Reviews

In 2026’s persistent tug-of-war between online convenience and privacy, DeleteMe continues to stand tall as one of the most trusted and comprehensive data removal services. With over a decade of experience in privacy protection, DeleteMe’s mission is simple yet vital: to erase your personal details from the sprawling databases of data brokers who profit from your digital footprint.

Founded in 2011 by privacy-focused company Abine, DeleteMe has evolved alongside the internet’s rapid expansion. Today, it has processed well over 100 million opt-outs, adaptively navigating an ever-shifting regulatory landscape filled with new privacy laws, AI-driven scraping tools, and sophisticated cyber threats. Where many services promise quick digital cleanup, DeleteMe delivers sustained, expert-driven removal efforts that not only protect you from identity theft and spam but also restore a sense of digital calm.

DeleteMe: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: DeleteMe)

DeleteMe’s pricing is straightforward, centered on annual or biennial prepayments rather than short-term monthly options. This structure encourages consistency - keeping your data protected throughout the year instead of risking gaps in coverage.

For individual users, the one-year plan costs $129, which breaks down to about $10.75 per month, while the two-year plan costs $209 (approximately $8.71 per month). The savings for multi-year users are meaningful, especially considering DeleteMe’s ongoing monitoring and repeated scans.

Couples or two-user plans scale economically at $229 annually or $349 for two years (about $14.54 per month), and there’s dedicated family coverage for four users, designed for households that want everyone — parents, teens, even adult children — under one umbrella. Family subscribers appreciate the continuity this offers: when one person’s data pops up again online, the team often finds overlapping exposures and can act on behalf of everyone at once.

Each subscription tier includes:

• Unlimited removals for names, aliases, and emails
• Email alias masking tools
• Up to 40 custom data removal requests per year
• Quarterly progress reports summarizing every removal action
• Access to a dedicated privacy advisor

Enterprise plans are also available, with quotes starting near $180 per person annually - trusted by recognizable names like Google and ProPublica to safeguard high-risk employees from doxxing and organized data exposure. DeleteMe’s enterprise customers use it as a proactive defense tool in an era where C-suite executives and journalists are frequent targets of harassment campaigns.

Pricing transparency is one of DeleteMe’s major appeals. There are no confusing tier upgrades or hidden microtransactions, and every plan - including the most affordable - includes full access to core features. The company’s A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and full satisfaction guarantee reinforce this sense of reliability, though its services remain exclusive to U.S. residents.

DeleteMe: Features

(Image credit: Shutterstock / metamorworks)

What truly sets DeleteMe apart in 2026 is its blend of automation and human oversight. The platform covers over 750 data brokers.

DeleteMe automates removal from the 100–125 most active brokers, including notorious players like Whitepages, Spokeo, and MyLife, while expert privacy specialists manually handle the rest. This hybrid approach ensures that each removal is executed correctly and consistently, rather than relying solely on bots that might inadvertently confirm your data’s accuracy to brokers (a common pitfall of less automated tools).

The range of data types covered is impressively broad: names, birthdates, phone numbers, email addresses, past and current addresses, relatives’ names, and even property records and photos. As new brokers emerge, DeleteMe automatically adds them to its removal list at no additional cost.

Each quarter, users receive detailed reports showing tangible progress. These include screenshots, broker names, and verification timestamps that illustrate where the data was found and when it was removed. Early evaluations suggest that new users typically see an average of 57 site removals in their first round, often revealing listings they didn’t even know existed.

DeleteMe’s dashboard serves as a control center for tracking all this activity. It offers live metrics such as total removals, pending actions, and active exposures, and integrates a Google self-check tool, enabling users to monitor their search visibility in real time. Combined with masking utilities, it provides both transparency and reassurance: you can watch your digital privacy improve, click by click.

Additional tools, such as email alias creation (included at no cost) and phone masking (available for $7 per number), help users reduce their surface exposure. DeleteMe’s own manual also provides DIY guides for removing yourself from specific platforms, such as Reddit or BeenVerified, making it perfect for privacy enthusiasts who want hands-on control.

For organizations, DeleteMe’s business suite extends these protections to executive teams, journalists, and employees handling sensitive data. With targeted anti-doxxing and impersonation countermeasures, it is especially popular among companies that are conscious of online reputation risks.

DeleteMe: Setup and onboarding

DeleteMe’s signup process reflects its emphasis on simplicity. Users register online, create their profile via a welcome email, and fill in identifying information such as names, aliases, email addresses, phone numbers, and past addresses. The system only requests as much as it needs to find your listings, and optional identity verification helps confirm records for precise removals.

Once your profile is set up, DeleteMe’s privacy advisors launch manual searches and begin submitting opt-out requests almost immediately. More often than not, you will receive your first progress email within days.

What’s noticeable during onboarding is how low the learning curve feels. The dashboard is intuitive and clutter-free, with helpful tooltips for new users. You don’t need technical experience or cybersecurity know-how as DeleteMe’s team handles almost everything in the background while keeping you informed through reports and alerts.

DeleteMe: Ease of use

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

DeleteMe strikes a fine balance between professional rigor and user convenience. The centralized dashboard displays everything you need without demanding daily attention. Quarterly PDF reports offer a clear, chronological summary of which brokers were contacted, which entries were deleted, and which may require resubmission.

Submitting custom requests is equally straightforward. If you spot your information on a site not yet on DeleteMe’s list, you can submit a request through the portal. You can file up to 40 custom removals per year, and the privacy team typically responds within 48 hours, making it far faster than competitors that rely solely on automated scheduling.

DeleteMe: Security and privacy

DeleteMe’s architecture is built around privacy-by-design principles. All data deletions are performed by US based privacy experts, not by outsourced bots or offshore contractors, ensuring your personal information never leaves secure domestic servers.

This manual process emphasizes two key benefits. First, it maximizes compliance with brokers’ varying submission requirements, as some demand documentation or nuanced phrasing only a human can adapt effectively. Second, it minimizes risk: automated scraping tools may inadvertently validate a record’s accuracy, re-exposing users rather than protecting them.

DeleteMe’s internal handling of user data is deliberately minimal. Personal details entered during setup are stored securely, used solely to submit removals, and deleted once those removals are confirmed complete. The included email and phone masking features further protect users from re-identification or repeat listings.

While DeleteMe doesn’t directly clear Google’s cache, its approach focuses on root-cause removal by eliminating your records from the original sources so they eventually disappear from search engines as the cache refreshes. Over time, this results in a noticeable reduction in online visibility.

Delete: Customer support

DeleteMe offers email, live chat, and phone support, along with dedicated privacy advisors who review reports and guide each user through custom cases. The company’s Help Center includes articles on two-factor authentication, security best practices, and subscription management, along with downloadable DIY guides for over 100 brokers.

Customers commend DeleteMe’s support staff for their responsiveness, especially during the first few months, when exposure reports are most active. Unlike some competitors that offer only generic responses, DeleteMe’s advisors review your unique data profile before replying to ensure each interaction is specific, accurate, and genuinely helpful.

DeleteMe: The competition

(Image credit: Kanary)

In 2026, the data removal market has matured, and competition is fierce. Services like Incogni, Kanary, PrivacyBee, OneRep, and Mozilla Monitor Plus each approach privacy protection differently.

Each service has its niche. Budget-conscious or international users might prefer Incogni for its simplicity, while privacy enthusiasts who value versatility lean toward PrivacyBee’s ecosystem. However, for users who value human-guided removal, particularly Americans concerned about domestic data brokers, DeleteMe remains the benchmark for reliability, transparency, and verified follow-through.

DeleteMe: The verdict

After fifteen years of refining its craft, DeleteMe continues to set the standard for professional data removal services. Its combination of human expertise, automation, and transparent progress reporting makes it ideal for individuals, families, and businesses wanting continuous, realistic protection.

While other services may promise faster automation or lower prices, few can match DeleteMe’s track record or its deliberate attention to each user’s privacy footprint. Backed by a trusted reputation, a proven removal infrastructure, and a genuine focus on security, DeleteMe is an indispensable ally for anyone seeking to reclaim control of their online identity.

• Sign up to DeleteMe

Protecting personal information online has only become more crucial in 2026. With artificial intelligence tools making data scraping and identity fraud easier, consumers need protection that goes beyond basic antivirus software. Data removal services like Aura aim to give users back control of their information, automatically monitoring, securing, and removing their data from the web’s most persistent collectors: data brokers.

Aura continues to position itself as an all-in-one digital security platform, offering not just data-broker removal but also identity theft protection, credit reports, VPN protection, a password manager, device security, parental controls, and even scam-call filtering. Its 2026 version refines and automates much of this ecosystem, making it one of the most complete packages for personal and family privacy available today.

Aura: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Aura)

Aura offers three main subscription tiers in 2026 — Individual, Couple, and Family — each priced for monthly or annual billing. While the structure hasn’t changed significantly since 2024, the company has updated its value propositions by introducing new automation tools and expanding insurance coverage.

• Individual Plan: Priced at around $12 per month (when billed annually). It includes full identity theft monitoring, VPN access, antivirus, password manager, credit monitoring from all three bureaus, and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance.
• Couple Plan: Approximately $22 per month annually. Designed for two adults, each with their own accounts and dashboards. Users also get an alerts dashboard and joint monitoring capabilities.
• Family Plan: Aura’s flagship package, available for about $29 per month with annual billing. It supports up to five adults and unlimited children, with added benefits such as child SSN monitoring, parental controls, and online safety tools, including cyberbullying detection alerts and predator activity monitoring on social media.

Across all tiers, Aura offers a 14-day free trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee, making it relatively low-risk to test. Prices sit slightly above pure data removal competitors like DeleteMe or Kanary, but Aura’s advantage lies in its breadth, as it’s not only about data removal but complete digital defense.

Aura: Features

(Image credit: Future)

At its core, Aura is built around identity monitoring and data removal automation, but the platform’s appeal lies in its suite of interconnected features that reinforce one another.

• Data Broker Removal: Aura routinely scans and requests removals from over 200 data brokers. In 2026, this process has become more proactive: once you enter key identifiers (such as email addresses, aliases, or phone numbers), Aura automatically generates and tracks opt-out requests. It even resubmits them if a data broker re-lists your information later.
• Privacy Assistant AI: New in 2026, Aura’s AI Privacy Assistant analyzes your online exposure and gives customized recommendations. For example, it might flag an old online profile that is still visible on a background-check website or recommend stronger security settings for your social media accounts.
• Credit & Identity Protection: All plans include near-real-time credit alerts from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The system can detect unauthorized account openings, new address registrations, and suspicious transactions.
• Dark Web Monitoring: Aura scans dark web marketplaces and hacker forums for signs of compromised credentials, personally identifiable information, or leaked financial information. It stands out for automatically triggering password changes via its built-in password manager when data leaks are detected.
• Financial Fraud Alerts: In 2026, Aura enhanced transaction tracking with AI models trained to detect financial anomalies. You’ll receive immediate alerts about possible account tampering or fraudulent activity through text or push notifications.
• VPN & Antivirus Integration: Aura operates its own encrypted VPN network and now includes malware protection at the DNS level, stopping threats before they reach your device. This dual system offers more robust coverage than many competitors that still rely on third-party integrations.
• Secure Document Vault: Documents such as ID scans, medical records, and financial statements can be uploaded to Aura’s encrypted cloud storage. Files are protected with AES-256 encryption and accessible only through multi-factor verified logins.
• Lost Wallet Recovery: Still one of Aura’s most convenient tools, this feature helps users cancel and replace credit cards and government IDs quickly using their stored information.
• Parental Controls: Family users benefit from content filtering, screen-time management, and activity summaries, while the system can now detect potential cyberbullying language in messages exchanged through monitored accounts.

All told, Aura’s feature set is about integration—bringing security, privacy, and data removal under one, easy-to-manage ecosystem.

Aura: Setup

Aura’s setup process in 2026 has been streamlined considerably. Once you sign up, you’re guided through an onboarding sequence that sets up data monitoring, installs necessary apps, and helps connect bank accounts, social media profiles, and credit data.

The app (available for iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows) automatically detects your exposure level. You’ll see an initial Digital Risk Score, a new feature introduced this year that visually charts how exposed your personal data is, along with step-by-step suggestions for improvement.

Setting up the browser extensions - for Secure Browsing and Scam Protection - took minutes. The interface clearly marks whether each area of protection (such as identity, finances, passwords, and devices) is “secured,” “partially secured,” or “unprotected.”

Overall, users can expect to be fully set up within 15 to 20 minutes.

Aura: Ease of Use

Aura’s biggest achievement has been refining its user interface to be accessible without sacrificing complexity. The 2026 dashboard feels modern and uncluttered, offering a unified snapshot of your protection status.

The main screen now consolidates data-broker removal progress, credit alerts, device security, and VPN status in a single view. To help users track the biggest threats, notifications are sorted by severity - Critical, Moderate, or Informational - with suggested actions for each. The app also now offers Face ID login, faster push notifications, and in-app data removal tracking, all previously requiring desktop access.

While Aura remains feature-rich, its controls never feel overwhelming. Compared with 2024’s design, which buried alerts in submenus, the 2026 update puts essential information front and center.

The only minor drawback is that advanced users may want more filter or export options for data removal logs, which remain limited to Aura’s native interface.

Aura: Security and Privacy

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Security is where Aura continues to justify its cost. Every component is built around zero-knowledge architecture and bank-level encryption.

• Encryption: Data stored in Aura’s vault uses AES-256 encryption, and communication between clients and servers is protected by TLS 1.3.
• Authentication: Multi-factor authentication (2FA) is standard. In 2026, Aura introduced support for hardware keys (YubiKey, Titan) to enhance account protection.
• Privacy Policy: Aura remains U.S.-based, which means it’s not protected under GDPR-like rules—but it maintains SOC 2 Type II compliance and claims it doesn’t sell or share user data for third-party advertising.
• Insurance Coverage: Identity theft insurance now provides up to $5 million in total coverage for the Family plan (aggregated across family members), a significant increase from prior years.
• AI Fraud Detection: Aura’s AI monitoring system scans billions of data points for suspicious behavior, catching identity fraud attempts faster than many competitors.

Aura also distinguishes itself by combining privacy and cybersecurity at the infrastructure level—something pure data removal services typically don’t offer.

Aura: Support

Customer support has remained one of Aura’s strongest points. In 2026, users can reach support through:

• 24/7 Live Chat (available across all plans)
• U.S.-based phone support
• Email ticket system
• AI Help Assistant that routes users to relevant help articles or escalates issues automatically

Support responsiveness is fast, typically under two minutes on chat, and representatives are knowledgeable across billing, technical, and cybersecurity issues.

The Digital Security 101 help center remains excellent for learning privacy fundamentals, and Aura’s security alerts blog continues to update users about new scams, breaches, and fraud trends.

Aura: The competition

(Image credit: DeleteMe)

DeleteMe is still best known for data broker removals, manually handling over 700 brokers globally. It’s relatively affordable at about $10 per month but remains limited to removal only — offering no VPNs, threat monitoring, or credit alerts.

Kanary provides a clean interface and aggressive data tracking removal, with automation similar to Aura’s newer system, though it lacks the wide range of bundled security tools.

Privacy Bee combines data broker removal with marketing opt-outs and spam management, making it more affordable but missing Aura’s all-in-one security integrations.

Mozilla Monitor Plus focuses on breach alerts and limited broker removals within a privacy-first platform from a trusted nonprofit, appealing to open-web advocates.

IDX Identity, a long-established provider with government partnerships, delivers strong credit alerts but charges a premium while offering fewer non-financial privacy features.

Where Aura stands out is in its breadth — it consolidates tasks that competitors split across multiple tools, making it ideal for users who want a “set it and forget it” experience. The tradeoff, however, is cost, as Aura can run two to three times more expensive than minimalist removal services.

Aura: Verdict

In 2026, Aura remains a top choice for comprehensive identity and privacy protection. It’s overkill if you only want your data removed from people search sites—but invaluable if you want total online risk mitigation in one ecosystem.

For individuals and families who value privacy, security, and convenience over cost, Aura’s 2026 platform justifies its premium. It’s not just about removing data — it’s about controlling your entire digital presence.

• Sign up to Aura

4 UK Host is an experienced web hosting service, now owned by Miss Group, the company behind StableHost, nameISP, https.se and other hosting-related brands.

The host has four main product ranges: Shared Hosting, Value VPS, SSD VPS and Dedicated Servers. There's a focus on value, although there's real power available here, too. Dedicated servers start at £54.99 ($65.99) a month on the annual plan, for instance, but you can opt for a 2 x Xeon E5, 40 CPU core, 256GB RAM monster for £389.99 ($467.99) a month, if you can use it.

The baseline Shared Hosting 4UK-10 plan looks like great value, with unlimited bandwidth and 12 months for free. A one-year free trial, really? There must be a catch, we thought. And there was.

Drilling down to the details, the plan is relatively basic, with just 1GB disk space, one email account and no MySQL databases. And although it's advertised on the site as £0.00 a month, the comparison table shows it has a £14.99 ($17.99) setup fee. That's equivalent to £1.25 ($1.50) a month.

• Want to try 4 UK Host? Check out the website here

There's better news further up the range. The 4UK-30 plan gives you 15GB disk space, unlimited bandwidth, a free domain name, 10 databases, unlimited emails and FTP accounts, and support for hosting up to three websites. Prices range from £4.99 ($5.99) billed monthly, to a more competitive £3.54 ($4.25) a month billed three-yearly.

Support is available via live chat, 24/7. There's also telephone support, albeit for limited and slightly odd hours (7am-4pm).

Although the website doesn't make a big deal of any 'money-back guarantee', the small print makes it clear that's exactly what you get. 'If you are not satisfied within your first 30 days we would be happy to provide you with a full refund' (subject to the usual exclusions, like domain name registrations).

While these prices aren't bad, there are better deals around. Hostinger's shared hosting has fewer limits and can be 20% or more cheaper, or you could opt for a VPS and still save money (prices start at $3.95.) But beware, you'll have to subscribe for up to four years to get the headline prices.

Setup

Signing up with 4 UK Host starts by choosing your hosting plan, then entering whatever domain name you'd like to use. The latter can be something you register now, for free with some plans, or a domain you own already.

All plans may be billed monthly, or every one, two or three years. You'll need to pay yearly or longer to get a free domain name, and longer subscriptions get a 10-15% discount.

There aren't a lot of extras, especially for the more basic plans. Our 4UK-20 Shared Hosting plan came with free local backups, for instance, but 4 UK Host offered us remote weekly backups from £3 ($3.60) a month. Backups are important, but that's more than you might be paying for your main hosting account, which isn't going to appeal to bargain hunters.

The 4 UK Host registration form asks for a lot of personal data, including an email address, name, physical address and telephone number.

The form also asked for our 'Organization number / Personal number', but didn't offer any hints to what this was, or why the company needed it. We just entered a memorable number, assuming it would be treated as a second password, and the website accepted it.

Payment options were card or PayPal. We tried PayPal, but ran into a problem: the website hung for minutes, but no PayPal window appeared. Eventually we gave up, restarted the process, and went to pay via card. As we were about to do that, an invoice for the first aborted payment appeared. We gave up on our second payment, without entering any details, but, too late: an email invoice for that payment arrived, too.

Issues like this can happen with anyone, and we're not attaching any blame to 4 UK Host. But it did give us an opportunity to test how the company's systems could cope with unexpected events.

There were no obvious ways to help us solve this problem. The emails and invoices didn't explain what to do if we had problems. The web console displayed our two invoices, but had no way to cancel or delete them. An 'Open Ticket' option pointed us to a near useless web knowledgebase, where searching for 'invoice' gave us only two irrelevant hits: 'Passing Values to Offer URLs' and 'How those the price model work' (not a typo, that's the real title).

While that's bad news, 4 UK Host regained our respect with the quality of its live chat support. We opened a session, explained what had happened and asked for the company to activate our first order, and cancel the second invoice, and gave our two invoice numbers.

We expected to wait for an age, and possibly then be forced to answer an avalanche of questions (what's your name, your order number, your email address, your PayPal transaction ID, and so on). But instead, after two minutes an agent responded; after nine minutes, they told us they were checking; two minutes after that, they told us they'd activated one account and deleted the other invoice.

We didn't have to answer a single further question, the agent just did as we'd asked, and all in under a quarter of an hour. That's great support performance, especially for a very basic shared hosting package.

(Image credit: 4 UK Host)Creating a website

The 4 UK Host account management system is based on the industry standard WHCMS platform. That's generally good news, as it's a capable system, and if you've used it with another host you'll immediately feel at home.

Choose your hosting package, and WHCMS provides various shortcuts to help you get started. A link to the File Manager enables uploading an existing site to your web space, for instance. Experienced users get shortcuts to the MySQL Databases and phpMyAdmin modules, and you can create email accounts for your new domain by filling in a couple of boxes (email account name and password).

One further click takes you to a standard cPanel console, where you'll find the full set of site creation and management tools.

4 UK Host's Site Builder is a simple BaseKit-powered template-based website creator. It doesn't have the power of the high-end competition, and the bundled version is limited to just three pages, but that could be enough for simple tasks. Your three pages can at least have some rich content, with support for image galleries, custom forms, videos and SoundCloud clips, file links (Dropbox, PDF), basic social media integration and more.

4 UK Host shared hosting includes Softaculous, too, for automated installation of WordPress, PrestaShop, Joomla, and hundreds of other popular apps. It's one of the best user-friendly installers around, and not something you'll always get with the most basic shared hosting. (Some providers use simpler installers with fewer features, maybe supporting just a handful of applications.)

Once your site is up and running, you have access to all the usual cPanel site management tools, covering everything from FTP accounts, subdomains and aliases, to email forwarders, autoresponders and in-depth site metrics (Webalizer, AWStats and more).

We did have an issue with the web knowledgebase, which was short on content and poorly organized. Articles are in multiple languages, for instance, and if you search on a technical term which is identical in both ('DNS') then you'll get multi-lingual results.

Knowledgebase issues are much less important when you have decent live chat support, though, and overall, 4 UK Host provides a capable set of features with everything you need to build and run a quality website.

(Image credit: Uptime.com)Performance

It's tricky to measure the performance of any web host. The results you'll see will depend on the type of site you're running, the resources it uses (CPU, storage, database), where your visitors are, when they visit, and other factors besides.

We attempted to get a baseline idea of a server's performance by measuring it over time with Uptime.com. Average response times were fractionally below average, though by so little you're unlikely to notice (50ms). 

4 UK Host response times were relatively consistent, too, with no downtime, and no major spikes which might indicate an overloaded server.

Dotcom-tools website speed test measured the load time of our test site from 16 locations across the US and Europe. This second test broadly matched the results of the first. 4 UK Host achieved mid-range speeds only, but the difference wasn't significant, and our results showed consistent speeds over time.

