It may be pitched as one of the best video editing apps for GoPro wearers, but there’s more to Quik than meets the eye. With unlimited cloud storage, an automatic highlights reel, and even the option to remote-control devices, the app has a lot of potential for habitual photographers, streamers, and video-makers.  

We wanted to see whether Quik is just a cute companion for the best GoPro cameras, or whether the mobile video content creation tool stands up on its own. So, we took the iOS app, identical to the Android version, out for a spin.  

GoPro Quik: Pricing & plans

• Cheap subscription and deals squarely aimed at GoPro users

You can download the app for free, and even start using it without having to register an account. But there are serious limitations to this ‘free’ app, because GoPro really wants you to subscribe.

There are two subscription levels: ‘Quik' costs $2 a month or $10 a year. It unlocks all of the app’s editing features, and lets you upload your Murals to the cloud as a backup option. It’s not a high price to pay by any measure, but we do think it’s quite a lot compared to the best free video editing software (like Apple iMovie or DaVinci Resolve), or those you can get for a low one-off cost, like the excellent LumaFusion. 

‘GoPro’ is the second subscription tier, which is priced at $25 for the first year and $50 thereafter. This plan offers more goodies, especially for GoPro fans - and frankly that will describe most users of this app. Alongside the Quik subscription features, it adds discounts for GoPro gear, auto uploads, some of the best cloud storage if you want unlimited space for GoPro footage. There's even guaranteed faulty camera replacement, and 1080p live streaming. The discounts on cameras, mounts, accessories alone might make this a very attractive proposition: at last, a subscription to an app that offers way more than just the app itself. 

• Pricing & plans: 3.5/5

GoPro Quik: Interface

• A simple interface, focused on your phone’s portrait orientation - more versatile on a tablet

The interface is designed to be worked solely in a phone’s portrait orientation. Tablets are more versatile and the interface will resize itself in any orientation. This is not the only mobile video editor that works like this, and although it could be argued to make sense on a phone, some might prefer to work in landscape, but can’t with Quik.

The app is actually well designed, with all the tools available at the bottom of the screen, which you can swipe through, with the main preview taking up most of the top half, and your edit filling up the rest of the available space in between.

In order to keep the visible tools to a minimum, the bottom bar is contextualised, changing depending on what’s selected. It makes it very convenient on a phone. You have more space on a tablet, but for the sake of consistency, the layout is the same as for the phone, whichever way you’re holding your device.

But Quik is more than just a video editor. It’s also a link to your GoPro equipment. You can use it to access the media stored in your camera and upload it to your phone or tablet, and you’ll also find tools in the edit section that are designed to work exclusively with shots taken with specific GoPros. That level of access and control makes Quik most interesting, and as it can also see your phone’s media library, you can easily mix and match shots from different devices within a single edit. Just as the top subscription is very attractive to GoPro users, this side of Quik is also chiefly focused on GoPro users.

• Interface: 3/5

GoPro Quik: Video editing

• Two different ways of editing, depending on how involved you wish to get

Quik offers you two different types of projects to create: Murals and Studio. You give away most of your control with Murals, but we did find it a great choice if you just need something done at lightning speed. 

If you’re a rookie looking for the best video editing software for beginners, this is about as gentle an introduction as you could hope. You select the clips you wish to work with, give your project a title, and the app will create everything else for you, editing, effects, transitions, the works. 

You do have some editing control, but if you prefer a more hands on approach, we recommend using the Studio which is more fleshed out, although here too, there are limits. Set appropriate expectations. This isn’t (and doesn’t aim to be) the best video editing software. It won't help you work with chromakey green screen effects for instance, or let you build complex multi-layered edits. This is for quick, simple jobs, with a few flashy effects. 

• Video editing: 4.5/5

GoPro Quik: Tools

• Limited tool, good for beginners but may constrain experienced editors - and the ‘free’ option is only a trial

Playing with the app you’ll notice quickly that it’s designed for simplicity. The fact each clip is represented by a thumbnail of the exact same size no matter how long a particular clip might be, makes that clear. This makes the app great for beginners, but more cumbersome for more experienced editors as you don’t really get a feel for the length and flow of your project.

Even still, performing basic edits like trimming feel more involved than they should be, as you need to tap on a clip to select it, tap on the edit button at the centre of the thumbnail, tap on the trim tool, then trim your clip. That’s a lot of tapping, when competing editing apps let you do that directly from the Timeline.

Having said that, you have a nice number of options, such as good color correction. It’s never going to hit the accuracy of the best monitors for video editing, but for the small screen, it’s excellent. There’s also a series of themes you can choose which set your project’s fonts, music, transitions, all for you, greatly speeding up the creation process.

Any effect, theme, music, and so on, sporting a blue lightning bolt icon, means this is a premium subscription-only feature. You can certainly select it and work with it, but you won’t be able to save your work unless you’re a subscriber.

It is possible to find a few that are free and create a project without having to pay for anything but there’s a huge caveat here: the ‘free’ option is only free for a limited time. In fact, you can only work on a few Murals and even fewer Studio projects before Quik prevents you from working on anything else. Making a change after you’ve saved your project doesn’t work. Deleting it doesn’t reset the count either. Think of ‘Free’ as a very limited trial run. If you want to continue to edit with Quik, you’ll need to give them your money in a recurring way, each year.

The best thing Quik has going for it, is its integration with GoPro’s hardware. In that respect, it’s a great fun app, with loads of simple features, and ways to quicken the edit for you while you get on with taking your next awesome shots. The video editing capabilities are simpler than we were expecting, but they may well suit many people who can’t be asked to get down and dirty in the minutia of video editing. 

A subscription makes perfect sense if you use a lot of GoPro gear. You get great discounts and even replacement protection, with the app just being a bonus at that stage. However, if you don’t own GoPro equipment, there are undoubtedly many other editors out there that would suit you better.

• Tools: 3/5

GoPro Quik: Scorecard

Should I try?

Try it if...

You own GoPro equipment, need to transfer your media from your camera to your phone or tablet, and don’t mind limited editing options.

Don't try it if...

You don’t own GoPro equipment, and in that respect the options and deals are not relevant to you.

