Strikingly is an unusual competitor when it comes to the best website builder platforms. Unlike most, Strikingly targets those who are looking for a powerful single-page website builder. This means the tools on offer are specialized to these types of websites.
However, within the realms of single page websites, Strikingly provides a surprising broad range of features and tools such as image galleries, blogs, custom forms, even a simple web store (with no transaction fees). There are many useful supporting features, too: responsive templates, video backgrounds, password protection, social media feed integration, and more.
Plans are competitively priced and the platform even offers one of the best free website builder plans on the market.
Our experts have taken the time to test the features, tools, and ease of use of Strikingly. Now we have created this guide, highlighting our findings and giving you all the information you need to decide whether Strikingly is the right website builder for you.
Here's a snapshot of Strinkingly's plans and prices (Image credit: Strikingly)
Strikingly plans and pricing
Strikingly has three main plans on their website. Because of the organized interface, it’s really easy to find prices. Each plan is cheaper if you sign up for the annual plan. Strikingly does offer a free plan so you can test out the website builder before pulling out your credit card. Here’s a summary of the paid plans:
The Limited plan includes your own domain name, 50 GB of bandwidth, and 1 GB of storage per website (up to 2). This plan is great for entrepreneurs or small business owners who want to get their ideas or products online.
The Pro plan includes up to three pro sites and unlimited bandwidth. You’ll also have 20 GB of storage and access to all the pro features like pop-ups, HTML, and JavaScript.
The VIP plan includes everything in the Pro version except a lot more storage - up to 100 GB. You can include multiple members with this plan to help manage your site.
If you want a custom email address for your website (e.g. example@yourwebsite.com) you will need to pay an extra $25/year on top of plan options.
Here's an example of a website built with Strikingly (Image credit: Strikingly)
Strikingly interface
The interface is very easy to navigate. There are also a few apps to integrate your site with other services. These don't offer anything like the range of services seen in Wix and Weebly, but they cover many of the basics: Google Maps, SoundCloud, Google Calendar, PayPal, Wufoo forms, Ecwid stores, Facebook and Disqus comments, and a general Embed box for adding tweets, Giphys, and more.
The settings dialog reveals some interesting advanced tweaks. Pro account holders can define custom actions which might be visible to users on a mobile device (calling, texting, finding directions). You're able to use a custom Favicon (the icon for your site in a browser tab), and set the icon used when your site is shared on social media. A collaboration feature allows inviting colleagues or friends to help develop the site. Everyone gets their own login, which means there's no need to share your password with others.
The editor is a great feature (Image credit: Strikingly)
Strikingly features
The Strikingly editor groups most of its controls and options in a well-designed sidebar. A navigation map shows you the content sections in the current page. You can reorder them, delete them, and add new elements. You can adjust site-level details including fonts, colors and animations.
The right-hand side of the screen is reserved for a view of the current page. The editor overlays some buttons on this, allowing you to change layouts, provide a new background (including video support), and more. But otherwise the page looks much as it will in your browser, and a few elements work in the same way (clicking the menu buttons will scroll to their page sections).
Editing in Strikingly is more about working with prebuilt components than going your own way. For example, one section in our template contained two images, the first with text to the right, and the other underneath with text to the left. The editor allowed us to replace and edit the images, enter and reformat text, customize the layout (alignment, whether we preferred columns or rows, should the media be on the left or right) and more. But we couldn't add a new element which didn't fit the section format, like a button, or tweak existing elements by resizing or dragging them.
Strikingly saves your work as you go, putting itself ahead of the competition (Image credit: Strikingly)
Strikingly alternatives
There are many website builders out there - Wix, Squarespace, and Jimdo are just a few. What makes Strikingly different is how it automatically saves your work. Whatever you add or tweak, Strikingly does a good job of protecting you from accidents and mistakes. This ensures that whatever happens, you'll never lose too much if something goes wrong. And even after saving, you can keep tapping Undo to reverse all your recent changes.
Site previews are another highlight. Buttons to preview your work in desktop, phone and tablet views enable you to check that your pages work across all devices. Another option allows viewing the live site, which means if you've noticed a problem and gone back to the editor to change something, you can view the results immediately. It's a thoughtful touch which will save you time and hassle when tuning your website.
