StrongVPN began offering VPN services in 2005 and now has over 950 VPN servers spread across 30 countries and 59 cities, with a diverse mix of locations to help make up the difference. The VPN provider boasts two servers in Africa and none in countries with repressive internet policies like China and Russia.
However, StrongVPN is based in the United States, which is one of the least privacy-friendly countries in the world. As an active member of the Five Eyes countries, if US authorities want user information from the company, they can obtain it with a warrant.
StrongVPN gives users 250GB of cloud storage from SugarSync when they sign up (Image credit: StrongVPN)
Pricing & plans
Although you can get a 30-day money-back guarantee, there’s no free trial and no free VPN version, so there’s no way to test the service without handing over your card details. Subscriptions to the service are billed monthly or annually.
A one-month subscription costs $10.99 and includes 250GB of cloud storage, while a 12-month subscription costs $69.99. This includes the same amount of storage space, and additionally, you have the choice of connecting 12 devices at once.
StrongVPN accepts American Express, Mastercard, PayPal, Alipay, and Visa as their payment options. The absence of cryptocurrencies or other anonymous payment options is disappointing.
Privacy & encryption
StrongVPN adheres to a strict code of privacy. It does not record information about your IP address, bandwidth usage, timestamps, or online activity. Your email address and payment information are the only pieces of personal information that the VPN requests when you create an account.
The company makes an effort to assist by summarizing its privacy policy up front with the following points:
- A zero-logging VPN service that won’t track or store your data while connected
- The only personal information collected is used for account setup
- Personal information isn’t sold to third parties
Our main issue with StrongVPN's logging policy is that it lacks an external VPN audit, which would properly confirm the company's claim that no logs are kept.
It is crucial to remember that StrongVPN is headquartered in the US, a country that is a part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance (a group of countries that share surveillance data with each other). This could compromise your privacy because StrongVPN would be obligated to provide your information to the US government upon request.
Theoretically, this shouldn't be a problem, because it doesn't keep any logs and won't have any information to turn over. But it’s no longer sufficient to state “we don’t do bad stuff”, so we would advise you to proceed with caution when using this VPN. Alternatively, switch to a VPN like ExpressVPN, which is transparent and has had their system publicly audited to prove their privacy credentials.
Streaming
The StrongVPN website claims it's the “Best streaming VPN”, but we found otherwise when we tested it.
We were unable to use any of StrongVPN's UK servers to access BBC iPlayer. In our tests with US Netflix, we encountered no problems and were able to use the VPN for Netflix streams - however, we were unable to unblock any other Netflix region.
With no luck, we tested over 10 libraries. Disney+ was also available to watch, and Amazon Prime was also available. But, since all of StrongVPN's servers are suitable for P2P use, we have no complaints when it comes to using the VPN for torrenting.
StrongVPN claims to work with many streaming platforms, and it did the trick with Netflix (Image credit: Netflix)
Speed
While all VPNs will, in some way, slow down your connection, the best ones have a negligible effect that prevents lags or buffering. Furthermore, speed may vary depending on your location, connection, and internet provider. Fast connections are almost as important as a service's security and privacy.
We put StrongVPN to the test by using two 1Gbps connections US and UK. Speeds in the US using OpenVPN were 230-240Mbps. In the US, IKEv2 speeds increased to 260-280Mbps.
We strongly advise using the latest WireGuard protocol if you want to maximize your speeds, as this makes StrongVPN fast, but not the fastest VPN on the market. We consistently received speeds of 270–300 Mbps in the US and 450–500 Mbps in the UK, depending on the test.
Support
You can contact the company's knowledgeable customer service representatives 24/7 via live chat, on the phone during the company’s office hours between 9am and 5pm CT (UTC -6), Monday through Friday, or by sending a thorough online request. You'll receive a reply by email in less than an hour.
For anyone interested in the company or the VPN industry in general, StrongVPN has a blog section. You can refer to the collection of articles on the help site if you run into any issues while installing and using the service. The support site is searchable by keyword and contains categories like setup instructions, technical support, billing assistance, FAQs.
This is the interface of StrongVPN's Windows client (Image credit: StrongVPN)
Apps
We set up StrongVPN on a Windows PC and an Android smartphone. The Windows app for StrongVPN can be downloaded from their website, and the Android app can be downloaded from Play Store. We found it was very easy to install both the desktop and mobile VPN apps, taking just a couple of clicks. The apps were also very simple to use and understand.
The world map that greets you can be found on both the Windows and Android apps' user interfaces. Your actual location and two buttons one for the ‘Best Available’ location feature and the other for connecting to the server are immediately visible.
If you choose the ‘Best Available’ option, the server closest to you will be chosen, but if you want to access other servers, you can do so by clicking the Connect button rather than ‘best available. For each native and non-native device that StrongVPN supports, there are also step-by-step connection guides with screenshots available on the company's website, so even if you're not too tech-savvy you'll be able to figure it out.
Alternatives to Strong VPN
NordVPN
NordVPN offers a plethora of convenience, privacy, and security features. Your security is covered by ad blocking, DNS leak protection, strong encryption, and a VPN kill switch. It is also a very user-friendly service because it offers dedicated P2P servers and native apps for all popular platforms.
ExpressVPN has excellent security and privacy procedures. For users' privacy, this configuration essentially ensures that no residual data (logs) can exist on the system's hard drives. All VPN servers boot from read-only disks and operate on volatile memory (RAM).
