinder supports both plugged and unplugged devices, so you can update hardware such as an MP3 player, webcam, or external hard drive. You can even do this without having the device connected to your computer.
The database includes more than a million drivers, with DeskToolsSoft stating that this database is constantly growing. Drivers are delivered via Amazon Web Services, so driver download speeds should always be fast.
The Driver Backup and Restore features are straightforward but useful if you need to back up a specific driver or indeed, all of them. Backups can be loaded onto an external device, such as a flash drive or external HDD. You can then later restore your files from the backup location. This is useful because sometimes, driver updates can cause your device to start operating incorrectly. With the backup functionality, you can easily roll back the driver to before you updated.
Other features that come with a paid version of Driver Updater include a unique combination for its driver recommendation, made up of automated crawlers, electronic driver file analyzers, and manual checks by computer professionals that take place before any driver file is added to the DriverFinder database. DriverFinder is also self-updating so whenever you launch DriverFinder, you will be asked to download the latest version of the application.
With the unregistered version of DriverFinder, you can’t scan for driver updates (Image credit: DeskToolsSoft)
Interface and in use
DriverFinder’s interface is direct and easy to navigate. With just a few clicks, you can access almost all of its features, such as scanning, backing up, restoring drivers, viewing your system and device list, and accessing the software’s settings. With its minimalist interface and simple driver installation process, everyone can quickly master DriverFinder. The program also works on a wide range of operating systems, including Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, and 11. The installation file size is tiny too, so it won't clog up your device storage.
However, one of DriverFinder’s major flaws is that it lacks an "Install All" button. While you can download all drivers at once, you still need to manually select each update to install, which can be time-consuming if you have numerous updates.
DriverFinder has an online support center with an email ticketing system (Image credit: DeskToolsSoft)
Support
Support is available from various avenues within the support center. You can also retrieve your DriverFinder license details from here. There are also a host of knowledge base articles, such as how to fix missing audio in Windows 11, how to create a system restore point, and finding the latest version of the program.
If you have a specific query, raising an email ticket is your best option, as this puts you directly in touch with a customer service representative. We tested the email ticket support and received a response to our login-related query within approximately 15 hours. This response time aligns with DriverFinder’s 24-hour response policy. You can also check the status here of your ticket for extra transparency.
For insight on how to use DriverFinder, it's easy to locate written and downloadable content through the knowledge base. Here, you’ll find a series of downloads and updates, how-to guides, and a catalog of frequently asked questions. It’s relatively simple but covers all the important points.
The competition
There are several good alternatives to DriverFinder. Driver Booster 8 has more features, and you can run driver scans in the trial version. It beats DriverFinder in terms of pricing too, with a one-year license for three PCs costing $22.95.
If you like the relative simplicity of DriverFinder, we recommend Driver Reviver. In our testing, it performed well, finding all the out-of-date drivers on our Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 PCs. It also has an Update All button that you can use to update all your drivers at once, making it more convenient than DriverFinder.
Final verdict
DriverFinder is driver update software that works but comes with a few flaws. Its large driver database and precision scanning technology are not enough to bring it in line with the best driver update software available today.
DriverFinder lacks features typical of a driver updater, such as an Install All button. Also, there’s no way to test if the software will work for your needs without buying it. The trial version of DriverFinder comes with heavily reduced speeds and lacks technical support. If either of these are deal-breakers for you, you'll need to take the gamble that buying the software will solve your driver problems.
DriverFinder is eclipsed by better software that you can buy for a lower price. But it is at least easy to use and has interesting features, like Backup and Restore functionality.
As the name suggests, UK2 is a UK-based host, headquartered in London, and it has been in the web hosting industry since 1998. During more than two decades of operation they’ve registered more than one million of domain names of websites in more than 200 locations around the globe, so there is definitely a reason why they are considered one of the largest web hosting companies in the UK and why they're listed on our best UK web hosting guide.
The UK2’s main website is not quite as intuitive as it should be and many users might spend considerable time navigating around while forgetting what they were looking for in the first place. The first search window you encounter upon entering the site isn’t related to knowledgebase, FAQ or similar information source, but rather a way to check availability of your desired domain name. If anything, the website is responsive and appears to be updated regularly.
UK2 has a decent-looking blog filled with the various interrelated subjects, some of which are highlighted by the criteria of popularity and publication date. It appears to be active and updated on a monthly basis.
As for the social media, they have presence at Facebook and Twitter, and both profiles seem to be active and available for customer interaction.
Pricing
Upon entering the site, you will be offered a hosting a plan that is currently on sale with details about pricing, discount and additional features. Scroll down and you will be prompted to “design your perfect hosting solution” by picking the options that define you as a user and your professional requirements. Following this, you’ll be offered three hosting plans that ought to suit your needs, varying by the hosting type, price and added features. Basic shared hosting, WordPress, Cloud, Managed, SSD VPS and dedicated server are all at your disposal.
UK2's basic and most budget-friendly Starter WordPress plan starts at £4.99 ($6.47) a month, but if you choose a year or two, the monthly price drops to mere £2.00 ($2.59) which is £23.95 ($31.06) for a whole year or £47.90 ($62.12) for two. This will get you one domain name, access to FTP, 5GB SSD Disk Space, five 10GB Pro IMAP Emails, Cloudflare CDN (which is always included with WordPress hosting plans) as well as backups and automatic malware removal.
UK2 offers a variety of plans to meet your hosting needs (Image credit: UK2)
If you are more ambitious, you could go with Business Hosting, which will allow you to build up to a 100-page website and up to 1000 x 10GB email addresses to share with your contacts and customers, all within reasonable prices. All previously mentioned plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Although VPS Cloud Hosting is consider to be aimed at the tech-savvy, UK2 will throw in “state-of-the-art” cPanel and first-rate 24/7 customer support to make everything much easier.
When paying methods are concerned, the options include direct debit, debit/credit card and PayPal, which is more than what is usually available.
Ease of use
Upon picking out your plan, you’ll be immediately offered a few add-ons such as Website SEO Guru (a marketing tool) or SiteLock (which should improve security of your website) and all for an extra price. After this, you’ll be prompted to choose your domain or use an existing one, add your personal details and select a paying method. At every step of the way, a “Having problems?” window will pop up, offering you to contact customer service via telephone or live chat, which may be needed because some parts of the process are not as intuitive as they could be.
While selecting the paying method you are offered a checkbox choice to store it, which is quite refreshing to see. The last step is creating an account password monitored by quite rigorous strength meter, after which the sign-up process is finalized.
UK2 lets you manage your website with the industry standard cPanel (Image credit: UK2)
Since UK2 uses an industry-standard cPanel, if you’ve used web hosts in the past and are familiar with the layout, you’ll have no trouble navigating around. Even if you haven’t, cPanel makes for a largely easy-to-use experience. If you’ve selected VPS or a dedicated server, you’ll be able to decide between a selection of cPanels, depending on whether you use Windows or Linux as an operating system.
In any case, with CPanel you’ll be able to efficiently monitor and manage everything, from variety of tools and add-ons to domain, checking or changing your account details, upgrading your hosting plan or contacting your customer service. Installing WordPress, MediaWIki, Magento, Softaculous or similar apps is only a click or two away.
Although the UK2 doesn’t provide any kind of website builder with its standard account, the website builder feature is offered through the main website and throws in social media integration, search engine optimization, editing tool for digital media and SSL certificate with support, which is always nice to have.
We used GTmetrix to measure the performance of our UK2 site (Image credit: GTmetrix)
Speed and experience
Following the test run with GTmetrix, we found that UK2 passed the speed trial, at least judging by the performance of their main site. It took 6.9 seconds to fully load from the average of 8.2 and 74 requests from the average of 89, which shows a good performance.
