You’ll see email hosting providers that seem to focus their energies in particular areas, allowing the competition to excel in others. That seems to be the case with IceWarp, which really excels should you need a lot of email and file storage. 

That isn’t to say that IceWarp is particularly lacking as an all-rounder. Perhaps its support could be better and you have to sign up a minimum of 10 users, but the potential of adding native desktop apps is a great alternative to Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

Part of a storage-hungry organization? Keep reading our IceWarp review to fund out why this could be the email hosting service your business needs.

IceWarp: Plans and pricing

Unlike many of the other email hosting providers we’ve reviewed, IceWarp lets customers choose from plans for cloud email hosting and self-hosted email. For those who prefer the scalability and flexibility that you get from the cloud, the choices include Startup, Business, and a custom quote. For self-hosted email, you can opt for either a licence subscription or a customer quote. 

The cloud Startup plan costs $23 per month for up to 10 users, while the Business tier costs $3.50 per user per month for up to 500 users. Should you need email for more than 500 users, you’ll need to get in touch with the IceWarp sales team directly to receive a custom price.

If you’d rather go with IceWarp’s self-hosted offering, this is charged at $3 per user per month for up to 500 users. And again, if you need more than 500 users, you'll need to reach out for a bespoke price from IceWarp. All of IceWarp’s plans come with one month free and, if you sign up for an annual subscription, you’ll save 17% compared to being billed monthly. 

Pricing is slightly different if you want access to IceWarp’s native desktop applications for Windows and Mac. These are optional add-ons for subscribers to the Business plan and will set companies back an additional $3.50 per user. The flexibility of IceWarp’s pricing for this desktop suite is a bonus, however. You can sign up for Business email for your entire organization, for example, but add the desktop apps for as many or few individuals as required.

Features

In terms of its core features, the first thing that stands out about IceWarp is the generous amounts of cloud storage you receive with your chosen email hosting plan. Even Startup customers receive 200GB of email storage per user and 1TB of file storage. 

Other welcome features included across both plans include TeamChat to help with collaboration, video conferencing for up to 1000 attendees, a calendar, and a personalized dashboard. There’s also ChatGPT integration, indicating that IceWarp isn’t going to let the opportunity of incorporating AI tools into its email hosting pass it by. So, if you already have a ChatGPT subscription, you can leverage it to create an AI assistant for use with your IceWarp account. 

The main point of difference in terms of features between the Startup and Business tier plans is the desktop suite of applications for Windows and Mac devices. This isn’t available at all for Startup customers and can only be purchased as an optional add-on if you’re signed up for the Business plan. These applications represent pretty good alternatives to those you get with Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. You can create and edit your documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, but you may find that the applications are not quite as slick or well-designed as those on offer from Google or Microsoft.

Support

IceWarp's support isn’t bad but doesn’t necessarily fare that well against some of its competitors. For example, although its live chat support is easy to use and makes for a good first port of call for users, the company only guarantees a response within 48 hours. This is twice as long as the guaranteed response time for some other services, with Hostinger promising to respond in a single business day.

However, if you do need more urgent support, you can put in a request for dedicated cloud support, with responses typically provided in two hours. There’s also priority support available for those self-hosting, with a contact for telephone support.

In addition, IceWarp has an academy for video tutorials, an online FAQ, and a pretty active community forum.  Overall, IceWarp’s support is pretty decent - it’s just that you might find more responsive assistance elsewhere.

Security

IceWarp has a fairly good security offering, with all applications safeguarded by TLS/SSL encryption. There are also integrated anti-spam and antivirus solutions and two-factor authentication is supported.  

IceWarp’s security is multi-layered and leverages online detection to protect against threats. In total, it combines 20 antispam technologies with real-time zero-hour protection from CYREN and Intrusion Prevention System. That should help prevent malicious actors from accessing your email account. 

What’s more, if you still hold reservations about the cloud’s security credentials, you can always decide to go with IceWarp’s on-premise plan. This puts responsibility for safeguarding your sensitive information firmly in your hands. 

The competition

IceWarp certainly differentiates itself from the competition - noticeably in two major ways. It provides an on-premise option and has a minimum number of users set at 10. The former is a nice option if you have the resources to run your own IceWarp server, but the latter could be off-putting for smaller firms. On the other hand, larger enterprises will need mailboxes for more than 10 users anyway.

If you need plenty of storage, IceWarp blows most of the competition out of the water. While the cheapest Google Workspace plan comes with 30GB of shared storage per user, you get 1TB of file storage with IceWarp. Of course, storage isn’t everything, so if you want a slicker office suite or more third-party integrations, you might want to check out other providers, like Zoho Mail or Neo.

IceWarp: Final verdict

IceWarp is an excellent email hosting provider for businesses that need a lot of storage. For everyone else, it’s just very good. Smaller businesses may find the minimum sign-up for 10 users prohibitive, but they will enjoy the inclusion of various productivity tools.

We've also featured the best email hosting services.