With a user-friendly platform, CyberGhost is one of the best. with a wealth of practical VPN features. The software never causes your computer to run slowly, is easy to use, and is free. In addition, it provides extensive P2P and torrent functionality and gives you access to more than 1200 servers spread across more than 50 nations. Features of the software include web browsing, anonymous browsing, remote access, DNS leak protection, and more. Up to five devices can be used simultaneously under one account. As a result, you can defend your mobile devices and the computers in your home.
Although not entirely up to the level of something like ExpressVPN, Strong VPN is still worth checking out.
With apps and setup guides to make it work almost anywhere, the VPN excels at platform coverage. Even though WireGuard speeds are subpar and its apps aren't the best, many people will find it fast enough, and the service appears to be reasonably priced if you plan to use the included SugarSync cloud storage.
One of the best VoIP services to consider for ease of us is Aircall's VoIP offering: presented as a slick and simple approach to managing business calls and your overall VoIP business phone system.
Although designed for customer management teams, the software can be used by a variety of professionals looking to start conversations anywhere in the world, from small businesses to larger enterprises.
There are, of course, a huge array of VoIP options available in 2024, from the likes of Zoom to RingCentral to 8x8, and all of them have their own pros and cons. Some are ideally suited to sole traders, for example, while others can seamlessly handle calls with over 200 participants.
It's worth checking out each individual service to make the right decision, especially as your needs are unlike to be exactly identical to another business's.
In this Aircall review, we investigate how this valuable cloud-based call center software could suit your particular business needs, and compare it to available VoIP alternatives.
Aircall offers three tiers of subscription for organizations: Essentials, Professional, and Custom. Let's run through each.
The basic Essentials plan is filled with features, like access to over 100 integrations (which is usually the reserve of more expensive plans) and unlimited domestic calls. There’s also support for call queuing, ring groups, extensions, and recording. This package does have a lot to offer for SMBs, however larger companies may struggle with its three-team limit, plus the lack of more premium features. While it’s great for smaller companies, it’s not cheap, at $40 per user per month.
Next up, Professional add things like call monitoring and whispering, more detailed analytics, and Salesforce integration, which are ideal for larger companies with sales in mind. Companies with more than 15 employees also get a dedicated account manager and personalized onboarding sessions that sets this above many of its rivals. It’s almost double the price, though, at $70 per user per month, which is especially expensive.
Finally, if your business wants to tailor its plan to specific needs, you can speak to Aircall about their Custom plan, which can include as much or as little as required.
As ever, there are savings to be had for annual payments, bringing the monthly equivalent costs down to $30 and $50 for Essentials and Professional, respectively, marking savings of between 25% and 29% – not too bad.
Aircall offers an extremely flexible phone management system.
Calls can be made from both desktop and mobile devices, allowing work to be done both on an in-office basis and on the go – ideal for teams operating remotely.
There is also the option of voicemail personalization, which lets users pre-record messages to greet callers when they are unavailable. This is a great option for those looking to improve customer experience, as generic hold music is rarely welcomed.
The downside to Aircall is that although the software includes a conferencing option, it's limited to five people and doesn’t include video options. However, this won’t be an issue for those who are operating traditional call centers and wouldn’t prioritize video calling options. Most other VoIP platforms also have video conferencing suites, though, which makes Aircall look a little expensive by comparison.
These core features can also be connected to the business tools you use to operate effectively, with the option of integrating 100+ compatible cloud-based technologies. You might use these integrations for CRM, for transcribing voice calls, or for automatically sending satisfaction surveys to gather feedback on your team’s performance.
(Image credit: Aircall)
Building a network of shared contacts is also a simple process: users can sync Aircall with Google Apps, Pipedrive, and similar apps, importing data such as contact details for customers.
Users of Aircall can distribute calls by forwarding them to more suitable team members and adding briefs and comments to give the assignee more context. This assignment option is useful as it saves time spent chasing the most appropriate team member to handle the case.
If the selected team member is unavailable, Aircall chooses the next available team member or adds the call to a queue. This also benefits callers who might previously have spent a long time on hold, improving their relationship with the company.
With Aircall, you can access real-time metrics and track how your organization is doing. Tracking includes call volume, missed call rates, and wait times, with all data stored in one place. This makes reporting on performance accurate and straightforward. It also enables team managers to identify the success rates of new workflows and make changes depending on the results.
Everything in Aircall is accessible from its sleek dashboard, including contact lists and the dialer app itself (where all calls are made). Other features, including support, can be found by using the Quick Search option within the dashboard.
The initial setup of Aircall is quick. Users first need to download the app onto their computer before logging in and getting started with making calls. Users can then configure settings and call preferences, build their team, and edit their account settings from the dashboard.
Calls, assignments, and requests can also be managed using Aircall’s Android and iOS apps. Usability-wise, both the app and the desktop layout are minimalistic, reducing distraction and confusion.
Aircall provides an extensive knowledge base for all users, along with resources and materials to help users better understand how the software works in practice, and offers onboarding guides so that each new team member can easily get started.
Live chat support is available on the Aircall website for users of all tiers, as well as on user dashboards. The website also has a chatbot, so responses are near-instant.
Every tier gets phone and email support, but it’s only larger organizations on Professional or Custom plans that get the most personalized approach. Not many other companies offer something like this.