Strikingly review: Summary
The Strikingly website builder isn't as powerful or customizable as the top competition, but it's very user-friendly. You might even say it notices the things you need to add to your website. With Strikingly, you can easily build a good-looking site that’s complete with a blog. You can set everything up within a few minutes. If simplicity is key, add Strikingly to your shortlist.
EaseUS Todo Backup is one of the most significant worldwide names in data management, PC utilities and backup software. It has been around since 2004 and now serves millions of worldwide customers from its HQ in China.
2009 saw the launch of EaseUS Todo Backup, and it’s since become one of the firm’s most popular products.
There’s a free version available, and if you want to splash the cash, you can buy the Home, Enterprise and Technician editions for individual, business and enterprise use, respectively.This has grown to amass tens of thousands of users globally.
EaseUS Todo Backup: Plans and pricing
We’re always keen to see a free version of a backup tool, but it’s worth bearing in mind that EaseUS Todo Backup Free has some restrictions.
For starters, it’s deliberately made slower than the paid versions. While you can use the free version for basic backups of files, disks, operating systems, and app data, you miss out on advanced features, and you can only use 250GB of cloud storage space.
That means the free version is only suitable for home and professional use if you have basic requirements and lots of free time.
(Image credit: EaseUS)
ToDo Backup Home costs $40 for an annual licence or $60 for a perpetual licence with no upgrades. A lifetime upgrade costs $80, which is the best long-term option for home or SMB users who only need to back up one device. Bundles are also available for around $100 and include ToDo Backup, Partition Master Pro, and Data Recovery Wizard – a great deal.
For any business owner who needs more backup versatility and power, though, there’s a definite step up in features if you opt for one of the ToDo Backup Business packages – like faster backups and support for Windows Server.
Workstation Edition costs $49 per user for one year, Server Edition includes Windows Server backup and PXE network boot tools for $199 per year per server, and Advanced Server adds SQL Server and Exchange backup and recovery for $299. For anyone with more advanced business needs, head here.
Technician packages start at $999 for people who need to manage loads of devices, with a lifetime license costing $2499. That’s a mammoth price, but it’ll be worth it if you handle dozens of PCs or laptops across an SMB or enterprise.
EaseUS ToDo Backup also has a Mac version, which has been updated for compatibility with macOS 14 Sonoma and costs $40. It’s largely an equivalent of ToDo Backup Home in terms of features, without the high-end additions you can expect with Server or Technician.
EaseUS Todo Backup: Features
EaseUS ToDo Backup has options for file, disk, OS or app data backups, and it also has a module to back up Outlook, Chrome or save game data – handy if you want to preserve data from specific applications.
You can send files to specific local drives, the EaseUS cloud servers, network locations or a secure, encrypted partition on your PC, too, so there’s plenty of scope for customization here.
Users can pick from different speed levels and maximum transfer speeds, and backups can be split, encrypted or password-protected. There are also options for custom commands – ideal for wrapping backups in with other automated PC tasks and scheduling your backups.
You’re also able to schedule backups based on other PC events, like if you connect a specific USB device or boot your PC, and the Smart Backup option is particularly impressive as it can detect if files have changed and start new backups accordingly,
(Image credit: EaseUS)
Elsewhere, EaseUS offers disk, system and partition cloning, full system transfer, image-checking, the option to create boot disks and a PreOS Manager. And if you want to recover full backups or files from your backups, you can browse to the file and navigate easily.
Opt for Workstation edition or beyond and you don’t get security zone backup, presumably because you should have your own cybersecurity protection by that point. If you deploy the Workstation or Server versions, you can back up to tape and use faster backups.
People using those versions can export or import backup plans and create complex backup plans, which makes managing multiple machines easier, and Command Line options are available at this level. Advanced Server and Technician users get Exchange backups and extra server options too.
Users on the various business plans also get email notifications, file exclusion, automatic backup checking, partition management, MBR fixing tools and offsite copying.