GoPro Quik: Alternatives

We've tested, reviewed, and rated a massive range of video editing tools. For alternatives to GoPro Quik, we recommend the iOS version of Apple iMoviem and the mobile video editing apps CapCut and our favorite, LumaFusion.  

Since its release in 2020, CapCut has taken the short-form video world by storm. The fact it’s owned by ByteDance Ltd, the same company which also owns TikTok, might have helped in that regard. 

Starting life on iPhone and Android devices, it quickly became one of the best video editing apps out there, adding a web-based editor, and most recently, a desktop video editor for both Mac and Windows. For this review, we’re looking at where it all began: mobile video editing.  

CapCut: Pricing & plans

• It’s free for most tools, but some advanced features are locked behind a subscription

The basic CapCut editor is free, although this might make you think you don’t get much for nothing. Quite the contrary: CapCut is a very capable and feature-rich editor, as we’ll explore further below. You don’t even need to create an account in order to start using it: just launch the app, import some footage and away you go.

There is however a ‘Pro’ version of this video editor, but to explore its capabilities, you need to register. Pro offers you 100GB of online storage, and grants you access to a variety of advanced features, such as improving the quality of old photographs, upscaling video, removing flicker, image noise, and a bunch of transitions.

You can get all of this through an ongoing annual or monthly subscription - but it’s not especially cheap. Considering LumaFusion offers you a pro-level mobile video editing experience for a one-off price of $30, maybe CapCut are relying on their market penetration to convince people to subscribe to their business model.

• Pricing & plans: 3/5

CapCut: Shortcuts

• A useful list of ready-made templates and actions to help you speed up the creation process… but why does CapCut demand access to our entire Photos library to allow you to do this?

When you first launch CapCut you’ll find the interface filled with icons to take you to commonly performed actions, such as Ad Maker, Product Photo and Retouch. The Ad Maker grants you access to templates you can use to create adverts in seconds, applying your own clips on top of the chosen template. It lets the software do a lot of the work for you, but there is a puzzling request.

Usually, you can instruct apps to gain access to all your Photos library, or choose the select few it can view. All pretty straightforward, and leaves the user in full control of what the software can see. Here, although you can manage the shots you wish CapCut to use, this only applies when creating a project from scratch. 

If you want to use one of these shortcuts, CapCut puzzlingly needs to see your entire library. Now this might concern only a handful of people, but we thought it worthwhile for the privacy-conscious among you, to know those shortcuts and templates may be worth avoiding. There is no technical reason for this request, and it makes us wonder what else the software might do with your photographs and video clips. 

• Shortcuts: 2/5

CapCut: Interface

• A simple interface, stuck in one orientation, but everything you need to get working is there

Whether you choose one of these template shortcuts, or wish to start a new project from scratch, you’ll eventually end up in CapCut’s main editing interface. 

It’s solely designed for your device to be held in portrait orientation. If you turn your phone horizontally, the interface won’t budge. The same happens when working on a tablet. There’s also no way to change the layout - you’re stuck with it, whether you like it or not. But frankly, there’s little to dislike. The top third is devoted to a preview of your project. Beneath that is your timeline, and at the bottom, is a row of tools for you to use.

There’s a button to let you preview your work in full screen (and in landscape), but no editing is possible in that orientation. You don’t even have access to any tools, aside from a playback button.

You’ll notice a sign, top right, showing you the resolution you’re working in. By default it’s set to 1080p, but you can change that from as low as 480p to as high as 2K/4K. This is where you can also alter the frame rate from 24fps to 60fps. When some apps restrict 4K editing behind a paywall, it’s nice to see it’s available here for free.

You can also tell this app is aimed at, shall we say, those with sharp eyesight. The icons’ labels, especially those for the tools at the bottom, are in an extremely fine print, making it a challenge for the less visually acute. We did find the size is perfect on a tablet though.

• Interface: 4/5

CapCut: Tools

• Very easy to use, with surprising quality and accuracy, with a direct upload to TikTok

You’ll find it’s incredibly simple to edit, trim, and split footage. It’s just as easy to add clips, and quickly build a project. You can’t work with multiple layers except in the form of an overlay, where a second clip is added on top of another, which you can resize and reposition in order to create a picture-in-picture effect, or use the ‘Cutout’ tool to remove the background, be it a green screen, or just whatever was behind you.

The Pro tools are reportedly much better, but truth be told, we found what’s on offer for free to be remarkable - both in its ease of use and in the impressive results. Just check out the ‘Speed’ options to alter the duration of a clip, which are a cinch to alter, and include the ability to perform complex changes with just a few taps and drags.

The audio tools are quite interesting, and include a vast array of sound effects, and a whole section devoted to Sounds, which are clips of songs. 

Some of the ‘Commercial’ sections have apparently been licensed for commercial use on CapCut and TikTok, whereas the other section supposedly isn’t… even though we found some clips were present on both sides of the aisle. 

There’s also a VoiceOver option for you to record audio directly into your project using your device’s built-in microphone, or any other external one connected to it.

Another feature we were most impressed with was the amazing Auto Captions tool. It will analyse your video for you and generate captions, and in our experience, even when whispering, the output was incredibly accurate. Even if there’s the odd glitch, editing them is as simple as tapping on the subtitle box in the timeline, followed by tapping on the text in the main preview section.

When you’re done and it’s time to export your work. You can upload directly to your TikTok account, or save it to your Photos library, where you can share it to other platforms.

• Tools: 4/5

CapCut: Scorecard

Should I try?

Try it if...

Your world is TikTok and you want a video editor that’s fully integrated with that platform, you like having loads of powerful tools for free, and like the idea of subscribing for additional editing features.

Don't try it if...

You have concerns about the app’s privacy aspects, and would like an app that works in any orientation.

CapCut: Alternatives

We've tested,. reviewed, and rated a massive range of video editing tools. For alternatives to CapCut, we recommend checking out the iOS version of Apple iMovie and LumaFusion.  

Editing on a computer is one thing, but why not edit on the phone or tablet you used to shoot your movie in the first place? This is nothing new, as ever since coders realised a phone was powerful enough to do some editing on it, we’ve been able to do that. But how far can that particular envelope be pushed? For instance, Final Cut Pro has finally made it to the iPad, but only on tablets with M1 chips or better. 

