When deciding on the best live chat software, or any other solution for that matter, from the best cloud storage to the best CRM, cost will also be a prominent factor. That’s something that stands hugely in Taw.to’s favor.  

Tawk.to promises to be free forever and while there you can quibble with this description somewhat, it’s largely true with the concession required to ensure you pay nothing being pretty minor. 

There are other reasons to get excited about this live chat program though, aside from the fact it could be yours for nothing. There is a good range of features, integrations are plentiful and its ease of use has received widespread praise. 

Tawk.to’s negatives are also pretty minor, such as some sub-par mobile and AI functionality, but even if you are looking for something more advanced here, you can give Tawk.to a while without committing yourself financially. This is a live chat offering well worth your consideration.

Tawk.to Review: Plans and pricing

While many other help desk solutions usually come with three or so set pricing tiers, the cost of using Tawk.to works a little differently. In fact, for many users there won’t be any cost at all. That’s because Tawk.to operates a freemium model, which means that unless users wish to pay for a few premium extras (more on those later), the platform and all its features are available without charge. 

Now, before you jump to the conclusion that because Tawk.to is free, it must be extremely limited, there are a significant number of free offerings in the business world that are just as good, if not better, than paid-for options. Just take a look at our lists of the best free VPN, the best free antivirus, or the best free CRM to see the kinds of top-quality free solutions on the market today. Free doesn’t necessarily mean inferior. 

And it’s worth drilling down into what Tawk.to actually means when it claims to be free. Of course, there are some caveats. For instance, if you want to remove the tiny “Powered by tawk.to”  branding from the live chat offering, users will have to stump up $29 per month. Similarly, if you want to access Tawk.to’s AI-powered chatbot, that will also set you back  $29 per month. 

In addition, businesses that deal with more complex customer enquiries that AI tools may not be quite ready to handle yet (although they are evolving fast) can hire a professionally trained native speaker to act as a human live agent from Tawk.to for $1 an hour. So, there are several ways that Tawk.to generates revenue from its platform. Even so, its free-forever plan can be enjoyed with very few restrictions.

Features

Unsurprising for a tool that claims to boast more users than any other live chat platform in the world, Tawk.to doesn’t scrimp when it comes to features. This is a fully customizable chat widget with localization in over 45 languages - something that multi-national businesses are bound to find especially useful. 

Tawk.to also comes with mobile functionality, with apps for both Android and iOS platforms. Long before the present-day ubiquity of hybrid work, customers expected support to be available at all times. That’s why mobile functionality is so prominent with most of the best call centre software solutions. Tawk.to bears this in mind with its platform, allowing your support agents to receive notifications and take part in chats on the go.

Another powerful feature is the inclusion of a built-in Knowledge Base, which can streamline the process for your customers when searching for answers. The Knowledge Base makes it easy for organizations to share their team’s insights - both internally as well as letting you choose what to publish publicly. You can easily format your articles and keep your content organized any way you like. What’s more, Tawk.to lets you can track article feedback so you can better understand what your customers and team need help with.

Altogether, the platform comes with a wide range of features, including a JavaScript API, Geo IP tracking, message filtering, agent alerts, and email notifications. There’s even support for in-chat payments available as a beta feature. This could prove really useful for ecommerce platforms or simply any business that has yet to find a payment gateway that fits the bill. 

Integrations

Tawk.to has a large number of integrations on offer, including with your existing CMS software and other popular platforms, including WordPress, WFH apps, such as Zapier, and content delivery network providers like Cloudflare.

The live chat software also has an entire webpage dedicated to its integration with Shopify. This allows businesses to provide their Shopify customers with live chat customer service, as provided by Tawk.to, making it easier to check orders, shipping information and more directly from your Tawk.to messages. Essentially, the integration means that Tawk.to users no longer need to keep two tabs open in order to chat with their Shopify customers. Almost anything businesses can do within their Shopify admin page, can now be found in the sidebar of a Tawk.to chat or ticket.

Another of the integrated tools that Tawk.to dedicates an entire webpage to is Make, a piece of IT automation software that promises to streamline your communication flow by connecting Tawk.to with over 700 apps, including Google Sheets, Slack, and more. Adding a Tawk.to widget to a number of other solutions is also straightforward and there are clear instructions, broken down by app, posted online.

