TechRadar Reviews

Shopify is one of the most dominant ecommerce platforms globally, powering millions of online stores. The platform has evolved significantly in 2026 with its AI design tools and a revamped pricing structure.

We rigorously test the best ecommerce platforms across many criteria. All together, our reviewers have hands-on experience with more than 80 of the best website builders.

Read my full Shopify review to see why I still rate it as the best website builder for online stores.

Shopify pricing and plans

Shopify's pricing strikes me as reasonable for what you get, though the value proposition varies significantly across tiers. I appreciate the 25% discount when paying annually, but the jump between plans feels steep. Transaction fees on third-party payment processors can also eat into margins, especially on the lower tiers.

Plan

$/mo (paid monthly)

$/mo (paid annually)

Basic

$39

$29

Grow

$105

$79

Advanced

$399

$299

Plus

$2,300+

$2,300+

Pricing last verified: 13/02/2026

Shopify plans: Explained

Best for solo entrepreneurs
Starting at: $29/mo

The Basic plan gives you everything needed to launch your first store . You get 10 inventory locations, 24/7 chat support, and up to 77% shipping discounts .

However, you won't get any staff accounts, which surprised me.​View Deal

Best for small teams
Starting at: $79/mo

I found the Grow plan offers the sweet spot for growing businesses. You get 5 staff accounts, better transaction rates (2.7% + 30¢), and enhanced shipping discounts up to 88%.

The lower transaction fees on third-party processors (1% vs 2%) make a real difference.​View Deal

Best for scaling operations
Starting at $299/mo

The Advanced plan targets businesses hitting capacity limits on Grow. You get 15 staff accounts, 10x checkout capacity, and third-party calculated shipping rates.

The price jump feels justified only when you're consistently bumping against Grow's limitations.​View Deal

Best for enterprise businesses
Starting at $2,300+/mo

Shopify Plus starts at $2,300/month on a 3-year commitment . You get 200 inventory locations, unlimited staff accounts, fully customizable checkout, and B2B capabilities.

I'd only recommend this for businesses exceeding $5 million in monthly revenue.​View Deal

Getting started with Shopify: Reviewer's experience

Step 1: Onboarding

You can pick from an email, Google, Apple, or Facebook login. (Image credit: Shopify)

Creating my Shopify account took less than two minutes. I entered my email, created a password, and chose a store name. This launched a Setup guide that guided me through initial configurations.

It asked about my business goals upfront, which helped tailor subsequent recommendations.​

Step 2: Store dashboard

Shopify's dashboard utilizes plenty of white space, making it simple to navigate. (Image credit: Shopify)

Everything felt logically organized with clear navigation paths in the dashboard. The left sidebar grouped related functions together, with options like Products, Orders, Customers, and Analytics.

I never felt lost during my testing, which speaks volumes about the interface design.​

Step 3: Adding products

Uploading products is a breeze. For bulk uploading you can use a CSV file, saving you a bunch of time. (Image credit: Shopify)

Setting up my first product took about five minutes.

The product creation form included all necessary fields with tooltips explaining each option. I could add multiple images, set inventory levels, and configure variants among other things.

Step 4: Themes, design, and customization

Shopify comes with plenty of free themes, but serious stores may want to opt for a paid theme to get that premium look. These cost in the region of $140 to $500. (Image credit: Shopify)

Choosing and customizing a theme was straightforward because I wasn't looking to build anything fancy. Shopify's Theme Store offers both free and premium options.

I selected the free Horizon theme and launched into the theme editor. It let me rearrange sections, change colors, and upload my logo without touching code.​

Step 5: AI content generator

Shopify's AI helper 'Sidekick' can help you create new pages and content with just a short prompt. (Image credit: Shopify)

Then, I tested the AI layout builder by describing a product page I wanted. Within seconds, Shopify generated a complete layout that I could customize further. The AI content generator helped me draft product descriptions quickly, though the output needed refining.​

Shopify's business tools

Shopify offers the following business tools:

• Point of Sale (POS) system​
• Inventory management and tracking​
• Order processing and fulfilment​
• Payment processing via Shopify Payments​
• Multi-location warehouse management​
• Tax and duty calculator

Shopify's business toolkit is vast yet practical. I found most essentials built right in, but for everything that isn't, you have third-party apps.​

Read more about Shopify's business tools ▼

Point Of Sale (POS) system

Shopify makes it easy to integrate online and in person sales with its POS system. (Image credit: Shopify)

Setting up Shopify POS on an iPad takes about 10 minutes.

According to Shopify, POS sales grew 31% year-over-year globally over the most recent Black Friday, leading to the platform launching a host of new POS features in early 2025.

The interface syncs up with your online inventory, centralizing all data. However, the POS Lite plan feels limited. You don't get detailed reports or staff permissions. POS Pro costs $89/month per location.

Inventory management

Inventory management is crucial to online store success, especially for those with multiple locations or a large volume of products. Shopify's built in inventory management tool can help with this. (Image credit: Shopify)

The inventory system tracks stock across multiple locations in real-time. I could monitor 10 locations on the Basic plan, which seems generous. The interface shows stock levels clearly with color-coded alerts.​

If I sold a product through POS, my online storefront would update instantly. However, advanced forecasting requires either the Stocky app or third-party solutions.​

Order processing and fulfilment

Order processing is straight forward on Shopify, reducing potential stress and saving time on fulfilment. (Image credit: Shopify)

Processing felt snappy throughout my testing. Shopify’s dashboard displays orders chronologically with clear status indicators. I could fulfill orders, print shipping labels, and send tracking info without leaving the platform.​

Shopify's pre-negotiated carrier rates claim it saves up to 77% on shipping. Label printing works smoothly with both desktop and mobile. But carrier-calculated rates at checkout cost extra on Basic.​

One downside to Shopify's order management is the limited ability it offers when it comes to editing orders. For example, if a customer asks to swap products after the order has been placed, change their payment method, or edit a 'fulfilled' order, you cannot. Often this means orders need to be cancelled and placed again, adding unneeded work to often busy online store owners plates.