Interestingly, when it comes to uptime, UK2 doesn’t make any definite promises, besides pointing out that “performance and ultimate uptime are their top priority”. Despite that, during the uptime test that run over two weeks on their main website, we recorded no downtime at all and an insignificant amount of oscillations. Although the period we tested is relatively short for a definitive judgment to be made, all things considered, UK2 is clearly off to a good start.
UK2's knowledgebase has some helpful articles but finding them can be difficult (Image credit: UK2)
Support
On first impression, the knowledgebase is as confusing as the main site. They offer an alphabetical index in the center of the page, a list of “Recently updated articles” on the right and the tree of categories on the left side. To find a desired piece of information you’ll need to make your way through several subcategories. In its defense, there is search box in the top right corner, but that will get you plenty of articles that only deal with topics in brief, so you will be forced to invest more time in your research.
To avoid that, you could, as suggested on the same page, simply contact the customer support. Luckily, UK2 provides 24/7 support 365 days a year via telephone, live chat or ticket and it is truly one of the highlights of the company’s offer.
UK2 Help Centre currently doesn’t have a support forum.
The competition
Both UK2 and Tsohost are web hosting companies originating from the UK and with more than decade of experience behind them. They offer more than a decent array of features and extras, a newbie-friendly approach, as well as competent support. However, cPanel that Tsohost offers is their customized version, so if you are looking for the industry-standardized one, UK2 might be a right choice for you.
Bluehost is an equally competent host from the US, with years of experience behind them, a great deal of features on offer, more budget-friendly prices than UK2 and all of their plans including unlimited bandwidth. Therefore, if data centers inside the UK are not a must for you, Bluehost can provide you with everything you are looking for.
UK2 as well as Hostgator are newbie-friendly, but all plans offered by the latter include a free website builder, which is a great tool to have at the start. In addition, although both of them offer 24/7 support, Hostgator’s website is more user-friendly and its knowledgebase is better organized, so if that matters to you, Hostgator might be an ideal choice.
Hostinger also have some really great value VPS plans but they're unmanaged. They may not be a UK hosting brand but they do have servers in the UK and a range to top hosting features for beginners.
Final verdict
UK2 certainly isn’t the most affordable host to have, but it offers competent customer service and a cPanel packed with helpful tools which will boost the morale for beginners. If you want all of the abovementioned features with the addition of unmetered bandwidth and more budget-friendly prices, then Hostgator or Bluehost could be a more suitable choice for you.
Uninstalling software on Windows 11 is straightforward, but not always successful. To combat the various bits of data and registry entries that get left behind, various third-party tools are available.
One of these is Advanced Uninstaller PRO, developed by Innovative Solutions. Based in Bucharest, Romania, this software company has been producing Windows utilities since 2000, although Advanced Uninstaller PRO currently appears to be its only product.
To find out if this is the uninstaller utility that will work for you, we’ve reviewed the software based on pricing, features, usability, customer support options, and how it compares with competing apps.
Almost all of the functionality from Advanced Uninstaller PRO can be enjoyed for free.
While it has a subscription option (in the form of a Daily Health Check), which adds startup virus detection, application leftover cleanup, priority support, Windows log files removal, and Windows memory dump cleaning, the main purpose of the tool and its features can be used without this.
The Daily Health Check has three options available. The 30-day plan is $14, the 1-year plan is $29, and the 2-year plan is $39. Note that various discounts may be available depending on what promotions are available at a given time.
Note that the paid option is essentially a scheduler that automates the app’s main features to run on a daily basis.
Payment is via credit card, PayPal, wire transfer, or Webmoney. Note that payments are recurring, with repeat subscription fees charged at the end of the billing period.
Advanced uninstaller pro: Features
(Image credit: Advanced Uninstaller PRO)
Advanced Uninstaller PRO is arguably the most feature-packed free tool of this type we’ve reviewed.
In addition to the standard uninstall option, various file and registry management options are also included.
Uninstall programs
The core purpose of Advanced Uninstaller PRO is to remove software from your computer without a trace, which it does via the primary feature. However, it does this by first initiating the uninstall wizard of the software you wish to remove. This is then followed by Advanced Uninstaller PRO closing for the completion of the uninstall, without subsequently restarting automatically. As such, you don’t immediately know if the uninstall has worked without restarting and checking.
We tested by uninstalling an app and a Microsoft update for the Edge browser. Both were removed, with the update requiring further interaction as it was extracted from the registry.
We noticed that, unlike some other tools, Advanced Uninstaller PRO does not remove pre-installed Windows 11 software.
General tools
Various general tools include a Windows startup manager, easy access to the Windows services (usually accessed via the Windows Computer Management interface), and a Start Menu cleaner. There is also a Monitored Installations tool to help you keep an eye on how software is uninstalled, maintain a log, and use that log for complete removal.
File and registry tools
In many ways, Advanced Uninstaller PRO is a complete Windows app and file management tool, and this is never more evident than in the selection of utilities it offers a duplicate file checker, file compression, a file shredder, and a tool for cleaning up temporary files. A collection of three registry tools is also included: a cleaner, an optimizer, and a backup and restore tool. Temporary internet files can also be removed with this software.
System requirements
We were unable to find specific hardware minimums for Advanced Uninstaller PRO. However, the software is specifically stated as running on Windows 11 and Windows 7 through 10. It also apparently runs on Windows XP and Windows Vista and is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit Windows versions.
Quirky user interface
The first thing you notice running this software (and from the accompanying screenshots) is the odd user interface. Evoking the Windows XP era, you get the feeling that a “one hat fits all” approach has been taken here. The result is software that boasts features and performance but stands out (in the wrong way) alongside other software.
We’d even go so far as to say that the way Advanced Uninstaller PRO looks might put you off. It shouldn’t, but there may be an inevitability about it...
Advanced uninstaller pro: Interface and in use
Advanced Uninstaller has a big, bright interface right out of the Windows 98 era. Its varied tools are spread across four menus, and nothing about it is too complicated to understand. A major feature of the Uninstall Programs tool is the ability to queue up multiple uninstalls at once. This can save time if you have a long list of programs that you want to get rid of. We were able to uninstall 29 programs in a row, only needing to click a button occasionally.
However, Advanced Uninstaller PRO works on the assumption that each uninstall is successful. When something goes wrong when you’re uninstalling a program, you’re not presented with any alternative options for removing it. You do have the option to run a cleanup scan after each uninstall, and invariably, Advanced Uninstaller PRO will find a few stray registry entries or files.
By default, Advanced Uninstaller PRO runs a service in the background that watches for the uninstallation of programs. It scans for any files and registry entries left over. In practice, we found that this resulted in constant disk checking that slowed down our test machine. Thankfully, you can disable it in the Settings menu.
Advanced uninstaller pro: Support
(Image credit: Advanced Uninstaller PRO)
Should you have a problem using Advanced Uninstaller PRO, your options are limited. While other apps have comprehensive support portals, Innovative Solutions provides a simple web form for you to complete with your details and queries. A response can be expected “within two business days.”
While priority support is available for paid users, the lack of any substantial support materials is surprising and disappointing.
Advanced uninstaller pro: Competition
The Windows app uninstaller market is split between paid tools and free software with paid versions. So, you might opt for something like Bulk Crap Uninstaller, Ashampoo Uninstaller, or IObit Uninstaller PRO, or prefer something that doesn’t require a subscription for long-term use, such as Wise Program Uninstaller, Geek Uninstaller, or Advanced Uninstaller PRO.
It is important to recognize that third-party uninstaller tools should all have the same basic level of functionality. The additional features and any bells and whistles in the subscription or support area are what typically set them apart.
Advanced Uninstaller PRO’s dated appearance and lack of support options are definitely factors that might leave you looking elsewhere. But its basic app removal and general performance features are in its favor.