It’s an excellent range of features, although we recommend at least the Workstation option if you’re in a business and want to take backups seriously.
(Image credit: EaseUS)
EaseUS Todo Backup: Interface and use
No matter your version, the interface is decent – attractive and clean. Click the New Backup button and you’re guided through every option, with the backup source and destination settings particularly clear.
It can be a little tricky to spot the New Backup button, which isn’t particularly large. On other apps, this is quite often the largest button or feature in the app – but that’s a tiny criticism.
Start a backup and you benefit from a clear, attractive screen that details its progress, including the estimated time remaining.
And impressively, there probably won’t be much time remaining at all – because EaseUS ToDo Backup is extremely fast.
We tested our latest slate of backup apps with a 42GB document folder, a 2.5GB spreadsheet folder, a 162GB folder of media and an 82GB file that mixes all of those file types. We backed them up to three different SSDs to weed out any inconsistency.
In Document testing, EaseUS averaged just 3 minutes and 36 seconds, and it averaged just 5 minutes and 56 seconds with our mixed media folder. Both averages were the fastest in our latest round of app testing. Its Spreadsheet result of 2 minutes 12 seconds and media pace of 7 minutes 18 seconds were similarly impressive – the second and third-best results out of nearly twenty apps.
On the Mac side, the Apple version of EaseUS ToDo Backup fits smoothly into Sonoma, and its speeds tallied with the Windows version.
EaseUS Todo Backup: Support
EaseUS offers direct customer support through email and live chat. The official website also has detailed user guides and documentation to help you navigate through Todo Backup.
Users who have purchased the Advanced Server or Technician products can access priority support.
However, many users complain that the support is inadequate due to slow response times and language barriers.
EaseUS Todo Backup: The competition
There’s no shortage of alternatives to a platform like Todo Backup. One noteworthy competitor is Acronis Cyber Protect, which provides backup tools and endpoint security in one bundle (for a similar price), giving it an advantage over Todo, which offers only data backup/recovery.
EaseUS Todo Backup: Final verdict
That said, there’s loads to like about EaseUS ToDo Backup. It’s packed with backup features that should sate SMBs and enterprises, especially if you pay for the Server or Technician options, and it’s pretty easy to navigate.
And if you’re a home user or sole trader or need more basic backups for office workstations, it has great products there, too. There’s no shortage of speed here, either: on balance, this is the fastest backup app we’ve tested.
The interface could use a little tweaking, and those Server and Technician options do get pricey, but there’s no denying that EaseUS ToDo Backup is a fast, effective option for home and business backup.
Zoolz Cloud Backup is geared primarily towards businesses looking for long-term, comprehensive data security that doesn't need much in the way of maintenance. It's particularly good at standards compliance (HIPAA, GDPR), and at giving you control over a team of users and how they're able to access the cloud storage you've configured.
While Zoolz does give you a web interface to access your files, it's best at just working away in the background unseen, and letting you restore files as and when needed. The Zoolz service also gives you the option of what it calls 'cold storage' using Amazon Glacier technology – cheaper online storage for files that you don't need to access quite as often.
Zoolz has a whole host of features to tempt you in: user and policy management, no speed or file size limits, automatic deduplication, support for external and NAS drives, server backups, 256-AES server-side encryption, round-the-clock technical assistance... it's difficult to come up with a feature that Zoolz Cloud Backup doesn't offer.
Then there's that cold storage option: it's half the price of the instant storage, and you can combine both instant and cold storage as you like in your account. The downside is that it takes longer for data in cold storage to be restored – typically between 3 and 12 hours for a restore to start – but that'll be just fine for a lot of users. In our test, a 1GB file took just under 8 hours to become available.
Actually, there are options and choices throughout Zoolz – you can, for example, have backups run at maximum speed and take up all your bandwidth, or throttle them so you can get on with other Internet business while they run in the background. It's the sort of flexibility that a lot of IT managers and small businesses will be looking for.
You can get Zoolz to back up the key folders on a computer or choose them specifically yourself, and the software is able to copy data to local storage and the cloud simultaneously, so you always have plenty of redundancy built-in. Backups aren't instantaneous though – they run on a schedule (from every 12 hours to every 7 days), so it's not so suitable for a quickly changing environment.