Shopify Payments

Alongside its own dedicated Shopify Payments option, you can pick from over 100 payment providers, helping you offer customers easier ways to pay. (Image credit: Shopify)

Setting up Shopify Payments took less than five minutes. It supports credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay.

I'd recommend sticking with Shopify Payments unless you have specific needs.​ Transaction fees are competitive: 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic. But using third-party processors adds 2% extra, which quickly eats profits.

Multi-location warehouse management

Businesses with multiple locations can benefit from this dedicated tool, helping better manage stock and reduce friction. (Image credit: Shopify)

I set up three test warehouses and assigned inventory to each.

Shopify automatically routes orders to optimal locations based on proximity.​ Stock transfers between locations happen through a simple interface. However, automated transfer recommendations require third-party apps.

Tax and duty calculator

For online stores managing tax is dull, time consuming, but essential. This tool can take a lot of the leg work, minimizing the time you spend on calculating tax. (Image credit: Shopify)

Shopify's tax calculator now works across all plans. I tested international orders and found the duty calculations accurate. The system displays full costs at checkout, preventing surprise fees for customers.​

One caveat: Shopify charges a 0.5% transaction fee when duties are calculated. You'll also need duty-prepaid labels from third parties to avoid double-charging customers.​

Shopify's marketing tools

Shopify offers the following marketing tools:

• Email marketing via Shopify Email​
• Abandoned cart recovery​
• SEO optimization tools​
• Social media integration​
• Discount and coupon creation​
• Marketing automation with Shopify Flow​
• Analytics and reporting

Shopify's marketing features cover the basics well. I appreciated the email, workflow automation, and SEO tools. But advanced automation requires add-ons, which was a bit disappointing.​

Read more about Shopify's marketing tools ▼

Shopify Email

Built in email marketing can help you re-engage potential customers, bringing them back to your site and driving sales. (Image credit: Shopify)

Shopify Email integrates into your admin panel. I created my first campaign in 15 minutes using pre-built templates. The editor lets you drag product images straight from your catalog.​

You get 10,000 free emails monthly, which helps small businesses. Beyond that, it's $1 per 1,000 emails sent. The segmentation options felt basic compared to Klaviyo, but adequate for simple campaigns.​ ​

Abandoned cart recovery

Abandoned carts offer a prime opportunity to close a sale. (Image credit: Shopify)

Abandoned cart emails work automatically once enabled.

I set mine to send 10 hours after checkout abandonment. The system includes the cart contents and a direct checkout link.​ Setup took less than five minutes. I also liked how Shopify checks for email consent before sending to avoid compliance issues.

SEO tools

Optimizing your site and product pages for search engines is essential in helping customers find you, but can also take up a lot of time. Shopify's built in SEO tools can help speed this process up. (Image credit: Shopify)

The built-in SEO features cover fundamentals well. I could edit meta titles, descriptions, and URLs for each product. It also generates a sitemap automatically and submits it to Google.​

However, I noticed some limitations during testing. URL structures aren't fully customizable, which bothered me. Duplicate content issues can occur with product variants.​ Blog functionality also feels basic. Advanced SEO work requires apps like Booster SEO or TinyIMG.​

Social media integration

Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram help you sell your products in spaces where your customers are already active. Shopify lets you easily sell via these on one central platform. (Image credit: Shopify)

Connecting Facebook and Instagram took about three minutes. I synced my product catalog and created shoppable posts directly from Shopify.

Orders from social platforms flow into the same dashboard as web orders.​ The integration supports TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube Shopping too. But what I missed was native social media scheduling.

Discount and coupon creation

Discounts and coupons can drastically increase sales. However, monitoring and managing them can be tricky. This is where Shopify's dedicated discount tool comes in handy. (Image credit: Shopify)

Creating discounts felt straightforward throughout my testing. I set up percentage discounts, fixed amounts, free shipping, and buy-one-get-one offers. The interface also lets you set start/end dates and usage limits.​

You can also create unique codes for specific customers or campaigns. But advanced features like tiered discounts require apps. The native system handles basics well but won't satisfy complex promotional strategies.​

Shopify Flow

Shopify Flow takes some time to set up and master, but can automate many repetitive tasks, saving considerable resources in the long run. (Image credit: Shopify)

Shopify Flow was a pleasant surprise for a native automation tool.

I created workflows that trigger based on inventory levels, customer tags, and order values. I set up a workflow that notified me via Slack when inventory dropped below 20 units. It then automatically drafted a purchase order and offered to email my supplier. However, mastering it requires time.

Analytics and reporting

Shopify's analytics give excellent insight into what is and isn't working. Use the data here to shape your strategy for products, marketing, and website improvements. (Image credit: Shopify)

The analytics dashboard provides a clear sales overview.

I could track revenue, traffic sources, and customer behavior at a glance. The real-time data updates helped me make quick decisions during testing.​ Basic reporting felt adequate, but advanced reports like customer cohorts and forecasting lock behind higher tiers.

Reviewer's experience: Shopify support

Shopify support is comprehensive, but can be a little slow. Our testing found support agents to be knowledgeable enough to answer basic questions, although help for more advanced issues needed to be escalated. (Image credit: Shopify)

Shopify offers 24/7 support via live chat across all plans. Phone support is reserved for Shopify Plus customers. Email responses typically take 2-4 days.​

I tested the live chat during my review. The initial wait time was about 14 minutes, despite a 5-minute estimate. Once connected, the agent was polite and helpful, though responses felt somewhat scripted. They resolved my basic question about inventory management but couldn't address a more technical theme-related issue without escalation.​

That said, user opinion on support is decidedly mixed.

On Capterra, Shopify scores 4.5/5 from over 6,500 reviews, with many praising ease of use. G2 shows a similar 4.4/5 rating from nearly 4,500 business users. However, Trustpilot tells a different story with a 1.3/5 rating from over 4,000 reviews.

Common complaints include billing disputes, payment holds, and difficulty reaching knowledgeable support staff. Reddit users frequently mention that support quality has declined, with offshore teams providing inconsistent answers and reluctance to escalate issues.​

Test results: Shopify

Attribute

Notes

Rating

Value for money

Solid pricing for what you get, but app costs add up quickly. Third-party payment fees hurt margins. Similar entry-level price to other website builder ecommerce plans.