Advanced uninstaller pro: Final verdict
Poor support options let this software suite down, and the user interface is friendlier to those fond of Windows XP. But if you can get past those issues, you will have the pleasure of using an almost complete suite of Windows file removal and data deletion utilities.
The paid scheduler option is only necessary if you need specific tasks to be checked or performed on a daily basis. Otherwise, Advanced Uninstaller PRO will find the apps you want to remove and delete all related data and registry entries. No, it won’t handle Windows’ preinstalled apps and games, but otherwise, it functions as required.
• Original review date: October 2020
• Launch price: $499 / £499 / AU$879
• Target price: As above
Update: February 2024. The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo is an update to one of the best turntables available (the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, which is itself based on the firm's original Debut, launched in 1999) and despite being a fair chunk of money more than its older 2017 sibling, this September 2020 looker is easily still worthy of a spot in our guide. It's devoid of preamp (so you're going to need one) and it's not the deck for your if you want Bluetooth connectivity (look to the Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2) or new-fangled Sonos connectivity (see the Victrola Stream Carbon) but what it does do exceptionally well is play your vinyl records, within a hi-fi system. And that is timeless – because vinyl is going nowhere. The day will likely come when a turntable arrives that can do this specific job marginally better for the same money. But Pro-Ject can rest assured that it still hasn't happened yet. The rest of this review remains as previously published.
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo: Two-minute review
Pro-Ject introduced its first Debut turntable at the end of the last century, and it’s been refined, upgraded, and become increasingly expensive ever since. This Debut Carbon Evo is the most refined and upgraded model so far – and it’s also the most expensive.
In terms of specification, though, the Pro-Ject goes a long way towards justifying its price. The carbon fibre tonearm is supplied with a very capable Ortofon (or Sumika) cartridge. A new motor design, some damped and adjustable feet, and automatic speed change contribute no end to improved performance and improved ergonomics. And with a choice of nine finishes, including five very attractive new ‘satin’ options, there’s sure to be a Debut Carbon Evo to fit in with your interior decor choices.
Setting up is simple: attach the drive belt, put on the platter, and attach counter- and antiskate weights to that single-piece tonearm. Attach to your wider system with the high-quality phono leads that are included, plug into the mains, and you’re good to go.
(Image credit: TechRadar)
And it doesn’t matter the sort of music you like to listen to – the Debut Carbon Evo laps it up. In every circumstance it’s a detailed and revealing listen, able to focus on the minutiae even as it describes the complete picture completely convincingly.
It has all the warmth and weight the vinyl format is famous for, but it’s not musclebound and it doesn’t get bogged down – instead it simply motors along in the most natural way imaginable. There’s a sort of instinctive correctness to the way the Pro-Ject makes music that goes a long way to explaining why vinyl has endured as a format all these many decades.
It’s not the last word in absolute precision, and there are other similarly priced turntables that offer a little more bite and aggression. But if you value a smooth, informative ride from a beautifully engineered and nice-looking record player, don’t spend any money until you’ve heard the Debut Carbon Evo.
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo: Price and release date
Available now
$499 / £499 / AU$879
The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo is on sale now, and priced at $499 / £449 / AU$879. That makes it far less of an entry-level proposition than 1999’s original Debut – but then Pro-Ject has covered off the entry level with its Elemental and Primary models, while the Debut Carbon Evo is a much better specified device than the original Debut could dream of being.
At this price, the Pro-Ject goes up against some very capable and very well-regarded alternatives. The likes of Rega (with its Planar 2) and Thorens (and its TD190-2) are ready to turn your head – but Pro-Ject’s reputation is the equal of that of any competitor, and the company is always an option at this sort of money.
(Image credit: TechRadar)
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo: Design
Carbon fibre tonearm
Ortofon 2M Red cartridge
Choice of nine (!) finishes
Nobody in their right mind messes with the design of a turntable, do they? Ever since the record player did away with the need for a trumpet horn, they’ve all looked the same (apart from those self-consciously ‘wacky’ designs that are odd for the sake of it). A record player is a rectangle with a circle on it – and, if you’re feeling adventurous, a plastic dust-cover on the top.
And that’s how it is with the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo. At a glance, it looks just like every other record player – certainly it looks enough like the original Debut Carbon from 2017 to make you wonder why the price has risen from the original’s $400 / £349 / AU$550. But like pretty much every record player, a lot of your money goes on the stuff you can’t see: the bearing, the motor, the damping and all the other necessities.
The Debut Carbon Evo has – ahem – evolved from the original Debut Carbon in a number of places. The new model features the same height-adjustable damped feet fitted to Pro-Ject’s $899 / £749 / AU$1190 X1 turntable, and a new motor design with some hefty decoupling incorporated – the motor’s now barely in contact with the main body of the turntable.
(Image credit: TechRadar)
Its steel platter is now heavier, thanks to a thermoplastic ring on its inside edge – it’s a technique to reduce operation noise and was popularized by, among others, Technics. And there’s now a suggestion of convenience in the shape of a speed-change switch at the bottom of the plinth – previously you’d have to take off the platter and move the drive belt to change speeds, but now 33.3rpm can become 45rpm (or vice-versa) at a press. Of course, if you’re the hands-on type (and you own some properly elderly records) you can change the drive belt itself in order to play at 78rpm. Both belts are included in the package.
The one-piece tonearm is made of carbon fibre, and comes fitted with a very capable Ortofon 2M Red cartridge (except in America, where it features a Sumiko Ranier cartridge instead. Quite why the United States requires a different option is anyone’s guess). All that’s required is for the belt, platter counterweight and antiskating weight to be attached and the Debut Carbon Evo is ready to go.
Mind you, before you get to that point you’ll need to choose between the Pro-Ject’s numerous finishes. As well as the wood veneer and glossy white, red or black of the previous model, the Debut Carbon Evo is also available in five satin finishes: black, white, yellow, blue or green.
Our review sample is in Fir Green, and very nice it looks too. The finish is flawlessly smooth, and as reassuring as the build quality.
Despite the only branding on the entire product being a discreet ‘Pro-Ject’ logo on the dust-cover, anyone who’s familiar with the Pro-Ject family sound will have no trouble picking out the Debut Carbon Evo as a bit more of the same. And that’s meant almost entirely positively.
The Debut Carbon Evo is a luxuriously full-bodied listen, but that’s not to say it’s in any way languid. It has plenty of the warmth and richness that’s so often held up as an unarguable vinyl virtue, but it doesn’t wallow or slur. It’s easy to listen to, but it’s not uninvolving.
And it’s nigh-on impossible to wrong-foot. From A Tribe Called Quest’s I Left My Wallet In El Segundoto Father John Misty’s Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings, from Leonard Bernstein’s Gee, Officer Krupketo Nina Simone’s Pirate Jenny, the Pro-Ject sounds both right at home and thoroughly engaged.
(Image credit: TechRadar)
Like any worthwhile turntable, it’s very adept and tying everything together. There’s a tangible sense of performance from the Evo, even when it’s playing cut’n’paste collages from the likes of A Tribe Called Quest. The unity of a recording, the way the midrange rides on the low-frequency underpinnings, and the way the treble balances securely on the top, allows every record to sound coherent and convincing. Even with the most processed, machine-derived recordings, this Pro-Ject glides along with the sort of casual authority of sound that can only come from a well-sorted record player.
There’s heat in the low frequencies, certainly, but they’re not overcooked and it’s certainly not at the expense of detail or texture. There’s a similarly lavish amount of detail retrieved in the midrange – it reveals so much about the glee and malevolence Nina Simone imbues her performance with it’s almost hair-raising – and while the top end is rolled off just fractionally, it’s far from a blunt instrument.
The Pro-Ject handles tempos and rhythms with equal assurance. Oh, you’ll get a straighter edge and a more martial approach from a similarly priced Rega turntable, but the Evo counters (and strongly) with its unfussy nature and the almost ostentatious amount of detail it digs out.