Interface and ease of use

The default Tawk.to interface has rightly received praise from a whole host of users for its ease of use, but making things easier still is the fact changing the appearance of the Tawk.to chat widget is simple. 

Of course, changing the appearance of the Tawk.to chat widget could be driven by aesthetic reasons - you might want the colour scheme to match the rest of your branding, for example, but more practical concerns can also come into play. Customizing the look of the widget, for instance, could make it easy for users to identify and use. 

The customizability of Tawk.to has been referenced by numerous users as being a real strength of the platform - and it’s easy to see why. The design is unobtrusive, so you don’t need to be concerned about this live chat tool taking customer eyes away from other features on your site. And if you don’t like the design, you can change it by clicking on “administration” at the top of the screen, followed by the “advanced” menu under “widget appearance.”

Support

The main port of call, if you are searching for customer support regarding your Tawk.to live chat tool, is the Help Center. Here you’ll find articles on “getting started,” “chat widget cutstomization,” “shopping cart integrations,” “billing” and “advanced features.” The latter is especially important for users who can’t get by just with the more rudimentary tools. If they want to learn how to understand how to create triggers or manage webhooks, this is the place to visit. 

There’s also a separate terminal to submit a support ticket, with Tawk.to getting back to you via email. If you’re a developer, on the other hand, you’ll find a dedicated support page just for you. Here, it’s the community that is most likely to provide you with a helping hand. The community forum gives developers the opportunity to submit feedback and inform Tawk.to regarding which features could be added or improved upon. 

There’s also a handy “status” section within the help center, which gives you a quick overview of how the live chat tool is performing on your website or app. This is handily broken down by website, dashboard, mobile app, email, integragtionsm and AI assist. If any part of Tawk.to is not operating as it should be, you’ll be able to find out about the issue here. 

Security

As with most live chat offerings, Tawk.to takes the security of its users data extremely seriously. There is evidence online of a security researcher by the name of “kaonskillz” discovering a cross-site scripting security vulnerability affecting the tawk.to website and its users but this was from a few years ago now. The fact that such a flaw was found is somewhat disconcerting, but the fact it was identified through an open bug bounty program, rather than making headlines as part of a huge breach, is reassuring. 

Also reassuring is the fact that encryption is used for all of Tawk.to’s data. The encryption key is held by Google and data is encrypted at rest and in transit, so you can be pretty sure that Tawk.to aren’t making money off your data. The data is only accessible to authorized staff members for clearly defined reasons related to service provision.

The competition

Tawk.to is far from the only live chat service in town. Other leading players include LiveChat, HubSpot, and Tidio. The main area where Tawk.to stands out from its competitors, however, is that not many offer quite so generous a free-forever plan. 

There are reasons to go with other platforms, of course, especially in terms of Tawk.to’s mobile compatibility and AI functionality. Other solutions perform better here so if these are priorities for you, it’s worth selecting a different live chat tool - if your budget allows.

Tawk.to review: Final verdict

Cost isn’t everything but it’s hard to get away from the fact that Tawk.to is free forever. Yes, there are some caveats, but they are mostly pretty minor so if you can accept your live chat software having Tawk.to branding there’s no need to ever spend a penny on this functionality. Plus, cost aside, this offers great functionality, alongside integrations with many of the tools that make up a modern digital business environment.

The Creality Ender-3 series is one of the most best 3D printer models. While the early releases were basic, the latest iterations have forged a new and affordable direction, becoming synonymous with quality. While the fully enclosed K1 series offers a more professional design and application that makes them ideal for education and business, the Ender-3 series has remained firmly aimed at enthusiasts and beginners. 

However, that entry-level status is independent of the high print quality we've seen from the latest Ender-3 printers, such as the Creality Ender-3 SE (see our review here) and Ender-3 KE (reviewed here). While those two entry machines offer a balance of print quality and price, the build quality, while good and functional, is plastic. The Ender-3 V3 looks to take that build quality up a notch with a full die-cast frame, a touch screen that follows the same design principles and function as the K1 series, as well as CORE XY kinematics that sees print speeds of up to 600mm/s.