★★★★☆

Ease of use

Intuitive dashboard and setup process. Minimal learning curve for beginners.

★★★★★

Design

Professional themes with decent customization. Limited free options require premium purchases.

★★★★☆

Business tools

Comprehensive POS, inventory, and payment systems. Advanced features need higher plans.

★★★★☆

Marketing tools

Covers basics well but lacks depth. Advanced automation requires third-party solutions.

★★★☆☆

Support

24/7 chat available, but wait times vary. Quality inconsistent based on user feedback.

★★★☆☆

Competitor comparison: Shopify

Below we show you how Shopify compares to BigCommerce and Wix, two of its closest competitors:

Platform

Best for

Our overall rating

Free plan

Paid plans start at

Ease of use

Support

Shopify

Growing online stores

★★★★☆

Trial only

$29.00 USD/month

★★★★☆

Live chat, email, community

BigCommerce

Large product catalogs

★★★★☆

Trial only

$29.00 USD/month

★★★★☆

Live chat, phone, email

Wix

Beginners and hobbyists

★★★★½

Yes

$17.00 USD/month

★★★★★

Live chat, phone, tickets

You can read our Shopify vs BigCommerce comparison to learn more about how the two stack up. To see how it compares to Wix you can check out our Wix vs Shopify guide.

Other options can also be found in our guide to Shopify alternatives.

How we tested Shopify

I built multiple test stores on Shopify to evaluate every aspect of the platform. My hands-on testing covered setup speed, design flexibility, business tools, marketing capabilities, and support quality. I assessed how well Shopify performs for different user types, from solo entrepreneurs to scaling businesses.​

At TechRadar, we conduct thorough, real-world testing of every website builder we review. We build actual websites, test features extensively, and compare our findings against marketing claims.

You can read our full guide to how we test website builders to learn more.

Shopify review: FAQsIs Shopify good for beginners?

Yes, Shopify is accessible for beginners, though simpler platforms exist.

You get an intuitive dashboard, guided setup wizard, and drag-and-drop design tools. You don't need coding knowledge to launch a professional store. AI-powered features help generate layouts and content quickly.

However, costs can escalate as you add apps and upgrade plans.​

How much does Shopify really cost?

Shopify starts at $29/month when paid annually. However, total costs vary significantly based on your needs.

You'll face transaction fees (2.7% + 30¢ on Basic), app subscriptions, and potentially theme purchases. Third-party payment processors add extra 2% fees. Budget $50-150/month realistically for a functional store with essential apps.​

Can I sell on Shopify without inventory?

Yes, Shopify supports dropshipping and print-on-demand business models.

You can connect with suppliers through apps like DSers, Printful, or Spocket. Digital product sales work seamlessly too.

The platform handles order routing to suppliers automatically. This eliminates upfront inventory costs and storage concerns.​

Does Shopify take a percentage of sales?

Yes, if you use third-party payment processors, Shopify charges 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, and 0.6% on Advanced.

Using Shopify Payments eliminates these fees. Standard credit card rates apply: 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, 2.7% + 30¢ on Grow, and 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced. The duty calculator adds 0.5% when calculating international taxes.​

What are Shopify's biggest limitations?

Shopify's main limitations include limited free themes, restrictive URL structures, and plan-locked features. Basic plans restrict staff accounts severely. Advanced customization requires liquid coding knowledge.

Transaction fees on third-party processors hurt margins. App costs accumulate quickly, inflating monthly expenses beyond base subscription rates.​

Is Shopify good for agencies?

Yes, Shopify is one of the best website builders for agencies.

Its robust ecommerce platform offers a wide range of features and customization options, making it suitable for building and managing online stores for clients. Additionally, Shopify's partner program provides agencies with resources and tools to streamline client management and boost their businesses.

Editor's note

Hostinger recently announced that the Zyro website builder is now fully integrated with Hostinger. This integration sees Zyro's user-friendly website building tools and features combined with Hostinger's leading web hosting solutions.

Although all sales and services of Zyro are now discontinued, Zyro clients can continue to manage, edit, and grow their site with the Hostinger website builder.

Hostinger Website Builder is a strong cloud-hosted no-code platform for those looking for an affordable website creation tool.

After testing it against many competitors in our best website builder guide, we found it to be a great value, offering an all-in-one solution similar to Wix or Squarespace, but at a more affordable monthly price.

Plans start at just $2.99/mo (intro rate), well below the entry points of most competing solutions.

We have spent thousands of hours testing over 140 website building platforms, giving us insight into how each platform stacks up against the rest of the market. While Hostinger doesn't fully match the feature set of Wix — our top pick for 2026, it still provides an impressive range of tools at a lower cost.

Read our full Hostinger Website Builder review below to find out how its beginner-friendly UI, AI-driven website creation, and strong ecommerce features make it ideal for both businesses and freelancers. We especially liked the unlimited web pages, free domain registration, and SSL certificates included with all plans, offering great value for budget-conscious users.

Hostinger Website Builder: 2-minute review

Our testing of Hostinger Website Builder shows it is a strong yet affordable choice. The platform stands out with its drag-and-drop editor and AI tools, making it easy for beginners. Plans start at just $2.49/month with our exclusive discount code. This offers great value compared to other website builders.

Hostinger Website Builder is included in all Hostinger web hosting plans, which also include a free domain for a year, 100 email addresses, and SSL certificates for user safety. You can also purchase it as a standalone for $2.99-$3.99 per month.

We found the platform ideal for small businesses, freelancers, and personal sites. It offers over 170 responsive templates across various categories, making it simple to create professional-looking sites fast. While it may not have the extensive features of premium competitors like Wix, Hostinger provides impressive capabilities at a lower cost.

However, there are some limitations. There’s no free plan to test, and you can’t switch templates without starting over. The platform lacks an app marketplace for extra functionality, and many advanced AI tools are only available in the higher-tier plan.

What is Hostinger Website Builder?

Hostinger Website Builder is a user-friendly tool. It allows you to create websites without coding or design skills. Think of it as digital building blocks that you can drag and drop. Unlike complex platforms, Hostinger's builder focuses on simplicity. It uses customizable templates as starting points for your site.