It’s not lacking anything where dynamics, both great and small, are concerned either. The sparer and more low-key a recording, the more the Pro-Ject reveals about the harmonic details – and the more full-on and instrument-heavy a recording, the more the Pro-Ject enjoys giving every element full expression.
Should I buy the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo?
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo: Should you buy it?
(Image credit: TechRadar)
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
First reviewed: October 2020
Looking for more? Check out the best turntables you can buy today
Squarespace is a designer-friendly no-code platform with great aesthetics that consistently ranks among the best website builders in the market. With its sleek templates and comprehensive feature set, Squarespace positions itself as an all-in-one solution for creating stylish and functional websites with minimal effort.
Over the years, Techradar has spent thousands of hours testing 140+ website builders, making our reviewers the leading experts in what makes a platform exceptional. Squarespace stands out to us for its award-winning templates, which can be modified down to the last pixel thanks to a powerful block-based editor.
Wix remains our top pick for the best website builder of 2025, thanks to a slightly higher number of features at a reduced price point. But, Squarespace's new Blueprint AI and Design Intelligence tools make it a close competitor that gives the former a good run for its money.
Squarespace: 2-minute review
Squarespace is a complete website builder, with everything you would expect from one of the best-known names in the industry. This includes a range of stunning website templates, a full AI website builder, ecommerce features including payment gateway integrations, marketing tools, analytics, and the ability to integrate with select 3rd party services.
The platform was originally built to serve the blogging space but is now capable of hosting practically any type of website from ecommerce stores to freelancer portfolios. Despite the platform's growth, it stays true to its roots by continuing to offer some of the more aesthetically pleasing website templates available.
Squarespace isn’t the cheapest website builder, but it is fairly priced when compared with competitors with similar features, tools, and ease of use. Its entry level plan starts at $16/mo with an annual plan, which is in the same ballpark as Wix ($17/mo) and Hostinger ($11.99/mo). Plus, you can take advantage of a 14-day free trial to test it out, although unlike Wix, it doesn’t offer a forever-free version.
Overall, Squarespace is a safe bet for those looking for an easy to use website builder with all the features most businesses will ever need.
What is Squarespace?
Squarespace is a website builder that helps you create professional websites without coding. It’s like a digital canvas where you can design your online presence. You can use pre-made templates and customize them to fit your vision. Whether you want a blog, portfolio, or online store, Squarespace has all the tools you need.
When you sign up, you can choose from over 180 designer-made templates or use their AI-powered Blueprint tool for a custom design. After that, you can easily add your content, change colors and fonts, and arrange elements with their drag-and-drop editor. Squarespace takes care of technical details like hosting and security, so you don’t have to stress about them.
What’s great about Squarespace for beginners is that everything is in one package. This includes domain registration, cloud hosting, design tools, and a CMS. The all-in-one approach saves you from juggling services from different providers, which can be overwhelming when starting out.
Features
Squarespace provides a wide range of features for different website needs. (Image credit: Squarespace)
Squarespace has always offered some of the best website templates on the market, making it a firm favourite amongst creatives such as artists and photographers. Anyone looking for a stunning website should seriously consider Squarespace.
Owain Williams, Website Builder Editor
Squarespace provides a wide range of features for different website needs. At the heart of the platform is a powerful drag-and-drop editor with a smart grid system. This helps keep your design elements aligned. You’ll also find over 180 professionally designed templates. These templates are great starting points for creating stunning websites. They feature a modern, minimalist design with plenty of white space and room for photos.
If you want to sell online, Squarespace offers strong e-commerce tools in its Business plans. You can sell physical and digital products, offer subscriptions, and create discounts. It even helps with abandoned cart recovery emails and social media sales. The platform supports various payment methods, such as PayPal, Stripe, and Square, and includes automatic tax calculations. However, these e-commerce features come at a higher price compared to some competitors.
In 2023, Squarespace introduced Blueprint AI, which streamlines website creation. This AI system guides users through five simple steps to create a personalized website. It also generates content with its AI text generator. We found this feature helpful for beginners facing the "blank page" anxiety. Still, the AI-generated templates seem basic compared to Squarespace's professionally designed options.
The platform has specialized tools like Acuity Scheduling for booking appointments, available for $16 a month. It also offers portfolio collections for showcasing work and various blocks to enhance user experience, like search and archive functions. While Squarespace includes many built-in features, it mainly relies on its own tools. This limits extensive third-party integrations in most areas. Squarespace’s pricing ranges from $16 to $52 per month (billed annually). Although it's a premium price, the quality of design and features usually justify the investment for users.
Tools
Over the years, Squarespace has stacked on a bunch of different tools and add-ons to make its website builder more lucrative. (Image credit: Squarespace)
Over the years, Squarespace has stacked on a bunch of different tools and add-ons to make its website builder more lucrative. This includes everything from SEO features to help you optimize your content strategy to AI tools for assistive design suggestions.
Blogging
If you’re into blogging, you’ll be glad to hear that Squarespace provides a full set of blogging features such as built-in blog pages, a comment section, and content promotion tools. However, if you’re making a blog as a means of making money, Squarespace shouldn’t be your first choice. First off, to get hold of ecommerce features, you’ll have to purchase the “Business” plan or up, and it will set you back $23 per month (if you subscribe for a year) or $36 for one month.
Ecommerce
The Business plan (and up) will also let you integrate a shopping cart into your website with ease, as well as sell physical products, digital downloads, online services, and subscriptions. However, if we take the 3% transaction fee on sales and the plan’s initial price tag into account, this solution doesn’t seem particularly pocket-friendly.
Also, Squarespace isn’t as strong as some of its competitor (like Shopify) when it comes to shipping and payment options – for instance, manual payments isn’t an option and you can’t sell in multiple currencies.
SEO and marketing
Squarespace also offers superb Search Engine Optimization (SEO) features, which will help you get your site in front of your core audience. There are multiple options for social media marketing, email marketing, and custom post designs. Not only are these tools powerful, but they are easy to use - this makes it one of the best small business website builders on the market.
AI tools
Although Squarespace’s AI offering isn’t quite as advanced as some competitors such as Wix and Hostinger, it does offer a host of helpful AI-powered tools that will make creating your website a breeze.
The list starts with the option to use AI to get your initial website set up. If you select this option Squarespace will ask you a few questions such as the name of your site, which sections and pages you want on your website, which colors and fonts you want to use, and then use your answers to build your site.
Like with most AI website builders, the results are a little generic and will need some editing. Luckily, Squarespace also offers some AI tools to help you do this. For example, you can use an AI copywriter to help you complete your site's written content. A similar tool can be used to create product descriptions, which can be a lifesaver for large online stores.
Finally, Squarespace also offers AI-powered branding and email marketing tools, helping you make the right impression and getting you in front of the right people.
Integrations
Squarespace doesn’t take too kindly to third-party tools – while there’s a decent variety of versatile tools it’s not up to scratch – so, you might feel like you’re stuck with Squarespace's ecosystem.
Website editor
We should also talk about Squarespace’s up-to-date, drag-and-drop editor called Fluid Engine, a superior version to their old editor. As soon as you add an element or change something on the template you’re using, it will become visible straight away. It also offers a decent level of customization choices, so you can adjust your template to suit your needs and desires.
The only major drawback is that you can’t place elements (such as images or text) wherever you want them to be - you can position them in pre-built places bounded by grid lines. Also, while you’ll be prompted to save your site after each change, you won’t enjoy the convince of the autosave functionality.
Ease of use
Of all the website builders we have tested, Squarespace ranks as one of the easiest to use. (Image credit: Squarespace)
Of all the website builders we have tested, Squarespace ranks as one of the easiest to use. Its drag-and-drop editor balances simplicity and functionality. This makes it great for beginners but still offers depth for experienced users. The clean, minimalist interface removes clutter. It shows only the tools you need, like the option to add a new section, which appears when you hover over an existing section.