It’s worth going in and checking the default settings before you become reliant on Zoolz, as both instant and cold storage drives are set to retain 10 file versions. This can be increased to unlimited, which makes more sense in the fight against data loss.
(Image credit: Zoolz)
Zoolz interface
The Zoolz interface isn't bad, exactly, but it's a long way from the sort of modern and intuitive look you'll get in applications such as Google Drive and Dropbox. The menus and screens come across as a little bit dated and awkward – but that said, is the software interface really all that important in a backup tool? It does the job, and that's what counts.
Backing up was relatively slow too, though we were using the standard (throttled) rather than the turbo mode. However, that's not really what Zoolz is about – remember that the most regular backup schedule you can set up is every 12 hours. This is a suite of tools to have running in the background while you work.
The web interface is the same as the desktop clients: functional but not much more than that. You get a nice overview of your computers, your registered users, the servers you've set up, your computers, and recent activity on your account. What's more, changing your account settings or upgrading your package is simple too.
You can also move and restore files from the web interface, as well as set up user policies and file access privileges. While most personal users will consider this overkill, IT professionals will be delighted by the granularity that Zoolz offers, and that extends to reports on client activity, bandwidth usage, and many other aspects of Zoolz activity. Our browser-based test suggested that Zoolz can keep up with the pack, however a 1GB download did take up to twice as long as some other services using our stable 350Mbps connection.
We were a little disappointed with the desktop client, which in our case was installed on an M1 Mac. The graphics in particular were blurry and distorted, although this could be part of the transition to M1 compatibility and not a reflection of the service as a whole.
Unlike many of Zoolz’s competitors, there are no mobile apps available, which many users typically find valuable when it comes to backing up photos and videos. That said, there is still limited, non-optimized access to the web browser if things become desperate and you need to regain access to lost files.
(Image credit: Zoolz)
Zoolz security
Zoolz certainly ticks a lot of boxes when it comes to security, though there's no two-factor authentication option here. That means you're left with the standard username and password approach, so you'll need to make sure that access to your login credentials is well guarded in whatever way you see fit.
All files dispatched to Zoolz end up on an Amazon Web Services system, and by default are encrypted using the industry standard AES 256-bit algorithm. Transport layers protect them on their journey to and from there, while storage encryption can be applied either with a password that Zoolz also holds or a completely private key that only you have (the latter is safer, but your data will be gone forever if you forget the password).
We like the transparency on offer here, and in our case, we were made aware that our data was being stored in US East (N. Virginia).
Zoolz pricing
Various pricing options are available for Zoolz Cloud Backup. The pricing for cold storage starts at $19.99 per month for 2TB and goes up to $59.99 for 6TB, $99.99 for 10TB, $189.99 for 20TB, and $399.99 for 50.
Additionally, if you commit to a longer term, there are discounts available. The longer the commitment, the greater the discount.
(Image credit: Zoolz)
Zoolz testing
We performed three critical tests on the Zoolz for Windows app to assess sync speed, file recovery, and versioning. These tests were conducted on a Windows 11 virtual machine using the Proton Drive web client. The virtual machine was connected to the internet via fiber broadband and a VPN server. In our speed tests, the average upload speed consistently reached 2350 Mbps.
Test 1 - Sync speed
As part of our testing, we copied a 589 MB folder into the application directory and measured the time the desktop client took to synchronize the files with the cloud. The folder comprised 228 files spread across nine folders, including MP3s, images in PNG and JPEG formats, metadata files, and a PDF.
Creating a backup copy of this folder took 2 minutes and 47 seconds, which we considered very good.
(Image credit: Future)
Test 2 - File recovery
During our test, we aimed to verify if deleted folders were removed entirely from Zoolz. We accomplished this by deleting a recently uploaded folder using the Zoolz web interface. However, it took some time before we confirmed that the folder had been deleted. Zoolz had previously indicated that the deletion process would take some time. Unlike other servers, there was no way to recover the deleted content on Zoolz.