All customer data is encrypted, protected, and stored in data centers. The company follows recommendations from security frameworks including SOC2 and PCI/DSS. Aircall doesn’t store passwords or customers’ credit card information.
Data protection
Aircall also operates a vendor management program that is designed to protect sensitive information and complies with all relevant laws. The VoIP provider evaluates all new vendors to ensure they meet internal security and privacy standards.
Integration security
For many VoIP services, having a large number of integrations with third-party services is essential. For Aircall, this means having partnerships with big-name CRM players like Salesforce and HubSpot, as well as integrations with smaller players like transcription platform Jiminny and recruitment service Bullhorn.
While the larger players are likely to already be adhering to the highest security standards, smaller third-party services are more of an unknown quantity. That’s why it’s reassuring that Aircall vets all its integrations before approval.
Given that the number of cyberattacks targeting VoIP platforms have risen significantly recently as more companies resort to Internet-based communications following the boom of the hybrid working routine, Aircall’s security standards should provide businesses with a little more peace of mind.
Furthermore, Aircall regularly performs penetration testing and operates a generous bug bounty program to ensure that any vulnerabilities that are present are discovered and patched before the bad actors become aware of them.
Security expertise
In addition, Aircall runs a blog examining certain issues related to VoIP technology - including existing security issues. The company walks through some of the main attack vectors, including vishing, DDoS attacks, eavesdropping and phreaking.
As well as cyberattacks, VoIP users will also be keen to ensure that they select a reliable VoIP service. Again, Aircall scores highly here, regularly backing up customer data and using AWS as a hosting provider to ensure a resilient service.
There is a growing marketplace for internet-based communication platforms, so if Aircall isn’t right for you, there are others to consider. RingCentral, for example, costs a similar amount per month but has the added benefit of video call support.
DialPad offers a longer trial for new users, giving them more time to experiment with the software, while GoToConnect has an equally impressive list of features as Aircall. However, both fail to offer the extensive integrations available with Aircall, making it a more customizable option.
Elsewhere, Zoom, 8x8, Vonage, and Ooma all have compelling offerings.
(Image credit: Aircall)
Aircall VoIP: Final verdict
Aircall helps users personalize workflows, learn how they work best, and drive productivity within teams. While Aircall may be one of the more expensive VoIPs, it could make a huge difference for SMBs requiring a flexible and powerful approach to CRM.
We came away very impressed with the overall package, the array of help and support (across all tiers), and the general ease-of-use.
Any password manager and security app that’s been around as long asmSecure is likely to have a good range of core features, and mSecure certainly delivers in that regard. It’s got AES-256 encryption, secure password generation, and seamless automatic logins.
There’s lots of competition when it comes to thebest password manager, though, so mSecure needs to impress beyond those mainstream abilities if it’s going to convince people to part with their money.
On paper, mSecure goes the extra mile with flexible data templates, intelligent searching, and loads of organization features, but we'll see how well these play out in practice.
mSecure's password generator allows you to create passwords made of random strings (Image credit: mSecure )
mSecure: Plans and pricing
There was once a free version of mSecure which had all the basic functionalities, plus some additional extras like Windows Hello login and customizable templates for data entry. This appears to have been dropped, now, but really, most users will have wanted to spend some cash to get access to the full functionalities.
The Essentials product costs $1.66 / £1.50 / AUD$2.50 per month if you pay annually, and it upgrades your app with syncing across cloud services, fingerprint login, browser extension support, and a more advanced security center for quick analysis of your passwords. With that product, you also get Apple Watch support alongside everything that was already included in the free product. This, and all the other plans, are available on a monthly rolling basis but you’ll pay a little bit more.
The Premium version of mSecure only costs $2.49 / £2.20 / AUD$3.25 per month, so it’s one of the more affordable options on the market. You get every feature included in the Essentials package alongside comprehensive sharing options, the option to attach files to your data entries, advanced customization options, and tags for easier searching.
Previously, there was no business-focused plan, but things have changed recently and mSecure has introduced a new Teams tier. Teams members get access to all the Premium features plus the ability to share data with the rest of the team and other mSecure users. The admin also gets free access to a Family account as a gift, and plans start at $19.99 per month when paid annually for 10 users.
This is the user interface of mSecure's Windows desktop app (Image credit: mSecure )
mSecure: Setup
Getting started with mSecure is fast and easy. You just need to enter your email and a master password to launch the software for the first time.
From there, you can import records from a CSV file or restore a backup database made by mSecure on another device. Note, though, that mSecure can’t easily import records from another password manager without copying them into an unsecured CSV file first. Most other password managers can import straight from other password managers directly.
mSecure can only import data from a CSV file or mSecure backup file (Image credit: mSecure )
mSecure: Interface and performance
To start, mSecure covers all the essentials you need from a password manager. There’s no limit on how many entries you can keep and the built-in categories enable you to store much more than passwords. All entries support custom fields and you can also separate entries into groups in lieu of simple tags.
Thepassword generator included in mSecure works well, and you can take your pick from completely random characters or a series of human-readable words. You can further customize the passwords by toggling the length and enabling letters, numbers, and special characters. You can even set exclusions which can be handy if you’re using less common keyboard layouts. Additionally, mSecure is constantly refining its tools and listening to feedback, so its password generator is even stronger than before.
Also included as part of the plans is a one-time code generator, so you won’t need to use a separate authenticator app.