But they’re actually late to the party. One of the best video editing apps, LumaTouch’s LumaFusion, launched in 2016, and provides many advanced video editing features across loads of different iPads, iPhones, and Android devices.  

LumaFusion: Pricing & plans

• Great balance - a simple, one-off price with some optional add-ons for those who want or need them 

LumaFusion isn’t free video editing software. And it’s not easy to compete in a field where many of your competitors offer their apps for free with ads, in-app purchases, or ongoing subscription. 

But if you’re in the market for an advanced professional-level video editor in your pocket, you might well find the $30 cost to be more than justified. And that’s a one-off fee, no never-ending subscriptions, with all future updates included in the price.

There are some in-app purchases as well, but these are for some advanced features that most will not need, so it makes sense to include them as optional add-ons. There are currently three available: 

Multicam Studio automatically synchronises up to 6 sources for you, letting you tap to switch between cameras, thus editing on the fly, for $20.

Export to Apple Final Cut Pro transforms all the work you’ve done on your project’s timeline into an FCPXML file, which, along with all the media you’ve used, is merged into a single file, ready for you to transfer to your Mac to carry on editing on Final Cut Pro… for $20. A kind of alternative to subscribing to Final Cut Pro for iPad.

And finally, we have the Storyblocks library, offering royalty-free music samples, songs, sound effects, videos, and backgrounds right from within the LumaFusion interface. This one’s a subscription, being either $10 a month, or $70 for the year. 

• Pricing & plans: 4.5/5 

LumaFusion: Interface

• Sleek interface in any orientation, looks great on large and small screens with good keyboard integration, although it’s not necessary to edit 

The designers at LumaTouch have done an excellent job here. The interface works great whether you’re working on a tablet or a phone, and in either portrait or landscape orientations. There’s even a way to choose between six different layouts as well. Everything works flawlessly, with panels resizing and reorganising themselves instantly whichever layout you choose and however you’re holding your device.

The interface is divided into sections. One’s the Preview, where you get to see your work as you build your edit, another’s the Timeline, where you add your clips, and essentially create your film, and the last one is where you access various elements, such as your clips, titles, transitions, effects, etc.

If you’re familiar with the best video editing software on desktops, you’ll feel right at home in LumaFusion. And if you’re in the market for one of the best video editing software for beginners on mobile, we really liked to see the app offer a series of tutorials to help you quickly understand the interface. It’s all very welcoming, whatever your experience level. 

Should you need to change the parameters of a particular clip in your timeline, simply double-tap on it. The interface will be replaced with your clip and all its alterable parameters. As you’d expect, you can also keyframe these, changing their values over time.

If you’re working on a tablet, you can hook up to a keyboard, and take advantage of various keyboard shortcuts, many of which are pretty much industry standard, like setting in and out points (‘i’ and ‘o’ respectively), adding a marker (‘m’), jump to the beginning or end of a clip (the ‘up’ and ‘down’ arrows), and so on. You certainly don’t need a keyboard to work with LumaFusion, but it grants you additional functionality if you have one.

• Interface: 4.5/5

LumaFusion: Video editing

• Great responsiveness, coupled with ease of use and loads of features - LumaFusion offers a lot and does it all exceedingly well.

Dragging and dropping is pretty much ubiquitous throughout the interface. Which isn’t surprising since it’s designed for touch. And here it works exceedingly well.

You’re able to work with up to six video layers and six additional audio tracks, allowing you to create fairly complex video sequences. Your timeline’s first layer has a ‘magnetic’ effect, which means that if you delete a clip, all subsequent ones will automatically move to the left to fill the gap left by the now-missing clip. This is a standard feature on Final Cut Pro and some others, and not only makes editing much faster, as you don’t have to deal with unwanted gaps in your project, but having to move all your clips by touch would be unbelievably tedious.

There’s a miniaturised timeline directly beneath the preview section. This represents your entire project. It is very useful to have when you’re zoomed into the timeline itself, as you can always see where you are within your project at a glance. It’s also a great way to scroll through your project, and see how all your clips are placed.

Your media can be accessed either from your device’s Photos app, a connected drive if you’re on tablet, and most of the best cloud storage providers. This includes services such as DropBox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and iCloud. 

Editing videos felt surprisingly easy, even on a phone’s relatively small screen (although admittedly, the larger the screen, the easier it is to work). Rendering is pretty fast. The app even lets you work with 4K clips, and we can tell you, it handles these high-resolution clips with ease.

It’s not loaded with the best VFX software, but you will find a good number of transitions, titles, and visual and audio filters are available, and pretty much everything (aside from transitions) can be keyframed and altered over time, including colour correction effects. In addition to that, there’s all the usual tools you’d expect from such an application, like trimming and cutting, chroma and luma keys, and even a built-in image stabiliser.

One thing we really liked was how you’re given the ability to create your own presets, for anything like titles or keyframed effects for instance. This allows you to have at your disposal unique looks that you can reuse in other projects, greatly saving you time, and helping set a unique tone for yourself across your videos. You can also export these presets, and import other ones.

Once you’re done, you’ve the option to save your work back to your device’s photos app, send it to an online storage service, or publish it directly to YouTube or Vimeo.

• Video editing: 4.5/5

LumaFusion: Verdict

LumaTouch has done an impeccable job packing in professional-grade video editing tools into an app like this. And somehow, it feels like the most natural thing in the world. 

If we had to nitpick, we could ask why we need to select “original” in the colour filters in order to gain access to a clip's colour parameters? Why can’t those values be available as you select the ‘colour and effects’ option, saving you a tap? And LumaFusion does put your battery to the test, but to be fair, this sort of software will chew through batteries on the best video editing laptops, let alone a phone. 

LumaFusion is a great piece of software and the designers have done a remarkable job fitting a powerful editing studio in your phone or tablet. Add to that the fact this app gets regularly updated, and you’ve got a hit on your hands. If you’re serious about editing on the go, give LumaFusion some serious consideration.

LumaFusion: Scorecard

Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Since its establishment, iTop has had an impact on the software utility market. This Hong Kong-based company offers a range of applications that strike the balance between performance, flexibility, and security.