Put it all together and 4 UK Host delivered the performance we'd expect from decent shared hosting; not outstanding, but good enough, and reliable throughout the duration of our review.

Final verdict

4 UK Host wasn't outstanding at any point during our review, but its products are generally well-specified, live chat support was good and we saw consistent and reliable speeds. Worth a look – check it out and see if the company has a plan which suits your needs.

• Also check out the best web hosting services.

ProfesionalHosting is a popular Spanish provider with over 17 years of experience in web hosting and domain registration.

To be clear, the company has absolutely nothing to do with Professional Hosting at 'professionalhosting.com.' And that matters, because the other provider is very, very different to this one. If you're typing its name somewhere, rather than following our links, be sure to type one 's' in 'profesional', rather than two.

However you arrive at the site, you'll find a huge range of products. You can get regular shared hosting, custom plans for specific web apps (WordPress, Magento, PrestaShop, more), along with a variety of VPS offerings. On top of that there are assorted dedicated servers (Windows, Linux, Elastic Cloud), video and streaming servers, and supporting services such as remote backup, email marketing, SSL certificates and more.

• Want to try ProfesionalHosting? Check out the website here

The company is largely focused on the Spanish-speaking market, claiming on the website that 'in our hosting you will have the best support and service in Spanish.'

There is an English language version of the site, but it's a little more difficult to use than it should be, thanks to some inconsistent and incomplete translations.

As we write, for example, the VPS link on the English language site takes us to a Spanish page. There's a language selector at the top, but choosing English just takes you to a 'Page not found' message – in Spanish! We could still find our way around with the aid of Chrome's Translate feature, but that shouldn't be necessary.

Brush these hassles aside, though, and you'll find an impressive set of products, where even the most basic plans are well-specified and ready for use.

Shared hosting starts at €6.19 ($7.29, £5.31) a month on the annual plan, for instance. Not a big outlay, but it gets you 3GB hard drive space, unlimited bandwidth, a free domain, a Plesk control panel (a powerful alternative to cPanel) antispam, daily backups, and free SSL via Let's Encrypt.

There are four plans in total, but picking just one, Plan WEB + enables hosting up to 10 websites, offers 10GB disk space, and throws in a free year of a professional SSL certificate, all for €15.44 a month ($18.18, £13.48).

You can get hosting for even less, but it often comes with hidden flaws and catches. ProfesionalHosting isn't cutting corners to get a low headline rate, and even its low-end plans should be able to handle some major tasks.

And even if it turns out that the company doesn't live up to its promises, you're protected by a 15-day money-back guarantee.

Setup

Signing up at ProfesionalHosting works much like any other host, at least in principle. But in real life, translation issues make it a little more complicated for English speakers.

You must opt to check out by clicking the 'Contract' button, for instance. The shopping cart icon makes that a relatively easy guess, but when you start the purchase process, even the English language page has a Spanish description of the money-back guarantee.

There's more confusion on the account registration page. Not only does this ask for your name, email address, physical address and phone number, it also demands your 'CIF/DNI' (a national ID number), and further asks '¿Como nos ha conocido?' (which means 'how did you hear about us?').

You can ignore that question, but not the demand for a national ID number. That's bad news if you don't have one, although the website can't validate it, so you can enter whatever you like, and no-one is likely to notice. (You're probably violating a 'be honest about your personal data' clause in the small print, but if you don't have the requested data, there aren't many other options.)

We completed the purchase process, handed over our cash, and three follow-up emails arrived – in Spanish, obviously.

This wasn't quite the hassle you might think. The final welcome email was easy to identify, and even if you don't speak a word of Spanish, it's easy to pick out the Control Panel URL and credentials, FTP login, nameservers, email servers and more.

Logging in took us to the main Plesk control panel, a one-stop platform for configuring and managing your account, domain, website and more. The Plesk interface can use multiple languages, but for some reason, ProfesionalHosting's shared hosting plans are available in Spanish only. You must choose VPS or higher to be able to run your console in English. It's annoying, but once again, Chrome's Translate feature was just about good enough to save the day.

(Image credit: ProfesionalHosting)Creating a website

Plesk's main website management screen includes tools to create and manage your website, email and FTP accounts, databases, subdomains and more, as well as key metrics on your visitors, which pages they're visiting, and a breakdown of your bandwidth use.

An automated installer tool makes it easier to set up WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, PrestaShop, Magento, phpBB and more. Its choice of 21 apps doesn't get close to the 400+ you'll get with Softaculous, a platform commonly provided with cPanel, but if you're happy with WordPress (or one of the others) you're unlikely to mind.

The installer is configured with Spanish speakers in mind, for example offering us no less than nine Spanish language options for our test WordPress setup (Spanish, Spanish from Chile, Spanish from Peru, and so on). But there are plenty of other options, this time, and ours had English selected by default.

Our general shared hosting package didn't include a website designer. As with the missing Softaculous, that's bad news for some, but won't matter to the majority.

There's no shortage of ways to manually set up a website, though. The File Manager uploaded our test site with a quick drag-and-drop, Let's Encrypt support allows even hosting newbies to quickly assign a free SSL certificate – and experts can play around with everything from FTP accounts and databases to PHP settings, DNS, and even Apache and web application firewall (ModSecurity) settings.

It's a capable set of tools, especially for the most basic shared hosting package in the range. It would be even better if ProfesionalHosting allowed shared hosting packages to be set up in English, but Chrome Translate got us through most issues, and overall it's a likeable service.

(Image credit: Uptime.com)Performance

Websites can fail for all kinds of unexpected reasons, and whether you're a total newbie or an old hand, it's vital to choose a web host with top quality support.

ProfesionalHosting offers 24/7 support via telephone, live chat, email and ticket, and for really stubborn problems, can even connect to your system via TeamViewer for a closer look.

This all sounds good to us, and the company handled our test query well. An agent responded within three minutes, didn't waste time with more questions or authentication (what's your username, your email address, your account number, your domain), and just gave us an accurate and helpful answer, immediately.

Language remains an issue for international users, with the opening chat screen displaying its instructions in Spanish. But we got through that in seconds, and there were no problems afterwards: we posted in English and got an English-language reply.

To complete the review, we ran a couple of performance tests.

Uptime.com monitored our site over time. Response times were a little below average, but that could be because ProfesionalHosting's Spanish servers were located further away from our testing locations. The difference was small, anyway, and there was no downtime during our review.

Dotcom-tools website speed test benchmarked the download speed of our test site from 16 servers located around Europe and the US. This is more relevant as a speed test, and here ProfesionalHosting performed a little better, with downloads running around 10% faster than average.

Final verdict

Not the cheapest service around (and using Plesk rather than cPanel won't appeal to everyone), but ProfesionalHosting's products are top-quality and fairly priced for the excellent features you get. But if you don't speak Spanish, the constant translation issues can be a major irritation.

• Also check out the best web hosting services

Razer BlackShark V3 X review: One-minute review

The bells-and-whistles version of Razer’s latest BlackShark V3, the V3 Pro, is one of the best wireless gaming headsets on the market. This model might share the name and the basic chassis design, but it’s available at a very different price, and that means the feature spec sheet looks wildly different too.

Razer’s positioning this as an esports model, based on the low-latency wireless connection its Hyperspeed 2.4GHz wireless dongle offers, and the impressively svelte 9.6oz / 270g weight. In reality, as welcome as those attributes are, they’re probably more relevant to a non-professional gamer who wants to save some cash, stay comfortable while they play, and avoid connection dropouts more than a professional player in a stadium.

One thing that translates very well all the way down the BlackShark range is the comfort and adjustability of the headband and earcup design. There’s a brilliant balance of clamping force and headband weight distribution that makes this headset immediately comfy, and it stays that way into the last moments of your 40-player World of Warcraft raid.

The microphone isn’t especially standout, but it offers decent clarity and noise cancellation, and it’s detachable, which means if you opt to connect the headset to your smartphone via Bluetooth, you can wear these on the train or bus without looking like you’re organizing air traffic.

Your mileage of the 7.1 virtual surround may vary, but to this reviewer’s ears, it sounds thin and artificial, inevitably detracting from the original audio source rather than widening it. These aren’t the same titanium drivers as you’ll find in the standard Razer BlackShark V3, and they’re not quite as precise or authoritative in their sound production, which means there’s less leeway for affecting audio sources with virtual surround.

But if you can live with merely good audio and mic quality, the huge 70-hour battery, lightweight, comfortable feel, and clean look are a pretty considerable upside.

(Image credit: Future)Razer BlackShark V3 X review: Price and availability

• Costs $99.99 / £99.99 / around AU$141
• Comparable to Microsoft’s Xbox Wireless headset
• Considerably cheaper than the V3 and V3 Pro, so don’t expect a similar experience

This version of the Blackshark is really all about the price. A lot of the V3 and V3 Pro’s luxury trimmings have been jettisoned in order to meet a sub-$100 price point, but Razer’s decades of experience mean it knows which bits are essential: comfort, reliability, and usability. Those have stayed, of course.

The specs compare favorably to rivals at this price point, like the official Xbox Wireless headset and RIG R5 Spear Pro HS, a wired model that we’ve been digging lately in the sub-$100 pool.

Razer BlackShark V3 X: Specs

Razer BlackShark V3 X

Price

$99.99 / £99.99 / around AU$141

Weight

9.5oz / 270g

Battery life

70 hours

Compatibility

PC, Xbox Series X/S (Xbox version), Playstation 4/5, (PlayStation version), iOS/Android

Connectivity

2.4 GHz Wireless / Bluetooth / USB Wired

Microphone

Unidirectional detachable cardioid mic

Razer BlackShark V3 X: Design and features

• Similar design to the flagship BlackShark V3
• Hyperspeed and Bluetooth, but not simultaneously
• Simple control layout

The basic headband, earcup, and hinge design will be familiar to anyone who’s familiar with previous versions of the BlackShark, or indeed the pricier variations of this current V3 generation. The wireframe hinge allows for plenty of adjustability, and there’s a near-perfect balance between the weight carried by the wide, well-cushioned headband and the clamping force generated by the earcups against your temples.

Around those earcups, there’s a generous slice of memory foam to keep that horizontal force from digging in too much and becoming uncomfortable, and there’s a good amount of extension in the wireframe to allow for larger heads.

The control layout is simple and effective. On the left earcup, just above the USB-C cable input, there’s a textured power button, volume scroll wheel, and a mic mute button, while on the right-hand side, you’ll find the holy grail for gaming headsets, particularly more affordable models: a game/chat balance scroll wheel. Having grown accustomed to having this luxury through years of use with Arctis 7 headsets, I always miss it when it doesn’t feature, and I’m seriously grateful to find one on a cheaper headset like this one.

(Image credit: Future)

While one probably wouldn’t expect simultaneous 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth connectivity at this price, it should still be noted that, unlike the V3 and V3 Pro, it isn’t available on this model.

The Hyperspeed wireless connection is very stable in my experience, though, suffering no dropouts over the several years I’ve been connecting wirelessly with Razer devices. It does invite some very infrequent audio artefacting in my experience, but that only manifests as a glitchy half-second of audio here and there when connecting to a PC.

Overall, the combo of comfort and looks of this model makes for a powerful one-two punch. Material choices and finish quality are both fantastic at this price range, and really distinguish this headset from rivals priced similarly.

(Image credit: Future)Razer BlackShark V3 X review: Performance

• Decent sound but lacking that spark
• Capacious battery
• Mic does the job

The drivers within this V3 X’s earcups are a similar design to the V3 and V3 Pro’s drivers, with some important differences. All feature a 50mm size, but while the V3 Pro uses a bio-cellulose construction for its flagship version of the Tri-Force driver and the V3 uses titanium, this cheaper version uses… something else. It’s not stated in Razer’s materials.

That’s all academic until you get into road-testing the sound, and I’m bringing up the materials of various driver variations because those materials allow for faster and more supple articulation, which in turn gives you more sparkly high frequencies and more convincing, visceral lows. It’s in the raw sound quality category where I felt the V3 X’s pricing most obviously, and that certainly doesn’t mean they sound bad.

They’re clearly tuned for a balanced sound reproduction instead of wow factor, and that’s the right call. While at the extreme ends of the frequency response range, they sound a little dull, the overall quality is nice and neutral, and that speaks to the esports positioning of this headset. Pro players would probably use a more expensive model, of course, but if they did use this, they wouldn’t have to contend with vital audio cues being drowned out by over-emphasised bass.

Elsewhere, the battery deserves some serious acclaim. All the BlackShark V3s boast a 70-hour battery life, and while that’s boosted in part by the absence of RGB, it’s still an insane number. And it holds up in reality. I found I was even able to eke out a bit more than 70 hours from one charge, and charging is very quick via USB-C.

More muted praise – if you’ll excuse the excellent pun – for the microphone, which is simply serviceable. The audio reproduction lacks a little body, but it’s certainly crisp enough to cut through the mix and ensure your callouts are heard.

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Razer BlackShark V3 X?Buy it if...

You love the BlackShark design
So much of what makes the pricier BlackShark models great carries over to the comfort and lightweight feel of this budget-friendly X option

You care a lot about latency
These are marketed as esports cans due to the low latency Hyperspeed wireless connection, so if you want assurance that you’re getting the comms in time, this is a good option.

You don’t need a broadcast-quality mic
Output quality is functional but not stellar on this model, so it’s a model for people who want clear chat but don’t need crystal-clear mic audio.

Don't buy it if...

You’re an audiophile
It takes a lot of balance and compromise to hit this price point in 2026, which means the drivers are tuned for clarity, not a sonic bath of creamy high fidelity luxuriousness.

You want one headset for multiple consoles
Like many modern headset models, this comes in either PlayStation or Xbox editions, which means you can’t use the same one for both devices.

You want a lot of passive noise cancellation
Despite comfortable pleather earpad cushions, this model’s prone to letting exterior sound bleed in while you’re wearing it.

Also consider...

Still not sold on the Razer BlackShark V3 X? Here's how it compares to two similar sets.

Razer BlackShark V3 X Hyperspeed

Xbox Wireless Headset

RIG R5 Spear Pro HS

Price

$99.99 / £99.99 / around AU$141

$99.99 / £89.99 / AU$149.95

$69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$99)

Weight

9.5oz / 270g

11.2oz / 320g

11.9oz / 340g

Battery life

70 hours

20 hours

N/A

Connection type

Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless (Hyperspeed dongle), USB wired

Bluetooth, USB wired

Wired 3.5mm

Compatibility

PC, Xbox Series X/S (Xbox version), Playstation 4/5, (PlayStation version), iOS/Android

PC, Xbox X/S

PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2, PC

Xbox Wireless headset
A similarly barebones offering from Microsoft for its own gaming consoles. Capable, but lacking battery life and connection options in comparison with Razer’s model.

For more information, check out our full Xbox Wireless Headset review

RIG R5 Spear Pro HS
Okay, it’s a wired headset. But despite that detail – and the fact it clearly has too many component parts, this is a seriously good value offering, and even cheaper than the budget Razer option.

For more information, check out our full RIG R5 Spear Pro HS review

How I tested the Razer BlackShark V3 X

• Weeks of daily use on PC and Xbox Series S
• Both connection types tested
• Compared to the flagship Razer BlackShark V3 Pro

I swam the waters of low-budget gaming headsets for two weeks with the V3 X Hyperspeed, which meant the usual mix of gaming, Discord, and work calls to get a feel for the driver and mic performance alike.

The meditative, ambient soundscapes of Cairn comprised a lot of that time, along with some callout-heavy Counter-Strike 2 sessions, a few co-op Minecraft adventures, and some long drives in Assetto Corsa Evo.

Both compatible devices were tested, and I kept track of each charge’s duration to check Razer’s stated 70 hours checks out in reality.

First reviewed January 2026

Read more about how we test

Kanary remains one of the stronger data removal services going into 2026, particularly for US-based users who want ongoing monitoring and a mix of automated and guided removals rather than pure one‑off scans. It sits toward the upper end of the market in terms of price but compensates with broad broker coverage (300+ sites), clear progress tracking, and solid security practices, making it a credible choice alongside better-known names like DeleteMe and Incogni.

Data brokers, people‑search sites, and marketing databases continue to proliferate in 2026, quietly collecting and trading personal details such as names, home addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth. Services like Kanary aim to claw that information back by scanning hundreds of data brokers, sending opt‑out requests, and monitoring for reappearances over time. Kanary focuses primarily on US‑based exposure and has built its service around a straightforward promise: reach 95–100% removal success after the first few months of active monitoring and cleanup for typical users.

Kanary is best suited to individuals, families, and smaller organizations that want an automated “set‑and‑forget” removal service with periodic rescan and a clear dashboard, and who are willing to pay a bit more for stronger coverage and privacy assurances. It does not bundle identity theft insurance or global coverage, so users looking for those extras may prefer competitors that combine data removal with broader protection suites.

Kanary: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Future)

Kanary continues to offer a free option plus paid tiers, with pricing that puts it on the high side compared to some basic removal‑only tools but still below premium suites that bundle insurance or extensive international coverage. The long‑running 14‑day free trial remains a key hook: new users can test the platform with a handful of removals, and if they don’t upgrade, the account effectively falls back to a limited free tier that still provides some monitoring and DIY guidance.

The Premium individual subscription is still structured around monthly and annual billing: the month‑to‑month plan runs about $16.99, while the annual plan is billed at $179.88 per year (equivalent to $14.99 per month), keeping Kanary in line with other higher‑end data removal tools. The ability to add family members remains an important differentiator: additional users can be attached to an existing subscription for a monthly surcharge, which is slightly cheaper if you commit annually. For organizations, Kanary’s Enterprise (or Teams) offering is priced at around $179.88 per user per year, with volume handled through sales and designed to protect executives and high‑risk staff.

Compared with competitors, Kanary’s annual pricing is more expensive than budget‑oriented tools and some mid‑range services, but cheaper than certain high‑tier offerings like Privacy Bee, which can run close to $197 per year. This means you are paying a premium over bare‑bones removal services in exchange for broader broker coverage, a usable free tier, and better security and transparency than many low‑cost alternatives.

Kanary: Features

(Image credit: Kanary)

Kanary’s core value lies in its broker coverage and continuous monitoring, rather than flashy extras or bundled insurance. The service currently covers roughly 300–325 data brokers and related sites in the United States, spanning people‑search providers, marketing databases, health‑related brokers, and recruitment‑focused platforms. For a majority of these, Kanary can send automated opt‑out requests on your behalf; for the rest, it supplies templates and step‑by‑step guides so you can complete manual removals if desired.

Once your account is live, Kanary performs an initial exposure scan to find where your information is published and then begins batch opt‑outs across its supported broker list. Progress is displayed on a central dashboard that tracks completed removals, pending requests, and sites that require manual action or additional verification, giving you a clear sense of how your digital footprint shrinks over time. Kanary continues to rescan monthly, resurfacing old exposures and new listings so it can either re‑initiate removals or guide you through tougher cases, which is particularly useful as brokers repopulate data or new aggregators come online.

In addition to broker opt‑outs, Kanary’s service extends to major tech platforms and search engines, offering removal requests for exposed personal information in Google Search results and providing guidance on data on sites such as Facebook and other social networks. Users on higher‑end plans also gain access to a custom domain and email support, enabling Kanary to more efficiently authenticate requests and speed up removals when specific domains or addresses are repeatedly scraped.

Kanary: Setup

(Image credit: Kanary)

Kanary is designed to get new users up and running quickly, with an onboarding flow that walks you through entering the personal details it needs to search for your data. For individuals, you typically supply your full name, date of birth, and key identifiers such as current and past addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses; this information is then used to match and verify broker listings. Most people can complete the initial setup in just a few minutes, after which the first scan starts automatically, and early results begin to appear within the first couple of weeks.

Enterprise and Teams customers benefit from a streamlined provisioning process: Kanary advertises that business accounts can be fully set up in roughly five minutes using pre‑provisioned accounts or branded access codes for staff. Within about 48 hours, the system begins removing exposed information tied to employees’ professional and personal contact details, which is valuable for organizations worried about doxxing or targeted harassment. As with personal plans, the business dashboards centralize progress across all covered personnel so security teams can see which brokers are responding and where stubborn listings remain.

Kanary’s published removal timeline continues to emphasize staged milestones: an initial two to 14 day scanning window, an estimated 60% removal success around 30 days, roughly 80% between days 31 and 45, and as much as 95–100% removal by the 90‑day mark for typical profiles. These are estimates rather than guarantees, but they provide a useful mental model of how quickly you might expect to see meaningful reductions in your exposed data.

Kanary: Ease of use

Kanary relies heavily on automation to keep the user experience simple after the initial setup. The main dashboard is designed to be readable even for non‑technical users, clearly separating out successful removals, active requests, and items that need your attention, such as brokers that insist on manual opt‑outs or identity verification. Most ongoing work happens in the background: scans and opt‑outs recur automatically monthly, so many users only need to log in occasionally to review progress or respond to a small number of manual tasks.

Because Kanary focuses on US brokers, the interface and guidance tend to be very direct and specific to US privacy norms, which is a plus for American users but a limitation for those living abroad or dealing with non‑US data brokers. Unlike some all‑in‑one security suites, Kanary doesn’t try to overload the interface with unrelated features like antivirus or VPN controls, so the workflow stays focused on tracking and reducing your online footprint. On the downside, if you expect a companion mobile app or extensive real‑time notifications across platforms, Kanary can feel more minimalist than some consumer‑oriented rivals that emphasize mobile‑first design.

Kanary: Security and privacy

Kanary’s appeal rests heavily on how it handles the sensitive information you provide, and in 2026, its security posture is competitive with other serious privacy services. Data is encrypted at rest with AES‑256 and protected in transit via SSL, and backend password handling follows Django standards, using PBKDF2 and SHA‑256 hashing aligned with NIST recommendations. All accounts can be protected with multi‑factor authentication, and enterprise customers get explicit assurances of 256‑bit encryption and MFA as part of the core service design.

Equally important, Kanary states that it does not sell your data to third parties and is explicit about minimizing data collection to what is required to perform searches and removal requests. Its privacy policy and security philosophy resources go into some depth about retention and deletion, giving privacy‑conscious users clearer visibility than many low‑cost competitors. The trade‑off is that Kanary’s focus is squarely on data removal and monitoring, not on financial remediation: it doesn’t bundle identity theft insurance or reimbursement coverage, leaving that gap for other providers or separate identity protection services to fill.

For businesses, Kanary emphasizes a “secure by design” approach, including SOC‑aligned practices, limited data access, and role‑based controls within team dashboards, all aimed at keeping sensitive executive and staff data from becoming another internal risk. Combined with MFA and strong encryption, this makes Kanary an appropriate fit for security‑minded organizations that want to extend privacy protections beyond their technical infrastructure into their employees’ personal online exposure.