Getting started with Squarespace is easy. During onboarding, you answer a few questions about your website's purpose and goals. This helps the platform tailor its recommendations to your needs. The 14-day free trial lets you explore without rushing into a paid plan. We liked that no credit card is needed to start the trial, allowing risk-free experimentation.
Squarespace emphasizes user experience (UX) principles, evident in how the platform works and the sites it creates. The editor uses a smart grid system to align elements. This helps beginners create visually balanced pages. Real-time previews show how your changes affect your site, making the design process dynamic. However, some users notice lag or unresponsiveness with larger, content-heavy websites.
The platform includes accessibility features through its All in One Accessibility Widget. This makes your website more usable for people with various disabilities, including visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive impairments. Yet while customization is simple, Squarespace has limits. Once you pick a template, you can't switch to another without rebuilding your site. And some advanced customizations need CSS or JavaScript knowledge, which is only available on higher-tier plans.
Pricing
With Squarespace, you can choose between four all-in-one plans ranging from $16 to $52 per month. (Image credit: Squarespace)
The site builder’s price tag is on par with similar all-in-one solutions on the market and it provides plenty of bang for the buck. However, if you only wanted a pocket-friendly site builder without other components of Squarespace, we’re sorry to say you won’t find this here.
If you’re in for an all-in-one solution, you can choose between four plans ranging from $16 to $52 per month, if you opt for an annual billing option, that is. If you choose a one-month-only option, the price will spike significantly.
While Squarespace doesn’t offer a forever-free edition of its site builder, there is a 14-day free trial with all four plans and no credit card details are required. It is also worth mentioning that you can often save on your subscription by using Squarespace promo codes and/or signing up for a longer period of time.
As for payment methods, Squarespace accepts all major credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, and American Express included), JCB, Diners Club (in USD only), and SEPA direct debit (in EUR only). As you already suspect, you can’t pay via PayPal or Bitcoin (BTC).
For a more detailed review the plans available on Squarespace you can read our full Squarespace pricing guide.
Security
Squarespace websites are all kept on secure with SSL certificates, two-factor authentication (2FA), and protection against distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. (Image credit: Squarespace)
Squarespace websites are all kept on secure with SSL certificates, two-factor authentication (2FA), protection against distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, and a login activity panel. While the activity log won’t protect your site by itself, it’ll help you discover if any logins were made from suspicious or unknown devices.
Squarespace’s security staff is monitoring all Squarespace sites round-the-clock for threats and vulnerabilities to make sure your site is properly protected. Still, if you discover a vulnerability, you can report it to the security staff and they’ll conduct their investigation on it.
Customer support
You can seek assistance from Squarespace’s support staff via live chat, email, and X (Twitter). (Image credit: Squarespace)
If you get stuck somewhere during your Squarespace journey, you can seek assistance from their support staff via live chat, email, and X (Twitter). Sadly, phone support isn’t available.
Live chat is available Monday to Friday, 4 AM to 8 PM, ET, and once you contact the staff, someone will get back to you in a matter of minutes. In contrast, email support is available 24/7, but the response time can sometimes be sluggish.
As for self-service, you can visit the Help Center which contains a well-supplied knowledge base, video guides, and an avidly active community forum you can conveniently browse by topics.
Alternatives
As we noted earlier, Wix is an awesome alternative for those who want to build their site on a tight budget or entirely free — it even offers a forever-free edition of its site builder for personal use. Plus, it’s super simple to use, packed with features, and provides automatic backups.
If you’re searching for a cheap yet endlessly customizable site builder, WordPress is the solution of choice. Since it’s an open-sourced software, it has thousands of themes, templates, plugins, how-to guides, and a committed community that can lend you a helping hand. While it’s not as beginner-friendly as Squarespace or Wix, it makes up for it with a fabulous level of flexibility and freedom.
Finally, Shopify is built for ecommerce from the ground up, so if an ecommerce solution is what you’re looking for, it might be the best choice. Squarespace offers all essential ecommerce features, but it’s still better suited for a professional site or a blog.
How we tested Squarespace
To test the Squarespace website builder we started by setting up an account. We then got hands-on with the tools and features available when building a website on the platform. This included exploring the various available website templates, SEO and marketing tools, and testing the drag-and-drop website editor.
We also reviewed the available plans, comparing their pricing and what they include. Finally, we researched what level of help and support is available to users and how the platform protects users’ websites from security threats.
Squarespace is a splendid, simple-to-use site builder with terrific templates and it gets better each time a new version crops up. Hitting high marks in all major areas, Squarespace site builder qualifies as an amazing all-arounder in the market, and it’s also fit for small and mid-sized online stores.
Their website builder comes packed with tools and features such as email marketing, an SSL certificate, and options for mobile responsive templates - giving you everything you need to launch and grow your website in one convenient space.
However, Squarespace keeps its users on a short leash with a low level of customization and the inability to switch between templates without starting from scratch. Also, the lack of auto-save features makes it less convenient than some of its competitors.
Squarespace: FAQs
Does Squarespace have a free plan?
No, unlike some other website builders, Squarespace doesn’t have a free plan. However, it does offer a free 14-day trial. This offers you the opportunity to test out the platform to make sure it is the right one for you.
Does Squarespace charge a transaction fee on sales?
It depends on the plan you pick.
The Business plan ($23/mo paid annually) is the cheapest plan which offers the full range of ecommerce functionality but charges a 3% transaction fee for physical products and services sold via the site. Both the Commerce plans (Basic ($27/mo paid annually) and Advanced ($49/mo paid annually)) charge a 0% transaction fee.
So, at just $4 extra a month, most ecommerce businesses would benefit from investing in the Commerce plan. But you will need to do the math to decide which one works best for you.
Well, it depends on what you’re looking for in a site builder. Wix offers more templates overall, but the ones you’ll get with Squarespace look better. Also, Wix has a forever-free edition, while with Squarespace you can make use of a 14-day free trial, and that’s about it.
Both site builders are easy to use, offer robust ecommerce features, and provide superb value for money. However, Wix is cheaper while Squarespace has more additional tools for growing your site.
Is Squarespace good for beginners?
Yes, Squarespace is one of the best site builders for beginners. Its intuitive, drag-and-drop editor is backed by simple-to-follow guides in case you get stuck. And if that doesn’t do the trick, you can rely on rather responsive customer support staff.
What are the downsides of using Squarespace?
The primary drawbacks of using Squarespace are the shortage of customization capabilities, the absence of auto-save features, and the lack of phone support. Also, there are cheaper options around and some of them offer a free edition of their site builders too.
With hundreds of VPNs on the market and most of them promising to do the same thing, it can be difficult to decide what will be the best VPN for you.
Today we’re looking at vpnjack, a division of Jack512 VPN & VoIP Solutions headquartered in the United States. Unfortunately, the United States is one of the least privacy-friendly countries in the world. This is due to the fact that the US is a participating member of the Five Eyes, which enables US authorities to obtain user information from the company with a warrant if they so desire.
As of the time of this review, we do not know how many servers they have. vpnjack claims to have servers located in several cities in the USA, which means you can only access their service if you are also based in the US.
Pricing & plans
(Image credit: vpnjack)
vpnjack is designed to be a cheap service, although not suitable if you’re looking for a free VPN. It currently offers six packages, depending on how long you want to commit for. You can subscribe to the service on a daily basis for $0.99, weekly for $1.99, monthly for $4.49, three months for $11.99, six months for $19.99, or on an annual basis at $29.99. Plans can be purchased through PayPal or with Bitcoin.
Payments made to this service are generally non-refundable, which is very unusual compared to competitors. For you to test the service and determine whether you want to purchase any of its plans, they offer a free trial that lets you use the VPN for 60 minutes every day for 24 hours. When compared to other VPN services, which permit you to test their VPN for at least thirty days, this is subpar.