Hostinger is one of the best email hosting services on the market today, but that should come as little surprise because Hostinger also excels in terms of the other solutions it offers. In terms of relaibility, collaboration tools, security and more, this is a great choice for businesses.

The affordability of Hostinger’s email hosting also can’t be overlooked. If you’ve decided that your business is lacking the sense of professionalism that you only get by moving away from a generic Gmail or Outlook address, then you could do a lot worse that Hostinger. Make your brand instantly look more credible without crippling your IT budget by signing up for one of Hostinger’s email hosting plans.

Hostinger: Plans and pricing

Hostinger keeps things simple, offering just two business email hosting plans: Business Starter and Business Premium. Business Starter costs $0.99 per mailbox per month, based on a 48-month contract. Note, that if you renew this plan, the price does increase slightly to $1.59 per mailbox per month. While this is still pretty affordable, the lengthy contract terms may put some businesses off - even though they’ll still only be forking out $47.52 per mailbox for an email plan that will continue to function for four years. 

The Business Premium plan, meanwhile, will cost users $2.99 per mailbox per month - again for a 48-month term subscription. This works out to be $143.52 over the course of the four years for each mailbox required. Again, there is a small price increase should you choose to renew after the four years are up, with fees going up to $3.99 per mailbox per month. 

The prices offered here are very affordable. For instance, the Business Starter plan offered by Neo is more expensive at $1.75 per month for one user. However, it’s worth considering that the Hostinger prices quoted above are those offered at a discount by Hostinger. The website admits that this is 66% less than the Business Standard plan’s normal price and represents a 40% reduction for Business Premium. It’s good to keep this in mind when comparing Hostinger’s prices and those of other email hosting services.

Features

Whether you choose between the Business Starter or Business Premium plans has a significant impact on the features you’ll have at your disposal, but either way, Hostinger provides a good range of functionalities. 

With Business Starter, you get 10GB of email cloud storage, access to 10 forwarding rules, 50 email aliases, and cloud-based infrastructure. Among the benefits for Business Premium subscribers is the way that Hostinger takes things up a notch. They’ll receive 50GB of storage, the ability to set up 50 aliases and create 50 forwarding rules. 

In terms of the email management features provided, Hostinger customers also get autoresponse, email forwarding, and filter rules. This means the platform makes it easy to implement the kind of automation features that could result in your employees’ productivity levels increasing substantially. 

You’ll also encounter an email hosting service that is intuitive and easy to setup with autoconfiguration for third-party mail clients, such as Apple Mail, Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird and others. Integration with the likes of Gmail is also straightforward. 

As you might expect, given the prevalence of hybrid work, Hostinger’s email hosting works just as well on smartphones on as it does desktop computers, so you can access your email via your iOS or Android mobile devices.

Support

Hostinger’s support for its email hosting services is very reliable and includes 24/7 multilingual chat support and email assistance. There’s also a comprehensive knowledge base, complete with resources on some of Hostinger’s other services, like its website builder, file manager, database, and more.   

Regarding its email hosting specifically, the knowledge base includes more than 100 articles, including around troubleshooting, migration, and anti-spam tips. This should mean that you hopefully won’t have to reach out to Hostinger directly for additional support - especially if the company meets its 99.9% uptime guarantee.

If you do need to reach out for email support, Hostinger promises to reply to your inquiry within one business day. However, in our experience, the company performed a lot better than that. We receive a response to our email configuration issue in just over 15 minutes - a very speedy response! So, although the lack of a telephone support option is somewhat unusually, the other support options more than make up for it. 

Security

Hostinger’s email hosting offers some robust security, supporting DKIM, DMARC, and SPF protocols. You’ll also find built-in anti-spam and antivirus included within your email plan so there’s some solid protection for both your incoming and outbound email traffic.  

Should anything nasty slip through and you find that you’re account is compromised or you’ve lost some important emails, Hostinger also comes with automated email backups for data loss prevention and disaster recovery. There’s also two-factor authentication and encryption. 

In addition to the technical safeguards provided by Hostinger, there’s also a fairly detailed support page informing users of what they can do to secure their email account. This includes how to change your password, checking for unauthoruzed activity, scanning for malware, and other recommendations. These tips, combined with the approaches that Hostinger takes as standard, should keep your email account pretty well protected. 

The competition

Hostinger’s email hosting stand out from many of its competitors because of its feature-rich nature, robust security and affordable pricing plans. For instance, it works out slightly cheaper than many other providers, such as Neo, although you’ll have to decide for yourself whether this means it is the best value for money based on your company needs. 

Certainly, you won’t find many  other email hosting services that take security and support quote so seriously. The inclusion of various security measures, from encryption to multi-factor authentication should help It managers sleep a little easier. And, should anything go amiss, support is fast and reliable.

Hostinger: Final verdict

Hostinger’s email hosting is a great option for businesses that want an affordable, reliable plan. The fact that Hostinger offers various other service, such as shared hosting, VPS hosting, cloud hosting, and more is pretty appealing too and mankes this an excellent choice.  

We've also featured the best email hosting services.