As a machine from the entry-level product line, the Ender-3 V3 is at the top of the range. Its refined design and build, features, and print quality are on par with those of Creality and many competitors' more expensive offerings.

In real terms, the Ender-3 V3 is as refined as you get at present, with the speed and reliability that only other machines at this price come close to the BambuLab A1, AnkerMake M5C, and AnyCubic Kobra 3. It's a huge step forward for this iconic 3D printer. With some accessories such as the AI Camera and dryer already available, it's just the announcement of a multifilament option that currently holds back this machine's full potential.

Creality Ender-3 V3: Design

The original Ender-3 machine was an affordable option for early adopters of 3D printing who wanted decent print quality. The surprising thing is that this machine was only released in 2018, and since then, the speed at which Creality and the industry have moved is startling. The Ender-3 machine of that time compared to the Ender-3 V3 of today is stark. From a distance, the two may display a passing similarity, but only in that they're both bed slingers. While the original machine was built cheaply and very much DIY in its approach and style, the latest machine, while still affordable, is far more refined.

In fact, the all-metal bed slinger design is one of a new breed of high-quality 3D printers that break away from the traditional build-it-yourself model of design to something far more solidly built and consumer-ready. Everything from the touch screen to the belts and bearings of this new machine is of a high-quality design. The only thing hinting that this is an Ender-3 is the logo.

• Design: 4.5/5

Creality Ender-3 V3: Features

The Ender-3 V3 is a huge upgrade from the rest of the Ender-3 range with improved design, mechanics, and, ultimately, performance. The all-new die-cast frame provides a sturdy structure that helps ensure stability during high-speed printing and instantly gives the printer a far more premium feel. When it comes to the actual mechanics of the printer, while it retains the Bedslinger design, it now features Core XY kinematics, which is a significant upgrade that helps boost the precision and speed of movement, reaching up to 600 mm/s. This heavier-weight design also reduces vibrations, resulting in smoother and more accurate prints.

The touchscreen interface is directly comparable to the ones used on the K1 series printers and is incredibly user-friendly, offering intuitive controls and easy navigation through various settings and options.

The Creality Ender-3 V3 incorporates an all-metal hot end designed for high temperatures and supports materials like PLA, ABS, PETG, and TPU. It heats rapidly, reaching up to 300°C in around a minute, ensuring consistent temperatures for long prints and the ability to adapt to the different flows of material. The improved nozzle design also allows for precise extrusion, while the dual-fan cooling system prevents clogging and enhances print quality. A new heat break helps to reduce heat creep, maintaining stable temperature control. This hot end is also modular, meaning the assembly is easy to upgrade and maintain.

As is now standard across almost all printers, the magnetic build plate generally makes model removal easy and reduces the risk of damaging prints. The heated bed supports a variety of materials, including PLA, ABS, PETG, and TPU, expanding the versatility of the printer.

In terms of software, the Ender-3 V3 is compatible with Creality Slicer, Cura, Repetier-Host, and Simplify3D, giving you plenty of options for slicing and preparing models.

• Features: 4.5/5

Creality Ender-3 V3: Performance

The initial build of the Creality Ender-3 V3 takes between 10 and 15 minutes, from unboxing to switching on and loading the first reel of filament. The design is refined, with the die-cast frame offering one of the highest quality and consumer-friendly designs yet, only matched by the BambuLabs A1 and AnyCubic Kobra 3.

On startup, the large screen springs to life, and the machine runs through the usual checks. The levelling process is now hands-off, as the machine is more than capable of self-checking and prepping itself for the first print. This check takes a while, so allow around 15 minutes for the process to run its course.

Once complete, the test models can be printed. It's nice to see that Creality has included a good selection on the USB stick to get you started. These not only enable you to start printing immediately but also allow you to do a quick check of the machine to ensure everything is in place and prints are produced accurately.

Initial impressions of the prints are excellent. The speed is good, with fast acceleration, and the surface quality of those prints looks great. It's important to state that when running these newer machines, filament quality is paramount. Firstly, you need to use the correct high-speed filament to ensure the smooth flow of material, and secondly, a new reel or correctly stored and dried reel is now more important than ever. Creality actually supplied the Creality Space Pi Filament Dryer with the machine, along with a host of materials, and the difference in quality between dried and non-dried filament is stark.