Among their offerings for Windows computers is the iTop Private Browser. This web browser stands out for its cleanliness, security, and speed. It also includes a built-in VPN that allows users to hide their IP addresses and bypass geo-restrictions. By optimizing its network schemes, iTop Private Browser has greatly improved its speed, ensuring users can enjoy distraction-free browsing sessions. Additionally, it features an Auto Trace Shredder function that automatically deletes cookies, caches, and browsing history when users close a tab to prevent data leaks.

If you're looking for a browser that prioritizes privacy while being lightweight and compatible with your system, look no further than the iTop Private Browser – it might just be the alternative browser for you if you like trying out new browsers.

Features

iTop Private Browser focuses on user-friendliness by basing its architecture on Chromium, at the same time relying on its patented speed to show off its functionalities. According to the company, the browser uses military-grade encryption and comes with built-in features, such as an ad and pop-up blocker, as well as a VPN client. However, to fully utilize the functions of the VPN, you will need a monthly subscription if you want unlimited access. 

Despite all of these functions, the browser tends to show ads when you perform Google search, which seems to be sourced by the browser itself. Either that or the ad blocker does not work as intended. If you’re hoping to use extensions for ad blocking, you may look for a different browser right now since you won’t be able to utilize them in iTop’s solution.

By default, all of the protection offered, such as the ad blocker, anti-tracking, and anti-phishing, is turned on, except the VPN. For the VPN, you will have to turn it on yourself, which makes a lot of sense, as not all of us want to be behind a VPN at all times. You can turn on the VPN with just a few clicks by clicking on the VPN icon in the upper right corner. From there, you can let the VPN automatically choose the best location for you, or you can choose it from a list. Note that some locations are behind the VIP pricing plan, while others are free. There are roughly 87 locations to choose from, dispersed across the world. One thing that sticks out is the erroneous dimensioning of the flag icons, which just look like the VPN part of the browser has been rushed in production. 

Privacy

The browser focuses on privacy and brings in a lot of options. Through the VPN, it offers military-grade encryption, as claimed by iTop itself, while also offering various server locations to help you stay protected online and break geo-restrictions. Furthermore, the anti-tracking feature prevents sites from tracking your online activities and, coupled with the ad-blocker, pop-ups, and malicious links are avoided. Another neat function is the Surfing Protection, which serves as a safeguard against visiting harmful websites, shielding you from privacy breaches, online dangers, and unauthorized cryptocurrency mining.

Ease of use

iTop VPN Browser focuses primarily on ensuring user privacy while browsing. It offers a minimalistic set of tools that are designed to prioritize privacy. However, after conducting tests, we found that these features do not impede navigation in any way. In our view, the available features, along with the easy-to-use options, create a user-friendly and uncluttered browsing experience. This makes it suitable for both beginners and those who prefer a simple approach.

Competitors

Vivaldi - Vivaldi's design and approach may not appeal to everyone. The abundance of options on its main search page can be overwhelming. However, Vivaldi stands out among other browsers by offering a commendable environment for work and efficiency. It provides a separate set of task management tools that aid in tab organization and maintaining a clutter-free workspace, focusing on security through Chrome extensions, as it's based on Chromium.

Firefox - Firefox remains highly customizable, allowing you to personalize its look and expand its functionality through a wide variety of extensions and plugins. The recent update significantly enhanced its performance, making it faster and more efficient. It offers a diverse set of features, excels in terms of privacy, and is user-friendly. Additionally, it boasts lightning-fast speed.

Final verdict

If maintaining a high level of security during your browsing sessions is a priority, the iTop Private Browser could be a choice for you. This browser not only offers a secure browsing experience, but it also includes a built-in VPN client and various helpful features like encryption, anti-tracking, and an adblocker. While the settings may be more basic compared to other browsers, they still provide all the essential functionalities that most users require. Furthermore, if you already use a secure browser, there is little here to persuade you to change it for iTop’s solution. Moreover, from the visual and overall functional side, iTop has little to offer when it comes to competing with established browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Opera, and others. 

iTop Software, the creator of the popular iTop VPN, has recently introduced DualSafe Password Manager. This new tool offers password management for users looking to secure their account information and store all passwords in one place. Once you memorize your master password, all of your other passwords will be auto-saved and auto-filled by the application at no cost (if you choose the initial pricing plan). 

The priority has been set on security, which is why AES-256 encryption comes as standard across all plans, offering the current industry standard for protection. There are also other additional security features that the app offers, but for those, you will have to pay for a premium plan. All in all, if you’re looking for a place to store your passwords and have the health of your passwords monitored, then DualSafe presents a solid entry into the world of password managers.

Plans and pricing

The initial tier offers basic functionalities that are more than enough for most users, and to top it all off, it is completely free. With it, you can save as many passwords as you like, and the auto-fill and auto-save functions will work fine. Though, you will be limited to only three devices. 

If you’re looking for additional features, such as unlimited devices, and health checks for your passwords, dark web monitoring, and alerts, you will have to choose the premium plan. The premium plans also have an Emergency Access function. When you are unable to access your data, the individual you grant emergency access to can request the exportation of your data or modify the Master Password for DualSafe Password Manager. For the premium plans, there are two payment options: a monthly one that costs $5.99 a month and an annual one that allows you to save 65% and pay $2.08 a month for a total of $24.99 for the entire year.

Setup and in use

The setup is pretty straightforward; once you download the .exe file, run it, and the app will be installed on your desktop and browser of choice (Chrome in our case). From here, you will be asked to create your iTop account using your email or simply sign in using your Google or Facebook account.

After you log in, you will have to create a new master password, the only one you will need to remember going forward. A neat feature is that the recovery code the app generates for you is available as a PDF download so you can store it securely. 

Interface and performance

The app's interface is modern and stylish, with a rail menu on the left side that leads you to all the app's functions. In the upper part is the search bar, which can help you find items you saved in the app itself, like notes or login details. 

Importing all of your passwords is easy; you can import from all major browsers, or if you have your passwords in a .CSV file, you can import that as well. We had a properly formatted database of passwords, which were imported quickly and functioned flawlessly. Other than that, you can manually add your login details if you so wish, though we would go with the import option, as it's fast and hassle-free. 

The Windows app boots up quickly, and we haven't noticed any issues in using it. Similarly, the browser extension immediately springs into action when trying to log in to a site you frequent, and either offers to auto-fill or save the login details in its vault. Overall, we've had quite a positive experience with the app.