The builder has two main toolbars. They contain everything needed to design and manage your website. You can easily add text, images, buttons, and other elements with simple clicks. For a quicker start, Hostinger offers an AI option. It can generate a website for you in just 2-3 minutes based on your preferences.

What makes Hostinger great for beginners is that it includes everything in one package. You get website building tools, hosting, and even a free domain name. This all-in-one approach removes the technical challenges of connecting different services. Plus, the editor works smoothly on mobile devices. You can update your site from anywhere.

Features

(Image credit: Hostinger Website Builder)

Hostinger Website Builder is a terrific tool for creating personal blogs, professional sites, and online stores without special technical skills. The core of the process is choosing a template and customizing it until you like it. Thanks to Hostinger’s easy-to-use editor this will be an easygoing experience. However, there’s one catch with this - once you choose a template, you can’t switch it without starting all over, and doing this more than once can become awfully annoying awfully quick.

The site builder profits from a clear interface, intuitive layout, and drag-and-drop functionality. The UI is minimalistic, the core options on the left menu are almost self-explanatory, and adding new elements is easy. There are almost no restraints on how can one move content elements around.

Also, its automatically responsive web design can adjust to any screen and look beautiful to boot - computers, tablets, and smartphones alike.

As for ready-made templates, there is a decent amount of them and they are designed to fit different types of sites - online stores, art portfolios, all sorts of blogs, and so on. And if none of them is what you wanted for your site, you can adjust colors, change fonts, and move elements around. Plus, Hostinger provides a royalty-free image library you can browse and borrow any image that catches your eye.

Like with other Hostinger products, its site builder works as an all-in-one sort of solution for creating sites. So, in addition to the site builder and all its tools, the package also includes a domain name registration and a web hosting service with unmetered traffic, and a free SSL certificate. Plus, you can create up to 100 sites and up to 100 domain-based email accounts, if you wish to do so.

If you’re interested in e-commerce features, you’ll be glad to hear that (with the 'Business Website Builder' plan) Hostinger site builder covers all essentials including the ability to accept 20+ payments methods and offering 0% transaction fees.

Tools

(Image credit: Hostinger Website Builder)

Since we’ve pretty much covered standard site-building tools (as well as e-commerce tools) in the previous chapter, we’ll now check out the awesome AI-powered tools this builder has to offer.

Hostinger's advanced AI tools makes it one of the best small business website builders — making it quick and easy for those with little time and budget to get their business online.

If you’re eager to create more content for your site, but don’t have enough time for that, you can employ Hostinger’s AI Writer to do the writing for you. To get things started, choose one of the top-level topics (such as “small business”) and then select a topic-specific category (let’s say gaming). Then, choose what part of your site the AI will be creating this piece of writing for (something like the “About” page), and hit the “Generate” button.

While the AI’s scope currently seems somewhat limited, the paragraph you’ll get will be surpassingly readable - and it will save you the time you could spend on something more critical. Plus, AI Writer is now multilingual, which is excellent news for all non-English speakers out there.

Another interesting AI-powered tool is AI Heatmap and it should help you find out what images will your visitors focus on, even before your site is finished. Moreover, it tries to predict in which way the visitors will navigate around your site and what will attract their attention the most. Then, you can organize the elements of your site in a way it attracts the most visitors and maximizes conversion.

Hostinger has also integrated AI in some smart ways to help online sellers. For example, you can use AI to automatically remove the background from images, making it easier than ever to create professional looking product images. You can also use AI to do bulk product uploads from CSV, drastically cutting the time it takes to get new products online.

Other noteworthy tools from Hostinger’s bag of tricks include Logo Maker (as suggested, it creates catchy logos), Site Analytics (it will get you an insight into who visits your site), PageSpeed Insights (a way to test your site’s speed performance), Business Name Generator (it’s self-explanatory), and Slogan Generator (also, self-explanatory).

Hostinger Reach: Email marketing tool

Last year, Hostinger launched Reach, its dedicated email marketing tool. Built for small businesses and creators, Reach leverages AI to turn your descriptions into a professional, mobile-friendly email to send to your marketing lists. It also includes analytics, GDPR compliance, and email deliverability features. It's free to use, but you'll need to upgrade as your list grows.

Hostinger Horizons: Vibe coding

Those looking to build an interactive website or web app should also check out Hostinger's dedicated vibe coding tool, Horizons.

Hostinger Horizons allows freelancers, solopreneurs, and business owners to launch complex projects without needing to write a single line of code. Simply explain what you want to build using natural language and let Horizons do the coding for you.

The platform integrates seamlessly with payment processors such as Stripe. It also keeps everything, including hosting, domains, and professional email, under one roof, removing friction.

User reviews

(Image credit: Hostinger Website Builder)

Since its launch in October 2022, Hostinger’s website builder has attracted a modest user base, many of whom have shared their observations and opinions about the product on popular review sites. Some of the sites we’ve closely checked include Trustpilot, HostAdvice, Reviews.io, and TrustRadius.

Since most user reviews are focused on web hosting services, though, we had to get our hands dirty digging through these reviews to find what users think about the new site builder.

Hostinger boasts a 4.7/5 rating on Trustpilot, 4.6/5 on HostAdvice, and 4.7/5 on WPBeginner. But these don't all reflect customer perception of their website builder, since it also includes their hosting services. So we’ve checked the latest user reviews that bring up Hostinger Website Builder to see how it holds up.

On Trustpilot, users have criticized the process of transferring their sites to the new site builder as it was slow, required users to rebuild their sites, and had to wait for a day before the sites appeared on the internet. However, most users found the site builder simple to use, swift, and of big help.

User reviews on HostAdvice paint a similar picture by calling Hostinger Website Builder useful but somewhat slow and lacking in more complex editing options. On Reviews.io no one pointed out the site builder, but the rating of Hostinger’s overall service was a rock-solid 4.4/5.

TrustRadius rated Hostinger with 7.4 out of 10, which is uncharacteristically low compared to other platforms.

But user reviews suggest that most users are pleased with Hostinger’s new website builder overall. Complaints were mostly directed towards its speed and lack of more complex image editing options — but that’s it.