Privacy & encryption
The official website states that your data is only collected to the extent necessary for proper accounting and system health monitoring, such as the length of your VPN connection and average bandwidth. However, it should be noted that as of the time of this review, they have not requested an independent VPN audit to check the servers' logs.
Remember that vpnjack is based in the United States, part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance. This is a group of countries that exchange surveillance information. Your privacy might be jeopardized as a result of vpnjack's obligation to turn over your data to the government upon request. If you desire a privacy tool which can offer confidentiality and anonymity, you might prefer to try an alternative.
No information is provided regarding the encryption used or any extra security measures employed to safeguard your privacy. We were only informed on the website that the provider uses PPTP and L2TP VPN transfer protocols.
Streaming
You shouldn't expect to be able to access international services like BBC iPlayer, because vpnjack has a US focus and only allows you to stream content from US streaming platforms. If you use streaming applications for an extended period, The service would limit your connection speed because of its fair usage policy. This makes it less desirable if you want a VPN for Netflix or other streaming.
(Image credit: vpnjack)
Speed & experience
Since all the servers are located in the same nation, our speed tests produced identical results. We noticed that you would receive a relatively high server speed if you were close to the US, but results would be slower if you were halfway around the globe.
Apps
Although vpnjack doesn't provide any native desktop or mobile VPN apps, it can be manually enabled on a variety of devices, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, by following the set-up instructions on its website. Linux, routers, smart TVs, and game consoles are all incompatible.
Customer support
Both a support ticket and a 24/7 LiveChat window are absent, leaving email as the only method of communication, which takes a lot of time. The FAQ section on the website is sparse and not sufficiently comprehensive to assist you.
(Image credit: vpnjack)
Alternatives to vpnjack
Nord VPN
Nord VPN, gives you access to geographically restricted content from anywhere in the world, offers an app that has strong encryption to add an extra layer of security to your online activities and gives you features like a kill switch, peer-to-peer networking, web threat management, and multiple concurrent device connection.
Cyberghost VPN supports up to seven simultaneous device connections, unblocks major streaming platforms, offers 1200 servers spread across more than 50 countries, permits torrent downloads, and offers a generous 45-day money-back guarantee.
ExpressVPN is based in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction and has thousands of servers dispersed throughout the world. It’s secure, does not keep any logs, unblocks streaming websites, allows for five connections at once, and has a quick speed.
PureVPN is the best protection against ISP speed throttling. It allows you to access blocked websites and protects you from third-party spying, while also giving access to features such as intrusion detection systems, anti-spam, IP protection, and web threat monitoring.
vpnjack doesn't have any exciting features or even P2P support for torrenting. The website doesn't give so many details about the product, so we could not tell what kind of encryption it uses.
Although they have a low subscription price, they operate in just one country, don't support multiple connections at once, and can't boast of a secure service. In our opinion, vpnjack isn't worth your time.
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is an all-in-one IT service management solution. It combines IT service management, IT asset management, and configuration management database (CMDB) features. It also includes enterprise service management for departments like HR, facilities, and finance.
The platform can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud. This gives organizations flexibility while ensuring a secure and scalable service management solution. It includes AI capabilities from proprietary technologies and integrates with tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. These features help service delivery teams improve their ITSM practices and workflows.
ServiceDesk Plus allows you to manage and troubleshoot IT issues through various modules. These include incident management, asset management, and service level management. The platform streamlines workflows for IT support teams. This helps them handle ticket backlogs, automate routine tasks, and enhance service experiences for end users. It follows ITIL-certified practices in areas like knowledge management, monitoring, event management, service financial management, and service level management. This makes it a strong choice for organizations looking to adopt industry best practices.
Now acquired by Zoho, this solution is ideal for small to mid-sized organizations needing powerful IT help desk functionality. While it can accommodate teams of different sizes, it may not meet the needs of larger enterprises as well as some competitors. The platform features a user-friendly interface and a short learning curve. This makes it accessible to teams without extensive technical skills, although some advanced features may need specialized knowledge.
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus pricing is based on the number of technicians and nodes (Image credit: ManageEngine)
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: Plans and pricing
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus no longer shares its pricing details. But based on recent reviews, it has a tiered pricing structure with three main editions: Standard, Professional, and Enterprise.
The Standard Edition starts at about $13 per technician per month. It costs around $1,195 annually for 10 technicians. This edition focuses on core help desk tasks. Up to 5 technicians can use it for free, with no limits on tickets or end users.
The Professional Edition begins at around $27 per technician per month. It starts at $495 annually for 2 technicians and 250 nodes. This edition enhances the Standard Edition by adding IT asset management. It suits growing teams tracking hardware and software assets.
For larger organizations, the Enterprise Edition starts at about $67 per technician per month. It costs $1,195 annually for 2 technicians and 250 nodes. This edition includes all features from the Professional Edition, plus advanced tools like problem management, service catalog, change management, CMDB, project management, and ITIL compliance.
ServiceDesk Plus pricing mainly depends on the number of technicians and, for asset management editions, the number of nodes managed. There are no limits on end users who can submit tickets.
For those who don't need the full Enterprise Edition but want specific advanced features, ServiceDesk Plus offers add-ons. These include service catalog ($1,195 annually), problem management ($1,195 annually), project management ($1,195 annually), and change and release management ($2,395 annually).
The ITIL-ready framework is at the heart of ServiceDesk Plus (Image credit: ManageEngine)
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: Features
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus provides a full range of features to improve IT service management for all organizations. It merges standard help desk functions with advanced IT asset management. With over 50 features, ServiceDesk Plus enables organizations to embrace ITIL best practices while retaining full flexibility in service delivery.
A standout aspect of ServiceDesk Plus is its new embedded AI capabilities at no extra cost. AI features support intelligent ticket triaging, virtual support agents, and knowledge discovery, helping organizations adopt advanced technologies without losing their ROI.
Incident management
The incident management module in ServiceDesk Plus helps organizations reduce outages, boost agent productivity, and meet service level agreements. It manages the full lifecycle of IT tickets. The system automates ticket routing, directing requests to the right technicians based on set rules. This also covers ticket prioritization and notifications, ensuring urgent issues get prompt attention.
ServiceDesk Plus improves incident resolution with features like ticket collaboration and knowledge base integration. These tools let support staff tackle complex issues together and use existing solutions. Multi-channel access allows end-users to submit tickets via email, phone, or self-service portals, creating a smooth support experience that adapts to user preferences.
Asset management
ServiceDesk Plus's asset management features help organizations maximize asset use, avoid security risks, and ensure license compliance. Its robust asset tracking offers visibility into hardware and software assets from procurement to retirement. This insight helps organizations make informed decisions about resource allocation and technology investments.
The platform includes tools for software license management, tracking usage patterns, and spotting over- or under-licensing. Asset discovery features automatically detect and catalog network assets, keeping inventory accurate without manual input. With device management and remote monitoring, IT teams can efficiently manage devices and address issues before they affect end-users.
Change Management
ServiceDesk Plus simplifies planning, approval, and implementation of IT changes with automated workflows that ensure governance and minimize risk. The change management module offers a structured way to evaluate, authorize, and document IT modifications.
The platform's workflow capabilities allow for customized approval paths and validation steps for various changes. This ensures appropriate oversight based on impact and scope. ServiceDesk Plus also includes release management features that coordinate multiple related changes, minimizing disruptions to business operations.
Service catalog
The service catalog in ServiceDesk Plus enables IT departments to display available services to end-users through a customizable portal that simplifies requests. Organizations can create detailed service offerings with specific service level agreements, approval workflows, and fulfillment processes. This helps set proper expectations for service delivery and transforms the help desk into a proactive service provider.