Kanary: Support

Kanary offers a mix of self‑service resources and direct support that should be sufficient for most individuals, though it is not the most multi‑channel setup in the market. The website includes an FAQ that walks through how the service works, what types of data it targets, and what you should expect from removal timelines, plus a public list of supported brokers and sites that Kanary monitors and/or removes from. Its blog adds how‑to content for issues like removing your data from Google, tightening up social media privacy, and handling specific brokers, which is useful if you like to understand and occasionally supplement the automated process with manual work.

For direct help, Kanary primarily relies on email support, with enterprise customers also benefiting from more hands‑on, dedicated assistance as part of their managed service. Response quality is generally well‑regarded in third‑party reviews, though you don’t get phone or live chat support as standard, which some users may miss if they are accustomed to real‑time troubleshooting from larger consumer security brands. On balance, the documentation and asynchronous support model match Kanary’s relatively streamlined feature set and will be adequate for most privacy‑focused users who are comfortable managing their account through the web dashboard.

Kanary: The competition

Kanary operates in a crowded data‑removal market where services differ by price, coverage, and features. DeleteMe remains one of the longest‑running options, blending automated and human removals across fewer sites than Kanary’s 300–325 U.S. brokers, starting around $129 per year. Mozilla Monitor Plus is cheaper (about $8.99 per month) and backed by Mozilla’s trusted name, but it offers less automation and coverage, making it suited to casual users.

Optery competes closely with Kanary, offering 300+ brokers and detailed proof of removals at lower entry costs, though its upper tiers can be overkill for most users. Incogni delivers a broad international reach with 420+ brokers and 1,000+ manual sites at mid‑range pricing, but lacks Kanary’s U.S. focus and free tier. Privacy Bee and OneRep provide wider broker lists or family protection, often priced near or above Kanary’s $179.88 annual plan.

For budget users, Mozilla Monitor Plus or entry‑level Optery and OneRep plans may suffice. But privacy‑focused U.S. users seeking extensive broker coverage, a polished interface, and a free option will find Kanary the most balanced choice.

Kanary: Verdict

Kanary remains a solid choice among the best data removal services in 2026, especially for US‑based individuals and families who want a straightforward, set‑and‑forget way to shrink their online footprint. Its combination of 300+ broker coverage, continuous monitoring, and strong security practices (AES‑256 encryption, MFA, and a transparent privacy stance) justifies its higher‑than‑average pricing for many privacy‑conscious users. The ongoing free tier and 14‑day trial help lower the barrier to entry, making it easy to test how much exposed data Kanary can actually remove before committing to a paid plan.

That said, Kanary is not the perfect fit for everyone: it lacks identity theft insurance, focuses primarily on US brokers, and doesn’t always match the sheer global scale or bundled features of some rivals. If your priority is deep US coverage, strong privacy guarantees, and a clean experience that quietly keeps working in the background, Kanary deserves a place on your shortlist alongside DeleteMe, Optery, and Incogni when choosing a data removal service in 2026.

• Sign up to Kanary

Brevo, formerly known as Sendinblue, is among the most budget-friendly and best email marketing platforms available today. It's tailored for small to medium-sized businesses, combining email marketing, automation tools, and CRM features into one easy-to-use platform. With professional-grade templates and strong automation workflows, it's already established itself as a firm favorite among marketers.

Brevo provides a free plan for beginners and budget-conscious businesses, allowing unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails daily. It also includes SMS and WhatsApp marketing, which isn't usually found in basic tools.

However, Brevo has its downsides. Users might face minor data import issues and find the landing page features somewhat limited. This could be frustrating for those seeking a more comprehensive tool. Despite this, Brevo's affordability and user-friendliness make it a strong contender in the market.

Brevo: Core capabilities

Brevo's core toolset remains one of the more well-rounded you'll find at this price point. At the center of it all is a drag-and-drop email builder with 40-plus customizable templates, along with segmentation, personalization, and real-time campaign analytics (including open rates, click-through rates, and heat maps). These tools are available even on the free plan, giving you a genuine taste of what the platform can do before you commit.

You can build automated workflows triggered by sign-ups, purchases, website visits, and more. The Standard plan removes the 2,000-contact automation limit, making it practical for growing lists. Plus the built-in CRM lets you manage your entire contact database directly inside Brevo, with visibility into interaction history, deal stages, and audience segments without third-party integrations.

(Image credit: Brevo)

Beyond email, multi-channel marketing spans SMS, web push notifications, live chat, and even WhatsApp campaigns. It's worth noting that WhatsApp features are more restricted than the others, available only on Professional and Enterprise plans.

Landing page creation is available from the Standard plan, though it remains more limited than standalone tools like Unbounce. If landing pages are central to your workflow, that's worth weighing carefully.

Brevo: AI tools

Brevo made a significant push into AI-powered marketing in 2024 and 2025. The most visible result is Aura, Brevo's AI marketing agent, which launched in May 2025. Aura is accessible from any page in your dashboard, including directly inside the email editor, through a chat-style interface.

You can use Aura to generate subject lines, draft email body copy, create CTAs, and refine existing content with tone adjustments or multilingual translations. These content generation features are available even on the free plan.

Another useful AI addition is the predictive send-time optimization, available from the Standard plan. It uses your past campaign data to automatically send emails at the time each individual contact is most likely to engage. According to Brevo, this results in measurably higher open and click rates compared to manually scheduled sends.

The platform also offers AI-powered dynamic content, letting you tailor product recommendations, images, and copy based on each subscriber's behavior and purchase history. Brevo's Conversations platform also uses AI to help support teams summarize live chats and generate on-brand responses faster.

For enterprise users, AI segmentation (launched December 2024) takes personalization a step further. Rather than manually configuring filters, you simply describe the contacts you want to reach in plain language. For example, "customers who purchased X in the last 30 days" prompts the AI to build the segment automatically using machine learning. It's a genuinely useful feature, though it's currently limited to Enterprise plan subscribers only.

Brevo: Ease of use

Brevo is often praised for its easy-to-use interface. Signing up is quick and takes just a few minutes. The onboarding process includes helpful prompts and guidance, perfect for first-time users.

The email editor is intuitive, with drag-and-drop features that make building email marketing campaigns easy, even if you're not technical. Tasks like uploading a contact list or designing an email campaign are quick and efficient.

New users can also access resources such as tutorials, blogs, and webinars, offering step-by-step guidance to maximize the platform's benefits. However, some users occasionally experience lags and tricky data imports, which can disrupt an otherwise smooth experience.

Brevo: Customer support

Brevo offers solid customer support with live chat, email, and a detailed knowledge base. However, the tiered approach gets a mixed reception.

Free plan users get basic support, while paid subscribers enjoy faster response times through priority channels. Most users have positive experiences with the support team, but sometimes, responses can be slow during busy periods.

The absence of phone support might be another downside for those needing immediate help. The knowledge base is well-organized and full of tutorials, guides, and FAQs — but that may not be enough for every situation.

Brevo: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Brevo)

Plan

Starting rate (paid annually)

Starting rate (paid monthly)

Free

$0/month

$0/month

Starter

$8.08/month

$9/month

Standard

$16.17/month

$18/month

Professional

$449.08/month

$499/month

Enterprise

Custom pricing

Custom pricing

Brevo restructured its plan lineup in October 2025, replacing the old "Business" tier with a renamed "Standard" plan and introducing a new "Professional" plan for high-volume senders. There are now five tiers in total, each priced by monthly email volume rather than contact count. All paid plans come with a 10% discount when billed annually.

The Free plan stays generous with 300 emails per day, up to 100,000 contacts, and access to core tools including the drag-and-drop editor, basic automation, and the Aura AI email builder. The Starter plan from $9/month removes the daily sending cap and raises your monthly limit, starting at 5,000 emails. Note that automation on this plan is still capped at 2,000 contacts and removing Brevo's logo requires a $9/month add-on.

Moving up to Standard ($18/month) unlocks landing pages, A/B testing, advanced analytics, and full marketing automation without contact limits. The Professional plan, starting at $499/month, is aimed at high-volume teams. It adds WhatsApp campaigns, AI segmentation, push notifications, a dedicated analytics studio, and up to 10 user seats. Enterprise offers custom pricing with unlimited contacts, subaccounts, an SLA, and a dedicated account manager.

Brevo: Final verdict

Brevo offers a great mix of affordability and functionality. With powerful automation tools, CRM integration, and an intuitive design, it's accessible for small and medium-sized businesses. Its multi-channel marketing features also give it an edge over competitors.

However, some downsides include limited landing page capabilities and occasional lags, which might annoy users looking for a more comprehensive solution. Brevo is ideal for businesses that prioritize email marketing over full campaign management.

Brevo: FAQsWhat makes Brevo different from other email marketing tools?

Brevo offers competitive pricing and charges based on email volume instead of contact count, making it more cost-effective for businesses with large databases. Its built-in CRM and support for SMS/WhatsApp marketing also distinguish it.

Is Brevo good for beginners?

Yes, Brevo is beginner-friendly thanks to its intuitive interface, robust tutorials, and generous free plan. Its drag-and-drop editor simplifies email creation, and the automation tools are easy to implement even for novices.

Does Brevo support advanced marketing automation?

Absolutely. Brevo's automation tools allow users to create workflows triggered by various customer actions, such as email opens or website visits. Advanced users can set up custom workflows for deeper personalization.

Is there a free trial?

Brevo offers a free plan instead of a time-limited trial. This free tier supports up to 300 emails per day, giving users a chance to explore core features before committing to a paid plan.

Can I create landing pages with Brevo?

Brevo allows for basic landing page creation, but it lacks the sophistication and customization options found in dedicated tools like Unbounce or Instapage. For businesses heavily reliant on lead pages, this could be a disadvantage.

VerticalResponse has been in the email marketing game since 2001 — long enough to earn a reputation as one of the more dependable names in the space. The platform has powered campaigns for over 1.4 million businesses and it's easy to see why. It strips away the complexity that puts so many people off email marketing and makes the whole process approachable, even if you've never run a campaign before.

That said, the platform has evolved considerably since its early days. Alongside its core email tools, VerticalResponse now offers landing page creation, survey functionality, automated follow-up emails, and an AI-powered content assistant to help you write faster and smarter. In this review, we take a close look at where VerticalResponse stands today, including its updated pricing, newer AI features, and whether it still holds its own against a crowded field of competitors.

Paid plans are feature-rich but go up in price quickly. (Image credit: VerticalResponse )Plans and pricing

Plan

Starting Rate

Basic

$13/month (up to 500 contacts)

Pro

$19/month (up to 500 contacts)

Surveys Free

$0/month

Surveys Basic

$19/month

Pay as You Go

From $30/1,000 credits

VerticalResponse currently offers two email marketing plans, Basic and Pro, along with a Pay as You Go option for occasional senders. Pricing is contact-based, meaning your monthly rate increases as your list grows. Both plans allow unlimited email sends, so you're never penalized for sending more.

The Basic plan starts at $13/month for up to 500 contacts, and includes core email tools, unlimited landing pages, live customer support, automated follow-up emails, and customizable pop-up forms. Test Kit credits (for email previewing) are available as an add-on purchase.

The Pro plan starts at $19/month for up to 500 contacts and adds advanced reporting, delivery rate review, A/B subject line testing, and 10 included Test Kit credits per month.

For those who send emails occasionally, Pay as You Go lets you purchase credits rather than commit to a monthly plan. The starting rate is $30 per 1,000 email credits (for purchases of 200–1,000 credits), with the cost per thousand decreasing significantly for larger volumes.

VerticalResponse also offers a Surveys add-on. The free tier supports unlimited surveys with up to 10 questions and 100 respondents each. The paid Surveys Basic plan costs $19/month and removes those limits entirely.

A 60-day free trial is available with no credit card required. Non-profit organizations can apply for a 50% discount on all Pro plans.

VerticalResponse is a comprehensive email marketing service. (Image credit: VerticalResponse )AI tools

VerticalResponse has added an AI Content Assistant to its platform, designed to help you write email copy faster. It can generate a subject line, draft body text, and come up with a call to action. You describe what you're looking for and the assistant produces ready-to-use content, which you can then refine within the email editor.

The assistant is integrated into the existing editor rather than sitting as a separate tool, which keeps the workflow smooth. You don't need to leave your draft to use it. This kind of embedded AI assistance is increasingly standard across email platforms, but the implementation here is straightforward enough to suit the platform's non-technical audience. You don't need to know anything about prompting or AI to get useful results from it.

That said, the AI features here are more foundational than what you'd find on platforms like Mailchimp or HubSpot, which have invested heavily in predictive send-time optimization, AI-driven segmentation, and personalization at scale. VerticalResponse's AI Content Assistant is focused squarely on content generation, making it best suited to users who want a writing shortcut rather than a sophisticated intelligence layer across their entire campaign strategy.

Features

VerticalResponse is firmly focused on doing a handful of things well rather than trying to be everything to everyone. You get a clean drag-and-drop email editor, contact list management, HTML editing, mobile-responsive templates, automated follow-up emails, A/B subject line testing, and a landing page builder. It's a well-rounded core set that covers the needs of most small to mid-sized businesses.

One area where VerticalResponse stands out is its Test Kit, which lets you preview how your email looks across 50+ apps, devices, and browsers before you hit send. It operates on a credit system, which makes it accessible without locking it behind expensive plan tiers. The landing page builder is another highlight, offering SEO tools, self-hosting options, and web forms. It may prove useful for businesses that want to create a campaign destination without a full website.

Where the platform shows its limitations is in automation. The workflow builder doesn't offer the kind of visual, branching logic you'd find in more advanced tools like ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo. Automated follow-up emails are included, but building complex conditional sequences isn't really what this platform is designed for. Similarly, the template library is relatively modest in size, and some users have noted the designs feel dated compared to competitors.

Integrations cover essentials like Salesforce, Ecwid, JotForm, and Magento along with a developer API for custom connections. For a platform pitched at non-technical users, though, the integration ecosystem is less robust than some rivals. At its current price point, VerticalResponse delivers genuine value for straightforward email campaigns, but growing businesses with more complex needs may find themselves outgrowing it sooner than expected.

VerticalResponse is straightforward to set up (Image credit: VerticalResponse )Setup

When we tried it, we found the setup process to be quick and simple. It started with entering our email address into the Start Free Trial box on VerticalResponse’s homepage, and then we were instantly redirected to a standalone sign-up page.

Next, we entered our login credentials and were given instant access to the Get Started page on the VerticalResponse web app. There’s options to follow the prompted setup instructions, or to explore the site independently. Follow the prompts, and in short order you’ll be asked to create your first email list. If you don’t want to do this, then just cancel the pop-up, and simply explore the site manually, as we did.

Performance

For the creation of emails and landing pages, the steps are particularly straightforward- with quite professional results. Those new to email marketing will feel comfortable using this interface with a minimal learning curve.

VerticalResponse has a very user-friendly interface (Image credit: VerticalResponse )

The VerticalResponse interface is quite clean, simple, making it very easy to navigate. Tabs get arranged over two tiers: the upper with Messages, Contacts, Forms, and Surveys, and below is Upload New List, Create Sign Up Form, Create Segmentation–or sub-groups, and Create Landing Page.

This thoughtful layout is organized, and ensures all key features are easily accessible. This makes the whole process, from creation of a bespoke email template, to sending it out, as easy and time-efficient as possible.

Adding contacts can be done individually, or imported in bulk. This process is quick and easy, and as the contact information gets added it is instantly displayed.

Security

It took plenty of digging to get some info on how VerticalResponse protects the data it handles. Frustratingly, we were unable to locate any references to security on its website.

To find out ultimately, we had to do a Google search. This query led us to an obscure, dateless post on VerticalResponse’s help site regarding the company’s intended migration from SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to TLS (Transport Layer Security) to mitigate SSL cyberattacks.

Also of note, this platform uses the privacy policy of its parent company Deluxe. It is explicit in its compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is a crucial piece of legislation for digital marketers.

Support

For information outside of office hours, support is available via email contact, but don’t expect an instant reply.

VerticalResponse also has a searchable knowledgebase for those looking to find help to common problems on their own (Image credit: VerticalResponse)

You can access help and support in-session by selecting the question box in the top left corner of the screen. There is the option to choose help for the page you are on, a useful feature, or consult the full index. In either case, you get redirected to the VerticalResponse help center.

This standalone website certainly contains a lot of information while being well organized, but we found some of the categories, like A/B testing, to be a little light on articles. Still, there is plenty of content, such as “Create a List of Non-responders,” and “How to add a Pop Up to a Landing Page.”

VerticalResponse has a live chat for a paid plan, but they only operate Monday-Friday 8 am-4:30 pm CST. When we submitted our question, Kimberly C, a live support person came in about a minute, and gave us our answer efficiently, and also wished us a good afternoon. We did not find phone support.

The competition

VerticalResponse does arguably offer good value for money at the low end of its price plans. However, as the contact scales up, the price quickly ramps up. Therefore, GetResponse might be better suited to a growing business, with its Basic plan starting at $15.58 per month for 1,000 contacts.

Yet another industry veteran is AWeber. This service is similarly priced, and also aims to simplify email marketing, but we prefer VerticalResponse as it offers a far greater range of features.

Final verdict

VerticalResponse is feature rich and well suited to first-time users not familiar with digital marketing strategies. The newly added AI features bring more value to a platform that's already carved out a market segment simply for being consistent and user-friendly throughout its existence.

That said, established businesses that need to run multiple complex email campaigns with deeper personalization and analytics built-in might be at a loss here. If you fall into that category, Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or Brevo are newer alternatives worth looking into that still don't compromise on trust.

• Reach even more potential customers with the best email marketing software

When it comes to email marketing, Mailchimp is still the name most people reach for first. But since Intuit acquired Mailchimp in 2021 for roughly $12 billion, the platform has undergone many changes.

Intuit has poured investment into AI capabilities, rebranding and reshaping features under its "Intuit Assist" umbrella. The result is a more powerful and automation-heavy platform than the Mailchimp many users first signed up for.

That evolution has come with tradeoffs. The free plan has been pared back repeatedly over the years, with the most recent cuts in January 2026 reducing it to just 250 contacts and 500 emails per month. Automation workflows, once a free plan staple, are now exclusively for paying customers. For businesses that rely on Mailchimp's entry-level tier, the math has changed considerably.

Still, for teams ready to invest in a paid plan, the platform now offers a compelling mix of email marketing, automation, AI-powered content creation, and analytics. In this review, we break down what's new, what's changed, and whether Mailchimp is still worth your money in 2026.

(Image credit: MailChimp)MailChimp: Plans and pricing

Plan

Starting Rate (Paid Annually)

Starting Rate (Paid Monthly)

Free

$0

$0

Essentials

~$11/month*

$13/month

Standard

~$17/month*

$20/month

Premium

~$297/month*

$350/month

Mailchimp offers four plans: Free, Essentials, Standard, and Premium. The free tier now supports just 250 contacts and 500 email sends per month, a significant reduction from earlier limits, following the most recent cutback in January 2026.

The Essentials plan starts at $13/month (billed monthly) for up to 500 contacts and 5,000 monthly email sends. Standard, which unlocks generative AI tools and advanced automation, starts at $20/month for 500 contacts. Premium (designed for larger teams and advanced marketers) starts at $350/month and requires a minimum of 10,000 contacts, with unlimited users and priority phone support included.

Mailchimp also offers a pay-as-you-go email credits option, useful for occasional senders. Annual billing is available on paid plans and can bring meaningful savings. Verified nonprofits and charities are eligible for a 15% discount.

(Image credit: MailChimp)MailChimp: AI tools

Since Intuit's 2021 acquisition, AI has become central to Mailchimp's roadmap. The flagship feature is Intuit Assist, an AI-powered layer that touches everything from content creation to campaign automation. Rather than a standalone AI add-on, it's built directly into the Mailchimp interface, which makes the experience feel cohesive rather than bolted on.

The most practical tool for day-to-day use is Write with AI, which lets you generate email body copy based on your campaign goals, audience type, and brand voice. You give the AI a brief prompt and it produces multiple draft options you can refine in the editor. A related feature, the AI subject line generator, analyzes your email content and past performance data to suggest up to five subject line variations per campaign. Both tools are available on Standard and Premium plans only.

On the automation side, Marketing Automation Flows (formerly the Customer Journey Builder, rebranded in June 2025) uses AI to generate multi-step campaign workflows based on your brand profile and previous campaign performance. You can launch flows like "Welcome New Contacts" or "Abandoned Cart" with a single click, and the AI pre-populates email content for each touchpoint. This replaces Mailchimp's Classic Automation Builder, which was discontinued in June 2025.

Rounding things out are more established AI features that have matured considerably: Send-Time Optimization predicts the best delivery window for each individual contact, Predictive Segmentation identifies your highest-value subscribers using engagement and purchase behavior, and Content Optimizer scores your campaigns against industry benchmarks across readability, tone, imagery, and calls-to-action. Together, these tools give Mailchimp a meaningful AI edge over similarly priced competitors.

MailChimp: Features

Mailchimp's paid plans are genuinely feature-rich, covering the full lifecycle of email marketing from list-building and campaign design through to analytics and testing. For small and mid-sized businesses, the breadth of tools on offer is hard to match at this price point.

Audience-building tools are a clear strength. You get custom sign-up forms, landing pages, digital advertising integrations, and a lookalike audience finder to help grow your contact list. Dynamic content blocks let you personalize emails per segment and the subject line helper offers AI-powered suggestions to improve open rates, though this is limited to Standard and Premium subscribers.

When it comes to campaign creation, Mailchimp's drag-and-drop email builder remains one of the most accessible in the market. The Creative Assistant generates on-brand templates using your logo and color palette, while multivariate testing tools let you run controlled experiments to optimize your campaigns. These testing features are reserved for Premium users, but A/B testing is available on Standard as well.

Mailchimp has also expanded its platform scope beyond email marketing. A built-in website builder with marketing tools and a transactional email add-on (Mailchimp Transactional, formerly Mandrill) position it as more than just an email tool. That said, some competitors, particularly ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo, offer deeper CRM functionality and more granular segmentation without requiring a jump to higher pricing tiers. For teams that need those capabilities, Mailchimp's value proposition weakens as contact lists scale up.

(Image credit: MailChimp)MailChimp: Interface and In Use

Just like most other email marketing services, Mailchimp is a web-based platform or SaaS. With your account created, the next step is to log in on any device for immediate access to all of your Mailchimp campaigns, analytics, and other tools.

Configuration for role-based access is reserved for the highest pricing plan. For those not familiar, this means that different members of your team will log in using their own Mailchimp credentials, but then will only be able to access features and data relevant to their position. Think about role-based access as a powerful feature, making Mailchimp ideal for a medium or large-sized business, or for a business with a strong need for customer privacy.

MailChimp: Support

Mailchimp offers direct customer support through email, live chat, and telephone, but the ones available to you depend on the plan you pay for. Users on the free plan have access to email support for the first 30 days of their use. Users on the Essentials and Standard plans have access to 24/7 email and live chat support, while only users on the Premium plan can access phone support. 