Ease of use

(Image credit: Hostinger Website Builder)

The short answer is yes, it is. However, Hostinger Website Builder is not only easy to use but it’s one of the most beginner-friendly site-building tools out there. After all, it was created to address the needs of less tech-savvy Hostinger users.

Building a site with WordPress calls for some technical know-how (or tons of tutorials).

Even if you’re an experienced professional user, a beginner-friendly site builder can help your less-experienced teammates get used to the new tool and speed up the workflow.

The site builder’s drag-and-drop, grid-based editor will make adding text, images, videos, maps, contact forms, and other elements to your site effortless. There’s also an icon that lets you clone the whole section, which can significantly speed up things. And if your site doesn’t turn out exactly as expected, there’s an easy-to-spot “Undo” icon that’ll return your site to its prior state.

And if by a stroke of bad luck, a thunderstorm causes a power outage or you turn off your computer by accident, thanks to Hostinger’s autosaving functionality you won’t lose your cherished content - and this autosaving is activated every couple of seconds.

As mentioned above, Hostinger offers a royalty-free image library, so you can stop worrying about where you’ll find fitting images for your site. While only one image can be uploaded at a time, all of them will be saved in your image library from where you can choose the ones to use, edit, or delete.

To tell the truth, we weren’t exactly impressed with the site builder’s edition options. While the site builder offers more image edition options than the old one, it still isn’t much. You can add/remove backgrounds, resize, crop, and upscale an image, and that's about it.

So, our only complaint about Hostinger Website Builder is that its image editor is a bit too basic. Even so, this tool is probably as user-friendly as one can get.

Pricing

(Image credit: Hostinger Website Builder)

Plan

Introductory offer (48 months)

With our exclusive promo code*

Renewal rate

Premium

$2.99/mo

$2.69/mo

$11.99

Business

$3.99/mo

$3.59/mo

$13.99

* You can use the code TECHRADAR at checkout to save 10% off on top of the introductory rate. You can also check out our Hostinger promo codes to find more deals.

Pricing and plans explained

Hostinger Website Builder comes in two package options, making it simple to find a plan that works for you.

Premium Website Builder offers you everything you need to build one website with up to five pages, including an AI website builder, plenty of templates, and a free domain for one year. It starts at $2.99/mo for a 4-year sign-up, but increases to $11.99/mo after that.

More serious users will need the Business Website Builder plan. This unlocks unlimited pages and up to 50 websites, as well as ecommerce features and a bunch of helpful AI tools. This plan starts at $3.99/mo for a 4-year sign-up, then jumps to $13.99/mo after that.

All Hostinger’s web hosting and website builder plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, which means you can try out everything before making a long-term commitment. Hostinger also offers 3 months for free when purchasing 48-month plans. There is no free-forever plan.

As for payment methods, Hostinger accepts all major credit/debit cards, PayPal, Google Pay, AliPay, and Coingate.

So, does Hostinger Website Builder provide good value for money? Yes, particularly if you subscribe for a longer period.

Security

(Image credit: Hostinger Website Builder)

With cybercrime on the rise, site owners need to stay very vigilant to keep their sites on the safe side of the internet. A smart place to start is to make sure your service provider is equipped with all the security tools you’ll need to shield your site and its visitors from all sorts of threats. Fortunately for all Hostinger customers, the company takes the security of its products and services very seriously.

For starters, Hostinger provides a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate with all its plans, which adds another layer of security to all data being shared through your site.

With Hostinger you can set up Cloudflare which will conceal all server IP addresses and shield your site against distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

All Hostinger’s plans come with weekly backups, which means you can turn back time in case you mess up your site or something goes wrong. If automatic weekly backups aren’t enough for you, you can always go with a business-focused plan and get daily backups instead.

Also, Hostinger supports two-factor authentication (2FA), so you can be sure all your logins are done by you. So, even if someone steals your login credentials, they won’t be able to access your Hostinger account.

Instead of a conclusion, we’ll also add that Hostinger guarantees 99.9% uptime with all its web hosting services, and this is the available uptime per month. If your site suffers more downtime than this, you can contact the customer support staff and request a credit of 5% off your monthly hosting fee for that month.

All in all, Hostinger Website Builder seems like a solid choice in terms of security.

Customer support

(Image credit: Hostinger Website Builder)

With all Hostinger's plans (website builder & web hosting included), customers can rely on round-the-clock live chat, e-mail, and ticket support. However, a telephone line is not available at this time.

Live chat support is probably your best bet out of the direct support channels and you shouldn’t wait for more than a couple of minutes before getting a reply from a support agent.

All do-it-yourself types of users will be thankful for Hostinger's well-supplied Help Center. There, you’ll find both the basic, beginner-oriented web hosting and site-building stuff and tips on mastering marketing and boosting your business strategy. Most how-tos are written in a simple-to-understand way and feature fitting screenshots to boot - so, getting lost is not an option.

However, we suggest browsing through the categories rather than utilizing the search box since it’s astonishingly awful at finding the right articles - strange, it’s usually the other way around.

All things considered, Hostinger hits the marks in all areas when it comes to customer support and it offers more options than most budget-friendly providers.

Alternatives

As a website builder, Hostinger stands out mainly as an affordable and easy-to-use option. It offers good value without confusing users with complex features. We believe it would work best for individuals, freelancers, and small businesses who need a professional-looking website without high costs or a steep learning curve. The platform shines for those creating simple business sites, portfolios, or small online stores with up to 500 products.

Wix is the market leader and our top choice for 2026. It provides more advanced features and design flexibility than Hostinger, but at a much higher price. WordPress offers greater customization and scalability for larger sites, but it can be daunting for beginners. For those focused on ecommerce, Shopify offers specialized selling tools, though at premium prices.

When comparing hosting services that provide website builders, Hostinger competes with Bluehost in the WordPress hosting market. Hostinger has captured a large market share (58.95%) in this area, making it a value leader. For users who want affordability without losing essential features, Hostinger Website Builder is an excellent starting point for building an online presence without the technical challenges of more complex platforms.