With twin trays capable of holding a whole ream of tabloid paper, this wide format multifunction printer should be enough to satisfy any home user. In addition to duplex color printing on A3 paper, it can also scan and copy. There’s a 35-sheet ADF (automatic document scanner) for copying a stack of A4-size documents and a large touchscreen interface. 

It prints quite quickly for an inkjet at a top speed of 22ppm (pages per minute) and like all HP printers, it comes with self-healing dual-band Wi-Fi and a trial subscription of HP+ offering subsidized ink and extra functionality. It appears to have most of the key features essential for enterprise and it looks a little large for the home office, so why not recommend it as one of the best small business printers? Read on to find out why it might not suit a workgroup situation.  

HP OfficeJet Pro 9730e: Design and build

Like all large format multifunction devices, the HP OfficeJet Pro 9730e is a big unit and HP has allowed plenty of room on board for paper. There are two paper trays, each capable of holding 250 sheets and these trays stick out by a few extra inches when loaded with A3 or tabloid paper. That means the quoted depth of 467cm is really 842cm with the input and output trays extended, and it weighs 20kg before you load any paper. It’s probably not going to fit on the same desk that you work on.  

While the printer and scanner bed can handle anything up to A3, the ADF on top is limited to A4, so it cannot copy multiple pages of A3 automatically. The output tray is also somewhat limiting in that it can hold only 75 pages before they start spilling onto the floor. Sadly, there’s no multipurpose input tray, but you do have a USB Host port at the front and a large tilting touchscreen interface. At the rear are connections for Ethernet and USB data cables. 

Open that big flap at the front of the unit and you’ll see the cavernous space where the printheads zoom across the paper and it’s here where you’ll install the four surprisingly small inkjet cartridges. Overall, the design looks clean and symmetrical in its cement grey finish and the unit feels reasonably well built. But I can’t help wondering if it could be more compact.  

HP OfficeJet Pro 9730e: Features & specifications

As a three-in-one multifunction device, this inkjet can auto duplex print, scan A3 paper and copy using its 35-sheet ADF. We’ve tested the best all-in-one printers, and given the competitive price, the HP OfficeJet Pro 9730e is well endowed with additional features. There’s dual-band Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Direct and AirPrint compatibility, a generous 4.3” capacitive touchscreen, USB Host port and HP’s Wolf Pro Security for Windows users. What it doesn’t have is a fax facility, NFC (near field communication), or a multipurpose input tray. And it should be noted that while the maximum media size of the scanner platen is 297 x 432 mm (A3 or tabloid), the ADF is restricted to 216 x 356mm (A4 or letter). These are all things that would be useful in a shared workgroup environment.  

The 500-sheet paper capacity will be enough for the average office environment, but the ink capacity could be limiting because the highest yield color cartridges top out at 1,650 pages. The bundled standard cartridges yield just 800 color pages. The top print speed of 22ppm is pretty fast for an inkjet, and in draft mode, that increases to 34ppm which beats some laser printers. Color pages print at 18ppm and that drops to 4ppm in best quality mode. 

It can print on any kind of media from envelopes to coated photo paper, but HP does not recommend loading anything heavier than 105 g/m², which seems like a very low limit. It means you can’t print on heavy paper and even thin card is likely to jam – as I discovered.

If you open an HP+ account, without necessarily signing up to an Instant Ink subscription, you can use some additional functionality when using the companion app for iOS or Android. These advanced features include sending a digital fax via your smartphone, printing a scan captured on your phone, or scanning directly from the printer to your phone. A free two-year HP+ subscription is included in the purchase price of this printer, but I wouldn’t describe that as a feature and from personal experience, I wouldn’t recommend signing up to the free trial unless you print regularly and have a good idea of the quantity. I found it surprisingly difficult to wriggle out of the contract after the trial.

HP OfficeJet Pro 9730e: Setup & operation

To set up the HP OfficeJet Pro 9730e, you simply load some A4 or letter paper, turn on and follow the on-screen prompts. These will tell you when to set the region and how to load the four inkjet cartridges. You can run out a test page at this point to ensure your nozzles are aligned and firing. Then you can switch to the companion app in order to get your printer online. If using the intuitive HP Smart app, you won’t need to type in your Wi-Fi password as your data will be transferred for you. It’s easy and it worked first time for me. The only frustrating thing about HP’s setup wizard is the way you are railroaded into signing up for an HP+ subscription at every turn. I had to decline five times before the printer grudgingly allowed me to start printing. 

The user experience is enhanced by the large tilting color touchscreen and the printer’s interface is as intuitive as the excellent app. However, I also discovered some frustrating aspects to this printer’s operation. Each time you load paper you have to select the paper type, as with all printers, but HP’s naming convention makes this difficult. If you want to print on glossy photo paper that isn’t branded HP, for instance, you must choose ‘other glossy inkjet papers’ or ‘other photo inkjet papers’ and be careful to choose the same thing at the printer and the PC as it won’t print with a mismatch.