Apart from direct support, Mailchimp offers many other support resources that every customer can access. There's the official Help Center where you can find articles and tutorials concerning all the platform's features. If you're having an issue with any feature, you’ll likely find an article or a step-by-step video tutorial that’ll help you solve it.

Mailchimp offers a separate Marketing Library, which contains articles, podcasts, and videos that teach users how to market effectively. If you need help with your marketing efforts, you can also hire a vetted expert from the company’s directory. 

MailChimp: The competition

Sendinblue and MailerLite are two popular alternatives to Mailchimp. Sendinblue is a much more affordable email marketing platform and offers more automation and list management features, but Mailchimp is way easier to use. 

MailerLite is also a more affordable tool than Mailchimp. However, Mailchimp offers more sophisticated analytical and reporting features and a broader selection of email templates.

MailChimp: Final verdict

In our analysis, we think that Mailchimp is simply one of the best email marketing services available.

The choice of four tiered plans means that there is a digital marketing solution for businesses of all shapes and sizes. With Mailchimp’s large range of features, it almost guarantees your business will thrive when empowered by Mailchimp’s email marketing tools.

Also factoring in the comprehensive support options, and the robust data security framework makes us even more confident in our recommendation of Mailchimp for businesses of all sizes. 

We list the best online marketing services.

SE Ranking has come a long way since Valery Kurilov founded it in 2013. What started as a focused SEO rank tracker has grown into a full-stack platform for agencies, online businesses, and independent SEO professionals. There are tools covering everything from keyword research and backlink analysis to AI-powered search visibility tracking.

First you get access to a massive dataset, including over 5 billion keywords, 2.9 trillion backlinks, and support across 188 countries. That's a lot of data to work with, whether you're analyzing a single site or managing dozens of client projects. For new users, the platform offers a free trial that requires no credit card, giving you a real hands-on feel before you commit.

Want to know more? This review breaks down everything SE Ranking offers in 2026. What works well, where it falls short, and whether it's worth your money compared to the competition.

• Try SE Ranking here

SE Ranking: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: SE Ranking)

Plan

Starting rate (paid annually)

Starting rate (paid monthly)

Core

$103.20/mo

$129/mo

Growth

$223.20/mo

$279/mo

Enterprise

Custom

Custom

SE Ranking has restructured its pricing in 2026, moving from the old Essential/Pro/Business tiers to three new plans: Core, Growth, and Enterprise. You save 20% across the board by paying annually, and free assisted migration is included with any annual subscription.

The Core plan starts at $103.20/month (paid annually). It's built for marketing teams that need a solid SEO and GEO foundation without managing a large client roster. You get 10 projects, one manager seat, 2,000 keywords tracked daily, 100 daily AI prompts for GEO research, and up to 250,000 pages audited per month. Integrations with Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Looker Studio, and Matomo are all included from the start.

The Growth plan at $223.20/month (paid annually) is where most agencies will land. It scales up to 30 projects, three manager seats, 5,000 keywords tracked daily, and 250 daily GEO prompts. You also get full historical data going back across your account's lifetime, page changes monitoring, guest links for client collaboration, and API access with 100,000 credits included. Dedicated customer support is available at this tier too.

For larger teams with custom requirements, the Enterprise plan offers flexible limits and pricing but you'll need to talk to SE Ranking's sales to scope out the right setup. They also offer three optional add-ons that work across plans: the Agency Pack (from +$69/mo, annual only) adds white-label reporting and client-facing tools; the AI Search add-on (from +$71.20/mo) layers in AI visibility tracking across Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, and Perplexity; and the API add-on (from +$149/mo, annual only) gives you bulk data access starting at 12 million credits per month.

SE Ranking: Features

SE Ranking gives you a wide toolkit built around the core pillars of SEO — rank tracking, site auditing, competitor research, backlink analysis, content optimization, and now AI search visibility. It's geared primarily toward agencies and freelance SEO professionals, but solo site owners and in-house marketers will find plenty here too. Most tools are well-executed, with clean data presentation and minimal clutter, though the interface does have a learning curve once you move beyond the basics.

SE Ranking really pulls ahead on value in how much it packs into lower-tier plans. You get 120+ metrics in the website audit tool, daily keyword updates, and a 2.9 trillion link backlink index. It still lags slightly behind tools like Ahrefs or Majestic on backlink filtering granularity, though, which matters if deep link analysis is central to your workflow.

At the prices SE Ranking charges in 2026, we think the feature set more than justifies the cost. The addition of AI search tracking, expanded API capabilities, and the new SE Visible product signals that the platform is keeping pace with how search itself is changing. For a Core plan at $103.20/month, you'd be hard-pressed to find a comparable all-in-one tool.

Keyword Rank Tracker

(Image credit: SE Ranking)

SE Ranking keeps your keyword rankings updated daily across desktop and mobile, so you always have a current picture of where your pages stand in the SERPs. The ability to check cached SERP results gives you a useful historical perspective, letting you spot ranking trends over time rather than reacting to single-day shifts.

Managing large keyword lists becomes a lot more manageable with SE Ranking's grouping and tagging system. You can organise keywords by topic, campaign, or client, and the interface makes it easy to move between projects without losing your place. Pro and Business users also benefit from unlimited client projects, which is a meaningful advantage for agencies handling multiple accounts at once.

On-Page SEO checker

SE Ranking's on-page checker evaluates your pages against 94 different SEO parameters, comparing your content against competitor data to identify exactly where you're falling short. Issues are categorised as errors, warnings, or notices, with practical suggestions attached to each one so you know what to fix and why.

Website Audit

SE Ranking analysis dashboard (Image credit: SE Ranking)

The Website Audit tool gives you a clear picture of your site's technical health through an easy-to-navigate dashboard. It can analyse up to 1,000 pages quickly and surfaces critical errors with in-depth explanations, so you're not left guessing about what needs attention.

A 2025 update improved how the Health Score is calculated, making it easier to understand how individual issues actually affect your overall score. Over 120 metrics are tracked in total, and you can customize audits to focus on the areas most relevant to your project.

Competitive Research Tool

SE Ranking has all essential SEO tools in one place (Image credit: SE Ranking)

SE Ranking's competitive research tool gives you a thorough view of what your competitors are doing across both organic and paid search. You can assess their traffic sources, targeted keywords, backlink profiles, and active Google Ads campaigns.

This is one of the stronger features in the platform, especially for agencies that need to present competitive data to clients. Monthly ad history tracking and keyword-level PPC data make it useful beyond just organic SEO, giving you a fuller picture of how a competitor is investing across search channels.

Backlink Checker

(Image credit: SE Ranking)

SE Ranking's Backlink Checker draws on a 2.9 trillion-link index, with 58% of backlinks refreshed every 90 days. You enter a domain and get a full breakdown of backlinks, referring domains, and key metrics including follow/nofollow status and a Toxicity Score to flag potentially harmful links.

You can also use the tool to identify which of your content pieces attract the strongest links, and analyse competitor backlink strategies to find new link-building opportunities. If your main use case is deep-dive link analysis, Ahrefs and Majestic still offer more granular filtering options. But for most users, SE Ranking covers the essentials well.

Local Marketing Tool

(Image credit: SE Ranking)

SE Ranking's Local Marketing Tool is designed for businesses that need to win visibility in location-based searches. It shows you how customers find and interact with your listings in search results, surfaces the most effective local keywords, and tracks engagement patterns to help you understand when users are most active.

The Reputation Management feature pulls review data directly into SE Ranking, letting you respond to customer feedback without switching between platforms. You can also mine review language for new keyword opportunities, which is a practical way to connect customer voice with your strategy.

SE Ranking: Support

SE Ranking offers a wide range of educational and supportive resources. Their blog is a valuable source of SEO knowledge, offering detailed guides and real-life client case studies. Plus, to enhance interactive learning, SE Ranking offers webinars where you can even get in touch with industry experts. These webinars can be accessed on-demand or scheduled live. The SE Ranking Academy also offers practical online courses specifically designed for SEO professionals and agency owners to improve their skills.

On the support side, you can use the Agency Catalog, which features a curated list of top SEO agencies from around the world. This helps users find the right expertise for their projects. For those who are unsure about choosing an agency, SE Ranking provides straightforward advice on selecting a partner that best suits their specific needs. Additionally, SE Ranking's 'What's new?' section updates you about the latest features and updates.

SE Ranking: The competition

Semrush is a comprehensive SEO and digital marketing tool that provides a wide array of features, including keyword research, competitive analysis, backlink analysis, site auditing, and more. It offers a user-friendly interface and robust reporting capabilities. Ahrefs is another powerful SEO tool that focuses on backlink analysis and competitive research. It provides extensive data on backlinks, organic search traffic, keyword rankings, and content analysis. Ahrefs also offers features for keyword research, site auditing, and rank tracking.

Moz Pro is a popular SEO suite that offers a range of features for keyword research, rank tracking, site auditing, and link analysis. It provides valuable insights and recommendations to help improve your website's visibility and performance in search engine results.

Serpstat is an all-in-one SEO platform that offers features such as keyword research, rank tracking, site audit, backlink analysis, and competitor research. It provides a user-friendly interface and comprehensive data to optimize your website's SEO. Majestic is primarily known for its backlink analysis capabilities. It offers an extensive database of backlinks, allowing you to analyze your website's link profile and track competitors' backlinks. Majestic also provides features for keyword research, site audits, and rank tracking.

SpyFu is a competitive intelligence tool that focuses on competitor analysis and keyword research. It provides insights into your competitors' SEO strategies, including their top-performing keywords, ad campaigns, and organic search rankings.

SE Ranking: Final verdict

Overall, we found SE Ranking to be a great helping hand at running various SEO tests and analyses. It excels in tracking specific keywords, conducting thorough on-page SEO audits, and even delving into detailed backlinks and keyword analysis.

Plus, it provides regular updates and practical insights which helps you stay updated throughout the time. However, it's also important to keep in mind that you might have to pay extra for certain additional services. And if you’re someone, it all boils down to your strategic needs and finding a tool that might be the best fit for it.  

• Here's a list of the best free SEO keyword research tools on the market

Google dominates search, so it makes sense that its own set of search and analytics tools would be among the most powerful available, even if they're all free to use. Whether you run a small personal blog or a large e-commerce site, Google offers a suite of tools that lets you understand how people find you online, what they're searching for, and how your pages are performing in real time.

In this review, we take a close look at the main tools Google offers for website owners and SEO professionals: Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console, Google PageSpeed Insights, Google Trends, Google Keyword Planner, and Google Business Profile. We'll walk you through what each tool does, where they shine, and what they're still missing compared to paid alternatives.

Google SEO tools: Plans and pricing

Plan

Starting Rate

Google Analytics (Standard)

Free

Google Analytics 360

Custom

Google Search Console

Free

Google Trends

Free

Google Keyword Planner

Free (Requires a Google Ads account)

Google Business Profile

Free

Google Ads

Variable (Pay-per-click)

All of Google's core SEO tools are completely free to use. You just need a Google account to get started. However, Google Ads operates on a pay-per-click model and Google Analytics 360 is an enterprise-grade upgrade available for large organizations.

Google SEO tools: Features

Google's free SEO toolkit remains one of the most comprehensive available at any price point. Across Analytics, Search Console, Trends, Keyword Planner, and Business Profile, you get a full-stack view of your site's visibility. It's broad enough to serve solo bloggers, yet deep enough for professional teams managing large properties.

The tools are best suited to users who are already operating within the Google ecosystem. Because everything ties back to Google Search, the data you receive is first-party and highly accurate. That said, the lack of a unified dashboard still means you're jumping between separate interfaces to get the full picture.

Yet what Google does particularly well is continuous iteration. In 2025 and 2026, Search Console received a string of meaningful upgrades that close the gap with paid SEO tools. Below, we've broken these down under dedicated sections.

Google Analytics 4

(Image credit: Google)

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the current standard for web and app analytics, having fully replaced Universal Analytics, which was shut down on July 1, 2023. GA4 uses an event-based data model—rather than the session-based model of its predecessor—which gives you a more granular view of how users interact with your content across devices and platforms.

You can track everything from page views and scroll depth to custom events like video plays or form submissions, all without writing code. Cross-platform tracking is built in, so you can follow the same user across mobile and desktop visits. GA4 also integrates tightly with Google Ads, making it easier to trace conversions back to specific campaigns.

Google Search Console

(Image credit: Google)

Search Console is your direct line to how Google sees your website. It shows you which queries bring people to your pages, how your content is indexed, and whether any technical issues are affecting your visibility. Unlike third-party SEO tools, this data comes straight from Google, so it's as authoritative as it gets.

In December 2025, Google also introduced an experimental AI-powered configuration feature inside Search Console's Performance report. Instead of manually clicking through filters and dropdowns, you can now describe what you want to analyze in plain language. For example, saying "show me mobile queries containing the word 'reviews' over the last 90 days" gets Search Console to configure the report automatically.

The feature handles filter application, metric selection, and date comparisons on your behalf. It's still in an experimental rollout to a limited number of users and properties, so you may not see it in your account yet. When it does land, it's a genuine time-saver for anyone who regularly digs into performance data.

Google PageSpeed Insights

(Image credit: PageSpeed Insights)

PageSpeed Insights evaluates the performance of individual pages on both mobile and desktop, scoring them from 0 to 100. It draws on both Lab Data (simulated test conditions) and Field Data from the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX), which reflects how real users experience your pages across different devices and connections.

The tool is free to use at pagespeed.web.dev and requires no account. Just paste a URL and you'll get a breakdown of Core Web Vitals, along with specific recommendations for improving load speed, layout stability, and interactivity.

Google Trends

(Image credit: Google)

Google Trends lets you explore how interest in specific search queries changes over time, across regions, and in relation to competing terms. It's particularly useful for content planning, spotting seasonal patterns, and validating whether a topic is growing or declining in popularity.

The tool is entirely free and requires no login. You can compare up to five terms at once, filter by region, time period, and search category, and access real-time trending data. If you want to embed Trends data directly into a site, Google also provides an API for that purpose.

Google Keyword Planner

(Image credit: Google)

Keyword Planner is part of Google Ads and is primarily designed for advertisers who want to research keywords before building campaigns. That said, it's widely used by SEO professionals too—it provides search volume estimates, competition levels, and cost-per-click data that can inform both paid and organic strategies.

Note that Keyword Planner requires a Google Ads account to access. You can create one for free without spending money on ads, but the account is a prerequisite. Volume data shown to accounts that aren't running active campaigns tends to be displayed in broad ranges rather than precise figures.

Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business, which was rebranded in November 2021) is the tool businesses use to manage how they appear in Google Search and Google Maps. You can add your address, hours, phone number, photos, and service details, and respond to customer reviews directly from the dashboard.

For local SEO, Business Profile is essential. An optimized listing significantly increases your chances of appearing in the local "map pack" results that appear at the top of many location-based searches. The tool also provides insights into how customers find and interact with your listing.

• We've also listed best SEO tools of 2026

Google SEO tools: Interface and in-use

Google is famous for its friendly user experiences, and Analytics, Search Console, and Ads exemplify why. All three SEO tools use an easily navigable left-hand menu bar with drop-down menus that help to organize your data displays. On top of that, within Analytics, you can create custom dashboards and reports to put the most useful performance information in front of you.

Perhaps the biggest issue with Google’s SEO interface is that Analytics, Search Console, and Ads are three different platforms. You can link Search Console and Ads, but you still need to navigate back and forth between the two interfaces for most tasks.

Separating the three platforms helps keep their respective missions—monitoring performance, optimizing performance, and creating ad campaigns—clearly delineated. But, it would be a more streamlined experience if they were rolled into a single user interface.

• We've also listed the best on-page SEO tool of 2026.

Google SEO tools: Support

Google offers support for Analytics and Search Console by web only. Both platforms have extensive documentation centers, and you simply need to describe your issue to find the appropriate help file. If you get stuck, though, support is limited to posting in a help forum and hoping that another user answers your question.

Support for Ads is more concrete. There’s an online documentation library similar to what you’ll find for Analytics and Search Console. But, you can also get help over the phone, by live chat, or by email.

• We've also listed the best SEO keyword research tool of 2026.

(Image credit: Google)Google SEO tools: The competition

Google's tools are in a category of their own when it comes to price. Everything is free, plus the underlying data comes directly from the world's most-used search engine. No third-party tool can replicate that. Where it falls short, however, is in competitive intelligence: you can see how your own site performs, but not how you stack up against competitors on specific keywords.

That's where paid platforms like Semrush, Ahrefs, and Moz Pro come in. These tools build on top of Google's data using Search Console API connections, while adding features like backlink analysis, competitor keyword gap tools, rank tracking for arbitrary keywords, and site audit crawling.

If you're managing SEO seriously across a competitive niche, you'll likely find yourself using Google's tools alongside one of these platforms rather than choosing between them. For website analytics specifically, Matomo and Plausible Analytics are popular privacy-focused alternatives to GA4, particularly for users in regions with strict data protection regulations.

• We've also listed the best free SEO tools in 2026.

Google SEO tool: Final verdict

The trifecta of Google Analytics, Search Console, and Ads is an extremely powerful combination for website owners. The three tools together allow you not only to monitor your website traffic, but also to build more traffic through organic and paid search results.

The only major thing that Google’s SEO tools are lacking is information about how your website is ranking in search results against competitors. Also, there's no visibility when it comes to other search engines like Bing or AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity.

Still, given that Google doesn’t charge anything for its SEO suite, it’s pretty hard to complain. Paid options like Semrush and Ahrefs exist for those who want to take their SEO game to the next level.

iFi GO Blu Air: Two-minute review

The iFi GO Blu Air is a solution to tech firms taking away headphone jacks: it enables you to connect your wired headphones to Bluetooth streaming sources, and it features a 4.4mm balanced and a 3.5mm standard headphone output. It's impressively powerful and runs for up to 10 hours between charges, delivering excellent bass and a spacious sound stage that's particularly enjoyable on well produced music.

The GO Blu Air is exceptionally small and light and that means features have been kept to a minimum: there's no USB DAC functionality and you don't get on-board EQ, although there are switches for iFi's subtle but effective XBass and XSpace audio enhancers.

As we've come to expect from iFi, the GO Blu Air is well made, does exactly what it sets out to do and won't break the bank. It sounds great and is surprisingly powerful for such a small device, but its small size and low price means it lacks some features of rivals such as a display, on-board EQ and USB DAC functionality. It's emphatically one of the best portable DACs provided you don't need that wired connectivity.

iFi GO Blu Air review: Price and release date

That big oval is the magnet for the optional and surprisingly strong garment/bag clip. (Image credit: Future)

• Released August 2025
• Priced $129 / £129 / AU$229

The iFi GO Blu Air Bluetooth DAC was launched in August 2025 and is available now. In the UK its recommended retail price is £129; in the US it's $129; and in Australia it's AU$229.

The GO Blu Air is cheaper than its predecessor, the iFi GO Blu: that model was $199 / £199 / AU$399. A lower-priced model is a smart move in a sector that's becoming increasingly competitive.

iFi GO Blu Air review: Features

Despite the small size, iFi has managed to pack a 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced output into the top of the GO Blu Air. The USB port on the bottom is for charging only. (Image credit: iFi)

• Up to 24-bit/96kHz over Bluetooth
• Cirrus Logic Master Hi-Fi DAC
• "S-balanced" 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm outputs

The iFi GO Blu Air is based around a Cirrus Logic Master Hi-Fi DAC and features iFi's own XBass bass expansion and XSpace audio expander. There are also standard and minimum phase digital filter options to shape the sound further.

The headphone outputs deliver up to 165mW into 32 ohms on the 3.5mm out and up to 262mW into 32 ohms on the balanced output. iFi calls the 3.5mm output "S-balanced", with dual-mono headphone amplification all the way to the output socket. You can read iFi's tech note about it, but essentially the company says it's particularly useful for ultra-sensitive IEMs. SNR (or signal-to-noise ratio) on both outputs is a highly respectable ≥110dBA and battery life is up to 10 hours via the internal 450mAh battery, dropping to about 7.5 hours if you're using the LDAC codec. Recharging takes less than an hour.

The iFi GO Blu Air has Bluetooth 5.2 (up from the 5.1 of the GO Blu) with LDAC, LDHC and aptX Classic, aptX HD and aptX Adaptive as well as the obligatory AAC and SBC codecs. It supports resolutions of up to 24-bit/96kHz. Unlike the previous GO Blu the USB-C port is purely for charging; this model doesn't double as a wired DAC.

Features score: 4 / 5

iFi GO Blu Air review: Sound quality

(Image credit: Future)

• Tons of fun on IEMs and over-ear headphones
• No on-board EQ to tame high-end harshness
• Audio enhancers are subtle but effective

The iFi GO Blu Air is a lot of fun with both headphones and IEMs, delivering an inviting soundstage and excellent clarity from a range of audio sources. It's particularly good on well-produced, spacious tracks such as Bob Marley's Could You Be Loved, Peter Gabriel's Shaking The Tree, Christine and the Queens' Tilted or The Blue Nile's Tinseltown in the Rain, delivering a consistently enjoyable, revealing and dynamic listen.

The GO Blu Air doesn't have its own equaliser, and I did find myself reaching for software EQ when I listened to fairly trebly recordings such as Junior Varsity's Cross The Street, Sugar's Changes and Kygo & Selena Gomez's It Ain't Me: getting the bass to smile-inducing levels in my IEMs made their high frequencies a little too prominent for my taste, although that was less of an issue in my less excitable over-ear headphones.

I'm wary of bass and space enhancement options as they often color the sound in too-noticeable ways, but I was pleasantly surprised by both XBass and XSpace here. Their effects are subtle, with the former adding a little more low end that gave my open-back headphones more of a closed-back punch without introducing distortion at sensible listening levels, overpowering the other frequencies or overly changing the sound. XSpace impressed me too, making the likes of Talk Talk and acoustic music more subtly spacious.

Sound quality: 5 / 5

iFi GO Blu Air review: Design

The magnetically attached garment/bag clip is very strong, and you can pretend that it's a crocodile (Image credit: Future)

• Similar to GO Blu but more plasticky
• 3.5 x 33.7 x 19.5mm (WxHxD) and just 30g
• Magnetically attached clip is surprisingly strong

I'd suggest that the Air looks a little less premium than the GO Blu, but I'm not a fan of that model's rather 1970s-cigarette-lighter appearance – and if a slightly more plastic appearance is part of the reason why the new model is cheaper, I'm all in favor.