Hostinger AI WordPress website builder

Hostinger offers a slightly different version of its website builder for those looking to build their site on the WordPress CMS. Put simply, the Hostinger AI WordPress Website Builder allows users to build a full website template, complete with text and images that will be hosted by Hostinger, but managed via WordPress.

(Image credit: Hostinger)

You start the journey by telling the AI website builder a little about the site you are looking to build, including your brand name, website type, and a description of the website you are looking to create. The website builder then takes that information and uses it to create a website for you.

Of course, like with all AI website builders, you will need to do at least some editing to make your site worthy of representing your brand online, but it does give you a great starting place.

This is a great alternative to WordPress’s built in website builder, Gutenberg. We did a full comparison of the two platforms in our Hostinger AI WordPress website builder vs WordPress.com guide.

Hostinger website builder review: Summary

Hostinger Website Builder is an AI-powered, all-in-one sort of solution aimed at newcomers and less experienced users that plan to create a personal blog, a pretty-looking portfolio, or a small online store.

The templates are beautiful yet simple, the editor is easy to use (but a bit too basic), and the price tag is pretty pocket-friendly. Plus, a free SSL certificate, royalty-free image library, ecommerce features, AI tools, and 24/7 live chat support will only sweeten the deal. It’s one of the best beginner-friendly options out there.

Hostinger Website Builder review: FAQsDoes Hostinger have a free website builder?

While Hostinger provides a free Hostinger Website Builder with all its web hosting plans (even the cheapest one), there isn’t a free edition of this product - nor a free trial for that matter. Besides this, there is a one-and-only site builder plan and it is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Is Hostinger website builder secure?

Yes, Hostinger is considered one of the most secure website builders on the market.

All Hostinger sites come with a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate. The platform also allows you to set up Cloudflare, which can conceal all server IP addresses and protect you against DDoS attaches.

All plans also come with weekly backups, making it easy to jump back in time if anything goes wrong with your site. Alternatively, if you upgrade your plan you can get access to daily backups.

Can I migrate my website to Hostinger’s website builder?

Hostinger website builder offers a tool that allows you to migrate websites directly into its platform. This can be incredibly helpful, but only if you have the original files. However, in many circumstances you will not be able to access what you need to complete a seamless migration.

Other website builders such as Wix and Squarespace will not typically allow you to download your website files, making it impossible to then upload those files onto Hostinger’s website builder.

When our Website Builder Editor, Owain Williams, moved his website from Wix to Hostinger he had to build his site from scratch.

Which is best: Hostinger vs Zyro?

Hostinger Website Builder is an upgraded, feature-rich, AI-powered, rookie-oriented version of Zyro, so we think it’s an improved edition of the site builder. If you were a fan of Zyro, you’ll probably like it as much under the new name.

What payment type does Hostinger Website Builder support?

The online payments platform you can utilize in your online store with Hostinger Website Builder is Stripe and it supports several payment methods. These include all major credit/debit cards (including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express), Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, Afterpay/Clearpay, Bancontact, BLIK, and the list goes on.

We should note that the only payment method available by default is bank cards, while the other methods will have to be enabled. They’re all integrated though.

Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i: One-minute review

The Wharfedale Diamond 12i standmount speakers are the latest in the line of 'Diamond' speakers that has, one way and another, been around since 1982. The most recent (and wildly acclaimed) series, the Diamond 12, launched back in 2020 – so it’s about time the Diamond 12i range made an appearance.

(Obviously not everyone loves a ‘13’ name, and Wharfedale is open enough to acknowledge that this new range of loudspeakers is not a ground-up redesign of the range it’s replacing - so ‘12i’ it is.)

The Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i tested here is a two-way bookshelf (or, more accurately, standmount – I'll come back to this) design that sells for the same £249 that the outgoing Diamond 12.1 launched at – which does, of course, mean it’s less expensive in real terms. It's not a situation that occurs all that often with the sort of hi-fi equipment I deal with. In the US, the new model costs $499, and in Australia it's AU$699.

But if you think Wharfedale has cut corners to get the Diamond 12.1i to market at this very aggressive price, think again. Build quality is more than acceptable. The trio of available finishes look (and even feel) good. Best of all, though, is the way the Diamond 12.1i sound. They’re perfectly OK at lower volumes – but let them loose even just a little and they really come to life, combining insight, balanced, dynamic potency and simple entertainment to periodically thrilling effect.

The specification (with highlights including a 25mm woven polyester tweeter, a 130mm mid/bass driver made from mica-enhanced polypropylene, a carefully tuned rear-facing bass reflex port, and some very judicious cabinet bracing), results in a speaker that’s easy to drive and has a frequency response of 65Hz - 20kHz.

The front baffle of each Wharfedale features the tweeter positioned behind a minimal waveguide – the idea is to expose the driver as much as possible in an effort to achieve wide dispersion. Below here is the 130mm ‘Klarity’ mid/bass driver, backed by a substantial magnet with an aluminum compensation ring, with a voice coil that’s wound on a glass-fibre/epoxy resin bobbin.

The crossover between the two drivers is positioned at a sensible 2.6kHz, and is performed by a Linkwitz-Riley network featuring air-core inductors – it has been specified with minimal phase-shift and smooth integration in mind.

Wharfedale’s description of the Diamond 12.1i as a ‘bookshelf’ speaker is, I think, just a little bit naughty. Yes, you may have a bookshelf big enough to accommodate the cabinet’s 250mm depth (which rises to 280mm once you include the speaker binding posts, and more if your speaker cable is terminated with plugs) – but when you factor in the breathing space the rear-facing reflex port needs, even the deepest shelf is unlikely offer the breathing space the Wharfedale require. Let’s just go with ‘standmount’ and leave it at that, shall we?

At 312 x 180 x 250(ish)mm (HxWxD) the Diamond 12.1i are tidily proportioned for standmounts, and the standard of build and finish is more than good enough to justify the asking price. Both of the available colors (‘deep’ black and ‘stone’ grey) are in a kind of semi-matt finish that looks nice (to me, at least), isn’t all that reflective and is actually slightly soft to the touch. Your other option is ‘classic’ walnut, and I will have to reserve judgment on its qualities as I have yet to see (or feel) it.