(Image credit: Future)
Test 3: Versioning
Many top cloud providers offer file versioning, allowing you to revert to a previous file version. We uploaded a single Microsoft Word document to Zoolz using the web interface and then changed it on our computer before uploading it again. Zoolz didn’t prompt us when we copied over the original file, which is fine since Zoolz is designed primarily to back up files and folders on the fly and behind the scenes according to a schedule.
Luckily, we could see both versions and restore them if needed.
(Image credit: Future)
Zoolz verdict
Take a look at the Zoolz client list, which includes well-known companies such as Dell, Duracell, and the Harvard Library. This demonstrates that Zoolz is a powerful cloud backup storage solution. It offers great flexibility for managing drives, servers, storage types, and users, and it's easy to manage and operate. This flexibility allows it to easily fit into a variety of small business scenarios.
While it doesn't provide instant backups and the interface is a bit cumbersome, these are relatively minor issues. From the data compliance measures to the hybrid (cloud and local) backup options, we've been impressed with Zoolz Cloud Backup during our time using it, and we believe you will as well.
How to choose a cloud storage or cloud backup provider?
Mathew Porter shared his agency's own experience/process when choosing a cloud storage provider.
The first process to find the right cloud storage provider is to assess your requirements by answering these fundamental questions. Who? What? Where? When? Why? Knowing the answers to these simple questions will not only outline the solution required, but also identify what providers offer them. An example of answers to the questions may be:
Who: My example business, a theoretical online retailer of dog coats, solely online to the consumer market. Knowing your business will aid in the process of outlining what data will be stored as part of the backup process.
What: The data we are going to be storing to our cloud backup solution will be our website, product, sales and customer data, which does not include payment information. This data will be compressed in to a gzip file and automatically transferred to the cloud storage from our web server that runs cPanel. Knowing what data is being stored, the format and how it will be backed up, you will be able to outline requirements when analysing providers.
Where: We are wanting to store our data in the cloud as an additional offsite backup location. As we operate within the EU, we must comply to data protection legislation/laws such as GDPR and PCI and the provider must also comply to these. Outlining aspects of the legislation that both parties must comply to will help to identify which providers meet the requirements.
When: Our example business will be sending roughly 1GB gzip backup to the cloud storage twice a day, retaining each backup for 30 days. Knowing a rough file size, multiplied by the amount of backup instances (1GB x 2 x 30 = Roughly 60GB) will not only outline the storage space required but also allow us to pose the question to potential providers that they will be able to support the data transfers at the frequency rates outlined.
Why: Our theoretical business requires an offsite backup to be stored in addition to our internal backup that is stored offline. This will provide our business with multiple disaster recovery solutions that cover both scenarios off offline or online data loss. Knowing the reasons that a solution is required aids in the assessment of deciding if a cloud solution is actually required.
Western Union has been around for a long time with origins that date back to the mid-1800s and has developed its range of money transfer options over the years to move with the times. While it’s still got plenty of the old-style infrastructure that made it appealing to many people in days gone by, the latest incarnation of Western Union is bang-up-to-date.
With more of us needing to move and monitor our money on the go then the Western Union app is going to be of particular interest. At the same time, you can still make good use of its desktop website to do the same thing if you're not bothered about mobile convenience. Topping out the lasting appeal of Western Union is its many physical locations around the world too, which for many makes it a go-to solution no matter where they happen to be.
Similar products worthy of investigation include WorldRemit, Venmo, PayPal and Zelle.
Western Union has the obvious benefit of many physical locations around the globe (Image credit: Western Union)
Pricing
There’s a useful tool on the Western Union website called the Price Estimator, which is, as it sounds, a practical way of finding out how much a transfer will cost you. Enter a destination for the money, the amount and currency.
You can then choose from online, in-store or mobile app as your chosen means of transfer. The different options adjust their settings depending on which country is chosen, allowing recipients to pick the money up at Western Union branches or get it straight to their bank account.
We tried an example sending $500 to Jamaica and got quoted a fee of $7 for debit card, $21.50 for credit card, $5 for a bank account option and $9 for an in-store payment. The transfer, we were told, would take minutes and could also be picked up at a Western Union location.