HP OfficeJet Pro 9730e: Performance

I achieved mixed results while testing the HP OfficeJet Pro 9730e - it’s certainly not the best printer I’ve ever tested. It turned out consecutive pages of monochrome text as quickly as the claimed 22ppm, though reversing the page in auto duplex mode slows the print rate considerably. There’s an extra second or two delay when the message ‘ink drying’ appears on the display. Black printed characters remain sharp and clear on plain paper, even at the smallest point sizes. In draft mode, simplex printing is faster (around 34ppm) with very little compromise in quality.

Switching to color test pages and the results are still strong. HP’s EvoMore ink makes for brightly colored documents and vivid photos. There’s no bleeding of inks and fine detail is rendered clearly. Photos on glossy photo paper are especially pleasing thanks to the vibrant palette. 

However, during the test I experienced several paper jams and instances of duplicate pages being drawn through the paper path together. And it was unable to print on A3-sized coated photo paper. Tray one is supposed to be able to handle large format photo paper, but each attempt caused a jam. This was presumably because it weighed more than the 105 g/m² weight limit of this printer. Most inkjets can cope with 300 g/m² so that’s a definite strike against the HP OfficeJet Pro 9730e.

Scanning using the 11 x 17-inch platen worked smoothly, and so did copying via the ADF. This document scanner is blessed with automatic 2-sided scanning, so you can duplicate double sided documents without having to turn the paper over yourself.

HP OfficeJet Pro 9730e: Final verdict

The HP OfficeJet Pro 9730e gives you a lot of printer for the money. It’s big enough to print and scan on paper up to A3 or 11 x 17-inches and hold up to 500 sheets of it in two deep trays. It’s well equipped for business use with a 35-sheet ADF, Wolf Pro Security and a USB Host port at the front. The big touchscreen and fairly fast print rate also make it easy to use. And most importantly, the print quality is very good, especially with color documents and photos. 

But there are limitations too. That ADF can only handle paper sizes up to A4 and none of the input trays can handle paper over 105 g/m² which rules out heavier photo paper. I experienced a few jams during the test and this raises reliability questions. As with all cartridge inkjets, it’s expensive to run and the EvoMore cartridges are quite small. If you print regularly on large paper at home, the HP OfficeJet Pro 9730e could be just the thing for your home office, but it’s not up to the challenge of a shared office environment.  

For more buying advice, we tested out the best inkjet printers and compared the best HP printers 

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Protecting your personal data in 2024 is something everyone should be doing, and a range of services have sprung up to help make the job easier. One of those is data removal services, which offer a relatively simple way to keep your data safe online.

Data brokers are legally able to acquire and hold an awful lot of your personal data, and the data of friends and family, in the US, which is one of the reasons that some lawmakers are pushing for federal privacy legislation like the EU's GDPR. 

Aura is a great option for anyone trying to boost their online privacy and take control of their data, with a suite of tools that goes far beyond some of its rivals in the data removal industry, including a VPN, antivirus software, and password manager. 

• Sign up to Aura

We'll get into the details of these features below, but it's nice to see a one-stop-shop offering of cyber-safety tools. While the pricing might be on the slightly steep end, the features are nonetheless impressive and worked well in our testing. 

To make sure you're getting the very best data removal service on offer, we recommend checking out our reviews for rival services like DeleteMe, Mozilla Monitor Plus, Kanary, and Optery, especially if there are some more niche features you really need to have. 

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Aura: Plans and pricing

Aura offers competitive pricing across three plans: family, individual, and couple plans. You can save quite a bit more if you agree to an annual, and not monthly, contract, and users can also utilize the 14-day free offer to test out the services. 

In terms of features, there isn't much variation between the Individual and Couple plans. Essentially, you can just take what the Individual plan offers and double it. The family plan provides the greatest value and covers up to five adults, each of whom will have access to all the features offered by the Individual plan. 

Additionally, the family plan includes child SSN monitoring to safeguard any children in the household. There is no limit to the number of children you can extend this protection to, as long as they reside with you.

These features are specifically designed for families. For instance, there is parental control software to let parents to monitor and manage their children's internet usage and devices. The Aura app also helpfully incorporates cyberbullying and online predator protection.

Price-wise, Aura’s family plan costs are above the industry average, but again, it offers more than what a typical family identity protection plan provides. Of course, you might not need all those extra features. 

Comparing Aura to other ID theft protection services, the auto-renewal option requires your opt-in when you sign up for the service, which is similar to all the other online ID protection services. But unlike some ID theft protection services, Aura’s annual subscription price doesn’t change after the first year.

Aura: Basic features

It's worth saying at the top that Aura offers a huge number of features, far too many to cover in detail in this review, and so we'll be focusing specifically on the data removal side of things, with some privacy stuff sprinkled on top. You can also read our full Aura digital security review. 

By using Aura’s monitoring feature, users can actively protect their accounts, like checking and savings, from instances of fraud. In case of identity theft, you are covered up to $1 million in insurance to help you deal with the costs.