The GO Blu Air is very compact at 3.5 x 33.7 x 19.5mm (2.11 x 1.33 x 0.77”) and it weighs 30g. There is a single rotary volume/transport controller, which iFi calls the ChronoDial, on the right. The dial is multi-mode: turn it to adjust the volume, press to play, pause or skip, and long-press to activate your phone's voice assistant. Below the dial is a button for enabling or disabling Xbass and Xspace, for setting the digital filter and for Bluetooth pairing; on the other side there's a single button for power on/off and Bluetooth format announcement. Up top you'll find a 4.4mm balanced headphone output and a 3.5mm output plus the status light for Xbass, Xspace and Bluetooth.

One of the design features I like is the detachable magnetic clip, which saves you having to buy a clip-on case: you can use the clip to attach the GO Blu Air to your clothing, bag or belt. I'd like it even more if I could use the magnet to clip the GO Blu Air to the back of my phone; I did try, but while it does attach it's not strong enough to clamp through my phone's case.

Design score: 4 / 5

iFi GO Blu Air Review: Usability and setup

• Effortless Bluetooth pairing
• No display: color status lights instead
• Remembering what buttons do is hard at first

It's very easy to set up the GO Blu Air: simply switch it on and it enters pairing mode the first time you use it. You can then connect it in your device's Bluetooth settings and you're good to go.

The lack of a display is understandable in such a small device, but it does mean trying to remember what the status light colors mean and which button does what can be tricky. It doesn't take long to learn but the inclusion of a pocket-sized quick start guide comes in very handy.

Whether you're working from the guide or from memory it's all straightforward: single button presses take you from no enhancement to XBass only, to XSpace only, and to both XBass and XSpace; a spin of the ChronoDial adjusts the volume while a short click takes care of play/pause and a longer click skips to the next track.

Usability and setup score: 4 / 5

iFi GO Blu Air review: Value

• Competitively priced but some rivals have higher spec
• Previous model is now discounted so price gap is smaller
• A good buy if you don't need a USB DAC

If the lack of a USB DAC isn't a deal-breaker this is a very good Bluetooth dongle for a very good price. But it's a very competitive market, and I'd suggest looking at some alternatives too – including the GO Blu Air's predecessor.

The GO Blu Air is effectively a GO Blu without the USB DAC and as a result it has a significantly lower price tag, but at the time of writing I found the original GO Blu discounted to just under £169 so there's less of a price gap than the two devices' MSRPs suggest.

Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the iFi GO Blu Air?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Bluetooth-only with all the key aptX options plus LDAC too. 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced outputs.

4/5

Design

A little plasticky-looking and too small to have a screen, but it's exceptionally small and light with a great magnetic clip

4/5

Sound quality

Tons of fun with a spacious soundstage and useful enhancers

5/5

Value

Competitively priced but up against very strong rivals

4/5

Buy it if...

You like to keep it light
The GO Blu Air is exceptionally small and exceptionally lightweight, making it ideal for commuting and travel.

You've got quality IEMs or headphones
Don't let the small size fool you: this is capable of driving quite demanding headphones, delivering 262mW into 32 ohms via the balanced output.

You don't need wired listening
Unlike the GO Blu, the GO Blu Air is Bluetooth-only. The USB is just for charging.

Don't buy it if...

You want maximum flexibility
Bluetooth-only keeps everything simple and straightforward, but it does mean you can't get the same hi-res resolutions that a wired DAC can deliver.

You've got very big hands
I'm not advising those with larger mitts steer clear entirely, I just want you to know that this is a very little 30g piece of kit and its various dials and buttons are therefore bijou by design. View Deal

iFi GO Blu Air review: Also consider

The iFi GO Link USB DAC is an excellent and affordable wired headphone DAC, and if you want USB and Bluetooth capabilities the GO Blu is still available and often discounted.

The key rivals here include FiiO’s KA13 and BTR15. The former is a screen-free wired USB DAC and the latter is both USB and Bluetooth. It's marginally cheaper than the iFi: at the time of writing the BTR15 is £114 in the UK, $119 in the US and $219 in Australia.

How I tested the iFi GO Link Max

• TIDAL, hi-res music files, vinyl and Logic Pro projects
• Beyerdynamic and Philips over-ears and SoundMagic IEMs

I tested the GO Blu Air over two weeks with a variety of headphones and IEMs including Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro and Philips Fidelio X2HR open-back headphones, Beyerdynamic DT770 closed-back headphones, and SoundMagic E11C IEMs.

I connected the GO Blu Air to a Samsung Galaxy S25 for hi-res streaming services over LDAC and listened to locally stored lossless audio and my own multitrack Logic Pro X projects via AAC from my MacBook Pro. I also connected my Audio-Technica turntable, which transmits aptX.

• First reviewed: February 2026
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Suunto Vertical 2: One minute review

We’ve already waxed lyrical about the improvements Suunto has made to its one of premium, fitness-orientated smartwatches, with the latest Race 2 receiving a solid 4.5 stars out of a possible 5 late last year.

Without wanting to take the very easy route here, the Vertical 2 is essentially the same watch with a few additional rugged touches. The bezel is available in either a chunky Stainless Steel or Titanium finish, while the model itself adds a built-in flashlight and a number of new battery life modes. These help improve battery efficiency for those that like to venture off-grid for days.

Suunto has done away with the rotating digital crown of the Race 2, instead opting for three physical buttons. We assume this is because they are a little easier to operate with gloved hands (spoiler alert: they are), much like the best Garmin watches.

The Suunto Vertical 2 offers a plethora of built-in workout profiles, the ability to download and navigate via offline mapping, a digital compass and the ability to receive some smartphone notifications via a tethered device.

This, plus the enormous claimed 250-hours of battery life in its most efficient GPS-logging mode means this is one smart smartwatch that can handle the toughest trails.

(Image credit: Future/Leon Poultney)Suunto Vertical 2: Specifications

Component

Suunto Vertical 2

Price

£529 / $599 / AU$999 (Stainless Steel) or £629 / $699 / AU$1,099 (Titanium)

Dimensions

48.6 x 48.6 x 13.6 mm / 1.91 x 1.91 x 0.54"

Weight

86g (Stainless Steel) / 74g (Titanium)

Case/bezel

Glass fibre reinforced polyamide case, stainless steel or titanium bezel, sapphire crystal glass

Display

1.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen, 466 x 466 resolution

GPS

Dual-band GNSS: GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BEIDOU

Battery life

Up to 20 days in Smartwatch mode, up to 20 days in Time mode, up to 65 hours in dual-band GNSS mode (extended modes up to 500 hours)

Connection

Bluetooth

Water resistance

100m (10 ATM)

Suunto Vertical 2: Price and availability

• Two versions on sale: Stainless Steel and Titanium
• Stainless Steel costs £529 / $599 / AU$999
• Titanium costs £629 / $699 / AU$1,099

The Stainless Steel Suunto Vertical 2 actually comes in at the same price as the Titanium version of the Suunto Race 2, but adds the previously mentioned flashlight and clever battery modes. It’s also a chunkier watch in general.

Alas, opting for the range-topping (and better looking) Titanium version sees the price rapidly escalate to a figure that tips into Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED territory, which is arguably the watch the Vertical 2 is chasing here.

Value score 4/5

(Image credit: Future/Leon Poultney)Suunto Vertical 2: Design

• Vertical 2 is slightly thicker than Race 2
• Rotating digital crown is gone
• Build quality looks and feels solid

Full disclosure, I really like the look and feel of the Suunto Vertical 2. It gives off the impression that it has been hewn from a solid piece of metal — in this case, a big old chunk of stainless steel.

Suunto provides a rubber strap that attaches to the watch itself via a pair of fairly standard pins. These are slightly fiddlier than bespoke systems found on the likes of the Apple Watch Ultra and most Garmin models, but it is a tried-and-tested fixture that works.

The rubber band itself is full of holes (many more than the Race 2), designed to increase airflow when worn on the wrist. But this is also a boon if you plan to take the watch into water, as it drains nicely and there’s no need to worry about drying it out afterwards.

Sitting 13.6mm proud of the wrist, this isn’t a discreet timepiece that can easily be worn under shirtsleeves, and at 86g for this steel version, it certainly feels very heavy.

(Image credit: Future/Leon Poultney)

For someone with skinny wrists, like me, it looks a little ridiculous. But I suppose that’s the point, it’s a rugged adventure watch that’s designed to look like something the Special Forces might wear. Unfortunately, there’s only one size to choose from.

Interaction is taken care of via three buttons mounted along the righthand flank of the toughened bezel, while the AMOLED display itself is touchscreen-enabled, allowing for swipes and prods to navigate the various widgets and menus.

Where the Suunto Race 2 uses a rotating digital crown to scroll through said widgets, it is a case of manually depressing the top and bottom buttons here. This is a much better system for operating with gloved hands, or for when precipitation makes interacting with a touchscreen impossible.

Design Score: 5/5

Suunto Vertical 2: Features

• Upgraded optical heart rate sensor
• Faster processing speeds than original watch
• Massive battery life

When compared to the Suunto Vertical 1, which used a rather naff MIP-based display and solar ring to boost battery life, the difference really is night and day. That AMOLED display is bright and crisp, making it really easy to see all of the numerous data streams it is capable of processing.

We would need several pages and a great deal of your time to go through absolutely all of the features but suffice to say, the Vertical 2 can track pretty much every activity you can think of (115 sport modes in total), while keeping an eye on heart rate, location, elevation and much more.

There’s a built-in compass, the ability to download and navigate via offline mapping and a built-in flashlight for those treks that roll right through the night. The main widget panel on the watch can be customized to suit your specific needs by moving your most-used widgets to the top of the menu, but it is the dedicated battery modes that lend the Vertical 2 a more extreme, wilder personality.

With a 250-hour power-saving GNSS Mode, the watch can intermittently mark GPS locations on those longer hikes or trail runs, meaning you can get back to base camp without worrying about consulting a paper map.

(Image credit: Future/Leon Poultney)

During testing, I forgot to download offline maps during the first hike (it’s a fiddly process requiring Wi-Fi and requiring the watch to be placed on the charger), but there was still enough breadcrumb data to allow me to navigate back to the start with ease.

Of course, once you have successfully downloaded maps, the watch gives a crystal clear view of the surrounding terrain, with details on elevation and other obstacles that may require traversing.

There’s around 28GB of storage on the watch, with mapping for Great Britain taking up around 3.3GB, so you should be good to download a fair amount of offline data that covers vast expanses.

If simply used as a smartwatch, Suunto says the Vertical 2 will last up to 20 days before it needs recharging. On that subject, the USB-C charger is now a magnetic clip, which is far more robust and easier to use compared to its predecessor.

However, the smartwatch functionality isn’t quite up there with Apple, Samsung or even Garmin’s devices, as there’s no tap-to-pay wallet functionality, nor can you store Spotify and YouTube Music playlists offline. It will only control whatever is currently playing on a tethered smartphone. For that reason, the Suunto Vertical 2 is docked a point.

Features Score: 4/5

Suunto Vertical 2: Performance

• Massive battery life
• Bezel can take a beating
• Superb display

Without wanting to create a carbon copy of our Suunto Race 2 review, we primarily subjected the Vertical 2 to plenty of outdoors exercise — strapping it to the wrist for a couple of gnarly gravel bike sessions and trail-running up a few monster hills to test its mettle.

Compared to its MIP predecessor, the AMOLED display is a million times clearer and easier to read in low-light conditions and bad weather. The touchscreen does still get a bit confused when it gets wet, but there are three pleasingly analogue buttons to navigate the simple UI.

When using the watch for the first time, an on-screen guide walks you through most of the key features and offers handy tips on how to get the most out of the numerous profiles.

GPS pin-pointing is fast, particularly when out in the wilderness, while it is possible to download a bunch of offline maps for free using the Suunto smartphone app. The app is also great for planning routes, as it’s as simple as prodding points on a map to create loops or out-and-backs. You can then send these to the watch for use later.

You do have to toggle turn-by-turn directions on, which seems weird to me, but if you pair bluetooth headphones, you can get audible prompts about upcoming directions piped into your skull, which is great for directional doofuses like me.

Suunto’s watch face also makes it very clear when you’ve strayed off the chosen route, navigating back to those trails quickly and easily. I found this particularly useful when on the bike, where I would actually strap the watch to my handlebars and use it as a sat-nav system.

(Image credit: Future/Leon Poultney)

There are lots of websites that go into granular detail about GPS performance, but I found it to be very accurate.

The same can be said for the wrist-based heart rate sensors. These can be a little hit-and-miss, in my experience, but Suunto’s latest effort is commendable. It only really comes undone if performing an exercise that requires grip strength or lots of wrist movement.

Strength training and even racquet sports can see it take confused readings, but it proved accurate (a Garmin chest strap was used to compare) when running, hiking and cycling.

As with lots of other modern smartwatches and fitness trackers, you can also use the Suunto Vertical 2 to track sleep and recovery cycles. Again, the accuracy was great (it largely aligned with an Ultrahuman smart ring) but it proved a very heavy and cumbersome watch to wear into bed. I whacked myself in the face a number of times with it while sleeping.

Finally, battery life is hugely impressive. While I didn’t subject it to a 250-hour hike through the Andes, I did wear it for a number of months. On average, I could easily run or cycle a couple of times a week with GPS tracking and mapping activated, hit the gym three times a week and generally use it as a smartwatch the rest of the time, and only have to charge it every 10 days or so.

Performance score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future/Leon Poultney)Suunto Vertical 2: Scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

It’s pricer than the Suunto Race 2 and you only get a few additional features

4/5

Design

It’s a handsome watch and the bezel can take a battering

5/5

Features

An excellent outdoors fitness watch but it lacks some smartwatch features

4/5

Performance

Solid battery life, a crisp display and accurate tracking

5/5

(Image credit: Future/Leon Poultney)Suunto Vertical 2: Should I buy?Buy it if...

You want a reliable outdoors smartwatch that undercuts Garmin

The Suunto Vertical 2 costs less than the excellent Garmin Fenix 8 and offers many of the same features.

Build quality and usability are key

The Suunto Vertical 2 feels like it can withstand a hell of a beating, particularly in the Titanium guise.

Don't buy it if...

You want smartwatch features

There’s no tap-to-pay, the smartphone notifications are limited and there’s no offline music. All things some rivals offer.

You are integrated into the Garmin ecosystem

While Suunto’s smartphone app is perfectly acceptable, I’d argue it isn’t as good nor as all-encompassing as Garmin’s. The coaching programmes and long-term fitness-tracking are simply better.

Also consider

Garmin Fenix 8

A rugged outdoor watch that boasts the best bits of Garmin's smartwatch capabilities. It is expensive but it's only really the core smartwatch functionality that sets it apart from Suunto's offering.

Read our full Garmin Fenix 8 reviewView Deal

Apple Watch Ultra 3

Yep, the Californian tech company can also do rugged outdoors smart watches. The third iteration is a Garmin-rivaling powerhouse for adventurers, and a lovely daily driver.

Read our full Apple Watch Ultra 3 review hereView Deal

How I tested

As with all smart watches and fitness trackers, I like to slot these gizmos into my busy daily life, which means dragging them to the gym, taking them on runs, wearing them in the sea during frigid winter surfs and much more.

Seeing as the Suunto Vertical 2 is aimed at particularly outdoors-y types, I laced up the trail running shoes, slipped on hiking boots and dusted off the gravel bike to get it out into some properly horrible British winter weather.

This proved a good exercise in assessing the quality of the GPS tracking, the brightness and usability of the display in inclement conditions, as well as testing the claimed battery life

First reviewed: February 2026

Clearscope is an AI-powered content optimization platform for marketing teams, offering real-time grading, keyword insights, and Google Docs integration.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools like Clearscope analyze search engine result pages (SERPs) to offer clear guidance on what kind of content is currently ranking well for a particular keyword and why. They give you actionable tips to overtake your competitors in search results by optimizing content length, adding relevant terms, answering common queries from searchers, etc.

In 2025, Clearscope has evolved well beyond a simple keyword-grading tool — now positioning itself as a full "discoverability platform" with AI drafting, topic exploration, and LLM visibility tracking. That said, the platform still isn't suited for budget-conscious individuals or teams needing technical search engine marketing features beyond content optimization.

• Interested in Clearscope? Check out the Clearscope website.

Features

(Image credit: Clearscope)

Clearscope is a powerful tool that caters to writers, marketers, and SEO strategists optimizing content for Google and AI search. With some of the biggest names in the industry like Intuit, Adobe, Shopify, and YouTube, among its clients, Clearscope seems to be steadily maintaining its popularity in 2026.

Clearscope's features should sound familiar for anyone already familiar with SEO optimization techniques. It employs latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords, which are terms and phrases closely related to your target keyword, to grade the relevance and comprehensiveness of your online content. Additionally, it provides Search Engine Results Page (SERP) analysis, giving you invaluable insights into user queries and the strategies you can use to optimize your content for better search rankings.

But that's not all. Clearscope is also an excellent planning tool. It suggests headings and terms that can be used to structure your content outlines, making your articles or blog posts more readable and SEO-friendly.

Clearscope recommends conducting a content inventory before getting started. This tool enables you to keep track of existing online content’s performance. The Content Inventory section also empowers you to take preventative measures to maintain or improve crucial metrics such as Content Grade, clicks, average position, and SEO value for your current content.

How does Clearscope use AI?

Clearscope's AI capabilities have expanded considerably since the platform's earlier iterations. At its core, the tool uses natural language processing (NLP) to analyze the top-ranking pages for any given search query, then surfaces a prioritized list of terms, topics, and structural recommendations.

As you write in the built-in content editor, an AI-driven content grade updates in real time, reflecting how well your draft covers the topic based on entity usage, competitive benchmarks, and readability — giving writers an objective target to work toward rather than relying on guesswork.

The most significant AI addition in recent years is Draft with AI, available on all plans. Rather than generating boilerplate text, Clearscope's draft builder lets you define the search intent, select a content type, and upload a writing sample so the output can match your brand's tone and voice. It still requires human editing before it's publish-ready, but offers a solid starting point for content teams.

Clearscope also introduced Topic Exploration, which maps a seed keyword out into a network of related queries, questions, and sub-topics. This helps content strategists identify the full "query fan-out" around a subject, covering not just a single keyword but any relevant associated subtopics.

As generative AI increasingly intercepts the traditional search funnel, knowing whether your content is being cited or surfaced in these environments is becoming just as important as tracking search rankings. For this, Clearscope offers AI Tracked Topics (also called "Expand"), which monitors how and where your brand or content appears across AI-driven answer engines like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity.

Installation, setup, and compatibility

Using Clearscope is a breeze and straightforward. All you need is a web browser; no fancy software is required. To kick things off, head over to the Clearscope website. Sign up by clicking either the "Get Started" or "Request a demo" button on the homepage. Fill in your company details, email, and team size on the form. Once you've entered your info, hit “Submit” or “Schedule a Demo,” depending on your preference.

Once you've selected a plan and made the payment, it's time for the real fun to begin. Log into your Clearscope account. Navigate to the dashboard. Take some time to explore the interface where you can create reports, connect with Google Docs, and more.

Linking Clearscope with your content creation platform is a crucial step. This integration is key to optimizing your content within these platforms, making your work more efficient. The process is seamless if you're using Google Docs or WordPress.

To access Clearscope, go to the “Integrations” section on the Clearscope website in Google Docs. Choose Google Docs. Follow the steps to install the Clearscope add-on. Once it’s installed, Google Docs. Locate the Clearscope add-on under "Add ons" in the top menu. You're now set to optimize your documents from Google Docs using the add-on.

Download the Clearscope plugin from your dashboard or the WordPress repository if you use WordPress. Install and activate the plugin, then connect it to Clearscope using your API key from the dashboard. With Clearscope integrated, you can start crafting content.

When creating content, generate a report on your dashboard by entering your target keyword. The report will provide insights into keyword usage, content grade, and readability score. Utilize these insights to shape your content creation process and ensure it aligns with SEO practices.

As you write and enhance your content, Clearscope provides invaluable real-time feedback. Keep an eye on your content grade to ensure it meets SEO requirements. Implement suggested changes, such as adding keywords and enhancing readability, to optimize your content.

Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Clearscope)

Plan

Starting rate (paid monthly)

Essentials

$129/month

Business

$399/month

Enterprise

Custom

Clearscope is a powerful tool suitable for anyone who wants to take their content to the next level regarding SEO optimization. Yet, its target audience isn’t necessarily freelancers or small companies. Instead, its pricing clearly shows it’s targeting corporations, or at least larger companies, for better or worse.

Three plans are available for would-be Clearscope users: Essentials, Business, and Enterprise. The Essentials plan starts at $129/month and includes 20 AI Tracked Topics, 20 monthly Topic Explorations, 20 monthly AI Drafts, and 50 Content Inventory Pages. You can add 100 additional inventory pages for $25/month under this tier.

The Business plan at $399/month bumps the limits to 50 AI Tracked Topics, 50 monthly Topic Explorations, 20 monthly AI Drafts, and 300 Content Inventory Pages. It also includes a dedicated account manager and reduces the cost of additional pages to $15 per 100. Enterprise pricing is custom and adds crawler whitelisting, single sign-on (SSO), custom credit bundles, and tailored agreements.

While it's higher than average for tools in this category, Clearscope's pricing model reflects its positioning as a business SEO tool rather than something that individuals or freelancers would use. However, Clearscope also has no free trial available. Instead, you must first request a demo, which is somewhat time-taking and inconvenient.

Final verdict

Like other tools used for SEO optimization, Clearscope has pros and cons. However, the pros outweigh the cons.

The algorithm of Clearscope is finely tuned to provide suggestions for using keywords, which can significantly enhance the likelihood of a piece of content ranking well on search engines. Additionally, the platform offers a user interface that suits experienced SEO professionals perfectly. It's also commendable that Clearscope integrates seamlessly with two used software products: Google Docs and WordPress. Notably, Clearscope is appreciated for its reports and how real-time feedback can assist in crafting search engine-friendly and relevant content.

One major deterrent for some individuals might be the cost of using Clearscope. Providing a trial could attract a more extensive user base regardless of Clearscope's pricing structure. Moreover, beginners in SEO optimization might find it challenging to navigate Clearscope despite its user design. There is still a learning curve involved in using Clearscope.

Another downside is that AI content outline generation is exclusively available to customers on the business plan with Clearscope. This limitation may seem unreasonable, especially considering the pricing tiers, particularly for the essentials package.

Clearscope, it would benefit all your customers to access your AI tools.

Although Clearscope provides a variety of content optimization tools, it lacks some features that other comprehensive tools offer, such as backlink analysis and technical SEO audits.

Overall, Clearscope is a tool for individuals and organizations looking to enhance their content SEO potential with data-driven insights and optimization suggestions. While the pricing and learning curve may deter some users, the platform's accurate recommendations, user-friendly interface, and immediate feedback make it a valuable resource for content creators and marketers striving to create content that performs well in search engine results.

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Philips Fidelio FA3: Two-minute review

I don’t often think ‘this is too good to be true’ when confronted with the details of an audio product’s make-up, but a glance at the spec sheet accompanying the Philips Fidelio FA3 made me double-take.