Moving away from the Creality-supplied test prints to a few of our test models, loading into the Creality Print software, which is based on Cura, and sending the prints wirelessly to the machine was all easy. The only element that needs to be added is a standard camera to monitor the print. However, alongside the dry box, the Nebula Camera is another optional accessory. With the announcement of the K2 later in the year, a multifilament option for the V3 can't be that far away.

After checking over the prints from the machine, I noticed that the overall quality is impressive, with the surface smoothly finished and fine detail well presented. While the detail still can't quite match that of the resin printers, if you're looking at printing tabletop gaming characters, it is pretty close.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

Creality Ender-3 V3: Final verdict

The Creality Ender-3 V3 is a significant upgrade over its predecessors. It combines a sturdy die-cast frame with advanced Core XY kinematics to deliver excellent speed and print quality. The user-friendly touchscreen interface, similar to the one on the K1 machines, and the versatile build plate make it a great option for both beginners and experienced users.

While the single filament limitation and space requirements of the bedslinger design might be drawbacks, the overall performance and value of the Ender-3 V3 are impressive. At its price point, it competes strongly with more expensive models, offering a blend of quality and affordability that is hard to beat.

Should You Buy the Creality Ender-3 V3?

The Creality Ender-3 V3 is a machine that has evolved from one of the most iconic models on the market. It comes at a time when 3D printer manufacturers across the board are raising the bar in terms of speed, quality, and features. 

Essentially, the Ender-3 V3 has almost everything you could want from an enthusiast machine; it's fast, relatively accurate and, most importantly, easy to use. It also looks solid, and the workflow with the superb touchscreen interface makes this an ideal option for beginners as well as intermediate users. While the other newer Ender-3 machines are good, the V3 takes the quality up a level, and considering the price, it's a good place to start or to upgrade from older machines. 

If you're looking for a machine for the workplace or education, then it's better to look at the K1 C, not for the quality of output but for the all-enclosed design of the machine. 

We've also tested out the best laser engravers

NinjaOne is a highly popular RMM and endpoint management solution that lets businesses and IT teams manage systems in their organization. Founded in 2013 by Sal Sferlazza and other IT pros, NinjaOne now boasts 17,000+ customers with over 5 million managed endpoints. 

You can manage various kinds of devices such as Windows, Linux, Mac, and SNMP devices, VMWare endpoints, and cloud infrastructure.

In this article, we’ll discuss in detail the nuances of NinjaOne, including its features, performance, ease of use, and how it stacks up against the competition. Keep reading to find out if this is the RMM tool you’ve been looking for. 

NinjaOne: Plans and pricing

NinjaOne does not reveal its pricing on its website. You’ll have to contact its sales team and specify your needs to get a custom quote.

However, after some digging, we were able to arrive at a few numbers. To put it broadly, you can expect to spend anywhere between $2-4 per endpoint, depending on the number of endpoints you need to manage. 

For example, if you have around 50-100 points, you can expect a pricing of $3.5-4. You can also score better pricing if you’re willing to negotiate and press hard with the sales team. NinjaOne often offers volume-based and bundle discounts, too.

Plus, there’s also a free trial, which you can use to test the product out before reaching out to the sales team for a quote.

This custom pricing policy can be a mood killer for some users. With other RMM software, you know how much you will be spending right from the outset. However, with NinjaOne, you will get a quote only after an extensive conversation with a sales representative. 

However, one of the biggest positives of custom pricing is customization – you only need to pay for the features and capacity you really want to use.

NinjaOne: Features

NinjaOne makes it easy to monitor all of your endpoints and generate custom alerts based on performance and health, making it one of the best remote desktop software. You can either use one of its 100+ monitoring templates or create one from scratch for custom alerts. 

You can monitor information like processors, memory, antivirus statuses, Microsoft Security Centre status, network adapters, IP addresses, and loads more.

We also like the fact that you can get alerts in more than one way – in-app notifications, email and SMS notifications, or mobile push notifications.