One impressive feature of Aura is its ability to monitor the dark web, not only searching for your information online, but also automatically changing your password using Auras password manager. Additionally, it offers a program designed to combat tax refund fraud, and on top of credit and identity monitoring, Aura keeps an eye on data brokers, junk mail providers, and spam providers. If necessary, Aura can even request the removal of your data from these sources.

Everything that Aura identifies will be served to users through alerts and what Aura can search will match what the user entered into the ID theft protection software, which forces users to be thorough and detailed if they want to get the best results. Alerts are divided into categories, giving a quick and easy overview of the activities while also providing tips on how to stay protected.

It's worth saying that the removal of your personal data from the data brokers will depend on the jurisdiction they’re operating in and data laws that possibly compel them to remove your data. Since these entities are usually harder to locate on your own, it is great that Aura offers this option, simplifying the entire procedure.

To see the progress on data removal requests, simply go to the “Vault” and click on the “Data Broker Removal” section. Finally, Aura will regularly reach out to data brokers to remind them that your data must be removed if, for example, they start collecting data on you again, which is possible since this is done via site scrapers or scripts that automate the data collection processes.

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Aura: Advanced features

If you need a secure solution for your documents, Aura provides an option for storing a variety of files, ones that you won’t need to access constantly. You can add such documents by simply scanning or photographing them and uploading them to Aura. Uploaded files will be encrypted, ensuring their privacy and inaccessibility to third parties. 

Another neat feature that Aura offers is lost wallet protection, where you can use your stored information to quickly cancel credit cards and regain access to important documents you hold in your wallet.

After you have secured your identity, documents, and funds and are tracking all the necessary information through Aura, it is time to secure your Aura account. You are offered an option to turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) on your account, which is a highly effective way to protect your “source of truth.”

Aura: User interface

Overall, Aura features a modern design that is fairly easy to navigate, but it’s not perfect. The alerts are tucked behind a menu and a few clicks away. Aura updated its design fairly recently, and compared to the old version, the new one works much better and is not bogged down by clunky design mechanics. 

This updated design allows you to see a list of alerts, which you access through a separate menu, and in the admin web interface, you get a summary of various features as well as tips on which things you should activate or change to improve your protection. With time, you will learn where things are, and the entire navigation process with menus and submenus will be a breeze to use. 

The entire focus of the main page seems to be geared towards its ID theft protection services, which is the main reason people subscribe to Aura, with everything else being pushed into the background as bonus features (the VPN, dark web monitoring, etc.). 

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Aura: Support

Aura is well known for its exceptional customer service, and with the revamp of their presentation, they’ve managed to improve their customer support as well. Live chat is a fairly new option, and if you’re querying it outside of US working hours, you will be talking to a chatbot that covers the basics amazingly well.

Of course, there are also self help options in the form of documents and articles, which you can reach by clicking on the “Get Help” link at the top right part of almost all screens. On the “Digital Security 101” page, you can find Aura’s blog where they cover topics that can be helpful for users to stay protected on and offline. 

Moreover, the number of emails you receive from Aura has been significantly reduced, which we see as a positive. In the past, the emails that you would get were mostly marketing and salesy emails, with a small percentage of them being actually useful. Now, the emails you get from Aura are relevant and worth your time.

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Aura: Competition

Probably the biggest downside to Aura is that it isn't a dedicated data removal service, and this means that a lot of its rivals offer far more features and tools within the confines of contacting brokers and removing your data. 

As part of the broader package, the features are pretty good, but anyone who wants to really get into the weeds of keeping your data out of the wrong hands will want to look at other services. 

DeleteMe is one of the longest-running data removal services on the market, having launched in 2011, and that long-term reputation is a big pro in its column, alongside an easy-to-use suite of tools. 

Mozilla Monitor Plus, from the makes of the Firefox web browser, is also a strong option and comes as part of a broader set of Mozilla-made features like a VPN. Mozilla as a company is also unlikely to be going anywhere anytime soon.

We also recommend checking out Kanary, Privacy Bee, IDX, and Optery, all of which have their own specialities and pricing of tiers. 

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Aura: Final verdict

In short, Aura has earned a place among the top identity theft protection services on the market. All of the essential features that you expect from such a service can be found here.

Aura proactively monitors data brokers, junk mail providers, and spam providers while offering assistance in requesting the removal of data from these sources upon request. Alerts are categorized comprehensively to give you an overview of activities along with tips on staying protected. In case of matters, notifications can be delivered conveniently through email or SMS among the communication options available to you. 

Furthermore, Aura provides a Safe Browsing extension that ensures web browsing for enhanced safety. In general, Aura Credit Monitoring offers a complete package for safeguarding your identity.

In the end, Aura is not the cheapest identity theft solution out there, but with its complete offer, it stacks well with the competing products in the market. With varying pricing plans and all-encompassing protection, we believe you can’t go wrong with Aura.

• Sign up to Aura

I didn’t quite enjoy working from a desk before I got the Flomotion Sisu standing desk. This desk has converted me into a desk lover to the point where you will always find me here. The desk is big enough for you to not only have a smooth 9-5 but also use it for other craft hobbies, which is what I have been doing. Standing desks have quickly become the new work-from-home accessory, and, for me, this might just be the best standing desk for beginners. 