Security

The DualSafe Password Manager, utilizes the advanced AES256 encryption method to keep your data secure. It also employs a zero-knowledge architecture, ensuring that only you can access your information. Even the DualSafe Password Manager team cannot view your login details because all passwords are end-to-end encrypted.

To protect your passwords, DualSafe Password Manager creates backups, ensuring they are preserved even if there is a device malfunction. Before being backed up, the passwords are encrypted for security. As a result, they are highly secure and practically impossible to decipher. Furthermore, all your data is regularly updated so that you can access it from the browser extension or app. When it comes to the password health check feature, you have the ability to assess the strength of your passwords. This feature examines all saved passwords for any security vulnerabilities. Provides an overview of outdated, duplicated, and weak passwords that may pose risks to your security. We understand that it can be challenging to create unique passwords for each of your logins, which is where DualSafe offers its password generator. With DualSafe, you can effortlessly generate complex passwords. It even provides time-based, one-time passwords for an added layer of security. The Password Generator features of DualSafe allow you to easily create personalized passwords with varying lengths and combinations whenever you need to create an account or update your existing passwords.

Support

While there is a detailed manual for the application, the ticket support system that is available to users covers all of iTop’s products. In short, this means longer wait times to get support from a customer support representative. The app itself is not that complicated, and most of its functions are straightforward, still, we would like to see more responsiveness for this application alone. 

The competition

Bitwarden - Bitwarden is an exceptional password manager that offers a comprehensive range of features without any cost. While there are certain premium features available, none of them seem unreasonable to us. Free software doesn't get much better than this.

LogMeOnce - Prefer not to use master passwords? LogMeOnce offers an alternative method for securing your vault by using a selfie or scanning a QR code. Additionally, they guarantee that their free tier will always remain the same, providing unlimited password storage and 2FA.

For more alternatives, check out our Best free password manager of 2023.

Conclusion

The DualSafe Password Manager offers reliable security features and an attractive free plan. It is a great choice for individuals who are new to password security or find advanced tools challenging. While the free option provides a secure space to store passwords, the subscription plans offer enhanced security measures and protection against data breaches.

When we last looked at Techsmith’s screen recorder Snagit in 2022, we were fans. It was a simple to use, yet relatively full featured too for screenshot or a screen capture of your desktop. 

If you wanted video editing software capability, there was always Techsmith's other offering, Camtasia, but that product was, and is, typically marketed to professionals, and Snagit's icing on the cake was full macOS compatibility.

However, Camtasia now supports macOS, and perhaps realising it needs to step up, Techsmith have released Snagit 2024. How does it fare? Read on to find out.

• You can try Snagit 2024 by clicking here

Techsmith Snagit 2024: Pricing & plans

• No price increase since 2022, which can only be a good thing. Plus, there’s no subscription: you purchase the software outright, with a one-off fee for a perpetual licence that includes one year of product updates. 

Despite an economy in freefall,  Snagit costs the same now as it did then - $63, bundles including a year's subscription to 'Assets with Snagit' or a perpetual licence for Camtasia notwithstanding.

Any purchase includes one year of maintenance updates, which means, if you time it right, you could get the next major revision for free too.

Should you wish to continue to update your software after that, you don’t need to pay the full price again, but only $35.

If you’re not sure if Snagit’s for you, you can take advantage of its 15-day free trial offer and see how this software can integrate with your workflow.

• Pricing & plans: 4 / 5 

Techsmith Snagit 2024: Interface

• If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it: the interface looks exactly as it did in the previous version, but that’s no criticism. 

Launch Snagit 2024, and you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve opened a previous version by mistake: everything looks the same - the icons, their location, even the welcome screen.

Taking screenshots or screen captures is done from the red button in the top left of the interface. You’re offered a list of options, from what to capture (a webpage, a section of the screen, the full screen), burn effects into the screenshot, or whether to simultaneously take a photo from your webcam and burn that in too. If you choose to do this, it’ll appear top left of the recording by default.

All this burning in is Snagit's nadir - a distinct lack of customisation that the rest of it never falls into. For instance, once you’ve taken a screenshot, you have access to numerous tools which you can customise to suit your needs. 

You’re able to add call-outs, create arrows of various styles, including double headed and T-styled ones, add text, apply shadows, group objects together, it’s all quite impressive, and helps you turn a screenshot into an effective tutorial, or one filled with useful information.

Remember, if you'd like a more in-depth look at the software's core feature set, be sure to check out our Snagit 2022 review. The rest of our 2024 review will focus on improvements in the latest version that have made us sit up and take notice.

• Interface: 4 / 5 

Techsmith Snagit 2024: Cursor focus

•  A great addition to make it easy for the viewer to keep focussing on that all important cursor. 

You know how it is: you create a tutorial video to explain how a specific part of the interface works, but your viewers get lost in the process, as they keep losing track of the cursor’s location.

Snagit 2024 offers a double-edged, if familiar solution for this: a highlight and a click animation option. You can find them by clicking on the single chevron to the right of the ‘Capture Cursor’ toggle switch.

Highlight will surround your cursor with a semi-transparent coloured halo, making it much easier to see where it’s located on the screen. By default it’s yellow, but you can select any other colour if you so choose.

Click Animation is just as useful: clicking will now be represented by an expanding coloured circle, making it obvious what you clicked on, for your viewers to follow. By default that effect’s red, but you can also change that.

These features are a clear example of Techsmith playing catchup with Snagit's competitors, and burning them into a recording is a step backwards. However, they'll prove invaluable to anything you produce in Snagit, and so we're happy with their inclusion.

• Cursor focus: 4.5 / 5 

TechSmith Snagit 2024: Video editing capabilities

• Combining videos is a rudimentary yet vital editing tool, and it’s a very welcomed addition to Snagit, but we crave more.

On the video side of things, Snagit 2022 allowed you to cut out parts of a clip which were superfluous to your needs, but nothing more. We've always lamented Snagit's lack of editing capabilities and, in truth, we're still unimpressed. 

Our guess as to why Snagit's video editing features are such thin-gruel is that it's a strategy to funnel you towards, and justify the existence of, the more established and capable Camtasia.

However, with Snagit 2024, Techsmith have deigned to give us one other feature that should have been there from the start: the ability to combine videos.