The Fidelio FA3 is an active wireless speaker system that can connect its speakers together either wirelessly or via a cable, that has high-end Bluetooth connectivity along with a fistful of physical inputs to handle hi-res content, that is controllable by an extremely extensive app, has Auracast functionality in order to become part of a multi-speaker set-up, and uses a lot of recycled material in its construction, with full-range frequency response. For $399 / £349 / AU$499? Really?

Then the system comes out of its packaging and the price still seems like it might be a misprint compared to most of the best wireless speakers. It’s nicely made and finished, looks and feels good, and arrives with a physical remote control to augment the app functionality – it even has grilles that attach magnetically to its high-gloss cabinets.

No, the slight ‘wedge’ shape that angles the speaker’s drivers upwards rather than straight ahead isn’t as useful in all circumstances as Philips obviously thinks it is – but still, the FA3 seems to have an awful lot going for it.

And that’s the case where sound is concerned, too. The Philips is a positive and quite forthright listen, with plenty of detail available in most areas of the frequency range and a very enjoyable facility with soundstaging and dynamic response. It allows itself to get carried away where low-frequency response is concerned, though, and its over-egged bass presence makes for a rather lop-sided, bottom-heavy presentation.

If that low-end enthusiasm could be dialled back a little, perhaps to be replaced with a more subtle and detailed low-frequency attitude instead, the FA3 could really go places. As it is, the Ruark MR1 Mk3 remains our favorite option in this kind of price range, even it's not quite as impressively specced.

(Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future)Philips Fidelio FA3 review: Price & release date

• $399 / £349 / AU$499
• Released in January 2026
• Originally announced in September 2025

The Philips Fidelio FA3 wireless active speaker system is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it costs £349. In the United States it sells for $399 or thereabouts, while in Australia it goes for something like AU$499.

This puts it in line with a lot of single-box wireless speakers, such as the JBL Authentics 200 – and a bit cheaper than the Sonos Era 300. But these are stereo speakers, and when it comes to the best stereo speakers in this price range, they're usually passive or not as quite well-equipped as this when it comes to features and options.

(Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future)Philips Fidelio FA3 review: Features

• Bluetooth 5.4 LE Audio with LC3 and LDAC codec support
• Auracast-enabled for multi-speaker connectivity
• 24bit/96kHz via HDMI ARC and digital optical inputs

The specification of the Fidelio FA3 would be perfectly acceptable in a product costing a great deal more than this. To understand what Philips has included for the asking price is to be properly impressed.

The FA3 speakers are a two-way design, with a 25mm titanium dome tweeter above a 127mm glass-fiber mid/bass driver at the front, and a small reflex port venting towards the top of the rear of the cabinet.

Philips says this arrangement is good for a frequency response of 40Hz - 40 kHz — which, if it’s anything like accurate, is very impressive from such a relatively modest arrangement.

This is an active system, which means both speakers require power. After that, it’s very much a ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ speaker arrangement — the rear of the secondary speaker features just a coaxial input for a wired connection to its partner in addition to the reflex port and its power socket.

The primary speaker, though, adds a USB-C slot (which can be used for playback and for servicing), a digital optical input, an HDMI ARC connection, and a line-level analog input on stereo RCA sockets.

In addition, the primary speaker is where Bluetooth pairing takes place — the FA3 features Bluetooth 5.4 LE Audio connectivity and is compatible with SBC, AAC, LC3 and LDAC codecs. The system also features Auracast technology, which means it can easily become part of a multi-speaker system if given appropriate partners to work with.

As well as via a coaxial cable, the speakers can also be connected to each other wirelessly using a 2.4GHz wireless connection. Regardless of the method of connection between the speakers, though, the digital-to-analog conversion circuitry operates at a native 24bit/96kHz resolution, and anything that’s coming in via HDMI ARC, digital optical or USB-C that’s of higher resolution will be downsampled to 24bit/96kHz.

The ability to wirelessly connect a pair of speakers and still enjoy authentically high-resolution sound is not all that common, and rarer still in this area of the market. Streams coming in via Bluetooth using the LDAC codec will be served up at its maximum 990kbps resolution.

No matter the resolution of the stuff you’re listening to, it’s given the benefit of 50 watts of Class D amplification per channel. Philips is claiming a THD (total harmonic distortion) figure of less than 1%.

• Features score: 5 / 5

(Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future)Philips Fidelio FA3 review: Sound quality

• Direct and full-scale presentation
• Low-frequency response is a blunt and oversized instrument
• Somehow able to sound loud even when playing quietly

If you’ve come for an assertive, positive sound that’s delivered at significant scale, stick around. The Philips Fidelio FA3 has you covered in quite some style.

No matter if you’re listening to something that sounds like a glorified demo (Boys Don’t Cry by The Cure, for example) or that’s dressed up to the nines (Nuits Sonores by Floating Points, say), the FA3 take it by the scruff of the neck and serve it up in the most direct and unequivocal manner.

Their fundamental character is confident, and they are capable of generating a large and quite nicely defined soundstage on which the action can occur. The Philips seem to genuinely revel in big dynamic shifts in attack or intensity, and are more than capable of summoning the sort of energy and momentum that makes for a lively and positive presentation.

The tweeter does fine work in delivering bright, crisp and detailed high frequencies that carry enough substance to balance out their undoubted bite. There’s plenty of variation in treble sounds and, even though the FA3 somehow contrive to sound loud even if they’re playing at quite low levels, the brilliance of the top end here is never problematic.

There’s scant suggestion of hardness or glassiness, even if you choose to listen at quite oppressive volume levels (and don’t for a moment doubt the Philips are capable of quite significant volume).

The handover to the bigger mid/bass driver is smooth, and the midrange is served up with a similarly careful attitude towards detail and variation as the top end demonstrates. There’s a stack of information made available regarding the tone and timbre of voices, and the FA3 are just as capable of teasing out the attitude and character in a voice as they are the minutiae of technique or texture.

Those more minor (but no less significant) dynamics of harmonic variation, those over- and undertones that exist either side of the fundamental, are put into quite convincing context, and the Philips are able to preserve a sense of singularity and togetherness from the very top end down towards the bottom of the midrange.

Beneath here, though, the speakers don’t so much ‘overplay their hand’ as seem to be engaged in a different game altogether. Low frequencies are overstated and overbearing, and exhibit less of the dexterity and variation that’s apparent further up the frequency range.

The quest for ‘punch’ seems a preoccupation, and the rather blunt and overstated nature of the bass response here makes for a lop-sided overall frequency response that seemingly prioritizes the low end at the expense of everything else.

This trait is obvious enough when listening to music, but if anything it’s even more apparent when listening to spoken word — especially with male voices. The moment the register of a speaking voice dips towards the bottom of the midrange and below, the bloom in that area of the frequency range becomes all too apparent.

The result is far from naturalistic, and it serves to undermine all the good work the FA3 does elsewhere in the frequency range.

It’s possible to mitigate this by dialing ‘bass’ response right back in the control app, but it doesn’t eradicate the issue — and it’s an issue that’s more apparent at lower volumes than it is at bigger levels.

Despite this rather pear-shaped frequency response, though, the Philips manage to express rhythms in a fairly convincing manner and somehow maintain a degree of momentum despite the drag those oversized bass sounds create.

• Sound quality score: 3.5 / 5

(Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future)Philips Fidelio FA3 review: Design

• 170 x 303 x 211mm (WxHxD) per speaker
• 3.4kg per speaker
• Each cabinet features 45% RCS-certified recycled material

If you were considering the FA3 as a desktop audio system, I’d urge you to think again. Given the size of each speaker, you’d need a notably large and conspicuously tidy desktop to comfortably accommodate them — much better to consider this system for use on speaker stands or a shelf of appropriate depth.

The problem in this scenario, though, is that the cabinets are designed with a kind of ‘wedge’ foot integrated into the base which angles the speaker baffle so the drivers are firing slightly upwards rather than dead ahead. If the surface you’re putting them on is reasonably low, then this is definitely a good thing — it's somewhat common on desktop speakers.

But if you put them on stands or on a shelf that’s at a kind of regular shelf height, then the FA3 will be pointing above, rather than at, your ears. Unless you do all your listening while standing up, anyway.

The cabinets are very nicely built and finished, though, with gentle curves at each corner and that special sort of high-gloss black finish that’s very shiny and very keen to collect fingerprints.

They are supplied with magnetic grilles to cover the driver array if that’s your preference, and the plastic shell of each cabinet includes (deep breath) 45% RCS-certified recycled post-consumer acrylonitrile butadiene styrene in its construction.

• Design score: 4

(Image credit: Philips Entertainment / Future)Philips Fidelio FA3 review: Usability & setup

• Remote control handset included
• Philips Entertainment control app
• Physical controls on the primary speaker

To its credit, Philips has provided several options for taking control of the Fidelio FA3 — and each of them is reasonably well-implemented and reliable.

There’s a small and unremarkable remote control handset included in the packaging — it’s of quite hard plastic and has no backlighting. It doesn’t have quite enough buttons, either, since one button takes care of selecting the optical or the HDMI ARC input, another has to deal with selecting between USB-C and analog inputs, and a third chooses between Bluetooth and Auracast.

Still, it’s reliable enough, and the ability to raise, lower or mute the volume, play/pause, skip forwards or backwards, cycle through half-a-dozen EQ presets, and trim bass and treble independently of each other, is all very useful.

There are some controls on the rear of the primary speaker, too. These consist of a volume dial (which needs much too much turning to deliver any meaningful effect), a button to initiate wireless pairing between the speakers, a button to cycle through the inputs, and a power on/off switch.

You can exercise the greatest amount of control over the system, though, by using the Philips Entertainment app that’s free for iOS and Android. It offers playback control, those EQ presets (‘balanced’, ‘warm’, ‘bright’, ‘powerful’, ‘clear’ and ‘custom’, the last of which employs user-controllable ‘bass’ and ‘treble’ adjustment dials), enables you tell the primary speaker if it’s the left or right channel, and lets you dial through your input selection options.

It also gives access to a suite of ambient sound settings (everything from ‘ancient wind’ and ‘ocean’ to ‘bubbles’ and ‘sonar’) in case you’ve misplaced your collection of Brian Eno LPs. It can duplicate the layout of the remote control handset (except with a single button for each input, mercifully) and enables you to check for software updates too.

• Usability & setup score: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future)Philips Fidelio FA3 review: Value

• Big and powerful for the price
• Very well equipped and with a great app
• But the iffy bass pulls the down from being a bargain

Judged either by the size of its specification or by the size of the speakers themselves, there’s really no arguing with the value for money the Philips Fidelio FA3 represents — the sheer amount of glossy black finish your money buys is considerable all by itself.

It's reassuring to have a great app, too — it's something that companies often don't manage to achieve. If only the remote control was as neatly laid out.

The bottom-heavy nature of the sonic character you get for your outlay, though, is quite a bit more difficult to make a case for than the above.

• Value score: 3 / 5

(Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future)Should I buy Philips Fidelio FA3?Philips Fidelio FA3 scorecard

Attribute

Notes

Score

Features

Basically as well-equipped as stereo wireless speakers come at this price.

5 / 5

Sound quality

Rich and powerful and full of dynamic attack – but the overblown bass is a problem.

3.5 / 5

Design

Very well-built and good-looking, but the wedge shape is an odd decision.

4 / 5

Setup & usability

Very well thought-through, and with multiple control options, including a great app.

4.5 / 5

Value

Not bad value at all, thanks to the features and build quality – but bass issues mean they're not amazing value either.

3 / 5

Buy them if…

You have one or two (or more) sources of hi-res content
The FA3’s ability to serve up the 24bit/96kHz stuff even when joined together wirelessly is not to be sniffed at.View Deal

You have a low-ish surface on which to position it
The laid-back, upward-facing cabinet arrangement is ideal for use on those surfaces that are below head height.View Deal

You love a shiny aesthetic
‘Glossy’ is almost too weak a word to describe the black finish of these speakers.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You’re expecting sonic realism
The way the FA3 so gleefully overstates the bass frequencies is almost admirable — but it’s not to be confused with an even frequency response.View Deal

You don’t have a lot of power outlets
The fact this is a wireless stereo system is a big positive — but it also means both speakers must be plugged into power individually.View Deal

Your memory isn’t what it was
Having three buttons on the remote control to cover six different input options is sub-optimal (as is the remote’s lack of backlighting).View Deal

Philips Fidelio FA3 review: Also consider

Ruark MR1 Mk3
This is one of the very best wireless speaker systems around at a similar price to what Philips wants for the Fidelio FA3. Compact enough to fit on a desk, but it sounds considerably larger; wired and wireless connectivity options include a phono stage for use with a turntable; the real wood veneer feels almost as good as it looks. No control app, though. Here's our full Ruark MR1 Mk3 review.View Deal

Edifier MR5
If you want something for the desktop, we described these as "triumphantly multifaceted little boxes of joy" in our full Edifier MR5 review. Lots of connections, a really comprehensive app, and a nice compact size – oh, and superb sound, of course. And they're cheaper than the Philips, though don't expect room-filling power in the same way.View Deal

How I tested the Philips Fidelio FA3

(Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future)

I connected the speakers together using their cable, but also wirelessly. I connected an Apple iPhone 14 Pro and a FiiO M15S digital audio player via Bluetooth, a Rega Apollo CD player via the digital optical input, an Apple MacBook Pro using the USB-C slot, and a Philips OLED806 television via the HDMI ARC socket.

I positioned them on the same equipment rack as the TV — I also used them on my desk (not for long, though; they’re pretty big when you put them on there) and on a pair of Custom Design speaker stands.

I listened to music streamed from Qobuz and Tidal apps, from my collection of compact discs, and to content from a Panasonic 4K Blu-ray player and Sony Playstation 5 connected to the TV.

• Read TechRadar's Reviews Guarantee
• First reviewed: February 2026

Artificial intelligence has significantly simplified the process of SEO optimization for website owners. It has made content creation and discovery easier and more accessible, both individuals and businesses.

MarketMuse is an example of a tool that leverages AI to provide objective insights for planning. A lot has changed with the platform since its 2024 acquisition by SiteImprove. Here's where it currently stands.

• Interested in Marketmuse? Check out the Marketmuse website.

Features

(Image credit: MarketMuse)

Like tools like Frase, Dashword, Clearscope, and other SEO optimization platforms, MarketMuse supports content creators and marketers in producing top-notch content. This AI-powered tool leverages machine learning algorithms to evaluate content quality, relevance, and depth while enhancing its potential for improved SEO performance.

Utilizing natural language processing capabilities, MarketMuse thoroughly examines a subject. Generates an overview of related topics, keywords, and queries that should be incorporated into the content to enhance its relevance and boost search engine rankings. Doing so offers users an analysis that aids in crafting more thorough and SEO-friendly content. Its seamless integration process also simplifies its incorporation into existing workflows.

As detailed on its website, MarketMuse offerings extend beyond keyword research and content evaluation. This includes access to on-demand inventory technology that enables customers to comprehend the strengths and weaknesses of their online content. Additionally, MarketMuse offers personalized metrics to demonstrate how challenging it may be for a website to rank for keywords. By considering a site's edge in content creation, MarketMuse delivers a precise assessment of the obstacles one might encounter and the opportunities available for leveraging success.

MarketMuse also provides a measure for determining the authority on a topic, emphasizing its importance in recognizing areas where a company thrives and where improvements are needed. This approach helps craft content that establishes an organization as a trusted source in a field.

Moreover, MarketMuse's research capabilities extend beyond keyword analysis. Using its topic modeling technology, MarketMuse sifts through pages to pinpoint essential concepts linked to a specific subject. This thorough investigation aids in identifying content deficiencies,, explore keyword suggestions,, and understand how competitors address these subjects. Furthermore, through the MarketMuse content cluster analysis tool, one can assess the depth and breadth of existing content on a topic. This process assists in spotting any gaps or oversights and guides in developing material or enhancing current pages to ensure comprehensive coverage and enhance the impact of the content.

How does Marketmuse use AI?

Unlike most competitors, MarketMuse has embedded AI into its platform since its founding in 2013. At the core of its approach is proprietary topic modeling technology. For every page and topic you analyze, the platform fetches hundreds to thousands of pages of web content, filters out low-quality outliers, then applies a combination of proprietary and open-source algorithms to classify parts of speech and calculate relevance.

Then there's the AI-automated content inventory feature. Once connected to your domain, MarketMuse's AI crawls your published pages and maps out your existing topical authority — effectively identifying the subjects your site already ranks well for and surfacing gaps where a competitor has the edge. This inventory updates automatically over time, removing the need for manual content audits.

MarketMuse also generates Personalized Difficulty scores, a metric calculated specifically for your site, factoring in your existing topical authority against the competitive landscape for a given query. This means two different sites analyzing the same keyword will receive different difficulty scores, giving content teams genuinely actionable guidance on where to focus effort.

Generative AI also plays a targeted role in the platform. The Optimize application includes a generative AI component that helps users draft content faster. Although, MarketMuse is careful to frame this as a writing accelerator rather than an automated content generator. The real AI firepower sits in planning and prioritization: automated cluster analysis, AI-generated content briefs that lay out required topics, subtopics, and questions, and competitive gap analysis that identifies what top-ranking pages cover that yours does not.

Following its acquisition by Siteimprove in October 2024, MarketMuse's AI capabilities are now available as part of a broader platform that integrates accessibility, SEO, analytics, and cross-channel advertising — a meaningful step toward a unified content marketing workflow.

Installation, setup, and compatibility

MarketMuse is entirely browser-based, meaning you simply visit the platform through any modern web browser and create an account using your name, email, and a password. After signup, you'll receive a confirmation email, and once verified you're taken directly to the dashboard.

The onboarding process also prompts you to connect your site's domain, which kicks off the automated content inventory process that underpins much of the platform's intelligence. Depending on the size of your site, this initial crawl can take a little time, but most users report being ready to run their first analyses within minutes.

The dashboard itself is organized around a set of core applications — Optimize, Research, Compete, Questions, and Connect. Each tab is designed to handle a distinct phase of the content workflow. New users will likely find the Inventory feature the natural starting point. From there, you can move into Topic Research to investigate search intent, identify related subtopics, and build out content plans without switching tools. Everything is cleanly laid out, but the sheer number of metrics and applications means there is a genuine learning curve before the platform starts to feel intuitive.

For teams looking to accelerate that process, MarketMuse offers the MarketMuse Academy, a learning hub with blog posts, video walkthroughs, and webinar-based content strategy courses. Higher-tier plan holders also have access to more direct support, including onboarding calls and team training. It's worth noting that paid plan features like data export, content briefs, and domain analysis become relevant quickly once you're past initial exploration, so users on the free tier will bump into limitations fairly soon.

Plans and pricing

(Image credit: MarketMuse)

Plan

Starting Rate (paid annually)

Starting Rate (paid monthly)

Free

$0/month

$0/month

Optimize

$83.25/month ($999/year)

$99/month

Research

$208.25/month ($2,499/year)

$249/month

Strategy

$458.25/month ($5,499/year)

$499/month

MarketMuse currently offers four plans — Free, Optimize, Research, and Strategy. It's a restructured lineup that replaced the older Standard, Team, and Premium tiers. The Free plan gives a single user 10 queries per month with no credit card required, making it a low-risk way to explore the platform before committing. Paid plans are available on both monthly and annual billing, with annual subscriptions offering meaningful savings across all tiers.

The entry-level Optimize plan starts at $99 per month (or $999 per year), giving individual users and small teams access to high-level site and topical insights to accelerate content creation. The mid-tier Research plan, at $249 per month (or $2,499 per year), is geared toward mid-sized teams that need comprehensive data for content decisions and high-quality content production.

Agencies and larger organizations scaling across multiple sites will want to consider the Strategy plan at $499 per month (or $5,499 per year), which adds more Content Analysis and Planning documents along with multi-site support. Enterprise users who need a fully customized arrangement can contact MarketMuse directly.

Final verdict

One of the best things about MarketMuse is that it’s been designed to help individuals and small and large teams. This isn’t always the case with similar products that target individuals or large organizations, but not both. From a product standpoint, there’s much to love about MarketMuse. The AI-based guidance provided by MarketMuse ensures you create in-depth, high-quality content related to your chosen topic. It helps in developing the most comprehensive and authoritative content possible. By increasing the relevance and depth of the content, MarketMuse can dramatically boost the SEO success rate. A well-optimized, high-quality content can naturally rank higher on search engine results pages.

Additionally, with MarketMuse's ability to recognize related content, users can create a robust, interlinked content strategy. These linked clusters of content can significantly improve your website's domain authority.

There are a few things to criticize about MarketMuse, however. First, although I have no doubt users of all backgrounds can get started with MarketMuse with relative ease, there’s a huge learning curve to master the platform’s full range of platforms. For this, I’d strongly suggest looking into paid training through MarketMuse. 

It’s important to note that SEO optimization tools like MarketMuse have another significant drawback. They have no control over the dynamic nature of search engine algorithms. This means that even the best tools will be affected if Google changes how it handles searches. As a result, companies like MarketMuse must adjust the data behind their offerings, and end-users will also need to make necessary adjustments. This can be a challenging process for everyone involved.

More from TechRadar Pro

• See our best on-page SEO tool of the year
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It's at times like this when I wish I could review TV via TechRadar's YouTube channel, as I'm struggling to form words after binging Paradise season 2. What would actually convey my thoughts is a series of stunned noises and facial expressions, perfectly communicating how my mind has happily turned into post-apocalyptic soup.

Last year, season 1 became one of Hulu and Disney+'s most-watched TV shows during its first few weeks, stunning everybody by transforming from a unsuspecting zero into a globally successful hero. The social media furore is going to pick straight back up where it left off, and I'm already confident that season 2 will be one of the best TV shows of 2026.

So why all the hype? Paradise has a tight craft and a strong understanding of the story it wants to tell... and frankly, it's all a nightmare that could easily become a reality. Couple that with a stellar cast who never put a foot wrong, and you've got a bold and striking end product.

Season 2 only makes all of the above more apparent. As Xavier (Sterling K. Brown) leaves the bunker behind to try and find estranged wife Teri (Enuka Okuma), we meet medical school dropout turned Graceland tour guide Annie (Shailene Woodley), who has to hide out in the King's mansion for the three years after the Doomsday event.

For me, it's our new cast who really make this season sing. Yes, we have to trudge over existing character history like we're trying to pass the time by sharing war stories in an underground bunker. But not only is this gripping in small doses, but the biggest intrigue comes from understanding the backstory behind the new kids on the block.

While some of these help put the pieces together for Xavier and Teri, others will flat-out make you sob. Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson) can't be forgotten either, and I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her.