This UK-made desk is the 55in model in reclaimed wood, featuring a weight load capacity of 160kg and a height range of 23.4 to 49in, making it suitable for most people. The generous 10-year warranty is very welcome, too. But are appearances deceptive? I took a look to find out. 

Flomotion Sisu: Unboxing

The standing desk arrived in four large, well-packaged boxes. There was no noticeable wear and tear in the packaging and all components were protected during transit. The biggest box was for the tabletop, another box for the legs, and two medium-sized boxes for the accessories including cable management components. Right off the bat, the first thing I noticed was there was no physical instruction manual provided and the boxes were not labeled so it took some time to figure out how to build the desk. There is a comprehensive online video guide which is clear and easy to follow. Also worth noting is that all the screws were labeled correctly which further facilitated the assembly process.

Though I must admit that carrying those boxes by myself was not easy and given the size and weight of the components, assembling the desk is best suited for two people. The quality of the packaging indicated a premium product, with each part individually wrapped and secured. The unboxing process was straightforward, though identifying the various parts without a physical manual took some extra time. 

Overall, the unboxing and assembly took approximately two hours. This may seem long but this was my first time building a standing desk and it is safe to say that the clear instructions in the video made the process manageable, albeit with numerous steps to follow. However, there are no pre-drilled holes to connect the battery, so you would need a drill. The same goes for the cable management screen if you opt to get one.

Flomotion Sisu: First impressions

My first impression as soon as I saw the tabletop was that the desk was going to be huge and it weighed a lot. I needed help to move the desk to my room. The desk is big enough to have dual monitors and other office equipment. The black finish of the desk makes it look very neat and classy. I am particularly obsessed with the color of the wood. It has a clear matte lacquer finish. The materials feel robust and of high quality, particularly the solid tabletop and sturdy metal legs, which hint at a durable construction.

The desk parts exuded a sense of sturdiness even before assembly, which gave me confidence that the desk was going to be stable once it was all set up. The height control panel was a modern design with a touchscreen option and it barely makes any noise - the manufacturer doesn't state the dB levels, but it is quiet.

No immediate concerns arose during this stage, and the overall first impression was highly positive and set an encouraging tone for the subsequent assembly and use of the desk. I could already picture myself settled in front of it, pairing it with the best office chairs for my workspace. 

Flomotion Sisu: Design and build quality

One of my favorite things about this desk is that it is meticulously crafted, combining functionality with an aesthetic appeal. The desk is a broad 55in x 32in - I've been using it for over two months now, and the surface seems quite smooth and resists scratches and stains. But if that lacquer finish is not what you want then buyers also have the option to select from an oil or a stain finish but please note this comes with an extra cost.

The frame of the desk is available in three versatile colors including black, grey, and white. The build quality is good, with a focus on sturdiness and longevity. The desk boasts a heavy-duty lift capacity of 160kg and can accommodate multiple monitors, office supplies, and other equipment.

The height control panel is a notable feature where users can choose the side on which the control panel is mounted. I found the height control panel to be operating smoothly from the get-go. Despite its powerful capabilities, the desk operates with whisper-quiet noise levels, ensuring a peaceful working environment. The low noise, combined with a low power consumption of just 0.1W in standby mode, highlights its efficiency and user-friendly design.

Every aspect of the desk's construction speaks to its premium quality. The materials used are of the highest standard, and the overall build exudes confidence in its durability and performance. You also benefit from free delivery service.

Flomotion Sisu: In-use

As mentioned above, I’ve been using this desk for over two months now and if you’re looking for a standing desk, then I could not recommend this one more. The desk has been a game changer for my productivity. In fact, the desk has convinced me to invest in a walking pad to completely transform my work style. 

I found the height control panel to be the star of this desk. The sleek and modern design paired with its ability to connect with a mobile app makes it all worth the money. The Desk Connect app is free to download on both iOS and Android devices. Pairing the desk with the app was a breeze. Once downloaded, I pressed the blue button on the height control panel which instantly showed me the desk pair ID on my iPhone. It was paired immediately and I was able to set my favourite standing and sitting positions. 

While the standing desk ticks all the boxes, it will certainly impact your bank account. Prices start at £1025, with additional costs for accessories. it's currently available from the official Flomotion site by clicking here.

Flomotion Sisu: Final verdict

The Flomotion Sisu Wood standing desk impresses with its premium build quality, robust materials, and sleek design. Its spacious surface is perfect for both work and hobbies, offering stability with a 160kg lift capacity. Adding to its appeal, the height control panel operates smoothly and pairs with a mobile app. However, the setup can be challenging and requires two people. Additionally, the price starting at £1025 with extra costs for accessories is a significant investment. Overall, it's a top contender among standing desks, balancing quality and functionality against cost.

We've also reviewed the best office desks for every workspace.

Finding a new design tool that can handle prototyping for web, mobile, and TV is becoming increasingly easy. The result is that that marketplace is becoming saturated with tools that do largely the same thing, with many of the same features. Old hands are competing with newer examples, and there is little difference between them.

