iStock (formerly iStock Photo) was founded in 2000, and acquired by Getty Images in 2006, but it has remained pretty much independent since, save for the closure of iStockPro, the more expensive version of iStock which was never very popular and had been made redundant by the acquisition.

‘Photo’ was dropped from its name to emphasize the fact this service has expanded its offering beyond photography. Now offering stock videos, illustrations, vectors, and even music, how does the veteran fare against stock photo rivals? 

• You can try iStock by clicking here 

iStock: Pricing & plans

• A choice of subscription or pre-paid credits. The more you pay, the cheaper each downloaded media will be

As you’d expect, iStock is powered by subscriptions. You have three types on offer: ‘Basic’, ‘Premium’, and ‘Premium + Video’. The price depends on how much content you expect to download each month. The more access you buy, the cheaper each media will be comparatively. Your number of allowable downloads can be rolled over to the following month, up to a maximum of 250 downloads. As expected, annual subscriptions are cheaper than monthly ones. Prices range from $30 up to $350 a month.

If the subscription model doesn’t appeal, you can choose prepaid credits instead. The principle differs here: if you take the ‘Premium + Video’ package as an example, one download can be any image, video or music. With credits however, an ‘essential’ image is worth one credit, a ‘signature’ one, that’s three, an ‘essential’ video is worth six, and a ‘signature’ one, 18. Prices range from $12 for one credit, to $2,400 for 300. This is pretty much on the high end when comparing it with other similar services. 

You will find a few free stock photos available for use. But the site is fairly ungenerous here compared to some of the best free stock photo sites we’ve reviewed.  

• Pricing & plans: 3/5

iStock: Interface & experience

• Simple and clear interface, with effortless joining procedure

As with other similar services, you’ll find the main page dominated by a large search field. The aim is to get you to find - and purchase - the media you’re interested in after all, along with prominent links to set up an account and start spending.

Like many other of its competitors, iStock’s search tool is focussed by default on stills. Click on the ‘Images’ icon to its left to see other options, such as Videos, or narrow your stills search further by restricting the results to Photos, Illustrations, or Vectors.

Top of the page are a series of dropdown menus which help you quickly find current trends for a specific media, look at popular categories, and explore curated content, such as the ‘artist of the month’, ‘free video/photo/illustration of the month’, or peruse the service’s blog. And yes, those free clips are indeed free. You just need to set up an account to download them.

If you’re looking for music, iStock has partnered with Epidemic Sound, and if you’ve subscribed to the highest tier (Premium + Video), you’ll be able to download tracks there as part of your package.

Setting up an account is as easy as can be: add an email address, set a password, you’re finished. You don’t even need to wait to receive an email to confirm your address. It’s so simple, it’s refreshing.

• Interface & experience: 4.5/5

iStock: Search by kind

• An effective way to find media similar to those you have

One particular search option we'd like to highlight is one we had a bit of fun with - and how many times can you say that about a search tool?

It's a large button to the right of the search field - in a way it's quite subtle and can be easily missed. It’s ‘Search by image or video’. Click on it, drop some media onto the window. iStock will then get to work, delving into its vast library, and finding similar looking photos and clips. 

We must say, the results were surprisingly good, and you can also refine your search further by adding keywords should you want to. If you’re looking for content that’s a variation on a theme, this tool is great - and it’s also surprising, and perhaps a little humbling, to see how much similar media there is in this world…

iStock aren’t the only ones doing this: Unsplash, for instance, is offering this feature too. It’s a great, clever way to look for similar yet different content, to those you already have.

• Search by kind: 4.5/5 

iStock: Image selection

• Numerous parameters to search and pinpoint media, but the interface could be more refined

Having searched for media in iStock’s vast library, and narrowed down the result with the use of keywords, you’ll be graced with a series of thumbnails showcasing what iStock think you’re after.

You’ll find a large number of additional options to pare down your selection, just below the search field. For instance, you can select the color and mood of the overall media, choose a specific orientation, tell iStock if you want people in the shot, and if so, how many, their age, and ethnicity.

Top left, you’ll also find a ‘Refine’ button which reveals a sidebar with optional parameters. Some, like ‘Orientation’, and ‘Age’ are the same as those buttons we just mentioned, while others, such as ‘Locations’, and ‘Upload Date’ are new. It’s a little puzzling why you’d get two different areas to access the same parameters, but there you are.