We also tried the bank account option, and this offered a $2.99 transfer fee and the arrival of funds would take up to 1 business day. In other words, there are numerous variables involved in working out individual costs, although the estimator tool is great for helping navigate those costs.
The Western Union app really impresses with its neat and tidy design (Image credit: Western Union)
Features
Flexibility is the key feature with Western Union offering an array of ways to transfer money, albeit for wildly varying fees depending the means of moving the funds and location you’re sending cash to. You can do everything online if needed, sending money directly to bank accounts using the Western Union app.
Cash pickup is also an option favored by many, while increasing numbers of users are opting to use the mobile wallet feature that is available in selected countries. Using the Western Union app comes with added functionality and convenience features too, such as one-touch fingerprint login, instant access to contacts that you regularly send money to, as well as being able to dynamically track your transfers.
Western Union's app also features great tools such as being able to track transfers (Image credit: Western Union)
Performance
With a company as big as Western Union it is reasonable to expect the money transfer service to work quickly and efficiently, although there is often more expense involved compared to others in the market. The online experience via web browser is fine, but it's the app where Western Union currently excels, with a slick mobile experience offering plenty of tools to ensure swift and seamless transfers.
The Price Estimator is a valuable tool for getting to the bottom of many different prices (Image credit: Western Union)
Ease of use
When you use Western Union you do at least have the benefit of a huge company, with countless physical outlets around the globe. Add to that the extensive range of currencies it can handle, in excess of 125 and you’ve got a service that’s quick and convenient. The other bonus is the raft of different methods for sending money, from online and using the app through to bank accounts, mobile wallets and those worldwide outlets.
Western Union has a multi-faceted selection of help and support (Image credit: Western Union)
Support
With something the size of the Western Union operation you’d be right to expect a rock-solid support structure. Therefore, the array of help options available are numerous. If its basic information and frequently asked questions you’re after then the Western Union help center makes an obvious first point of call.
However, it’s also possible to chat with a representative, email Western Union with a query and, naturally, call them on the phone if you'd prefer to speak to someone in person. There’s even a mailing address for postal enquires and correspondence. It’s also possible to track the status of transfers, which is often the first thing many of us want to do if we’re concerned about the whereabouts of our funds. The app comes into its own for this sort of thing.
Final verdict
Western Union is a very large global concern, which means that it can help you with money transfer tasks pretty much wherever you are and whatever currency you want to move. There’s also the flexibility of being able to transfer money both domestically and internationally.
There are some downsides however, with one key issue being that pricing can be rather bewildering, with the Price Estimator being a useful tool on the Western Union website to gauge costs. As with any money transfer tool, you’ll also need to keep an eye on your security settings, but having the benefit of speedy transfers as well as being able to let someone pick up physical cash at the other end might appeal to many.
Western Union’s main benefit is that it can let you get money to pretty much anywhere. There are other money transfer services that maintain lower overheads though. In that respect, if you’re sending cash to a fairly common destination then the best advice would be to see what the competition is offering alongside Western Union.
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.
Squarespace is a designer-friendly no-code platform with great aesthetics that consistently ranks among the best website builder platforms on 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 2026, 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 its 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.
Recent updates
Squarespace 7.1 represents a fundamental shift in the platform's design philosophy, moving away from fixed template families to a highly flexible design system powered by Fluid Engine. This introduces a grid-based editing system that allows users to drag, drop, and layer content blocks with unprecedented freedom, essentially transforming every website into a custom design canvas with zero template limitations.
Design
The Fluid Engine editor enables independent mobile and desktop layout design, giving users granular control over how their content appears across different devices, a significant improvement from the previous version where mobile layouts were automatically generated.
Squarespace 7.1 introduces Auto Layouts that intelligently present content sets, gallery sections for cohesive image displays, and advanced visual effects like Block Pinning for split-scrolling and Text Highlights for emphasizing selected content.
Content management
We found the new page section functionality particularly impressive, as it allows users to divide content into distinct sections with unique design, layout, and styling options. This is a major improvement from 7.0's single content area limitation. They also added Saved Sections functionality in May 2025, enabling users to create reusable design components across multiple pages, speeding up the design workflow for both beginners and professionals.