This is super simple:  by clicking on a big, blue, ‘Add Videos’ button, you’ll be presented with all the videos you’ve created, with the one you’re currently working on first in the list. Videos are combined in the order they're clicked, and a 'Combine videos' button completes the process. 

More video-editing features, please, Techsmith. We know you make Camtasia, but that's not the point.

• Video editing capabilities: 3.5 / 5 

Techsmith Snagit 2024 : Integration with Techsmith Screencast

Screencast is Techsmith's collaborative tool, for sharing captures with others, has now been rolled into Snagit, after a fashion. 

Via the share menu (which already offers export to other apps and services like Camtasia, Slack and YouTube), your Snagit content will be uploaded to Techsmith’s servers, and once processed, can be shared via a link with others, who can then view the footage and offer comments and suggestions. 

Screencast is a simple way to interact with colleagues, and there are useful accessibility features here too, such as adding captions and audio description to your work. 

Unfortunately, Snagit integration only goes as far as uploading your captures to the service, which is then accessed via a web browser. It's very simplistic. 

We're also obliged to mention that this is a subscription service that requires a Techsmith account.  A free plan allows storage of up to 25 uploaded videos, while the number of screenshots you can share is unlimited, but you shouldn't expect tech support if you go that route.

• Share integration with Techsmith’s online collaboration tool is nice, if you don’t mind the free plan feeling like a sales pitch, and switching to your web browser to actually use the service.

• Integration with Techsmith Screencast: 3/5

TechSmith Snagit 2024: Scorecard

Should I buy?

Buy it if...

You need an easy and versatile way to take screenshots, with an extensive list of tools to markup and annotate them, along with simple screen captures, including your webcam and audio.

Don't buy it if...

You require advanced editing capabilities, and you’d prefer more versatility when recording, including the ability to remove your webcam or cursor effects in post production. 

TechSmith Snagit 2022: Alternatives

Techsmith's very own Camtasia, is well worth consideration, as it the Mac-only ScreenFlow. 

We've also highlighted the best free screen recorders.

GG Servers promises to provide a reliable and high-performing game server. As is customary, I've focused on its Minecraft offerings to see if it can compete with the best Minecraft server hosting but it also supports other games.

The service provides a user-friendly control panel, robust infrastructure, and its near essential list of supported games.

I tested GG Servers, exploring its key features, pricing options, performance, and overall value. Whether you are a seasoned gamer or just getting started in the world of online gaming, my GG Servers review will provide you with all the information you need to make an informed decision about your game server hosting needs. 

What is GG Servers? 

GG Servers is a web hosting service that specializes in providing high-quality and reliable game servers for online gamers. It offers a wide variety of hosting plans that are tailored to meet the specific needs of different games and gamers. GG Servers' servers are optimized for performance and reliability, ensuring that gamers have a smooth and uninterrupted gaming experience. 

Features

GG Servers offers a comprehensive set of features that make it a good choice if you're looking for one of the best Minecraft server hosting services on the market. One of the standout features is the free DDoS protection that comes with all services, ensuring that your server remains online and accessible at all times. This is a crucial feature for any online service, as DDoS attacks can be extremely disruptive and damaging.

Another key feature of GG Servers is the use of NVMe SSD storage, which is standard across all services. Premium services take this a step further with unmetered usage of NVMe SSD storage, providing lightning-fast access to your server files and data. The powerful processors used by GG Servers are also notable, with CPUs that excel in single-core performance. Standard services offer up to 4 GHz, while premium services go up to 5 GHz, ensuring that your server can handle even the most demanding workloads.

GG Servers also offers a global network of server locations, allowing you to choose the one that provides the best ping and performance for your needs. The ping.ggs.gg tool makes it easy to test your ping in all locations, and the Minecraft server itself includes a compass in the lobby server where you can choose your preferred location and test your ping on it.

In addition to these core features, GG Servers also provides a free subdomain, 1-click modpack and plugin installs, and a powerful and easy-to-use Multicraft panel. This panel allows you to manage all of your Minecraft servers with ease, providing full FTP file access and access to your console and chat. Also, the unmetered SSD and NVMe storage, as well as full FTP and MySQL database access, make GG Servers an ideal choice for anyone looking for a reliable and feature-rich Minecraft server hosting solution.

Server management 

Server management is a crucial aspect of any online service, including Minecraft servers. With so many different options available, it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to managing your server. Thankfully, GG Servers offers a range of powerful tools and features that make server management easy and efficient.

One of the key considerations when it comes to server management is uptime. After all, if your server is down, your players won't be able to access it. GG Servers boasts an impressive overall uptime of 99.9121%, which is well above the industry average. This high level of uptime is achieved through a combination of automated DDoS protection, powerful processors, and reliable SSD and NVMe storage.

Another important factor to consider when managing your server is location. GG Servers has a global network of server locations, with servers located in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. This ensures that you can choose a location that provides the best possible ping and performance for your players, no matter where they are located.

In North America, GG Servers has servers located in Virginia, Canada, and Oregon. These servers are all equipped with the latest hardware and software, providing lightning-fast access to your Minecraft world. In Europe, GG Servers has servers located in Frankfurt, London, Roubaix, and Finland. These servers are ideal for players located in Europe and nearby regions, with low latency and high performance. Also, in Asia, GG Servers has servers located in Singapore, which are ideal for players in Southeast Asia and nearby regions. And in Oceania, GG Servers has servers located in Australia, providing fast and reliable access to your Minecraft world for players in Australia and New Zealand.

Interface in-use 

The interface of GG Servers is highly intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy for even beginners to manage their Minecraft servers. The highly customized version of the Multicraft control panel is accessible from the server panel, which is the main landing page for your account. From here, you can easily navigate to your servers, profiles, open tickets, and log out.

The server panel is designed to give you easy access to all of the features and tools you need to manage your server. This includes full FTP file access, which allows you to easily upload and manage files on your server. You can also access your console and chat directly from the control panel, giving you complete control over your Minecraft world.

One of the best things about the interface on GG Servers is that it is highly customizable. You can change the appearance of your panel, choosing from a range of different themes and colors. You can also customize your files, console, installers, and tools, making it easy to create a panel that is tailored to your specific needs.