One of the things that’s unique about mSecure is its cross-device syncing. You can sync new data entries across all your devices using the mSecure Cloud,Dropbox, or your home Wi-Fi network. Alternatively, the software enables you to create encrypted backups of yourdatabase at any time, which can be ported across devices.
mSecure’s desktop and mobile apps recently underwent a full redesign, so they now sport a modern and sleek user interface. One of the best things mSecure added is the auto-downloading of logos when you create an account online. That makes it very easy to find the entry for a specific login, like Netflix or Amazon, when you’re scrolling through your database.
We also liked that mSecure has added flexibility to the data entry process. You can not only add custom fields to every individual record but also redesign the templates for entire data categories.
In terms of platform support, you’ll find apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, alongside browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox – albeit only on Mac. That platform support will cover most people, but it’s pretty weak compared to most other products. Many have desktop clients for Linux, while the majority support extensions in even more browsers, including more obscure options like Brave and Opera.
Despite the various consumer-facing plans, mSecure has not yet announced any plans to support passkeys despite some pressure from online communities. Many other popular password managers have either already started rollout out passkey support or are on the cusp of doing so, and with Android and iOS both making passkeys more widely available to third parties in 2023, it is hoped that more websites will start to support them.
This is unlikely to be of much relevance to businesses for some time as they wait to see how the passwordless login method pans out.
mSecure also includes auto-lock and self-destruct settings (Image credit: mSecure )
mSecure: Security
mSecure uses AES 256-bit encryption to ensure that your data stays locked down, and this is a zero-knowledge service – so your master password is never stored anywhere within the mSecure app or on the company’s servers.
Beyond that, your data is kept secure with automatic locking with customizable inactivity time, self-destruct options, and automatic backup. You’ll also benefit from secure sharing, and biometric two-factor authentication on every platform adds another layer of protection.
There are plenty of security features missing here, though. You don’t get reporting and analysis in the same level of detail as you’ll find elsewhere – there’s no breach detection or dark web monitoring here, for instance. Many other apps go further in terms of management, deployment, and customization, especially for businesses and teams.
You can find FAQs and other tips in mSecure's knowledgebase (Image credit: mSecure )
mSecure: Support
mSecure provides support by email only using an online ticket system through a support portal, with no direct email address provided. Don’t expect a same-day response, either.
Beyond that, mSecure does offer a comprehensive knowledge base and a forum with separate sections for different platforms and problems, so it’s easy to drill down and try and find the knowledge you need.
Overall, mSecure could do better by offering phone support or access to live support by chat - even an adequately trained chatbot could be helpful.
mSecure: The competition
If secure password sharing is important to you, it’s worth checking outLastPass. This popular password manager offers sharing with one other user for free. You can share passwords with an unlimited number of users for as little as $3 / £2.50 / AUD$4.50 per month. We also like that LastPass includes more comprehensive multi-factor authentication options. Proton Pass also has impressive security credentials and is totally free, though there is a Plus plan with a few extra features.
Bear in mind, though, that LastPass and virtually every other big-name alternative to mSecure will be more expensive than either of mSecure’s paid product tiers.
If you’re interested in the business plan, there are plenty of options to consider. Bitwarden is noteworthy for its option for self-hosting, and Zoho Vault is another popular option that forms part of the very wide range of Zoho-branded productivity tools.
mSecure: Final verdict
mSecure is a decent password manager that makes it easy to keep records across multiple devices. We appreciated the redesigned interface and the ability to fully customize data fields and category templates.
For individuals who aren’t tech-savvy and people who want to save a bit of cash, this is a very good option – it’s easy to use and affordable. However, its lack of browser extension support and high-end features mean you’ll get more power and security elsewhere. Another of its selling points - that it’s cheap - is becoming less unique with more companies offering similarly priced or even free plans.
Update: January 2024. We still rate Beats Fit Pro as some of the best workout headphones, because they have such a great fit and lightweight design, despite coming with lots of useful features for both iPhones users and Android. They pretty much always have a discount now, keeping them as a decent value even though they're older, though there's no doubt that you get vastly better noise cancellation and sound quality from newer buds, including Apple's AirPods Pro 2 – but then, those aren't as well-fitted or sweatproof for exercise. The rest of this review remains as previously published.
Beats Fit Pro: Two-minute review
Think of the Beats Fit Pro as the Apple AirPods Pro, but with a few key differences. The most obvious difference is design. The Beats Fit Pro have a prominent wing tip, which ensures they’re secure in your ears when you’re exercising. There’s also a custom-designed driver in the Fit Pro, which means your music sounds bassier in comparison to the AirPods Pro, as well as slightly better 6 hours battery life.
However, as well as being more than a year old now, a few niggling issues prevent the Beats Fit Pro from competing with the buds in our best true wireless earbuds guide. For example, while the Fit Pro have active noise cancellation akin to the AirPods Pro, they’re not quite as powerful as other earbuds from Bose and Sony. Especially considering Bose has taken the top spot in our best noise-cancelling earbuds guide with the excellent Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2.
Another issue is the wing tip. Yes, this holds them in place and some people will find it secure and comfortable. But for others, it adds extra pressure to the outer ears that can become uncomfortable to wear over a prolonged period. If you prefer the more standard style of ear hooks, take a look at ourBeats Powerbeats Pro review.
Finally, like all Apple-owned buds, Android users won’t get the full experience (i.e. spatial audio and hands-free voice assistance) that iOS users get and for their price this means we can only really recommend these buds for people with an iPhone.