With customizable branding and self-service options, the service catalog fosters an intuitive user experience. It encourages adoption and cuts down on basic support inquiries. The platform supports multi-stage approval for complex requests, ensuring proper authorization while keeping fulfillment efficient.
AI-powered capabilities
ServiceDesk Plus integrates artificial intelligence across the platform, enhancing service delivery without extra investment. Its predictive intelligence uses machine learning to analyze incoming tickets and automate triage, routing, assignment, and sentiment analysis. This reduces manual work and speeds up response times, ensuring requests reach the right resources quickly.
The platform's virtual support agent allows users to interact via text and voice, providing immediate help for common issues without needing a technician. ServiceDesk Plus also uses generative AI technologies like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot for knowledge discovery, low-code script generation, and complex request summaries.
(Image credit: ManageEngine Service Desk Plus)
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: Analytics
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus provides strong analytics tools with over 400 ready-made reports and dashboards. Users can easily track help desk performance across different areas like incident management, request history, asset management, and project tracking.
For those needing more advanced analytics, ServiceDesk Plus works well with ManageEngine's advanced analytics suite. You can track hardware and software usage, plan budgets, monitor ticket journeys, improve agent productivity, and ensure compliance with SLAs.
The solution also features Zia, ManageEngine's conversational AI assistant. Zia provides quick answers to questions about ticket history, asset expenses, and critical KPIs. Users can ask follow-up questions to explore their data further.
ServiceDesk Plus goes beyond basic reporting with predictive and collaborative features. It offers scenario analysis to help organizations visualize future outcomes and prepare for various situations.
Users can combine data from different ServiceDesk Plus modules into unified dashboards. They can also mix information from other IT applications, like Endpoint Central, for a complete view of their IT environment. This leads to better analysis and decision-making.
ServiceDesk Plus boosts collaboration by letting users share visualizations, comment on reports in real-time, tag colleagues, and highlight sections for group problem-solving. The platform also has alert features that send email or in-app notifications when data meets or exceeds set conditions.
With its drag-and-drop interface, users can easily customize reports and dashboards. Automatic insight generation helps spot less obvious anomalies in help desk data. This allows teams to focus on resolving issues instead of interpreting reports.
This is the new beta version of the ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus UI (Image credit: ManageEngine)
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: Ease of use
When we first logged in to ServiceDesk Plus, we were greeted with a very dated-looking user interface. But there is a button that you can click to switch to a new beta version of the UI. We were originally using Firefox and found that clicking the switch button did nothing, so changed browsers to Chrome. This time, we were able to get the new version of the UI, which is a big improvement on the old one.
All the main sections are easily accessible from menu items in the left column of the page, although transitions between them weren’t as quick as with some web apps we’ve used.
Each page that presents items in list view has a variety of sorting and filtering controls, and you can customize which columns appear and save the configuration as a separate view.
When you’re creating new incidents, there’s a large number of templates to choose from. Or, you can start a new one from scratch. There’s also a handy Quick Actions menu item for creating new content like announcements, purchase orders, or problems,. It also provides instant access to your tasks and reminders.
The settings section of the dashboard provides access to a huge number options that can be configured to suit your business. For instance, for help desk tickets, you can change options for category, status, level, mode, impact, urgency, priority, and more.
ManageEngine provides a variety of methods for obtaining support (Image credit: ManageEngine)
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: Support
ManageEngine provides a variety of methods for obtaining support for ServiceDesk Plus, including email, live chat, support ticket submission, and toll-free phone numbers in the US, the UK, and Australia.
A large range of self-help resources is also available, including FAQs, forums, videos, guides, and bug trackers.
ManageEngine maintains its own Security Response Center (Image credit: ManageEngine)
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: Security
ManageEngine maintains its own Security Response Center which actively monitors various security forums to identify any vulnerabilities reported about its products. Customers and security researchers are encouraged to report any vulnerabilities they find, and once identified, product experts provide fixes as soon as possible.
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: The Competition
Several software companies produce alternative IT helpdesk solutions that are worth considering, among them Freshservice by Freshworks and Solarwinds Service Desk.
Freshservice is another ITIL-ready service desk solution that has a choice of four plans that go from $19/month/agent up to $99/month/agent and come with a 21-day free trial period. While ServiceDesk Plus has a large number of integrations with other ManageEngine and Zoho products, Freshservice has a greater number of integrations with third-party apps like Facebook, Twitter, Salesforce, Shopify, and Mailchimp.
Solarwinds Service Desk also offers four different plans that start with the Team plan at $19/month/agent and go up to the Enterprise plan for $89/month/agent (subscriptions are billed annually). All plans are available with a 30-day trial. Again, Solarwinds Service Desk offers more third-party integrations.
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: Final Verdict
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is aimed at large organizations that need ITIL-ready helpdesk software. It offers a very good feature set at reasonable prices, and can even be used for free by businesses with only a few technicians that don’t need asset management and ITIL features.
The current version of the UI is very dated, but the new beta version, which is now available, is a vast improvement, although we found it didn’t work in all the browsers we tried.
Kayako is a complete customer service help desk platform designed to improve support operations. Founded in 2001 and based in London, it serves over 50,000 customers in more than 100 countries. Notable users include Peugeot, De Beers, and NASA. Kayako features an AI-enabled help desk management system that changes how companies support their customers.
Kayako helps businesses manage inquiries through email, live chat, social media, and web forms, all from one dashboard. Its strong ticketing system lets support teams create, track, and resolve issues efficiently. Automation features take care of repetitive tasks, allowing agents to focus on complex problems. The platform also offers collaboration tools that help teams work together smoothly, breaking down barriers to enhance customer interactions.
You'll find Kayako useful if you want to reduce response times and boost customer satisfaction. It aims to eliminate "content friction," "contact friction," and "context friction." This makes it easier for customers to find solutions, reach out through their preferred channels, and avoid repeating information. With features like SingleView™, you can see a customer's full journey and interaction history in one spot for more personalized support.
Kayako is ideal for growing businesses looking to scale customer support without losing quality. Organizations of all sizes use the platform, from small teams of 10-50 employees to large enterprises with over 1,000 staff. If you're in IT, computer software, or e-commerce — key sectors for Kayako — you'll likely find its features match your needs. The platform's capacity to support growth makes it a reliable long-term choice for businesses planning to expand their support operations.
(Image credit: Kayako)
Kayako: Plans and pricing
Kayako has a tiered pricing model for different business sizes. But the company has recently changed its pricing structure. Before, there were three main tiers:
Essential: $39 per agent per month
Professional: $99 per agent per month
Enterprise: Custom pricing, billed annually
The Essential plan offered core features like a ticketing system and unlimited AI-suggested responses. The Professional plan included knowledge base audits, a self-learning mode (limited to 100 tickets per month), multiple chatbots, API access, and integrations.
The Enterprise plan had the most features, such as unlimited self-learning mode, ticket summaries, ticket responses co-pilot, audio file transcriptions, multilingual content, powerful reporting, and the ability to change the Kayako/Atlas logo.
Now, Kayako has removed the Professional plan and updated the pricing for the Essential and Enterprise plans. The new pricing isn’t on the website, but you can schedule a call with their sales team to get a tailored quote.
There used to be a 30-day money-back guarantee, but it’s unclear if that still exists. Kayako also offered a 14-day free trial for new users, which now seems to have been replaced by an interactive demo during sales calls. This is disappointing, as a demo may not fully capture the platform experience like a trial would.
(Image credit: Kayako)
Kayako: Features
Kayako provides a full suite of customer service tools to streamline support and enhance experiences. It merges classic help desk features with modern, AI-driven capabilities across various channels. At its core, Kayako offers ticketing, live chat, self-service options, and collaboration tools. Together, these create a unified support ecosystem suitable for businesses of all sizes.