One example is MarvelApp (sometimes referred to as just "Marvel", but that would be too confusing to use here), a tool that provides a simplistic system for easy prototyping and design. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that with this tool, you can create a single mobile phone prototype screen within 30 seconds.

MarvelApp offers a browser and mobile app interface to its design environment. This tool has been around for a few years now, and is developed by a team with its HQ in London. 

Marvel: Plans and pricing

MarvelApp offers a collection of plans suited for all UX development teams. A Free version is available for single users working on one project, along with Pro, Team, and Enterprise options.

The Pro option is $12 a month when billed annually ($16 with monthly billing) and gives a single user unlimited projects. It also includes three active user tests, prototype downloads, and removes MarvelApp branding.

Teams supports multiple users, and is $42 a month with annual billing ($48 billed monthly). This “small team” option gives you everything in Pro, plus three users, 10 active user tests, and premium support.

If your project demands more users and testing, the Enterprise option offers unlimited everything. You also get invite-only projects, advanced security settings and SSO, and custom billing and invoicing. Prices for this are available on demand.

MarvelApp is a browser-based tool, although apps for iPhone and iPad are available. A link to the Play store is on the MarvelApp website, but it seems the Android version has been discontinued.

MarvelApp: Features

Desktop and web-based design apps like MarvelApp all come with a standard set of tools. These typically include a design space, a collection of assets, and configurable settings for each asset. Some tools offer more than this (e.g. a ruler, larger design space, exporting, etc.) and a handful are even more basic.

MarvelApp features everything you need for wireframing and more developed design. The prototyping feature is conceived to aid you in creating interactive prototypes in just a few minutes, without using code. It also supports designs made in Sketch (a plugin can be downloaded for macOS to enable this).

Transitions, gestures (thumb swipes, and touchscreen motions) can be incorporated into designs, and these can be made suitable for any screen type. 

The handoff feature generates CSS, Swift, and Android XML for designs made in MarvelApp or Sketch. Handoff is a streamlined experience, with a single URL provided for developers to find everything they need. 

For collaboration, users can be assigned, teams specified, comments and annotations made, and feedback centralized.

As a nice bonus, MarvelApp projects remain in your browser if you lose your network connection.

Marvel: Ease of use

Once you have specified the dimensions of your design area (along with a title and background color), you’re ready to use Marvel.

Along with basic shape drawing tools, you can call upon a collection of pre-selected assets for the web and various mobile platforms. MarvelApp includes drag and drop design assets for iPhone, iPad, AppleTV, Apple Watch, and Android devices. You just click the purple Assets button, select the right type of display, then find the asset you need. A search tool is provided to ease this process. 

In addition, icons can be uploaded to Marvel, for reuse across projects.

Assets, icons, and shapes can be effortlessly dragged into place, resized, and arranged as necessary. Grouping and alignment tools are provided to ensure the design appears as intended. 

MarvelApp: Customer support

Various support resources are available to MarvelApp users. A collection of eBooks are available, along with some case studies, that discuss design. Some downloadable templates and CSS files are also available. These can be found, along with information on updates and the MarvelApp blog, in the Resources Hub.

When you run into trouble with MarvelApp , a Help page is provided. This is centered around a searchable knowledge base, with articles covering everything from prototyping and design to testing, handoff, and billing and invoicing.

You can contact support via a dedicated form, and you should get a quick initial response. In-depth issues may take a while to resolve, however. 

Superior, on-demand support is available in the Team and Enterprise versions of Marvel.

MarvelApp: The competition

As a browser-based web and app design tool, it makes sense to compare MarvelApp with other browser-only applications.

Penpot and Balsamiq in particular seem smart alternatives for comparison. Balsamiq is a straightforward wireframing tool with a simple drag-and-drop interface. Meanwhile, Penpot runs from the cloud (or you can self host) and again offers a drag-and-drop design environment. Penpot is more advanced and offers superior collaboration options than Balsamiq.

We think MarvelApp is roughly on par with these tools, offering a more complete design experience than Balsamiq. However, the collaboration options aren’t as advanced as Penpot’s.

On a modern PC, there is virtually no difference between a design app running in the browser or natively. Whether you choose Marvel, or its immediate competitors, or opt for software that needs to be installed, in most cases there will be negligible difference in performance.

MarvelApp: Final verdict

The learning curve for MarvelApp is almost non-existent. It is child’s play to configure a new design window, drag assets into place, and share the prototype. Collaboration is good, although not as developed as some competitors, and MarvelApp is affordable for single users and teams. There is even a free version, which makes it very easy to spend some time learning how to use the tool without spending a dime.

Although this is a browser app for desktop and laptop users, mobile versions of MarvelApp are also available. Sadly, however, this doesn’t currently extend to Android.

With good support options and a collection of helpful design resources, MarvelApp really is a marvel.

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Expressing ideas can be difficult, especially in group situations. This is where mind maps come in particularly useful, but the days of whiteboards and dry wipe markers are behind us thanks to mind mapping software like MindNode.