So, while the Beats Fit Pro deliver better results than the similar-looking Beats Studio Buds, and are a solid choice for working out, there’s still room for improvement. Read on for our full Beats Fit Pro review.
Beats Fit Pro review: Price & release date
They cost $199 / £199 / AU$299
Slightly cheaper than the Apple AirPods Pro
The Beats Fit Pro became available to buy in November 2021 in the US and January 2022 in other markets. They cost $199 / £199 / AU$299.95.
This makes them slightly less expensive than the Apple AirPods Pro ($249 / £249 / AU$399). For a cheaper option, take a look at our Beats Studio Buds review, which cost $149.99 / £129.99 / AU$199.95.
For what you're getting, they're good value—especially considering the fact that they come with noise cancellation and the H1 chip.
Beats Fit Pro review: Design
Secure fit thanks to wing tip design
IPX4 water-resistance rating makes them sweat-proof
While the Beats Fit Pro don’t reinvent the wheel—or in this case, the wing tip—they do implement it in a way we’ve not yet seen before. By making it a part of the earbuds and giving it extra flexibility, it’s able to latch onto the inner ear to keep the buds more secure.
Previously, other earbuds have gone for the wrap-around design and while we think that style is more comfortable, there’s something very stylish about the fin being directly attached and inside the ear.
To help you get that perfect seal, the Beats Fit Pro come with two additional sets of different-sized ear tips in the box, and it’s well-worth taking the time to find out which of them fit best.
Speaking of fit, these buds do honestly do a great job of staying in your ears. At no point in our review did the buds so much as move a millimeter once they were seated properly. However, because the fit was so exact it did put some pressure on the ears—especially after wearing them for a while.
(Image credit: Future)
Beats Fit Pro Specs
Weight: 5.6g (earbuds), 55.1g (case) Battery life: 6 hours (with ANC) additional 18 hours with charging case Colors: Purple, grey, white and black Water resistant: IPX4-rated Case charging: USB-C
That’s particularly important because the Beats Pro Fit are targeted at workout enthusiasts and even come with an IPX4 water-resistance rating that should make them sweat-proof. They’re not waterproof, however, so do be careful with them near a pool or on the beach, and they don't have dust resistance either, so keep them out of the sand.
On the outside of each bud, there are the touch controls that allow you to play or pause music and skip between tracks. A long hold will turn on ambient listening mode that will turn off noise cancellation while a second long press will turn it back on.
The controls can be a bit sensitive so you’ll have to be careful when putting the earbuds into and taking them out of your ears—trust us, it’s very easy to unintentionally hang up an important phone call or blast music in your ear without meaning to do it.
We’ll talk about them in more detail below, but it’s worth pointing out here that there are a total of six microphones on both earbuds that help pick up your voice and block out incoming noise. There’s also a redesigned driver and ventilation system that helps the bass range sound weightier, and the aforementioned H1 chip inside here that will enable a number of neat features for iOS devices.
Finally it’s worth quickly talking about the redesigned case that’s much smaller than the one that came with the Powerbeats Pro. It easily slides into a pocket and its smooth exterior feels great to hold, just don’t let it slip out onto the sidewalk or floor as it might pick up a few scratches. (Whoops!)
(Image credit: Future)
Beats Fit Pro review: Features
Four colours to choose from
They have the Apple H1 chip
While it’s not exactly a feature, we definitely appreciate having the option to pick between four colors for the Beats Fit Pro. Not only does it come in the classic Beats Black and Beats White color ways, but you can also select between a stunning Sage Grey with light green accents or Stone Purple that’s lavender with dark grey accents.
Of course, the main reason you’re paying a bit more for the Beats Fit Pro than the Beats Studio Buds is because the former have the H1 chip. That allows them to access hands-free Siri as well as spatial audio support on Apple Music, Apple TV and FaceTime.
The other reason these cost more than some other earbuds is because they have active noise cancellation that will block out some outside noise. In practice we found that they weren’t quite as adept at this as the Sony WF-1000XM4 or Bose QuietComfort Buds, but they do a decent job blocking out conversations happening in another room when you’re working from home.
While Beats designed the earbuds to work with both Android and iOS devices, Android users won’t be able to access the entire suite of features. Specifically, they’ll be locked out from an always-listening assistant and spatial audio.
Those aren’t exactly deal breakers considering how many earbuds don’t have access to spatial audio at this point—and Beats does make a pretty great Android app that will let you customize their controls – but these snags might persuade you to pick a more Android-friendly option like the Sony WF-1000XM4 instead.
(Image credit: Beats)
Beats Fit Pro review: Audio performance
The sound is excellent
Good call quality
Gone are the days of Beats earbuds sounding like blown-out car speakers with enough bass to shake your skull. The new sound profile Beats has gone with keeps things exciting with elevated highs and lows and good overall clarity.
To put the earbuds through their paces we checked out INDUSTRY BABY by Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow, which is available in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music. Right off the bat you hear the driving bass line but it’s followed by a vocal track that moves depending on which way you’re facing. Look left, and the vocal track moves to the right earbud. Turn right and the opposite happens. Being able to dynamically change the audio mix as you move your head is electrifying—giving you a concert-like experience anywhere.
Much of this is due to the way Beats are tuned and Apple’s H1 wireless chip—but the newly-designed driver inside the earbuds does help give them a slightly larger soundstage than previous Beats earbuds.
