Buying Guides
What to buy for hosting, backups, VPNs, email and more, with prices checked on official pages.
16 articles
Black Friday is November 27 and Cyber Monday November 30, but Target, Best Buy and Walmart start early. Key dates, what to buy, and how to tell a real tech deal.
Bitwarden doubled its price and is still the best deal. Here's how it compares with 1Password, Proton Pass and the free one already on your phone.
Backblaze, IDrive, iCloud and Google One compared. Real backup vs cloud sync, prices per computer and which service fits a family or small office.
Thinkific, Teachable, Podia and Kajabi compared on monthly price and transaction fees, the number that quietly eats your course income.
Hostinger, SiteGround and Bluehost compared on what you'll really pay after the intro deal, plus when you don't need paid hosting at all.
Notion, OneNote, Obsidian, Apple Notes and GoodNotes compared for lectures, revision and group projects, including how to get Notion Plus free.
VPN ads promise total security. The truth is narrower. Here's when a VPN helps, when it doesn't, and two trustworthy options, including a real free one.
Where to buy a domain without surprise renewal prices or paid privacy. A comparison of the cheapest honest registrars, plus the ones to avoid.
Proton VPN's free plan has no ads and no data cap, which is rare. Is it really safe, does it work with Netflix, and when should you upgrade?
Wix, Squarespace, WordPress.com and Framer compared for cafés, freelancers and local shops: real prices, what each does best and what to avoid.
Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll and other options compared for small US businesses: what payroll software does, what it costs per employee and how to choose.
Macs have strong built-in protection, but they're not immune. What macOS already does, the real threats Mac users face, and when extra software is worth it.
The antivirus built into Windows scores well in independent tests and costs nothing. Here's when it's enough, and the few cases where you might want more.
Invoicing, scheduling, contracts, project tracking, email marketing and backups, all on free plans. The toolkit to run a freelance business for $0.
Apple Screen Time and Google Family Link are free and surprisingly capable. When a paid app like Qustodio is worth it, and how to set limits kids will accept.
Proton Mail, Tuta and Fastmail compared: what 'encrypted email' really means, what each one costs, and how to switch without losing messages.