Each of the finishes is supplied with magnetically attached, full-length grilles finished in black fabric – it certainly makes for a clean look, but I feel it’s a shame to hide the mildly shiny driver surrounds and clean overall appearance. You may feel differently.

On the inside, the Diamond 12.1i feature minimal and carefully targeted ‘spot’ bracing designed to keep both resonance and resonance transfer to a minimum. In conjunction with cabinet walls of varying thickness, plus the resonant properties of the glue holding everything together taken into account, this is a slightly more sophisticated piece of engineering and design than the asking price might lead you to believe.

Some loudspeakers don’t alter their character no matter the volume level you’re listening at. The Wharfedale Diamond 12.1.i don’t undergo drastic volume-related changes, I must emphasize – but at very modest volume levels they can sound just a little matter-of-fact. All you need to do is nudge the level north just a little, though, and these speakers come bounding to life – and then they reveal themselves to be one of the very best budget options around.

Get a Tidal-derived stream of Zaho de Sagazan’s version of Modern Love playing as a 24bit/44.1kHz FLAC file, for instance, and you’ll find out exactly what’s what. The Diamond 12.1i are a direct and spirited listen, with an uncomplicatedly upfront sonic signature and an almost palpable enthusiasm for the recording.

Low frequencies are respectably deep, and nicely controlled where attack and decay is concerned, with knock-on effects to the rhythmic expression and momentum that are entirely positive.

Detail levels are impressive, too, so there’s plenty of variation where tone and texture are concerned to go along with the straight-ahead punch. Transition into the midrange is clean, and once there the Wharfedale demonstrate a similarly insightful and animated attitude – the details of attitude and character in the voice are just as readily available as those regarding phrasing and technique.

At the top of the frequency range, the Diamond 12.1i have quite sensibly decided that discretion is the better part of valor, staying relatively constrained in the mix – but although the highest rebel sounds are dialed down just a little, there’s still no shortage of bite or the overall enthusiasm for attack.

With the discretion at the very top of the frequency range borne in mind, the frequency response here is nicely even and even-handed – and while the overall tonality has a nice little suggestion of heat to it, it’s not even close to becoming overcooked.

The attention to detail the speakers pay extends to the most transient or fleeting harmonic variation, and there’s a respectable amount of dynamic headroom available for when the tune shifts through the ‘volume and intensity’ gears.

Soundstaging is convincing, and the Diamond 12i are able to escape the confines of their cabinets, just a little, in every direction. The layout of the stage is plain, and while the Diamond 12.1i manage to give every participant on it just a little breathing space they’re capable of offering a sense of unity and togetherness at the same time.

The Wharfedale seem in no way demanding of their partnering equipment, either – they don’t get flustered by sitting at the end of a disproportionately expensive system, and they don’t seem to mind being driven by some standard all-in-one electronics costing less than they do. There are qualitative differences, of course – but broadly speaking the Diamond 12.1i are easy-going and adaptable.

Bear in mind that the Diamond 12.1i, just like every other pair of passive loudspeakers, needs a degree of ‘running in’ before they sound how they are intended to sound – certainly you should ensure they have quite a few hours on the clock before you judge them.

The entry-level in passive loudspeakers has enjoyed a very successful decade so far – and this is in no small part thanks to Wharfedale’s efforts. Yes, the company has inspired some very credible rivals to take this area of the market properly seriously (I’m thinking particularly of the excellent Dali Kupid), but there’s just no getting around the fact the Diamond 12.1i offer prodigious value for money in every respect.

They look and feel more expensive than they are, and once they’re properly positioned they sound it too. Unless you’re been suckered in by the promise of an actually bookshelf-friendly design, I cannot think of a single meaningful downside to Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i ownership.

Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i review: Price & release date

• Launched in December 2025
• Priced at $499 / £249 / AU$699

The new Wharfedale Diamond 12i range of entry-level loudspeakers launched in December of 2025. This 12.1i model is, at £249 in the UK, the second-least-expensive of the five-strong newest Diamond range of stereo speakers. In the United States it sells for $499, while in Australia the going rate is AU$699.

This compares very favorably to options from the likes of Dali, Monitor Audio or Q Acoustics.

Should I buy the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i?Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i score card

Attributes

Notes

Score

Features

Obviously very limited, being passive speakers, but great driver setup.

5 / 5

Sound quality

Punchy and rapid low-frequency response meets detail and positivity across the range – but best if the volume isn't too low.

5 / 5

Design

Lovely finishes and build quality – but just know they're bigger than you might expect from 'bookshelf' speakers.

5 / 5

Usability and setup

Ideal passive speakers – plug in and go! And they're not fussy about what drives them.

5 / 5

Value

As good as speakers at this price get.

5 / 5

Buy them if…

You’re setting out on your ‘authentic hifi’ journey
Once you hear what a modestly priced pair of speakers designed and built by a specialist can do, you’ll be locked in for life.View Deal

You’re after good looks as well as good sound
The Diamond 12.1i look and feel good, especially in the ‘stone’ gray of my review sample.View Deal

You have a half-decent micro-system that deserves a new lease on life
You might think the speakers that came with your nice little Denon all-in-one are good enough. Wharfedale begs to differ…View Deal

Don't buy them if…

Your bookshelf is only the size of a bookshelf
These are slightly larger cabinets than the description ‘bookshelf’ rather optimistically implies.View Deal

You want to fill an especially large room with sound
There is, of course, a limit to what an affordable pair of speakers fitted with fairly small drivers can do in terms of outright scale.View Deal

You prefer to listen at quite low volumes
The Diamond 12.1i are perfectly OK at low levels, but really come to life if you wind the volume up just a little.View Deal

Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i review: Also consider

Dali Kupid
The Dali Kupid seem to offer a little less (in physical terms) than the Diamond 12.1i while costing a little more – but they’re an energetic, punchy and entertaining listen and can actually comfortably fit on a bookshelf. They’re not quite as easy to drive as the Wharfedale, though. Here's our full Dali Kupid review.View Deal

Q Acoustics 3020c
These are not much more expensive than the Wharfedale these days, and they’re a great-sounding pair of speakers for the money. The cabinet is notably deep, though, so they’re even less of a bookshelf proposition than the Diamond 12.1i. Here's our full Q Acoustics 3020c review.View Deal

How I tested the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i

I positioned the speakers on a pair of Custom Design speaker stands in my home and usual speaker testing room, and connected them to a Naim Uniti Star and also an A&R Cambridge A60 for amplification.