Published by IdeasOnCanvas GmbH, MindNode is award-winning brainstorming software first released on Mac OS X in 2008. Over the years, the software has been enhanced, remaining Mac-only, although it has spread to iOS and latterly, visionOS. 

Mind map software is widely used, not only in design environments, but also education, training, and troubleshooting teams. We’ve taken a look at MindNode, assessing it based on pricing, features, ease of use, customer support, and how it stacks up against competing mind mapping tools.

MindNode: Plans and pricing

For many users, the free version of MindNode should suffice. This gives you the tools to create and edit mind map nodes, restructure the map, and easily import and export projects.

Advanced features are available with MindNode, however. For $2.99 a month or $24.99 a year, you can subscribe to MindNode Plus, which adds outlining, visual tags, focus mode, quick entry, and a range of further features not available in the free version. Notable among these are the outline view and Apple Watch support.

MindNode can be downloaded for macOS via the Mac App Store, for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch on the App Store, and in the visionOS App Store for augmented reality use with MindNode Next, launching later in 2024.

Payment for MindNode’s premium version is via the App Store. 

MindNode: Features

As with other mind mapping tools, MindNode wants to make brainstorming easy. It does this with a combination of speed, color, and a focus on ease of use (see below). You can create a mind map using an outline tool, tag thoughts for context and categorization, and prioritize new ideas and relationships. Mind maps can be enhanced – or styled – with stickers, and themes applied. The app also has a dark mode, for night-time work.

Specific groups can be zoomed-in on, in MindNode’s Focus Mode, useful for when things get a bit busy. Meanwhile, nodes can be converted into task lists – a shopping list, research work, deadlines, holiday plans, whatever, can be checked off when completed. You can send tasks to Apple Reminders, Things 3, or Omnifocus.

MindNode can be summoned at any time in macOS, thanks to a Quick Entry form in the menu bar. The Today view on iOS offers a similar experience, ensuring you can create a new mind map with minimal effort. iOS devices as external displays are also supported, for all-important extra workspace.

Each node on a MindNode mind map can have notes added, panels can be customized to make favorite commands easy to find, and your mind map is synced to iCloud when you’re done. You can start a project on your iPhone, and finish it on your Mac. 

MindNode projects can be exported in plain text, RTF, DOCX, CSV, OPML, and PDF formats. Image export, markdown, and TaskPaper are also supported.

MindNode: Ease of use

Various styles of mind map can be created with minimum effort in MindNode, which also features a text outline option. This is a common feature of mind maps, but MindNode’s presentation of the outline – with the mind map completely out of sight – recalls older practices, and came as a surprise.

While initial creation of mind maps with this software is pretty effortless, formatting is another matter. There seems to be no obvious way to assign preset formatting to subtopics, or create templates. Instead, you must apply styles manually. 

For example, I expect subtopics to have a display a style subordinate to the main topic. Following subtopics should also be subordinate. This might be by utilizing a smaller font size, or emphasizing text with bold or italic. The branches to subtopics might also be easily formatted with dash or dotted lines. All of these things are possible within MindNode’s formatting and style tools, but none can be preset. There is no option to create and establish a visual style for your mind maps.

MindNode: Customer support

Various support resources are available for MindNode’s Mac and iOS versions.

Support articles have been helpfully collected in a dedicated support section of the MindNode website, with a searchable interface. User guides, release notes, and troubleshooting guides are available, with explanations for specific versions (paid, legacy, free) and problems. Solutions for issues with the software and payment/account matters are covered here.

Should your problem be something that isn’t dealt with in this part of the website, you can send an email. Unfortunately, this is a somewhat basic process, with the “Send an email” link simply launching your default mail client. Without the usual guidance (platform, version, outline of problem, screenshot upload) that tends to accompany support forms, this can slow down finding the right solution.

No chat support is available for MindNode.

MindNode: The competition

MindNode is up against an army of alternative mind mapping tools. Some are available on macOS, others as browser tools. ConceptDraw MINDMAP, Wondershare EdrawMax, and the web-only Ayoa are each strong alternatives to MindNode. 

Of these, Ayoa is perhaps the superior option. While more expensive than MindNode, it offers a free version and an AI quick start tool. 

MindNode nevertheless produces desirable mind maps, but isn’t as all-encompassing as EdrawMax. This is in its favor, however, as it provides a focused mind mapping environment with the tools you need. You won’t see menus for art and icons that you don’t need, and you won’t be lead down a rabbit hole of irrelevance with MindNode.

MindNode: Final verdict

MindNode produces attractive mind maps, but while it gives you the tools you need within a focused environment, its options are somewhat limited.

You’ll find a useful collection of styling and formatting options, but custom styles cannot be applied. On the other hand, the sharing and customization options are strong, and MindNode has strengths that competing apps do not. The price tag is encouraging, but the support tools less so.

If you want a mind mapping tool for macOS with good export options, and good integration with iOS, MindNode could be just what you’re looking for.

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