Ecommerce
For ecommerce users, 7.1 delivers substantial improvements in selling capabilities and product management. The platform now supports up to 10,000 products per page (compared to 200 in version 7.0) and 250 variants per product (up from 100), while introducing nested category navigation and optimized mobile scrolling for longer product descriptions. Product waitlists, previously available only on specific templates, are now accessible across all websites.
Support
Security and support options have been strengthened through Squarespace's dedicated security team implementing enhanced technical and organizational measures updated in January 2025. The platform maintains a risk-based security approach with continuous monitoring, red team exercises, and threat modeling for new system developments, ensuring robust protection for both company and customer assets.
Integration capabilities have also evolved, though 7.1 maintains Squarespace's philosophy of relying primarily on native tools rather than extensive third-party integrations, which some users find limiting compared to competitors but ensures better stability and support.
Partner program
The platform's recent major update arrived in September 2025 with the launch of Squarespace for Pros, unveiled during Circle Day 2025. This professional-grade experience introduces Finish Layer Design Tools with interactive block animations, customizable transforms (opacity, rotation, offset), and the ability to import external fonts for complete brand consistency.
It also includes integrated practice management for project oversight and client collaboration, plus expanded Circle partner program benefits representing Squarespace's most significant investment to date in supporting professional designers and agencies. However, you should be aware that upgrading from classic editor sections to Fluid Engine is irreversible and may break custom CSS implementations.
Note: Upgrading to the 7.1 version of Squarespace is entirely optional for now. While new users get introduced to Squarespace 7.1 by default, existing website owners can choose to keep the legacy version of the website builder, along with all its existing features and support.
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 ecommerce 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 ecommerce 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
Squarespace is well known for being one of the best blogging sites around. So, 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 competitors (like Shopify) when it comes to shipping and payment options – for instance, manual payment 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 get 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 convenience 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
Plan
Monthly cost (paid monthly)
Monthly cost (paid annually)
Basic
$25
$16
Core
$36
$23
Plus
$56
$39
Advanced
$139
$99
Pricing last verified: 12/02/2026
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 $99 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 of the plans available on Squarespace, you can read our full Squarespace pricing guide.
Integrations
Squarespace takes a curated approach to integrations, offering built-in connectivity to carefully selected platforms rather than an open marketplace of third-party apps. The platform provides what it calls "Connected Services," which are seamlessly integrated into the core Squarespace experience.
This includes essential tools for payment processing (Stripe, PayPal, Square), shipping carriers (FedEx, UPS, USPS), social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Vimeo), and marketing services (Google Analytics, Mailchimp, Facebook Pixel). We find that this approach ensures reliable performance and support, though it may feel limiting compared to platforms that offer thousands of third-party integrations.
But for automation enthusiasts, Squarespace also supports Zapier integration, which opens up connectivity to over 1,000 additional 3rd-party apps and services. Through Zapier, users can create automated workflows (called "Zaps") that trigger when specific events occur on their Squarespace site, such as new form submissions, newsletter signups, or product purchases. Common automation scenarios include adding new form submissions to Google Sheets, creating CRM entries in Salesforce or HubSpot, sending notifications to Slack, or adding contacts to email marketing platforms like ConvertKit.
Finally, Squarespace offers API access for developers looking to build custom integrations, though this requires technical expertise. API key generation is possible through the platform's developer settings. It uses OAuth 2.0 authentication and provides REST endpoints for managing content, products, orders, and inventory.
Developers can access endpoints for site-level configurations, e-commerce functionality, and content management, enabling custom solutions for businesses with specific integration needs. This is useful for connecting Squarespace to enterprise systems like ERPs, CRMs, or custom fulfillment services that aren't available through the standard integrations.
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
Wix
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.
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.
With plans starting at just $1.99/mo (intro rate), Hostinger offers many of the same tools as Squarespace, including a full AI website builder. Although it doesn't offer the same level of design prestige, websites built on Hostinger still look clean and professional, making it a great choice for small businesses.
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.