Apple Music has thousands of Dolby Atmos-mixed tracks that deliver a spatial audio experience on true wireless earbuds that really sounds great—INDUSTRY BABY is just one of many songs that really flaunts the sound profile of the new Fit Pro.
The caveat we’d make here is that, despite their impressive performance for their size, the spatial audio on the Fit Pro doesn’t replace the immersive sound you get from a true Dolby Atmos speaker system. However, it’s a big step up from traditional wireless earbuds.
As far as call quality is concerned, the Beats Fit Pro use five of the six microphones to accurately portray your voice to your recipient and the results are good overall. People we spoke to said we sounded relatively clear, though the volume was a bit softer than when we used speakerphone.
What that tells us is that these earbuds probably won’t be the ideal solution for business professionals who need crystal-clear audio in their calls, but would be absolutely fine for someone who just takes the occasional call or two on their earbuds.
(Image credit: Future)
Beats Fit Pro review: Battery life
Six hours per charge with 18 hours in the charging case (with ANC)
No wireless charging
According to Beats, the Fit Pro have some of the best battery life of any of their earbuds—with ANC on you’re looking at around 6 hours per charge with 18 hours in the charging case. That’s around an hour-and-a-half more per charge than the AirPods Pro and is a significant improvement on Apple’s flagship true wireless earbuds.
The Fit Pro will last even longer with ANC turned off—though, if you’re using them for talking instead of listening to music, the battery life will be a bit shorter.
Overall, that battery life is on par with other noise-cancelling earbuds—which is great—and falls just a bit short of other true wireless earbuds without ANC.
The silver lining here is that the buds support fast charging that will restore about an hour of listening time after only five minutes on the charger and will be fully charged in around an hour.
The only real disappointment on the battery life front is that the Fit Pro don’t support wireless charging like the AirPods Pro which means you’ll always have to keep a USB-C charging cable close at hand when you want them to be recharged.
(Image credit: Future)
Beats Fit Pro review: Verdict
It's hard not to compare the Beats Fit Pro to the Apple AirPods Pro. They've got the H1 wireless chip and active noise cancellation, the two best features of the AirPods Pro at a big discount. The AirPods Pro do have wireless charging, but that’s a relatively minor feature to be missing out on. Especially considering the Beats Fit Pro have a better battery life.
The Beats Fit Pro aren't perfect. Noise cancellation could be better and we felt they weren't as comfortable after a few hours of us. Although Beats has gone above and beyond to make Android users feel welcomed with its adoption of USB-C, one touch pairing and the Beats app on the Google Play Store, there’s still no always-listening assistant for Android users or spatial audio support.
But these are a great pair of true wireless earbuds that we think are best-suited to workout-loving iOS users because they'll work well in the office and at the gym thanks to their sporty design and you'll get the most from them with an iPhone.
Beats Fit Pro review: Also consider
If our Beats Fit Pro review has you considering other options, here are three more true wireless earbuds to ponder.
Astrill is a Liechtenstein-registered provider with more than a decade of experience in the VPN business.
The service network is smaller than most, with 300+ servers covering 113 cities across 57 countries. Astrill says these are faster than most, with 10Gbps network connections, but that's not so unusual these days. PureVPN even claims to have 20Gbps servers in 'several key locations.'
Platform coverage is a plus, with apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux and DD-WRT and Asus Merlin routers. It's good to see P2P is available on some, though not all locations, and there's Onion over VPN support for extra privacy.
Astrill has a protocol for every situation: WireGuard for speed, OpenVPN for versatility, the connectionless OpenWeb to protect browser traffic, and the company's own StealthVPN to get you connected in the most VPN-unfriendly countries like China.
Astrill supports a diverse range of platforms (Image credit: Astrill)
There are all kinds of low-level and more technical features to explore. Port forwarding support can speed up torrenting and allow secure access to your home network. Multi-hop VPN directs your traffic through an extra VPN location, making it even more difficult for snoopers to track you, and VPN sharing allows other devices on your network to use your Astrill connection.
The Astrill website boasts that the service allows you to 'connect unlimited devices', but that's not exactly true. Astrill allows you to set up the VPN on as many devices as you like, but you're only able to connect five of them simultaneously. That's probably enough for most users, but if you need more, AtlasVPN, IPVanish, Surfshark, Windscribe, and others have no limits on devices or connections.
Normally this is the point where we list all the major new features a VPN has added recently, but in Astrill's case, there's not a lot to say. The Android app saw an update a couple of months before this review, but Astrill's last iOS release was in 2019, and although the company released 19 desktop updates in 2020, there hasn't been another since.
Even if the apps are 100% bug-free (and we'll bet they're not), we would expect occasional releases just to update WireGuard, OpenVPN and other components, and the fact Astrill isn't keeping up with basic maintenance is a concern.
Astrill is far from cheap compared to rival VPNs (Image credit: Astrill)
You'd expect the best possible service for that price, right? Think again. Astrill has an optional VIP add-on that delivers 'optimized speed and reduced latency for clients in Asia and gamers', 'prioritized traffic on all servers', and 'multi-hop VPN' (pass your traffic through two VPN servers). That's an extra $10 a month to get Astrill's top speeds, regardless of the length of your subscription, so adding it to the annual plan bumps up the price to $25 a month.