What makes Kayako unique is its SingleView™ technology. This feature visualizes the entire customer journey in one interface. With the new AI-driven ticket summaries and suggestions, support teams can offer personalized help. The platform balances automation with human interaction, allowing businesses to grow their support without losing quality or connection.
Ticketing system
Kayako's ticketing software turns traditional email support into a collaborative workflow that boosts team productivity. Agents can create, track, and resolve customer issues by quickly assigning tickets to the right people. Features like AI-suggested responses, ticket summaries, and smart workflows help teams reduce repetitive tasks and focus on high-value interactions.
The system also supports collaboration among agents, internal experts, and external vendors directly within tickets. Every input is saved for future reference, ensuring clear communication and thorough problem-solving. This, along with features like canned responses and internal notes, helps businesses resolve complex issues faster while keeping a complete record of all interactions.
Live chat features
Kayako Messenger delivers a user-friendly live chat experience that feels like chatting with friends. This real-time tool allows support teams to treat customers as individuals, fostering personal connections. The live chat function can handle multiple conversations at once, enabling agents to manage high inquiry volumes without losing quality.
Proactive engagement features help businesses convert website visitors into customers by starting conversations based on user behavior. It ensures timely support during key moments in the customer journey. Kayako also provides live chat support for mobile sites and apps, allowing customers to get help wherever they are, which boosts satisfaction and shortens resolution times.
Self-service portals
Kayako's self-service options let customers find answers on their own through an easy-to-search repository of articles, videos, and FAQs. The knowledge base lowers ticket volume by enabling customers to resolve common problems without agent help, especially when support teams are offline. The platform suggests relevant content as customers type, providing instant answers and cutting wait times.
The self-service portal is fully customizable, enabling businesses to create multiple Help Centers with tailored content and branding for different products or audiences. Help Center Analytics tracks search terms to spot gaps in content, leading to ongoing improvements. This not only raises customer satisfaction but also cuts operational costs by reducing agent ticket volume. Some companies report a 50% decrease in tickets after using Kayako's self-service tools.
SingleView technology
Kayako's SingleView™ technology offers a complete view of the customer journey in one easy interface. It combines all customer interactions and activities—including site visits, purchases, shipping history, support inquiries, and self-help searches—giving agents context for more personalized support. By avoiding the need to switch between systems, SingleView™ allows for quicker, more accurate responses.
A comprehensive view of customer data enables support teams to provide proactive, personalized support with every interaction. Agents can see when messages are read, view all active conversations for each customer, and access past events for better context. These features help businesses avoid repetitive questions and create seamless experiences that strengthen customer relationships and loyalty.
Automated workflows
Kayako's automation features save time by managing routine tasks like routing conversations, updating ticket statuses, and sending notifications. These processes ensure consistent handling of inquiries while allowing agents to focus on complex issues. The platform's macros and canned responses let teams send predefined, personalized replies to common questions with one click, improving response times.
SLA management tools help teams stay on track by monitoring performance against internal goals for response and resolution times. Automated SLA notifications remind agents of deadlines, ensuring they never miss critical timeframes. Smart routing prevents multiple agents from responding to the same issue by automatically combining inquiries across channels and directing them to a designated agent. These features have helped businesses cut response times by up to 40%, enhancing customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
(Image credit: Kayako)
Kayako: Analytics
Kayako's reporting and analytics turn help desk data into useful business insights. It offers dashboards that show key performance metrics at a glance. This helps support managers track customer satisfaction, measure team performance, and find areas for improvement. With over 100 ready-made reports, businesses can quickly evaluate agent productivity and customer effort scores.
The analytics suite includes strong SLA management tools. These help teams track their response and resolution times against goals. Automated alerts notify agents of upcoming deadlines, so they never miss important timeframes. Kayako's reporting also gives detailed insights into customer behavior and support performance. Some organizations have seen CSAT score improvements of up to 18 points after using Kayako's analytics.
In addition to standard reporting, Kayako lets teams build custom dashboards for deeper analysis. The Help Center Analytics feature tracks search terms to find gaps in self-service content. This allows for ongoing improvements to meet customer needs. Some companies report a 50% drop in ticket volume after using Kayako's self-service tools.
With new AI features, Kayako's analytics are even more effective. The system can spot patterns in thousands of support tickets. It identifies issues before they affect customer satisfaction. This lets support teams tackle root causes instead of just symptoms. For instance, if the platform sees a customer frequently checking their order status, it can automatically suggest proactive communication strategies.
(Image credit: Kayako)
Kayako: Ease of use
The sign-up process for Kayako wasn’t as smooth as we would have liked. We got errors after filling in the registration form and couldn’t access our account. We had to email sales support to gain access, but it took a few days for the issue to be resolved.
However, while we weren’t very impressed by the sign-up process, we were very impressed by what we found when we were eventually able to log in. Kayako is one of the most user-friendly helpdesk solutions we’ve looked at. It’s also one of the fastest in terms of how quickly pages load and how user interface elements respond to interaction.
We liked the display of the customer journey for each ticket, which you can access by scrolling up from the latest message in any conversation you’ve selected. There are so many different elements that you can interact with for a conversation in terms of how you view or update it, but Kayako is designed in such a way as to not make it feel overwhelming. It’s the sort of interface that you can start using straight away, picking up new things as you go along.
It’s not just the conversations that feel this way—all sections of the Kayako dashboard are the same. Settings for web apps can sometimes be intimidating places that take some time to get used to, but here again with Kayako, everything is clear and easy to understand.
(Image credit: Kayako)
Kayako: Support
Unfortunately, we found the process of getting support as disappointing as the process for signing up for a Kayako account. The help widget in the dashboard says to use the form at support.kayako.com for technical support but doesn’t link directly to it.
Once there, you have to log in to be able to lodge a support ticket. We initially assumed we’d log in with the same credentials we’d used to log in to our dashboard, but we had to create a separate support account.
The verification email that arrived after filling in the support registration form linked to a page on a Zendesk subdomain with no mention of Kayako that we could see. We had to return to the Kayako support page and then refresh it to find that we were actually logged in. But we weren’t impressed by the fact that getting access to support from Kayako involved signing up for a service provided by a competitor.
(Image credit: Kayako)
Kayako: Security
Kayako has a lot of built-in security measures, including two-factor authentication (2FA), role-based access restrictions, DKIM and SPF authorization of outbound emails, spam filtering, password policies, and the ability to authenticate logins against your own systems and third-party apps.
Layers of security protect the platform, such as SSL encryption, DDoS mitigation, and disaster recovery and redundancy strategies. The physical security of data centers is maintained through backup generators, state-of-the-art fire suppression systems, and background checks on all employees.
Kayako: The Competition
The online helpdesk space is very crowded, and Kayako has many viable alternatives, including Zoho Desk and LiveAgent.
Zoho Desk also has an extensive array of features but offers a free plan in addition to paid plans. It can be used with three agents, while at the other end of the scale, the Enterprise plan, which costs $35/agent/month, can be used with unlimited agents. All paid plans come with a 15-day free trial.
LiveAgent also offers four plans, including a free one, and a 14-day free trial. The free plan has no limit on agents but does have a seven-day ticket history limit. The paid plans range in price from $15/agent/month up to $39/agent/month and have no limits on ticket history.
Kayako: Final Verdict
We found ourselves quite conflicted about Kayako because, on the one hand, it is one the best online helpdesk solutions we’ve used, but on the other, it also gave us one of the worst registration experiences.
Kayako’s well-designed user interface and the performance of the web app made it so easy to use. It also has a great feature set and reasonable pricing.
But we had to contact support to be able to create an account and had to wait several days for that process to conclude. And when it came to reviewing support options, we had to create a separate account with a helpdesk competitor.
Once the initial registration and setup issues were resolved, though, we found Kayako a pleasure to use. If you’re having similar trouble, it’s worth persevering with.