In addition to the highly customizable interface, GG Servers also offers a range of 1-click modpack and plugin installs. This makes it easy to add new features and functionality to your Minecraft server with just a few clicks. 

Pricing 

GG Servers offers a wide range of hosting plans to suit every need and budget. All of its plans come with a range of features, including unmetered SSD storage, anti-DDoS protection, and powerful processors.

Its pricing starts with the Stone plan, which offers 1024 MB of RAM, 12 player slots, and unmetered SSD storage, starting at $3.00/month. The Coal plan comes with all the features in the Stone plan, with the addition of 2048 MB of RAM, 24 player slots, and starts at $6.00/month.

The Iron plan offers 3072 MB of RAM, 36 player slots, and all the features in the Stone and Coal plans, starting at $9.00/month. The Gold plan comes with 4096 MB of RAM, 48 player slots, and all the features in the Stone, Coal, and Iron plans, starting at $12.00/month.

If you need even more power, the Lapis plan offers 5120 MB of RAM, 60 player slots, and all the features in the Stone, Coal, Iron, and Gold plans, starting at $15.00/month. The Redstone plan offers 6144 MB of RAM, 72 player slots, and starts at $18.00/month.

The Diamond plan comes with 8192 MB of RAM, 96 player slots, and starts at $24.00/month. The Emerald plan offers 12288 MB of RAM, 144 player slots, and starts at $36.00/month. If you need the ultimate in server power, the Amethyst plan offers 16384 MB of RAM, unlimited player slots, and starts at $48.00/month.

GG Servers also offers the Beacon plan, which comes with 32768 MB of RAM, unlimited player slots, and starts at $96.00/month. This plan is designed for those who need the highest levels of performance and reliability for their Minecraft servers.

Support

GG Servers provides 24/7 customer support to ensure that its users receive the necessary assistance whenever they need it. The company offers live chat, ticket, and email support for its customers to reach out and ask for help. 

Additionally, GG Servers has a vast collection of over 200 articles in its database that cover a wide range of topics related to game server hosting, making it a valuable resource for users who need more information. For security purposes, GG Servers offers pin support to its users for verification.  

Alternatives to GG Servers 

Hostinger is a web hosting company that also offers game server hosting services. It provides servers for popular games such as Minecraft, Counter-Strike, and Team Fortress 2, with features like DDoS protection, automatic backups, and easy server management through a custom control panel. Another option for game server hosting is Apex Hosting, a company that focuses on Minecraft server hosting. Apex offers a range of plans to fit different needs and budgets, including modpacks and custom server setups. Apex Hosting also has a user-friendly control panel, 24/7 support, and a community forum for customers to share knowledge and resources.

GameServers.com is a veteran in the game server hosting industry, having provided services since 2004. It offers servers for over 200 games, including popular titles like Rust, ARK: Survival Evolved, and DayZ. GameServers.com provides features such as DDoS protection, custom control panels, and global server locations to cater to different player bases. If you're looking for a more niche game server hosting provider, Nitrous Networks might be a good fit. It specializes in hosting servers for games like Garry's Mod, Team Fortress 2, and Conan Exiles, with plans that include easy setup, automatic mod installation, and custom configuration options. Nitrous Networks also has a ticket-based support system and an extensive knowledge base for troubleshooting.

Shockbyte is a game server hosting provider that offers servers for Minecraft, Terraria, and Valheim. Its plans come with features like unlimited slots, DDoS protection, and a free subdomain. Shockbyte also has a user-friendly control panel, live chat support, and a 100% uptime guarantee to ensure that players have a smooth gaming experience.

Is GG Servers right for you? 

Whether GG Servers is the right choice for you depends on your specific needs and preferences. One of the advantages of the service is that it provides powerful and secure game server hosting, with features such as DDoS protection and a variety of server locations. Additionally, GG Servers use powerful server hardware, which can improve the performance and stability of your server.

Another advantage of GG Servers is their good server availability, which ensures that your game server is accessible and online for your players. However, it is worth noting that its unlimited databases feature is only available in premium packages, which may be a disadvantage for users who require more databases.

Furthermore, its unlimited slots feature is only included in the unlimited plans, which may limit the scalability of your server if you choose a lower-tier plan. However, you should weigh the advantages and disadvantages of GG Servers against your specific requirements to determine whether they are the right game server hosting provider for you.

Nodecraft is a relatively new company which focuses on providing a friendly gamer aesthetic to all your hosting needs. It's already one of the best Minecraft server hosting providers thanks to offering some unique features compared to the competition.

I've focused on Minecraft here but Nodecraft also provides support for many other games like Rust, Valheim, and Enshrouded. Nodecraft has quickly gained a reputation for providing reliable and user-friendly server hosting solutions. 

Here's a deeper look at what makes Nodecraft stand out among a growing crowd of game server hosting. It's not perfect but it's worth checking out.

Nodecraft features 

One of the standout features of Nodecraft is its backup system. With this system, you can create an exact copy of your server's files, including player data, configurations, and maps. This allows you to test new configurations without risking your current setup. In addition, Nodecraft's backup system allows you to instantly load a previous backup if something goes wrong with your server. This can be a real lifesaver for gamers and developers who want to ensure that their game server is always running smoothly.

Nodecraft's real-time console is another standout feature. The console provides direct access to logs, admin commands, and other useful utilities. Kicking players, assigning admins, and monitoring performance can all be accomplished right in your browser. What sets Nodecraft's console apart is that it is directly streamed from the server to your browser within milliseconds. Behind the scenes, NodePanel scans this output for events such as player joins, server crashes, and other useful information to provide you with a real-time glance at what is going on in your server.

Security is a top priority for Nodecraft, and the company has created a system that allows you to generate a new login for each FTP session. This information is easily hidden from the overview for added security and privacy. This feature ensures that your files are as safe as possible while still allowing you to manage them efficiently.

Nodecraft's web-based file manager streams files from your server directly to your browser. You can edit, upload, and manage files without the need for downloading or using confusing software. This feature makes it easy for you to manage your files.

With NodePanel, all of your services exist with one singular login. Access everything under one account, directly at Nodecraft. No separate logins, no additional subdomains, and no hassle. This feature makes it easy for you to manage your accounts and services without having to remember multiple logins and passwords.