Click on an image, and you’ll find a larger preview of it, along with additional information, like the author’s details, some metadata, the ability to save the image to your account or download a watermarked copy, and information on how much the image costs in credits, or based on your subscription level.

There’s also another interesting feature. A button marked Edit.

• Image selection: 4/5

iStock: Image editor

• A good addition to the service, should you not have an image compositor at hand

Clicking on the Edit button sends your chosen image to another tab where you can make changes to it. There’s a dozen filters available, along with the ability to add text boxes, with the choice of a few dozen fonts, altering the size, style, color, alignment, and rotation, and adding a shape behind said text, should you so wish. 

This is no Photoshop alternative, but great as a quick bit of graphic design software for social media, with its easy-to-use cropping tools, along with default sizes to suit various social media platforms. You’re even able to upload your logo or a graphic to add to it.

The tools are basic, but welcome. If you don’t already have access to a full photo editor, these could be essential. If you do, it would probably be best to download the original and work from there. 

• Image editor: 4/5

iStock: Trends

• A clever use of search data to help browse current trends and compare searches, all while pinpointing the content you’re after

One feature we really enjoyed using was the ability to search by trends. iStock, like any media service, collects a vast amount of data on the searches that go through it. As a result, they can use that data to showcase current trends, and narrow down these trends by location and over time.

This can lead to a fascinating journey through the most current, or most popular search terms, or just type in a keyword and see what pops up, or type in two keywords and compare them against each other. Scroll further down the page to see some media that will go along with those trends, making it easy for you to select appropriate content that's relevant to specific trends, all in one convenient place.

• Trends: 4.5/5

iStock: Scorecard

Should I try?

Try it if...

You need new content for your project, are willing to pay the price for premium quality, and like innovative ways to search for and find what you’re looking for.

Don't try it if...

You’re on a budget and can’t afford to pay for another subscription service, or some more expensive credits.

iStock: Alternatives

We've tested, reviewed, and rated a range of stock content sites, including the best Adobe Stock alternatives. 

For alternatives to iStock, see our Vecteezy review, Shutterstock review, and Unsplash review.

Grado GW100x: One-minute review

The Grado GW100x are the Brooklyn-based brand’s latest wireless over-ear headphones. They replace the outgoing GW100, and not before time – that model originally launched in 2018 and was upgraded to ‘v2’ a couple of years ago. 

The Grado GW100X's $249 / £249.99 (around AU$399) price suggests they're designed to compete more or less head-on with the best wireless headphones from the likes of Bose, Sennheiser and Sony, but don’t forget we’re dealing with Grado here – a company we usually cover for no-nonsense, affordable wired headphones. So while the GW100x are properly equipped where the serious business of delivering music is concerned, they don’t really provide the ‘full service’ experience those nominal rivals do.

But let's be clear, the sound quality is excellent. Being the very rare open-backed wireless headphones means the expression and expansiveness of the sound is peerless for this kind of thing – although it does mean they leak sound in both directions.

The Grado GW100x use Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless connectivity, with SBC, AAC and aptX Adaptive codec compatibility, and feature multi-point pairing. They’re equipped with big (44mm) full-range drivers from Grado’s latest ‘X’ series, and promise a frequency response of 20Hz - 20kHz – the full extent of human hearing, in other words. And as long as you’re not really pressing on in terms of volume, battery life is an impressive 46 hours.

And as far as sound quality is concerned, the GW100x do their auspicious brand-name proud. The open-backed design is unusual in the extreme where wireless on- or over-ear headphones are concerned, and the company has obvious gone to quite a lot of trouble to prevent them leaking sound in the traditional open-backed manner (though obviously compared to closed-back headphones, there is leakage). This has a knock-on effect on the size of the soundstage the GW100x can create. By Grado standards it’s reasonably tight, but if this were any other brand of headphones I’d be very positive indeed about what a spacious, well defined and airy soundstage these headphones generate.