Putting that into perspective, pay Astrill $180 (or $300 with the VIP add-on) and it'll cover you for a year; pay Private Internet Access $79 and you're covered for three years, with three months thrown in for free.
Astrill does have a bonus in a limited free Android plan. You can only use it with one device per account and speeds are limited, but it might be worth a try.
We normally pay our test account fees with PayPal, but this wasn't possible at Astrill. However we tried to pay, the website kept telling us our attempt had failed. We don't know why and Astrill was the only provider out of the 20+ we tested in our last updates where PayPal payment attempts repeatedly failed.
Even though we couldn't pay using PayPal, Astrill has a lengthy list of alternative payment options, including card, Bitcoin, AliPay, WebMoney, Union Pay, and Web Money.
If you're not confident Astrill is going to be worth the money – and let's be realistic, who would be? – you're able to try out the service for 7 days, no payment details required. Sounds good, but beware, there's no refund or money-back guarantee after that.
Astrill keeps no logs on users and its privacy policy gives a clear picture of the information it stores (Image credit: Astrill)
Privacy
Astrill's privacy policy is sensibly laid out, with clear headings and a refreshing lack of jargon making it easy to find (and understand) the details you need.
The document explains that Astrill logs the connection time, IP address, device type, and Astrill VPN application version, but these are all deleted once you disconnect.
Astrill says that they keep some general data about your last 20 sessions ('connection time, connection duration, country, device type, and Astrill client application version number') in order to "identify potential issues with VPN connection[s] and provide adequate support."
So, while they do keep some logs, the company explains that it doesn't keep IP addresses, so won't be able to tie these sessions to any internet action.
To see if a VPN is living up to its privacy promises, we check each providers' use of tracking technology. Astrill's website scored much better than most, with only a single tracker and no third-party cookies. Astrill's Android app also performed well, with Exodus finding it contained no trackers at all.
Good news on logging, then, but there is another issue here. The policy explains that when you sign up, the company doesn't just collect your email and name, but "depending on your payment method, we may require your phone number and address."
(Image credit: Astrill)
We confirmed this during the review when the website requested verification via our mobile phone before we could pay via Bitcoin. (Who needs anonymity anyway, right?)
Astrill does an above-average job with its privacy policy, then, giving us plenty of details and saying all the right things. Still, asking for extra personal details doesn't seem to sit well when dealing with privacy. Plus, as the company hasn't put itself through a privacy or security audit, there's no way to verify what it's really doing. You're left to take Astrill's promises on trust.
Astrill's Windows app takes some getting used to (Image credit: Astrill)
Windows
As we mentioned above, signing up for Astrill takes a little more work than usual. Sign up for the trial and you're asked to verify your phone number by entering a PIN sent via SMS. We paid by PayPal and were asked to enter our real-world address, too.
Downloads can be a challenge, too. Most providers allow you to download their desktop apps by clicking a link; Astril not only asked us to log in, but it also demanded we complete a CAPTCHA.
Life gets easier post-payment, fortunately. A web console pointed us to Astrill's downloads, we grabbed the Windows installer, and it set itself up within seconds.
The Windows client has a tiny interface, which initially seems just a little more than an On/Off button, the name of the current location, and a scrolling chart of recent network activity. However, there's more to the app than you might think.
A simple location picker displays a list of servers, with a search box, a Recommended tab listing the servers Astrill thinks you're most likely to need, and a second tab to store your favorites.
The server names and order might leave you confused. Scroll to the UK, for instance, and the list begins '*London 10G', '*London O1', 'London GT1' and '*London 1. On the face of it, it's hard to hazard a guess at which one is best and we assume most users will just pick one at random.
There are explanations, if you go looking, but they're not always obvious. The asterisk turns out to mean the server supports P2P, for instance. Fine when you know, but we suspect it's not something you're likely to guess. You'll need to spend some time learning the app and its nuances to get the best out of the software.
Astrill's iOS app is very basic (as is the Android software) (Image credit: Astrill)
Mobile apps
Astrill's mobile apps are far more basic than its Windows offering, but then they're a whole lot easier to use, too.
The iOS version has just a location list, a TCP/UDP protocol choice (that's OpenWeb and WireGuard) and a big On/Off button. That looks distinctly underpowered compared to the competition, although the app does have one welcome feature that's not included in the desktop software: a Recent tab on the location list makes it easier to find and reconnect to servers.
Astrill's Android app has a little more functionality – OpenWeb, StealthVPN and WireGuard support, for instance. An Application Filter is a split tunneling system which enables defining which apps use the VPN, and which use your regular connection. There are one or two protocol tweaks (UDP/TCP and port choices), and a Show Logs option to help troubleshoot connection issues.
It's a little better than the iOS app, but only a little, and there are downsides, too. Not only is the Location picker missing the iOS 'Recent' tab, it doesn't have a Favorites system, either; yet another annoying inconsistency between platforms.
OpenWeb only tunnels traffic from Astrill's listed popular browsers, which includes IE rather than Edge, oddly (Image credit: Astrill)
Protocols
Astrill's protocol support gets off to a good start with WireGuard and OpenVPN. The latter defaults to AES-128-CBC, but that'll still defeat any attacker, and you can change it to AES-192 or AES-256 if you prefer. You can even disable encryption entirely, perhaps useful with something like streaming, where performance is a top priority and there are no security issues.