Nodecraft's servers are built with game server performance in mind. The company uses an Intel Xeon E-2174G or equivalent processor with a speed of 3.8+ GHz. Additionally, each server has 64GB ECC RAM for high-speed performance and stability. 

Nodecraft uses enterprise-grade solid-state drives (SSDs) to power all customer game servers, ensuring lightning-fast performance. Also, Nodecraft's DDoS protection and high-performance network are built to withstand attacks and ensure that your game server is always up and running. Nodecraft's entire infrastructure is built on top of a Linux ecosystem which ensures that your game server runs smoothly and efficiently.

Server management 

Server management is a crucial aspect of game server hosting, as it directly impacts the player experience. Nodecraft offers a wide range of server locations, spread across North America, South America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. This ensures that players can enjoy low-latency, high-performance gaming experiences, regardless of where they're located in the world. In North America, Nodecraft has server locations in Washington, California, Colorado, Texas, Chicago, Atlanta, Florida, Canada, and Washington, D.C. 

This extensive coverage ensures that players on the continent can find a server location that's closest to them, thereby reducing latency with improved game performance. Moving to South America, Nodecraft has a server location in São Paulo, Brazil. This location offers gamers in the region access to a low-latency server that is optimized for high-performance gaming. In Europe, Nodecraft has server locations in Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Romania. This coverage ensures that players in the region can access servers that are closest to their location and as such, minimize latency and offer improved game performance.

Also, in the Asia-Pacific region, Nodecraft has server locations in Israel, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. With server locations spread across the region, players can expect low-latency gaming experiences. Having server locations in multiple regions is a critical feature for any game server hosting provider, as it ensures that players can enjoy optimal gaming experiences. 

Interface in-use 

The Nodecraft control panel provides a user-friendly interface for managing your game servers. The Interactive GUI has been designed to make it easy for anyone, regardless of their technical knowledge, to modify server settings with ease. The panel is intuitive and visually appealing, with a clean and simple layout that allows you to quickly navigate through the different sections. This interface can be accessed from any device with an internet connection, making it convenient for you to manage your servers on the go.

The Nodecraft Interactive GUI provides a wide range of options that allow you to customize your game server to your liking. For instance, you can use the interface to change the server's game settings, such as difficulty level, game mode, and more. You can also upload mods, maps, and plugins with ease through the built-in file manager. Additionally, the panel allows you to monitor server performance metrics like CPU and memory usage, so you can optimize your server for better performance.

If you prefer to modify server settings manually, Nodecraft also offers access to all of the server's game files. This means you can use an FTP client to connect to your server and edit configuration files directly. Advanced users who prefer to use command line tools like SSH can do so as well. Nodecraft provides a wide range of tools to cater to different user preferences and technical abilities. Overall, the Nodecraft control panel is user-friendly for managing game servers, however, it may be overwhelming for beginners.  

Pricing 

Nodecraft offers four different pricing plans to fit a variety of needs and budgets. The first plan is the most basic plan, which starts at $9.98 per month. This plan includes 3 save and swap servers, 2GB of RAM, 10GB of SSD storage, 20GB of cloud backups, unlimited player slots, automation and tasks, one-click installer, free subdomain and dedicated IP, and DDoS Guard protection. The most popular plan is the second pricing option, starting at $19.98 per month. This plan offers 3 save and swap servers, 4GB of RAM, 20GB of SSD storage, 40GB of cloud backups, and all the other features included in the Nano plan.

The third pricing plan starts at $29.98 per month. This plan offers 5 save and swap servers, 6GB of RAM, 30GB of SSD storage, 60GB of cloud backups, and all the other features included in the first two plans. From there, you can create your own server if you need more. All of these plans come with the option to add additional resources for an additional fee, including more RAM, SSD storage, and cloud backups. Nodecraft also offers a 7-day money-back guarantee, so if you're not satisfied with the service within the first week, you can cancel and receive a full refund.

Customer support

Nodecraft offers a variety of support options to assist its customers with issues or questions they may have. One of the easiest and most convenient options is their live chat feature, which is available on their website 24/7. While testing this out, I was connected with a support representative and receive real-time assistance with a question I had about setup. If you prefer to speak with someone directly, Nodecraft offers phone support during its support hours of 12:30 AM - 09:00 AM. For less urgent matters, customers can also send an email to support@nodecraft.com. Nodecraft's support team aims to respond to all emails within 24 hours, although response times may vary depending on the volume of inquiries.

In addition to these support options, Nodecraft also offers an extensive knowledge base that contains helpful articles and guides on a variety of topics, such as server setup, game configuration, and troubleshooting common issues. You can browse the knowledge base to find answers to your questions or learn more about the features and capabilities of Nodecraft's platform.

Alternatives to Nodecraft 

Shockbyte offers affordable Minecraft server hosting with instant setup, a user-friendly control panel, and 24/7 customer support. It has servers in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Singapore. Shockbyte offers plans starting at $15/month for a server with 1GB of RAM.

Apex Hosting is a Minecraft server hosting provider that offers a wide range of plans to fit different needs and budgets. Apex has servers located in North America, Europe, and Asia and offers features such as DDoS protection, and automatic backups.

GameServers is a Minecraft server hosting company that provides reliable and affordable game server hosting for a variety of games, including popular titles like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Team Fortress 2, and Garry's Mod. GameServers offer a range of plans with various features and benefits to suit different needs and budgets.

GTXGaming offers Minecraft server hosting services for a range of popular games, such as Garry's Mod, ARK: Survival Evolved, and Conan Exiles. It has servers located in multiple regions for low-latency gameplay, and its control panel allows for easy server customization and management. It also offers 24/7 customer support.

BisectHosting is a popular Minecraft server hosting provider that offers affordable and reliable hosting for a variety of games, including Minecraft, Ark: Survival Evolved, and Rust. BisectHosting offers a user-friendly control panel and 24/7 customer support. Pricing starts at $7.99/month for a server with 1GB of RAM.

Is Nodecraft right for you? 

Nodecraft may be right for you if you prioritize DDoS protection, low latency, 99.9% uptime, and data centers around the world. Its excellent support through calls, emails, and live chat, as well as a free trial and money-back guarantee, can also be appealing. However, if you prefer a user-friendly control panel, note that Nodecraft's built-in control panel may be difficult to understand at first.