The overall sonic balance is really well judged. Low frequencies have plenty of body and heft, but they’re nicely textured and carry plenty of fine detail, and they’re controlled well enough to give rhythms proper expression and keep momentum levels high. At the opposite end of the frequency range there’s the same sort of eloquence, the same sort of fanatical detail retrieval and the same sort of natural, uncolored tonality. In between, the mid-range projects well, and makes a singer’s technique and attitude absolutely clear. And the entirety of the frequency range knits together well, so the GW100x sound just as poised as they do potent.

Dynamic headroom is considerable, so when a band switches from ‘whispered middle eight’ to ‘almighty charge into the final chorus’ the Grado can track the changes in volume with no problems. And they’re just as unstressed when it comes to the more subtle harmonic variations that go to making a recording sound full and complete. There’s a muscularity to the GW100x sound that means they can handle the rough stuff with no problems, but they’re equally capable of being tender and understated if the music demands it. 

So the GW1000x cover off the ‘sound’ aspect in fine style, but where the talk would now ordinarily turn to all the other stuff like active noise-cancellation, control app functionality and so on, the Grado cupboard is bare. There’s no active noise-cancellation here, no control app to allow you to adjust EQ levels and stuff like that… heck, the Grado GW100x don’t even come with a carry-case. 

The lack of carry case means controls are all physical: the right ear-cup houses three quite plasticky buttons in its quite plasticky circumference, which allow you to take care of ‘power on/off’, ‘Bluetooth pairing’, ‘play/pause’, ‘skip forwards/backwards’, volume up/down’, ‘answer/end/reject call’ and ‘summon voice assistant’.

Interactions with your source player’s native voice-assistant are smooth, and the same can be said for call quality – the mics integrated into the GW100x do their thing with a degree of panache. The right ear-cup also has a USB-C input for battery-charging and a 3.5mm input for hard-wired usage. 

‘Plasticky’ is a perfectly valid description of the way the GW100x look and feel if you line them up against any price-comparable rival – like almost all Grado headphones, ‘sophistication’ is not on their list of virtues. The feel is inexpensive, from the minimally padded headband to the bog-standard foam earpads. If I were a less charitable man I might even call them ‘agricultural’. Perceived value, it’s safe to say, is not especially high here – you have to hear them to feel where the money is going.

They’re comfortable, though – at just 188g they’re no kind of burden to wear. And adjusting the headband to get the earpads in position is easy too, thanks to Grado’s familiar (and, let’s not beat around the bush, slightly agricultural) ‘friction pole’ mechanism.

Grado GW100x review: Price and release date

• Cost $249 / £249.99 (around AU$399)
• Launched in November 2022

The Grado GW100x are on sale now, and in the UK they are priced at £249. In Grado’s native America they sell for $249, while in Australia you’ll have to part with AU$399 or thereabouts.

At that price, they're competing with big names such as the Sony WH-1000XM5, Bose QuietComfort 45 and aforementioned Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless. It's very hot competition – but the Grado are diferent.

Grado GW100x review: Specs

Should I buy the Grado GW100x?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Grado GW100x review: Also consider

How I tested the Grado GW100x

• Tested for a week or more
• Used in a home office, on the street and (once, bravely) on public transport
• Apple iPhone 14 Pro and Nothing Phone (1) as source players

The positives of the Grado GW100x should be obvious by now - they sound lovely, they are comfortable in the extreme and they last for ages between charges. They have multi-point pairing too, so I was able to connect them to my Apple MacBook Pro as well as my smartphone while working. 

They’re just as effective a companion when out and about - except on public transport, where their shameless leaking of sound made me tremendously self-conscious (and also quite unpopular with my fellow travellers). No other wireless headphones have made me quite so anxious to be home, alone.

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: July 2023

As the name suggests, HelpDesk is a cloud-based help desk platform for organizations of all sizes. The company themselves claim that over 5,500 'experts' are helping customers through its automation features.

Naming your business after the very product you're selling is a bold move, so we're here to look beyond the hype: does HelpDesk deliver on its promise to be the best ticketing and workflow management solution out there? 

HelpDesk: Plans and pricing

HelpDesk has a very clear pricing strategy and even offers a free 14-day trial with no credit card required.

Unlike the myriad of subscription options usually offered, the HelpDesk pricing page seems to offer just two.

The 'Team' plan costs $29 per agent per month if billed annually or $34 per agent if you pay month to month. This includes obvious benefits like having all your messages in one dashboard, inclusion of all customer data within tickets and even a 'private' notes feature for agents to share observations. Other perks include customizable canned responses and using AI to enhance text. Agents can also use automation to speed up repetitive tasks. 