Taking this a step ahead, NinjaOne allows you to automate processes and workflows once a monitor is triggered. A common example can be automatic ticket creation whenever a server is down.

Patching is one of the key functions of RMM software and NinjaOne does this pretty well. As per the G2 Spring 2024 report, NinjaOne is the #1 rated patch management tool.

The platform employs a cloud-native approach to patch management. This means that it isn’t necessary for a user to be connected to the company’s network or VPN to be patched.

NinjaOne supports more than 140 commonly used applications, which can be patched automatically. We also liked the initiative, dashboard, and detailed patch status reports, which can help you view compliance status at any time.

The platform also connects seamlessly with Splashtop, TeamViewer, and Connectwise ScreenConnect, giving MSPs plenty of options to connect to endpoints. You also get multi-monitor support and adjustable-resolution video streaming, which works in any bandwidth condition.

NinjaOne: Interface and performance

The NinjaOne dashboard is pretty intuitive and easy to navigate. You get a panel on the left with a list of all connected endpoints. All you have to do is click on a connected system to view its status.

You also get a health overview of all the systems in your network. The platform offers tabs like overview, OS patches, software, tools, backup, etc. under each system setting. The activities tab, for example, gives you a detailed list of what each person was doing on the network, including login and logout times and software and hardware changes, among others.

One thing we particularly liked about NinjaOne is its detailed URL addresses. Let’s say you’re checking the inventory status of one of your offices and want to share it with a team member. Instead of guiding them through the entire path, you can share the URL right down to the inventory list. Such detailed and specific URL addresses make navigation and internal communication pretty easy. 

NinjaOne: Security

NinjaOne employs strict compliance, product, and information security protocols. The platform is compliant with GDPR, SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3, and HIPAA. NinjaOne goes out of its way and also complies with PCI-DSS, even though it’s not applicable to the company.

Other product-based security protocols include extensive audit logs, multi-factor authentication, and rule-based access controls. Apart from this, the platform uses industry-standard AES-256 for data encryption. All of your data is encrypted and stored on a secure, non-publicly accessible server.

NinjaOne also offers several security and backup tools to keep your data safe from external threats. You can remotely edit registries, manage applications, deploy scripts, and manage endpoint protection automatically on all devices.

There’s also a credential exchange that helps you store and inject credentials seamlessly while deploying patches or remote device connections. Furthermore, you can leverage the Ninja Data Protection feature to recover and backup critical information from a particular workstation or from entire servers with three storage options – local-only, cloud-only, and hybrid.

NinjaOne: Support

Customer service is another area where NinjaOne excels. With a CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) score of 98 and an average response time of 65 minutes, the platform is currently ranked number one based on a survey of 380+ MSPs. 

In fact, you get free customer onboarding services with valuable technical advice, which makes initial onboarding and troubleshooting seamless.

NinjaOne: The competition

NinjaOne is an ideal solution if you’re a large business with around 500 to 1,000 endpoints. However, for smaller businesses with only a few systems, NinjaOne can be expensive. In this scenario, you can look at alternatives like AnyDesk, which costs just $14.90/month, allowing you to manage around 100 devices with just a single licensed user. 

Another option you can consider is TeamViewer, which also offers a handy free plan for personal use. Besides this, you can choose from different plans, depending on the size of your business. What’s more, TeamViewer can help you with internal communication through audio and text conversations, and you also get a video conferencing feature along with a screen recorder.  

NinjaOne: Final verdict

NinjaOne is, quite simply, one of the best RMM tools around, especially when it comes to patch management. You can automate various tasks across systems on an easy-to-use dashboard. 

The best thing about the platform in our testing was its quick onboarding. With its complementary onboarding services, you can expect to manage endpoints within hours. Plus, its customer service team boasts a CSAT score of 98, which is always a huge positive.

The only downside to NinjaOne, if there were ever one, is its non-transparent pricing. You will have to contact the sales team and describe your needs in detail to get a quote. 

Additionally, smaller teams with only a handful of endpoints may find NinjaOne to be a tad bit expensive. That said, NinjaOne is an excellent choice for large teams with more than 500-1000 systems to manage.

Ninja One: FAQs