We've got to thank Shailene Woodley and Elvis Presley's estate for how impeccably Paradise season 2 begins

There's no world where I imagined Riley Keough (who is now the sole trustee of her grandfather's estate) letting Hulu and Disney+ near-destroy Graceland to recreate it as a set for the main location in Paradise season 2, but clearly, pigs have flown.

The move is probably the most jarring change across the new episodes, and I'm surprised that the mansion hadn't been looted earlier. If you've ever wanted to fly to Memphis to do the tour (would recommend), you now don't have to leave your living room.

Put the absurd and surreal background of hiding there during Doomsday with Annie's personal plight and resilience, and opening episodes of season 2 are catnip. I won't lie — I'd forgotten how brilliant of an actor Woodley is, wearing her heart on her sleeve and her snotty tears all over her beautiful face. There's no way her eyebrows would have remained that pristine, but we'll move past that.

Without spoilers, the new characters are the ones who really pack the emotional punch. They're now the biggest variable in a world reconstructed to benefit the few, so any sudden tragedy or buried trauma is the ultimate sideswipe. It's incredible how quickly you become invested in people you know very little about, and Paradise season 2 makes sure they will all break your heart.

Everything else is like a duck to post-apocalyptic water

You'll see a lot of flashbacks like this. (Image credit: Hulu)

For most of both seasons, I haven't had a single clue what was going on — but to quote K.C and the Sunshine Band, that's the way I like it. There's an unexplainable rush to being swept up in something that's so much bigger than you are, but you seldom understand. It also helps that we're not the ones having to live through a climate apocalypse, even when its relatability pushes it too close to home.

Xavier and Sinatra are spearheading the tension from opposite sides, and both Brown and Nicholson slip seamlessly back into their season 2 roles. There's a greater sense of danger for them both, but also each teeter on the brink of total exposure. With one snap decision, either could shift from good to evil and back again, and the unpredictability is a thrill in itself.

Paradise season 2 is an all-rounder, as a teacher might say on parent's evening. High-value production, a tight story, well-developed narrative arc that's clearly going to end after season 3 (though this is currently unconfirmed), cast fully sending their performances to the depths of insanity, and Graceland's own horses successfully surviving at surface level. There's truly nothing else you can ask for.

It's very rare that a TV show gives me a sense of giddy excitement, like a child whizzing around on a teacup at Disneyworld, holding candy floss while trying not to puke. But Paradise season 2 effortlessly manages, and it's ridiculous how excited I am about something that resembles a 2020s retelling of Threads.

Frankly, you'd be a fool not to stream it — but get ready to gasp, scream and cry your way through it, with the tiniest ray of hope peeking through the volcanic clouds.

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Drop + Epos PC38X review: One-minute review

Not necessarily a new model, but still a great one, the Drop + Epos PC38X is an excellent wired gaming headset and comes through with the promise of delivering top-shelf audio for the discerning gaming sound enthusiasts among us.

Featuring immensely enjoyable audio, no matter the game, a simple wired connection, a reliable mic, solid build quality, and a level of comfort that makes it a joy to wear for hours on end, it really is a do-it-all wired gaming headset that can be a one-stop solution across platforms.

The standout feature is easily the audio. I’ve tested some of the best and most expensive gaming headsets of the last decade, and only a few really blow me away; the Drop + Epos PC38X does that, too, for a sub-$200 price tag. It’s even played beautifully with an external sound card as well.

It’s by no means a flashy or outlandish gaming headset when it comes to design and build, but it does sport the level of quality you’d expect from Sennheiser and Epos. A symphony of piano black, the headset is slick, and its over-ear, open-back earcups are robust but supremely comfortable. The only blemishes on the scorecard here are a slightly plasticky-feeling build and that the microphone is a bit of a chunky one, despite it being a handy flip-to-mute model.

In brief, if you’re happy to be (or prefer being) a wired gamer, then the Drop + Epos PC38X is a superb option. It’s now my go-to wired headset - though it’s in constant battle with my Sennheiser HD 550s - and I’ve had a blast listening to all my music and entertainment, and playing games across PC and PlayStation 5 with it.

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)Drop + Epos PC38X review: Price and availability

• Current approximate prices as of early 2026: $199 / £180 / around AU$305
• Availability is spotty, but it represents excellent value for money
• Pricing puts it in the mid-to-high range for gaming headsets, but good value for audiophile sets

The main point of discussion around the Drop + Epos PC38X gaming headset’s price and availability in 2026 is that it is not as readily available as its competitors. I’ve seen listings come and go at retailers, both US and UK, and prices go up and down like yo-yos, too.

There’s also some variation in the headset’s name when it comes to retailer listings. However, if you can find one of any Drop + Epos PC38X, DROP PC38X, or Drop + Sennheiser PC38X (or similar), know that it’s the same headset regardless of name, and you’re still getting a quality product.

Despite stock wobbliness, Drop’s own website has been a reliable seller of the headset, and currently has it in stock for $199, but has had it as low as $169 at times, too. It does very much look like you’ll be limited to the all-black variant if you do find it in stock, though - the version that had yellow-colored cups appears to not be available for purchase anymore.

Given that ‘roughly $200 / £200’ price point, that does put it in pretty lofty territory and in the company of some absolute belters - in both gaming headset and headphone territory. I’ve been comparing the PC38X most closely to my Sennheiser HD 550 headphones ($299.99 / $249.99 / AU$479) and the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro headset ($279.99 / £249.99 / AU$565); both are wired, both have great audio, and both are a little bit more costly, but are viable alternatives for gamers wanting seriously strong audio.

Drop + Epos PC38X review: Specs

Drop + Epos PC38X

Price

$199 / £180 / around AU$305

Weight

8.9oz / 253g

Drivers

Size officially unspecified

Compatibility

PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Mac, mobile

Connection type

3.5mm audio jack (2.5m 2 x 3.5mm cable, 1.5m 1 x 3.5mm cable)

Battery life

N/A

Features

Openback design, Bi-directional, flip-to-mute electret condenser mic, dynamic neodymium drivers

Software

N/A

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)Drop + Epos PC38X review: Design and features

• Open-back earcup design
• Flip-to-mute boom-arm mic
• Sleek and understated black finish

When it comes to design, the Drop + Epos PC38X doesn’t really stand out. It’s a slick black-on-black unit, with only black metal covers for the open earcups and mic punctuating the cloak of darkness. There used to be a slightly more exciting green/yellow colorway, but I haven’t been able to spot a listing for that in all my time testing this black model.

Away from aesthetics, it does feel like any other gaming headset to wear, too, in all honesty. The frame is a little plasticky, and there’s nothing too special here - but there are upsides to that. It’s just an easy-to-wear, very comfortable headset with padding in the right places, and a deliberate and appropriate use of materials.

The cables provided make for easy connection too: you get both a mic-and-headphone split cable perfect for those who prefer the split (or to use their headphones with other devices), as well as a straight-up 3.5mm audio jack connection too - perfect for use with a gaming console controller.

My only small criticism is the boom mic, which is a chunky monster. Located on the left cup, every part of it feels large in the hand, and when inspecting or holding the headset.

The caveat to that is - when it’s flipped up, especially - it’s totally out of sight anyway, and is in no way an immersion or multiplayer-ruiner. It feels like something from one of the older Sennheiser gaming headsets, too, so it doesn’t feel out of place either. Completing the onboard set, the volume dial on the right cup is the only onboard control and is intuitive and easy to interact with.

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)Drop + Epos PC38X review: Performance

• Brilliant, immersive audio
• While massive in design, the mic is crisp and clear
• Comfortable to wear for long periods of time

The audio on offer from the Drop + Epos PC38X is excellent, across the board. It certainly punches above its weight and can certainly hold its own against even the most recent of premium headsets.

Bass notes are rich and thumpy without being muddy and unpleasant, mids are rich and full, and highs are always crisp and punchy, but not piercing. It really does channel some excellent Sennheiser and Epos pedigree that makes its out-of-the-box audio some of the best I’ve tested.

On PC, the echoes and spookiness of The Oldest House in Control were beamed to my brain superbly, while hearing every detail of my cities in Frostpunk 2, and every crunch and thwack in encounters in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3 were joyous. On my PS5 Pro, I experienced some wonderfully atmospheric and rich audio in Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, which really upped my immersion to brilliant heights.

Elsewhere, every punch of a Nazi’s face in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was fulsome and full of oomf, and gunfire in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, as well as Battlefield 6, were excellent, giving me the right balance of rich chaos, but punchy action and crisp gunfire audio. No matter what I played on either platform, the Drop + Epos PC38X really did excel, and I can’t sing its audio praises high enough.

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)

As an everyday work headset, it also performed admirably, transporting my voice beautifully down the internet as well as giving me clear audio on calls and meetings, and also becoming a stalwart companion for a range of music and entertainment.

While that mic is chunky, it’s easy to use and doesn’t impact the comfort of the headset during use. I wore the headset for hours and hours at a time without ever feeling uncomfortable, and the mic being flip-to-mute at least makes for a convenient design.

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere in this review, I’ve also been able to test the Drop + Epos PC38X with external sound cards. This enabled me to get even more out of the headset - so if you have the luxury of having one of these devices in your setup already, or fancy adding one, then know that it’s an ideal combination. Be it on PS5 or PC, adding an extra layer of excellence to augment the experience the Drop + Epos PC38X gave me was great - but I still defaulted to the out-of-the-box audio on more than one occasion away from the sound cards.

All in, however, you won’t need an external sound card at all with the Drop + Epos PC38X. If you can find it in 2026 and are after a top wired gaming headset with pedigree and sublime audio, then it won’t let you down.

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)Should I buy the Drop + Epos PC38X?Buy it if...

You’re after a top wired gaming headset - and can find it in stock
Honestly, if you are committed to finding a top wired gaming headset that’ll cover you across platforms, offer you excellent audio across the board, superb comfort, and a solid mic, then the PC38X is a no-brainer for me to recommend.

You want an audiophile-quality sound in your wired headset
The PC38X’s audio quality is genuinely some of the best I’ve heard and is right up there with some of my other favorites like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, the Audeze Maxwell, and headphones like my Sennheiser HD 550s.

You want a simple solution that you can still tailor externally
The PC38X is at its heart a plug-and-play gaming headset; there’s no software, and even its onboard controls are minimal. However, I’ve really enjoyed using its baseline audio excellence and tinkering it somewhat with external soundcards to get even more out of the PC38X’s sound, and it has really played exceptionally well with such devices.

Don't buy it if...

You’re looking for a compact mic
Overall, the design of the PC38X is agreeable, but in 2026 its large flip-to-mute mic does stand out as a bit of a chonker - if you want something more subtle and tidier, then a product from the likes of SteelSeries would be a better fit.

You’re looking for flawless build quality
The PC38X is solid enough, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve definitely tested more robust and stronger-feeling sets, so if you think you’ll need something that can offer more durability, you may have to look elsewhere.

You like to use software to tinker with audio settings and EQs
The PC38X doesn’t have any software, so there’s no app or program in which to alter your EQs or manipulate your sound. If that’s a must-have for you, then this plug-and-play option may not be the right fit.

Drop + Epos PC38X review: Also consider...

Still not sold on the Drop + Epos PC38X? Here are two competitors that might hit the mark instead.

Drop + Epos PC38X

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro

Sennheiser HD 550

Price

$199 / £180 / around AU$305

$279.99 / £249.99 / AU$565

$299.99 / $249.99 / AU$479

Weight

8.9oz / 253g

16.08oz / 456g

8.35oz / 237g

Drivers

Size officially unspecified

40mm

38mm

Compatibility

PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Mac, mobile (where audio jack is present)

PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Mac, mobile (where audio jack is present)

PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Mac, mobile (where audio jack is present)

Connection type

3.5mm audio jack (2.5m 2 x 3.5mm cable, 1.5m 1 x 3.5mm cable)

USB, 3.5mm audio jack

3.5mm audio jack; 6ft / 1.8m cable (3.5 to 6.5mm adapter provided)

Battery life

N/A

N/A

N/A

Features

Openback design, Bi-directional, flip-to-mute electret condenser mic, dynamic neodymium drivers

40 mm Neodymium drivers, Bidirectional microphone polar pattern, ClearCast Gen 2 microphone, GameDac Gen 2 control panel

38mm transducer, 150 Ω nominal impedance, 6Hz – 39.5kHz frequency response, synthetic velour ear pads

Software

N/A

SteelSeries GG

N/A

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro
One of my absolute favorite wired gaming headsets, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro is truly brilliant. If you’re looking to spend a bit more to go even more premium, have a retractable mic, a wonderful USB DAC unit, and some of that sweet, sweet SteelSeries audio and build quality, then this is the wired competitor for the PC38X to go for from the brand.

For more information, check out our full SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro review

Sennheiser HD 550
Keeping it even more simple than the PC38X and really focusing on providing top- level audio for your games and nothing more, the Sennheiser HD 550 is one of my favorite sets of headphones that target gaming performance. That known Sennheiser quality shines through here, and a simple audio jack connection is all you need. An easy alternative to recommend.

For more information, check out our full Sennheiser HD 550 review

How I tested the Drop + Epos PC38X

• Tested for around six months
• Used across multiple platforms and with multiple devices, including USB sound cards
• Compared performance across game types and against other headsets and headphones

I used the Drop + Epos PC38X on and off over a period of around six months, on PC and PS5, and for games, music, entertainment, and work. I was able to compare it to a bunch of other headphones and headsets to gauge its place in the market in 2026.

On my PS5 Pro, I used the PC38X set across games like Dying Light 2, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Enhanced, Death Stranding Director’s Cut, Ghost of Yotei, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Battlefield 6, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and more. I plugged it into both a DualSense Wireless Controller and a Creative Sound BlasterX G6 sound card during sessions as well.

When testing the headset on my old RTX 3090 gaming PC and my newer RTX 5070 gaming PC (provided by Acer), I dove into a host of games such as Frostpunk 2, Control, and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3, while also using the headset daily for music, entertainment, and daily work commitments and calls.

First reviewed July 2025-February 2026

Read more about how we test

Hostinger is one of the best web hosting providers. It's an all in one solution for many scenarios and use cases. Shared hosting, VPS & cloud plans, multiple website builders, vibe coding tools, and email and marketing products mean there is everything a business needs to launch and grow.

(Image credit: Hostiner)Hostinger: The pros

Ease of use

When I started building websites, if you had zero experience and wanted a website you'd go to a place like Squarespace or Wix because they offered an easy to use website builder and hosting all in one. They were a bit more expensive but if you didn't want to pay for a web developer they were still much cheaper. Hostinger has changed the game as you can use Hostinger's website builder, AI tools, and guides to easily create and host a website at a much lower cost. This now expands into app building with Hostinger Horizons.

Cost

If you went with a website builder such as Wix you'll be paying $17 a month and if you want to add features to your site like taking bookings or payment you'll need to fork out even more. At Hostinger you can start from as little as $2.49 a month with very little restrictions. It's unlikely you'll need to upgrade your plan unless your site get more use. You won't need to pay more for features that you want. Plus, you get a website builder with Hostinger too. After renewal the most basic Hostinger plan is $11.99 a month still making it cheaper than Wix and Squarespace at $16 a month.

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(Image credit: Hostinger)

Feature packed plans

Hostinger’s plans are well priced and stuffed with features, many of which are chargeable extras elsewhere. Page speed monitoring, malware scanning, and analytics are all nice extras for beginners. There are also drag and drop website builders alongside AI builders and AI tools to manage website optimization and troubleshooting.

The more advanced plans like cloud the cloud hosting plans include auto-scaling and geo-redundancy for maximum flexibility and reliability.

Excellent uptime

Reliability is one of the most important elements in any quality web host. A provider can offer as many other features as it likes, but if your site is down all the time, most of your visitors will disappear.

We measured Hostinger’s performance by setting up a test WordPress website, then using Uptime.com to monitor its speed and any downtime from multiple locations around the world.

Although our site was hosted on Hostinger's most basic shared hosting plan, it still managed an excellent 100% uptime record over 10 weeks of monitoring.

Fast load times

We measure website load speeds with help from GTmetrix, which accesses a test page and reports how long its main content takes to load (a value called Largest Contentful Paint, or LCP). A low LCP means your website begins to appear on the screen more quickly, keeping visitors happy.

Hostinger scored here with a speedy LCP of 0.607 seconds, the second fastest result in our last 15 tests, just behind HostGator.

One-off load speed checks are important, but we also like to see how a site performs when it's busy. To do this, we use the stress-testing service k6 to unleash 20 virtual users on our site and measure what happens.

Hostinger's results showed it could handle 15 requests per second throughout the test. That’s similar to other providers, but very acceptable for shared hosting, and if you’re opting for a more high-powered cloud or VPS plan, you should be able to handle even more visitors.

Low starter prices

Hostinger’s prices start at just $2.49 a month for the four year Premium hosting plan (renewing at a still very reasonable $7.99 on the first renewal).

Not keen on signing up for such a long time? Switch to the annual plan and it’s still well priced at $2.99 a month and $11.99 on renewal.

The pricing can be a bit confusing and renewal prices can change based things like whether you have auto-renew enabled. You can ignore the countdown timer on the page as it's always refreshing and the prices stay the same. However, we do recommend that you take more time to look at the long term cost of your plans.

Data centers in nine countries

Sign up with many web hosts and they’ll give you storage space in a data center but they won’t tell you where it is, or give you any choice of locations.

That could be bad performance news if, say, your target audience is in California but your website is hosted in a data center halfway around the world.

Hostinger has data centers in nine countries: the USA, UK, France, Netherlands, Indonesia, Lithuania, Singapore, India and Brazil.

That's far more than most hosts, and it’s especially good to see a service which doesn’t purely focus on North America and Europe.

There is one catch though, some plans don't support all the data centers. The Shared, Cloud and WordPress plans are available everywhere, but Hostinger's VPS plans can't be hosted in Netherlands, the UK, Indonesia, and Singapore.

Check the small print of individual plans to find out more, or take a look at Hostinger's 'Where are your servers located?' support document.

Quality custom control panel

Hostinger doesn't offer cPanel (an intuitive server and site management platform) to its shared hosting users, opting to provide its custom hPanel platform, instead. Custom control panels make us wary, probably because most of them are underpowered in the extreme, but hPanel is an exception.

It looks similar to cPanel with server details (location, IP address) in a sidebar, and colorful icons representing features in categories such as Domains, Emails, Files, WordPress and more.

Most functions are accessible to even novice users. Creating an email address, for instance, is as easy as entering the address and a password. Advanced features like importing existing emails, to setting up SPF and DKIM records (to authenticate emails and protect against phishing) are just a click or two away too.

Hostinger: The cons

Confusing prices

With three different subscription lengths and each one having a different renewal cost, it can be hard to work out which plan is best for you. Keep in mind when calculating long term costs. After the reduced renewal price the monthly fee will revert to the monthly cost of $11.99.

There are significant discounts to be had for longer plans but are you really going to need that plan for 48 months? Check your business plan and pick a subscription length not just based on price but one that might come up for renewal when you're about to out grow your hosting plan.

Performance restrictions

Any site that does any kind of image processing or has big databases will find low performance because disk read/write speeds are throttled and memory is not that generous. Any static site will be fine but performance of sites that have user accounts and to some extent eCommerce sites will be affected.

No telephone support

Hostinger say that telephone support just slows down getting things done and that they've been able to fix issues faster by removing this option. If you really care about speaking to a human via a voice call there are other hosts that offer phone support but they are more costly.

(Image credit: Hostinger)Hostinger: Tested

We've put Hostinger through its paces to see how well it copes and how easy it is to use. Our testers are industry experts that have extensive experience in a range of web hosting scenarios so we can give a reliable and comprehensive review on everything Hostinger claims to be.

On the whole, we found a web hosting service that's easy to use and performs well for the majority of users.

Hostinger hPanel (Image credit: Hostinger)Using Hostinger

Hostinger has put a lot of effort into making their shared hosting experience as seamless and beginner friendly as possible. From the moment you sign up, Hostinger walks you through every step with very clear and easy to follow instructions that can help beginners get their website up and running.

There's more for experienced users too. With the inclusion of additional features such as page speed monitoring, malware scanning, and analytics, they’re really making sure that you can manage every aspect of your website directly from Hostinger’s hPanel. This really goes above and beyond the industry standard control panel cPanel and it does a good job of hiding away any of the techy stuff that can be confusing, presenting everything in a logical manner.

Hostinger guide you through every combination of scenarios - building a fresh website vs migrating an existing one, doing it yourself vs getting a developer to do it - they really caters for everyone. They’ve even customised the Wordpress admin panel to ease the transition from their own control panel to help newbies get to grips with Wordpress.

Wordpress is by no-means difficult to use, but if you’re not familiar with it then it can be overwhelming and their customisations are a really nice touch. Overall impressions are very high.

Hostinger have developed a new AI troubleshooter that can automatically detect errors (403, 404, 500, 503, etc) and suggest fixes making hosting even easier than before. Currently the tool works 42% of the time but it's improving every month. It also only takes one minute to use so it's not an added inconvenience if it doesn't work, you can just go through the usual support channels.Hostinger is a genuine alternative to Wix and Squarespace. The getting started process is really well thought out. It covers every eventuality including, transferring your website from another host and installing WordPress.

Extras such as malware scanning, page speed monitoring and analytics are great for beginners who wouldn’t know how to set up third party tools such as google analytics

There's an AI website builder if you don't want to use WordPress but if you do it's very easy to personalise WordPress, add content, and configure performance improving settings like automatic caching.

When it comes to their VPS offerings, you’ve very much on your own. VPS tend to be aimed at people with experience setting up and managing servers and, in exchange for far more performance for your money, you will need to know how to run and manage the server yourself.

One click installers

Hostinger really shines here. There are a bunch of different things you can one-click install, most are a bit useless but there’s not much harm in having the choice. Some plans include staging versions which let you test changes to your website on a cloned version of your website. Perfect for beginners that are afraid of breaking their live site. There's also automatic updates which is a fantastic feature.

This also extends into the VPS products with one click installers for various popular installations such as n8n and Docker. There is also a catalogue of popular services to install on Docker containers.

Hostinger's performance

We used Uptime.com to monitor our test website from multiple locations around the world, logging response times and any downtime.

Our test site was hosted on Hostinger's most basic shared hosting plan, but still managed a solid 99.96% uptime record over 10 weeks of monitoring.

Uptime.com recorded a response time range of 171ms to 1.73s, with an average of 382ms, over the last seven days of testing. Starter shared hosting plans typically manage 200-400ms with an average peak of 700-800ms, so Hostinger is a bit on the slow side when it comes to response times.

Page load times matter too, though, so we used Dotcom Tools' Website Speed Test to measure our site performance from 16 locations around the US and Europe. This time the results were much better at 878ms, putting it in the top 25% of providers.

One-off load speed checks are important, but we also like to see how a site performs when it's busy. To do this, we use the stress-testing service k6 to unleash 20 virtual users on our site and measure what happens.