There's also an 'Enterprise Plus' plan, although you need to contact HelpDesk in order to obtain a quote for this. It has all the listed features of the 'Team' plan along with a few extras such as audit logs of any changes made to applications as well as tailored security assistance. Other benefits include one on one product training, software engineer support, drafting of legal paperwork to get started with HelpDesk and a 'Key Account Manager'.

Naturally it's hard to say whether these add-ons are worth the extra cost without knowing the price. There's also no 'free' tier although as you've seen, it's possible to try out the platform for free for 14 days.

HelpDesk: Features

We were delighted to find that HelpDesk were only too keen to show off the platform's features via an online tour. 

One of the hallmarks of the platform is that agents can find individual cases easily, as well as edit multiple tickets at once. As pointed out in customer reviews, you can create ticketing lists using defined filters and tags to do this. You can also create custom fields to detail your tickets with additional requester information, as well as your own e-mail templates.

HelpDesk have clearly placed an emphasis on team collaboration on tickets. Aside from allowing agents to send customized canned responses, you can check the status of tickets simply to see to whom it's been assigned and change this with a few clicks. All subscribers also benefit from the aforementioned 'Private Notes' for agents to make their own observations.

Agents can also type initial responses, which can then be formatted, extended and made more polite by the platform's integrated AI. If this weren't enough, you can also use Zapier, an external automation tool, to connect HelpDesk to over 3,000 apps.

HelpDesk: Interface

One of the biggest draws of HelpDesk is that it's cloud-based, so should run effectively on any machine that has a web browser. This could be very helpful if your organizations has a BYOD (Bring your Own Device) policy or if any of your agents work from home as the software is truly cross-platform. HelpDesk also support a 'free view' mode whereby you can display your ticketing system to viewers via web browser without them changing anything.

Customer experiences of the UI itself are more mixed. From online reviews we've read, there are those who find it clunky as well as those who find it quite intuitive. HelpDesk are keen to show how seamless it can be to automate tasks via a short online video demo but this doesn't cover more advanced topics like handling dashboard analytics. As such, we suggest availing of the 14-day free trial to see if the interface works well for you. 

HelpDesk: Security

HelpDesk have a dedicated Security page, where they confirm their data centers are provided by IBM Cloud, located both in Texas, US and Frankfurt, Germany. The claim there's always a security guard on duty at these locations. The company also claim to be SSAE 16-compliant, which in theory means their internal data security standards have been audited and approved by a third party.

HelpDesk's parent company LiveChat uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol: 1.2 and 1.3. They state that when accessing their software, you are communicating with LiveChat through Akamai, their Content Delivery Network provider. During this communication you negotiate through which encryption algorithm will be used, before the application protocol transmits or receives its first bytes of data. 

They also point out that most LiveChat connections are encrypted with the TLS 1.2 protocol. Naturally as HelpDesk is web-based the encryption protocol used will depend on the browser used by agents to access the platform. 

Still, this shouldn't be an issue provided all agents use a secure web browser and keep it up to date. 

When it comes to data at rest, HelpDesk claim to secure all information and are therefore GDPR compliant. We would have appreciated more information here about how data is encrypted e.g. through 256-Bit AES encryption.  

HelpDesk: Support

Both pricing tiers of HelpDesk include 24/7 support by e-mail chat and phone, though if you want a dedicated trainer to help you with the platform you'll need to sign up to the 'Enterprise' plan.

Beyond this, the main website has an extensive resources section including the extremely useful "HelpDesk Handbook" for beginners to the platform. It includes a basic introduction to HelpDesk along with some tips and tricks.

The Help Center is also an excellent resource, with clear guides on common topics like setting up your account and integrating apps.

HelpDesk: Final verdict

There's a lot to love about HelpDesk. The pricing tiers are straightforward (though we would have liked to see a rough quote for the 'Enterprise' plan on the website). The website also has gone to great lengths to give users an overview of the platform and the features are everything we'd expect to see from a ticketing system.

Although subs are a little pricy, for your money you do get dedicated 24/7 support by phone, chat or e-mail. The interface also seems to be very simple to master.

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