The company's own StealthVPN offers 'an additional encryption layer on top of OpenVPN', Astrill says, making it 'even more secure and hard to identify and block by firewalls.' It may help you get online in China and other VPN-unfriendly countries, although we didn't check this during this review.
OpenWeb 'is invented by Astrill, uses AES military grade encryption and offers much faster surfing and streaming speeds comparing to other VPN protocols', according to the firm's help pages.
By default, OpenWeb only tunnels traffic from Astrill's idea of popular web browsers, including Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Google Chrome, Chromium.
That's right, Internet Explorer instead of Edge! You can add Edge and other apps to the list as necessary, but we're still left wondering what other outdated assumptions Astrill's apps might be using.
Astrill VPN offers a decent kill switch, but it's not without weaknesses (Image credit: Astrill)
Kill switch
Astrill's Windows app has two kill switches, each designed to prevent you sending unprotected traffic if the VPN drops.
A system-wide option blocks your internet connection, which is secure and easy to set up, but is also a nuisance if the VPN drops regularly.
An app-level kill switch called App Guard is a little smarter. Specify the applications you'd like to protect – Chrome and Outlook, say – and if the VPN goes down, Astrill blocks traffic for those apps only. Everything else works as normal. That's less secure as you're assuming none of your other traffic is important, but it's also more convenient if the switch kicks in.
We tested both switches, trying various scenarios to see how reliable they were. The results were, well, mixed.
The system-wide kill switch protected us some of the time. When we killed its OpenVPN process, for instance, our internet was blocked and the app automatically reconnected. Simple.
When we moved to more extreme tests, though, the cracks began to appear. We forcibly closed the Astrill app while using WireGuard, the VPN dropped, but the kill switch didn't kick in. And when we tried the same with OpenVPN, the VPN stayed up, but the connection dropped when the app restarted, again without the kill switch activating.
Astrill's app doesn't raise notifications when it connects or disconnects, either. That's another concern, as if the VPN does drop for some reason, you won't realize unless you're looking at the app's dashboard.
These are tougher tests than are likely to occur in real life, and we think Astrill's kill switches will protect you most of the time. But they do have weaknesses, and don't match the best of the competition.
Astrill allows you to tweak loads of VPN settings (Image credit: Astrill)
Settings
Astrill's app settings cover just about every tweak and option we'd expect, and a great deal that we really didn't.
The client doesn't just let you choose OpenVPN UDP or TCP settings, for instance. You're also able to define the encryption method (AES 128, 192, 256), the port, even the MTU setting. And you can configure the port and MTU values for Astrill's other protocols, too.
Capable split tunneling features allow you to decide which applications and sites will use the VPN, and which will use your regular connection. You could set up the system to protect your torrent client and the Netflix and BBC iPlayer sites, for instance, but leave other traffic connecting as usual.
Astrill's Privacy settings don't stop with its kill switch functionality. It also has DNS, IPv6 and WebRTC leak protection, and even bonus privacy options to delete regular and Flash cookies.
By default, Astrill connections use the company's own DNS servers. The client doesn't just allow you to manually specify an alternative, though – you can also choose popular services from a list (Google, OpenDNS, Cloudflare, Comodo, Level3, more), or decide not to change DNS at all.
There's plenty more, but we'll stop at Astrill's user interface options. By default, the interface stays on top of other applications, for instance. But if you don't like that, you can turn this off with a click, then define a hotkey to launch the app on demand.
Overall, Astrill VPN's Windows app offers more features and configuration options than just about anything else we've ever seen, and experienced users could spend a very long time happily exploring what's on offer here. But the sheer volume of low-level settings (and the technical language used just about everywhere) may intimidate less technical types.
Astrill had no problems unblocking US Netflix (Image credit: Netflix)
Netflix and streaming
Astrill's apps don't have specialist locations for unblocking Netflix, Amazon, Disney Plus, or any other streaming platforms. That can make it more challenging to get into a particular site, as you might have to try several locations before you succeed if you don't give up.
That wasn't an issue with US Netflix, though, as Astrill successfully unblocked it with all three of our test locations.
There were mixed results elsewhere. Astrill performed well in the UK, unblocking Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITV and, Channel 4. It couldn't get us into Netflix Australia, Canada, or Japan though, and failed with Australia's 10Play. It did manage to succeed in unblocking 9Now, so there's that.
Astrill might just about be acceptable for unblocking, depending on your needs, but if you need reliability we'd look elsewhere. ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Private Internet Access, ProtonVPN, PureVPN, and Surfshark all unblocked 100% of our test platforms in their last reviews.
We evaluate every VPN with an array of speed testing benchmarks (Image credit: Speedtest.net)
Performance
We weren't able to get Astrill to run in our regular speed testing environment, unfortunately. That's unusual, but as it's not a platform we'd expect Astrill to support (a cloud PC in a data center), we're not counting that as a black mark against the company.
Switching to a 5G modem capable of 300Mbps, we found Astrill delivered capable OpenVPN and WireGuard speeds of 200-275Mbps. That's perfectly adequate for browsing, streaming, and most other internet tasks, but if you have a faster connection, we expect you'll see even more.
Astrill VPN review: Final verdict
Astrill VPN has been a great traveler's choice for years, especially in China. But it's also hugely expensive, with a lengthy list of issues and problems. So, if getting online in China is what you need, there might be better options. If you don't need to bypass the firewalls of VPN-unfriendly countries, you can get far easier-to-use, faster, and more capable VPNs for a fraction of the price.