Hostinger's results showed some drops in performance at peak load, but that's what we would expect for a shared hosting package. Overall, it was able to handle 15 requests per second throughout the test, a typical result for most providers.

These are broadly positive results, and show Hostinger performs better than most budget hosts. But keep in mind that our figures are based on testing a shared plan, and if you're opting for VPS, cloud hosting or any other product, your experience may be very different.

A mixed story, then, but keep in mind these are comparisons based on the cheapest shared hosting plan from each test provider. Some of those plans cost 5x to 10x the cost you could pay with Hostinger, so on balance we think the company did reasonably well.

Hostinger's GTmetrix grade showing 100% performance (Image credit: Future)Hostinger's performance metrics

LPC

Uptime

Response time

Page requests

Hostinger

0.607

99.96%

0.382

15

Average across top hosts

0.720

99.98%

0.300

14

Hostinger's support is entirely text based (Image credit: Hostinger)How good is Hostinger's support?

Unusually for a top hosting provider, Hostinger doesn't have telephone support. There's 24/7 live chat, though, and email or ticket support if you prefer.

We opened a ticket asking how we could install WordPress on a subdomain. That's not a complicated technical issue, but it's more involved than a simple product question, and gave us a better chance of getting an interesting response.

The reply arrived only 17 minutes later, just about as speedy as we could expect for ticket support. (Who needs live chat, anyway?)

The text used more jargon than we’d like, but was accurate and included all the detail we needed to figure out a solution.

Live chat is also available whenever you need it. We never waited more than a couple of minutes for a response, and agents were just as quick at identifying our issues and coming up with relevant and useful advice.

A web knowledgebase is on hand if you prefer the DIY approach. We'd recommend ignoring the Search box (it does a poor job of finding the best articles), and just browse the categories further down the page. There are hundreds of articles arranged into topics such as hPanel, cPanel, DNS, SSL Certificates and more.

These articles are often short, and not always organized or presented as you'd expect. The site does have plenty of useful advice on carrying out specific tasks, though, even when they're not about Hostinger's own services.

If your domain is managed by another registrar, for instance, most hosting providers don't give you any real advice on how to modify DNS records. But Hostinger has separate articles for managing DNS at Bluehost, GoDaddy, IONOS, Namecheap, HostGator, SiteGround, WordPress.com, DreamHost’s, and many more: 30+ providers in total.

There's clearly work to do here, but Hostinger scores well in most areas, and overall delivers a far better quality of support than most budget providers.

What sort of hosting plans does Hostinger offer?

Hostinger offers affordable shared hosting for small to medium low-traffic sites. VPS hosting and cloud hosting give your website more resources for extra speed, making them suitable for more demanding, business-critical sites. (How demanding? A good VPS can run a WordPress site with hundreds of thousands of visitors a month.)

Hostinger is also one of the few big hosting names to offer pre-configured Minecraft server hosting from under $10 a month.

• Hostinger is also top of our best Minecraft server hosting list

Shared hosting

Shared hosting works just as the name suggests: your site is stored on a web server along with many others, and everyone shares the server costs and resources. It's cheap and relatively easy to use, and although this is the slowest hosting type, shared plans may still be able to handle sites with tens of thousands of visitors a month.

Hostinger's shared hosting starts with the Premium plan. It's well priced at $2.49 a month over four years ($7.99 on renewal, then the standard $11.99 monthly price), and has some welcome features including free SSL, easy WordPress installation and management.

The Business plan comes at an affordable $3.99 a month ($8.99 on renewal, then the standard $13.99 monthly price). There's support for 50 websites and 100 email addresses, a free domain, and unlimited bandwidth are also available with the Premium plan. This plan comes with more (200 GB) and faster (NVMe instead of standard SSD) storage, free CDN for faster loading speeds, daily and on-demand backups, WordPress AI tools that help you create bespoke content and troubleshoot issues, Amazon Affiliate plugin for WordPress, and enhanced DDoS protection, to name a few.

On top of what the Business plan offers, the Cloud Startup plan adds a dedicated IP for increased security and enhanced control, as well as more power (100 PHP workers instead of 60 with the Business plan, 3GB RAM instead of 1.5GB, 1024 IOPS limit instead of 256), up to 2 million files and directories (inodes), and support for up to 100 websites. It starts at $7.99 a month for 48 months and renews at $19.99 a month before switching to the standard $24.99 a month. We recommend Hostinger's cloud hosting plans for WooCommerce users so they can enjoy the performance they expect.

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VPS hosting 

Signing up for VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting gets you a private area in a web server with your own system resources. This automatically gives any VPS a speed advantage over shared hosting, and the more resources your plan includes (CPU time, RAM, storage space) the faster it's likely to be.

Hostinger offers four VPS plans. The first is $13.99 a month for 1 vCPU core, 4GB RAM, and 50GB NVMe storage. The higher end plan is $59.99 a month for 8 vCPU cores, 32 GB RAM, and 400GB NMVe storage. All these plans are on offer at a discount when you purchase plans of long durations. For example, the basic plan is $4.99 a month instead of $13.99 if you get a 24-month subscription.

The range is fair value, but it won't work for everyone. One reason Hostinger's prices are low is that their VPS plans are unmanaged. That means Hostinger doesn't monitor the operating system, set up the firewall, install security patches or do anything similar: you're left to manage the server's system software yourself. That's manageable for experts, but if you're not one, Hostinger has over 60 one-click templates, so clients can install top control panels and applications with ease. Also, VPS AI Assistant provides answers and guidance for VPS clients.

All VPS plans have 1000 Mb/s network speed which facilitates high-performing websites, smooth streaming, and fast data transfers.

A new feature from Hostinger for VPS servers is Vibe sysadmin. You can create an MCP server that acts as the link between an AI coding assistant and the VPS server. This can help you perform system administration like maintenance and automation more easily.

Cloud hosting

If Hostinger’s shared hosting isn’t powerful enough for your needs, its cloud hosting packages might help. They come with up to 20x more resources and come with a dedicated IP address, ensuring fast performance, great stability, and maximum security. But they’re also just as easy to use as the shared range.

There are three cloud hosting plans available: Cloud Startup, Cloud Professional, and Cloud Enterprise. They all offer unlimited bandwidth, free SSL, a free domain, daily backups and a dedicated IP address, and can host up to 300 websites on the same account.

The Cloud Startup plan includes 100GB of NVMe storage, 4GB of RAM, and 2 CPU cores for $27.99 billed monthly or $7.99 for a 48-month subscription. Other subscription durations are available too at varying discounts.

The Cloud Professional plan increases these to 200GB storage, 6GB RAM and 4 CPU cores, and remains reasonably priced at $47.99 a month (discounts are available for different subscription lengths).

Opting for the Cloud Enterprise plan gets you 300GB storage, 12GB RAM ,and 6 CPU cores for $69.99 a month or $29.99 for four years. The major difference between the Cloud Enterprise plan and the Cloud Professional plan is that Enterprise is more suitable for larger eCommerce businesses.

Horizons

Hostinger Horizons is like a website builder but for web applications. If you can imagine it, you can build it. I've built various things with it, including a chess learning app.

You interact with it using natural language, meaning that you just write out your instructions in your language (80+ languages supported). Then, Horizons does it's thing in the background and if there are any issues it will tell you about them in your language giving you clear instructions on how to solve them.

The plans start from $6.99 and includes 30 credits (one credit is one message). This is enough for the most basic apps (like a family planner or gamified to do list) but more demanding apps might require an upgrade to one of the higher-level plans that include a free domain and more tokens to iterate on your app.

Reach email marketing

Hostinger Reach is an email marketing tool powered with AI for small businesses, creators, and anyone that wants to grow their audience. It enables you to create and send professional emails quickly and easily, without needing to use a third party.

All you need to do is tell it what email you want to send, such as a product launch or special offer and it will create a professional, mobile-friendly email in seconds. It also suggests a layout for your message – and learns your style settings so you don’t have to start from scratch every time.

It also includes essential tools like analytics, GDPR compliance, and email deliverability features. There’s a free plan available, and you can upgrade as your list grows. It’s a simple way to turn your website into a complete marketing platform.

Does Hostinger have a website builder?

If you don't have a website yet, and WordPress seems a little intimidating, a website builder may be the easiest way to get started. Typically, they'll have a gallery of pre-built website designs you can use to get started. Adding pictures, videos, maps and other page elements is as easy as dragging and dropping, and customizing the content with your own text and photos works much like any editor.

Hostinger has its own website builder, which comes with unmetered traffic, unlimited free SSL certificates, web hosting, up to 50 websites, free domain, free email, ecommerce features, plus more.

We found it to be a simple and straightforward tool that we could use right away. No need to spend an age scrolling through feature lists, comparing plans or wondering what you can afford: just hand over your email address to create an account and you can start building right away. In fact, now you can generate your own, unique website with Hostinger's AI in less than a minute.

The editor is relatively basic, but the online shop’s what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) editor will give you tools to create detailed descriptions with HTML titles.

Hostinger website builder has two plans: Premium Website Builder and Business Website Builder. The entry-level plan costs $2.99 per month for a 12-month period and is a decent website builder for personal use and small sites. But, if you want more, the Business plan costs $3.99 per month for a 12-month period and offers eCommerce features and AI tools to write articles, generate images, and even whole sections for a website.

Does Hostinger provide Minecraft server hosting?

Hostinger Minecraft server hosting price plans (Image credit: Hostinger)

Hostinger offers Minecraft server hosting, even though it's not as obvious as its other hosting options.

Setting up a server isn’t quite as straightforward as Hostinger’s 1-click WordPress installers, but it’s not difficult either. The support site has tutorials on how to get your server running, find and install mods, tweak key settings and change your server type (options include Official, Spigot, CraftBukkit, Paper, Forge and more.)

Plans start with a small-scale 4GB RAM, 1 CPU package for $4.99 a month for a 24-month period, ranging up to $19.99 for a 24-month term, which offers 32 GB RAM, 8 vCPU cores, and 400 GB NVMe storage.

All plans include a malware scanner and a dedicated IP to protect your server from DDoS attacks, while automated backups keep you safe from just about everything else. Its AI assistant -- Kodee -- is a stand out feature as it'll help answer many common questions along the way. It's easily one of the best Minecraft server hosting options for most people.

Can you build a web store with Hostinger?

Hostinger has two options for eCommerce clients: WordPress clients can pick a managed WooCommerce plan, and eCommerce Website Builder is perfect for simple online shops.

As we’ve discussed above, Hostinger Website Builder can create web stores with up to 1000 products, and supports 20+ popular payment types. It’s not very configurable, but it’s easy to use and could be enough to run a simple home business.

The alternative is to sign up with one of Hostinger's other hosting plans, then install a specialist ecommerce platform. WooCommerce is probably the best-known option. It's a hugely capable WordPress plugin, which can be easily installed on any Hostinger plan, and includes all the product cataloging, inventory managing, payment taking and worldwide shipping integrations you need.

This really does give you the power to build a world-class web store, and handle most of it on your own. Hostinger will not only help with the hosting but also provide expert WooCommerce support for managed WooCommerce hosting clients.

Final verdict: Is Hostinger right for you?

Hostinger is really good for complete beginners and very basic websites and the VPS plans are good value. If you’re either a complete beginner or experienced enough to handle your own server through their VPS offering then Hostinger are good for you. Anyone that has enough experience to not need the help with the shared plans won't be getting their value for money and if you are not an expert at VPS then using Hostinger VPS packages might be slightly out of your league.

How we test

Hostinger was tested and reviewed by Lewis Wright who has years of experience in web hosting and infrastructure. He tested the features and usability of the basic shared plan and a VPS plan, assessed the performance, and compared the plans with hosts that offer similar packages.

Meet the authorsHostinger FAQs How big is Hostinger?

Hostinger is an experienced Lithuanian hosting provider with almost 900 employees and more than 2.5 million subscribers around the world.

Datanyze' Web Hosting Market Share report ranks Hostinger in 35th place, used by around 20,000 companies, for 0.45% of the hosting market.

Does Hostinger register domains?

Hostinger isn’t just about web hosting; the company can also help you find and register your perfect domain.

First year prices are reasonable, with .com’s available from $9.99, and some domain names are discounted to $0.99 in the first year (.cloud, .shop and so on).

Renewal prices can be more expensive than some. Shop domains are $0.99 in year one, but $34.99 afterwards, and Porkbun.com renews .shop domains at around $25 a year.

Hostinger domain registration has its plus points, though, including free domain privacy to hide your details from spammers. If you’re after a domain, it’s worth a look.

What payment types does Hostinger support?

Hostinger accepts payment via credit card, PayPal, Google Pay, Alipay and Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies via CoinGate.

Does Hostinger have an uptime guarantee?

Hostinger has an uptime guarantee of 99.9% per month, similar to many other budget hosts.

If Hostinger doesn't hit that target, you can contact the company and request a credit of 5% of your monthly hosting fee.

Capping your compensation at 5% is one of the least generous guarantees around. Other hosts typically give you much more. For example, ScalaHosting promises to credit users with a free month of hosting if its uptime drops below 1% (that's around seven hours and 18 minutes of downtime).

Where are Hostinger's data centers?

Hostinger has data centers in the USA, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Lithuania, Singapore, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia. That's far more than most hosts, and they're also more widely spread (many hosts barely step outside of the USA and Europe).

The advantage of having a lot of data centers is that more users can choose to host sites close to their audience, for the best possible performance. Another advantage is that their in-house content delivery network (CDN) covers all data centers on 4 continents. It automatically caches website’s content across other servers, loading up to 40% faster for end-users and minimizing pressure on the main server.

There's just one potential catch: some plans don't support all the data centers. The Shared, Cloud, and WordPress plans can be hosted in all eleven, but Hostinger's VPS plans can't be hosted in the Netherlands, the UK, Indonesia, and Singapore DCs.

Check the small print of individual plans to find out more, or take a look at Hostinger's 'Where are your servers located?' support document.

What are Hostinger's nameservers?

Before using an existing domain with your web hosting, it may be necessary to point the domain to Hostinger's nameservers.

The hPanel, Shared and Cloud plans use the nameservers ns1.dns-parking.com and ns2.dns-parking.com.

The cPanel nameservers depend on the plan and host a client is using.

How does Hostinger compare to other web hosting service providers?

Hostinger is cheaper than Bluehost, and by comparison, offers roughly the same amount of features in its shared hosting plans. While Hostinger has strong features and pricing, it doesn't have 24/7 telephone support like GoDaddy.

Hostinger also offers its web hosting and website builder services as a combination plan unlike other popular web hosting providers that will make users buy website building services separately.

When comparing Hostinger to popular web hosting solutions from SiteGround, Hostinger's shared plans are not an overall bad choice. It offers the same unlimited bandwidth and storage for the premium plans, an easy hPanel control system, free website migration, free domain for a year, and a better performance with 1.5s average page load time.

How do I cancel a Hostinger product?

Log into Hostinger's hPanel.

Click Hosting in the menu at the top of the screen, then click Manage.

Scroll down and click Deactivate Account.

Choose whether to cancel your hosting account immediately, or when your subscription expires, and click Continue to complete the cancellation process.

Does Hostinger offer refunds?

Hostinger has a 30-day money-back guarantee covering its hosting plans and some other products. These include SSL certificates, often excluded by other hosts.

It's good to see Hostinger's policy covers renewal fees as well as your original purchase, something else we don't see with all hosts.

There's a final bonus in a limited four day warranty for some domain registrations and domain name transfers (see the official Refund Policy for the list.) Sure, four days isn't long, but most hosts don't offer any domain-related refunds at all.

We've also teamed up with Hostinger to offer a full refund for a year's hosting in Amazon vouchers.

Can I build a WordPress site with Hostinger?

Yes. Hostinger have a wide range of tools and optimizations for WordPress. Hostinger has further rolled out several features, including a WordPress Compatibility Checker, which looks for compatibility issues between PHP and WordPress versions, plugins, and themes. Plus, the Hostinger Amazon Affiliate plugin and theme for WordPress help launch an affiliate marketing website much faster and easier.

There is also a new hosting infrastructure for WordPress that makes WordPress hosting 30% faster so in the near future we will need to re-do our speed tests.

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With millions of successful websites and more being launched each day, SEO strategy now requires a solid action plan and a serious budget. RankIQ is an AI-powered SEO tool that can help bloggers and content creators optimize their content for better search engine rankings.

It's a relatively recent entrant in the SEO tool space. But like companies such as MarketMuse and Clearscope, RankIQ uses artificial intelligence to analyze a vast array of data points across the web, including keyword usage, search trends, and competitive content. It's tailored especially for bloggers and content marketers who want to improve their organic traffic without necessarily being SEO experts.

But what sets RankIQ apart from other tools in the SEO industry? Let’s examine its features and benefits to discover what makes it a game-changer.

• Interested in RankIQ? Check out the RankIQ website.

Features

RankIQ's feature set is deliberately narrow in scope, prioritizing depth over breadth in the areas that matter most to bloggers: keyword research, content optimization, and title analysis.

The standout element is the hand-curated Keyword Library, which covers more than 200 blog niches and is maintained by RankIQ's team to surface low-competition, high-traffic keyword opportunities. Unlike keyword tools that require users to start from scratch with a seed keyword, the library gives bloggers a pre-filtered shortlist to work from; a significant time-saver for anyone without a deep background in SEO.

The AI SEO Report and Content Optimizer work in tandem to guide the full content creation process, from outline to final draft. The report identifies the topics and keyword phrases that top-ranking pages are using, while the optimizer scores your content in real-time as you write.

Together, these tools create a guided, repeatable workflow that can meaningfully reduce the time it takes to produce a post that's competitive on Google. The Content Planner adds a layer of editorial organization, allowing bloggers to set monthly goals for new posts and content refreshes.

That said, RankIQ's toolkit is noticeably limited compared to platforms like Semrush or Ahrefs. There's no backlink analysis, technical SEO audit, rank tracking, or site health monitoring. The keyword data is also U.S.-centric, which can frustrate international bloggers working in non-English markets. For users who need a full-service SEO suite, RankIQ will feel incomplete.

But for bloggers whose primary goal is to write content that ranks on Google's first page, the platform's focused approach is a genuine advantage rather than a drawback. There's less to learn, fewer dashboards to manage, and a clearer path from keyword to published post.

How does RankIQ use AI?

At the core of RankIQ's platform is its AI SEO Report, which draws on IBM Watson's artificial intelligence to analyze top-ranking pages for any given keyword and generate a detailed content brief. The report identifies the topics, subtopics, and LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords that Google's ranking algorithm associates with high-quality content in your niche. Rather than asking users to manually comb through competitor articles, the AI condenses that competitive research into a prioritized checklist you can act on immediately.

The Content Optimizer pairs with each SEO Report to provide real-time feedback as you write or revise. It grades your content on a scale from F to A++, dynamically updating as you incorporate recommended keywords and phrases. This creates a straightforward editing loop: draft, optimize, and polish — with a clear benchmark for when your content is competitive enough to publish. It also recommends an ideal word count based on the average length of top-ranking posts for your keyword, removing guesswork from one of the more tedious aspects of content planning.

RankIQ's title analysis tool uses the same AI-driven methodology to evaluate your blog post title, grading it based on keyword inclusion, title length, and patterns observed in high-performing SERP results. This feature is particularly useful for bloggers who want to maximize click-through rates without resorting to keyword stuffing. The tool flags when a title is underoptimized and suggests specific adjustments to push it toward an A or A+ grade.

One of the more practical additions to RankIQ's AI toolkit is its "time to rank" estimator, which predicts how quickly a new post could appear on Google's first page. The system categorizes ranking speed as ultrafast (approximately 3 months), very fast (3–6 months), fast (6–12 months), or average (12+ months), based on factors such as keyword competition, domain authority, and SERP landscape. While no tool can guarantee ranking timelines, this feature helps bloggers prioritize their content calendar based on realistic expectations rather than wishful thinking.

Installation, setup, and compatibility

Getting started with RankIQ is a pretty low-friction experience. The platform is entirely cloud-based, meaning there's no software to download or install. You only need a web browser and an internet connection. Once you've signed up and chosen a plan, access to the full toolset is immediate.

RankIQ's onboarding is handled through a 20-minute walkthrough video produced by founder Brandon Gaille, which covers the platform's core workflow: selecting a keyword from the library, running an SEO report, reviewing the AI-generated content brief, and optimizing your draft using the Content Optimizer.

The video-first approach suits RankIQ's target audience of bloggers, who may not have prior experience with dedicated SEO tools. There's also an active Facebook community where subscribers can ask questions and share results.

The platform integrates with Google Search Console, which allows you to pull in performance data for your existing posts and identify underperforming content worth optimizing. Beyond that, RankIQ's integrations are intentionally minimal — there is no API and the tool doesn't connect natively with CMS platforms like WordPress.

If your workflow relies on integrations across multiple platforms, this is worth factoring into your decision. That said, the Content Optimizer's built-in editor is functional enough to write and optimize content directly within RankIQ, especially if you prefer a focused, distraction-free environment.

Plans and pricing

(Image credit: RankIQ)

Plan

Starting rate (paid monthly)

Blogger

$49/month

Pro

$99/month

Agency

$199/month

Enterprise

Custom pricing

RankIQ keeps its pricing structure simple and blogger-friendly. There are four tiers in total, ranging from the entry-level Blogger plan to a custom Enterprise option for larger organizations. Unlike many SEO tools, RankIQ does not currently offer an annual billing discount — all plans are billed monthly. There is no free trial, though the Blogger plan is frequently promoted at a 50% introductory discount.

The Blogger plan includes up to 16 SEO reports per month along with full access to the keyword library and content optimizer. The Pro plan steps that up with additional reports, while the Agency plan is designed for teams managing multiple sites, offering 80 monthly reports. Enterprise pricing is customized on request and can scale to 2,000 monthly reports for large-scale content operations.

Final verdict

RankIQ is one of the best solutions for analyzing SEO content. Its AI-powered content optimizer provides clear and specific guidance to writers on how to optimize their content for SEO. This can be particularly useful for those new to SEO or wanting to streamline their content creation process.

In addition, it offers an excellent keyword discovery component that provides users with a list of high-traffic, low-competition keywords specifically tailored to their niche. RankIQ is also intuitive and easy to use, even for those who are not technically savvy. Plus, it is much more affordable than many competitors, making it accessible to bloggers, freelancers, and small businesses.

However, there are some downsides to using RankIQ. The service is primarily designed for bloggers and smaller websites, not larger enterprises. This lack of scalability could be an issue for rapidly growing businesses. Additionally, RankIQ's SEO tools are more basic and may not be suitable for larger enterprises that need advanced features.

The service also doesn't integrate with other digital marketing tools, which could be problematic for users who require such integrations. Finally, RankIQ does not provide a free trial, which could disadvantage those who want to test the tool before committing to a subscription.

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