Sources of music were the Naim (as a network streamer), a Rega Apollo CD player and a Technics SL-100G (with a Goldring 1042 cartridge and pre-amplified by a Chord Huei) as a turntable. So I was able to listen to music from lots of different formats, and of various styles and genres.

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

Eureka Ergonomic Axion: One-minute review

Founded in California, Eureka Ergonomic is an office and home furniture manufacturer that – predictably – focuses on ergonomic hardware. The Axion sits roughly in the middle of the brand's vast array of chairs, and is a "hybrid chair that focuses on ergonomics and adjustability."

Immediately, it's clear that this is an attractive bit of kit. Decked out in all-black with a splash of color here and there, it's tasteful enough to be at home in a fairly neutral home office, but energetic enough to satisfy an RGB-obsessed gamer. With plenty of reclining range and an astounding amount of adjustable support areas, there's a lot going on – much of it very well executed, too.

My few complaints are picky ones. I took delivery of the fabric-upholstered version, and this comes with a nylon base. While I'm sure it's more than tough enough for the job, the aluminium base of the mesh version would certainly inspire a little more confidence in the chair's longevity.

However, at less than $500 – and considering the amount of ergonomic features on offer – it's a reasonably-priced daily driver that I've enjoyed using. Of course, spend even more on the very best office chairs and you can get a few higher-end materials from the likes of Steelcase and Herman Miller, and more purpose-built gaming chairs will suit a proper streaming setup better. However, for most, the Axion will be a trusty throne that offers considerable support where you need it the most.

(Image credit: Future)Eureka Ergonomic Axion: price and availability

• Price: US$499

The Axion is found in Eureka's gaming chair section, and at the time of writing, it's the second-most expensive out of four on the company's website. Notably, on the website it's the only one that hasn't got the tag "best seller." Make of that what you will.

However, viewed in the wider context of Eureka's dozens of office chair designs, it sits firmly in the mid-range when it comes to price.

In the US, the list price is $499. However, at the time of writing, this has been reduced to $469, which is a decent, if not super-cheap price for a very adjustable ergonomic hybrid chair.

Compared to gaming chair stalwarts Secretlab, the Axion is about $200 cheaper, which makes it a decent pick in this sector of the market – especially if you're looking for something more understated.

• Value: 4/5

Eureka Ergonomic Axion: Design and setup

• Very smart design
• Huge array of adjustable ergonomic features
• Requires assembly

(Image credit: Future)

As you might expect, the Axion is delivered in a big cardboard box, and requires assembly at home. Each component is neatly wrapped, and I found the level of protection very good. As you'd expect, nothing was damaged in transit.

All of the requisite screws, bolts, and fitting are well-marked in separate bags, and I had no issue completing the assembly. I'd recommend setting aside about an hour of time so you're not in a rush to complete the job.

In terms of instructions, the ones Eureka provides are good, but not great. I didn't run into any issues – it's a quite simple build – but I've definitely had clearer booklets with flat-pack furniture in my time. While fully understandable, the instructions definitely betray the chair's Chinese origins.

(Image credit: Future)

During the procedure, each part of the chair felt very solid and well-made. For example, the base was very neatly stapled together, and while not entirely high-end, it everything felt like it'd stand the test of time. For an example of a chair I felt very differently about, check out my review of the Fezibo C3. Thankfully, so such manufacturing concerns here.

Something I would've appreciated was a little more documentation on all the excellent features of the chair itself. For example, through my testing I discovered most of the angles of adjustment offered by the chair. However, it was only when I referenced the product page on the Eureka website for this review did I realise the lumbar support could move horizontally as well as vertically. A nice problem to have, but a walkthrough guide would have got me using everything the chair offered from the start.

(Image credit: Future)

It's worth noting too that I was supplied with a second gas strut for use on carpets. I'm not sure if this is a known issue or something confined to testing models, but it's interesting to know there's a minor design flaw here that has to be patched by the user. That said, the strut was easy to install, and presumably free to anyone buying the chair themselves.

On to the good stuff though – being a newbie to truly ergonomic seating, I've never used such an adjustable chair. The headrest, lumbar support, and armrests all have three degrees of adjustment, along with an adjustable seating pad too. I found it was very easy to dial in my perfect seating position.

Some parts could be a little "stiffer" – I found myself moving the headrest while leaning back – but overall there's very little that has been overlooked in terms of design.

(Image credit: Future)

Finally, it's interesting that the two upholstery options – mesh and fabric – come with a different base. I can find no reason given for this other than perhaps aesthetics, but I have a feeling most people would rather have a metal base regardless of the upholstery. The nylon base, present on my test model is fine, but at risk of sounding old-fashioned, I find anything metal just feels better.

Overall, there are few chairs that are as adjustable as the Axion in this price range, and beyond some small concerns about the materials, there's not a lot to complain about at all.

(Image credit: Future)

In terms of looks, the Axion is very attractive. It's a simple design, dominated by black plastic and fabric/mesh, but the pop of color on the back gives some welcome levity to the appearance.

There are a number of different colors available too, including blue (the color of the test model), bright green, red, and gray. There is also a "silver gray" version available – although personally I'd avoid this, because I've had silver-painted plastic items before, and they develop scratches and dings far faster than plain black in a real-life environment.

Some may be disappointed that there's no all-black colorway, but the gray version is neutral enough to fit most setups.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Eureka Ergonomic Axion: Comfort

• Tons of support for long sessions
• Comfortable for everyday use
• I had some issues with the castors on my thick carpet

There's no denying the Axion is a great daily driver. The amount of adjustment in almost every area means that no matter your body shape or seating preference, it's easy to get comfy.

In the past, I've found that ergonomic chairs can be more trouble than they're worth – with squeaking hardware and lumps all over making the whole experience unenjoyable. That's not the case here, and there's a great balance between moderate ergonomic intrusion and general easy-going comfort.

The areas you touch while using the chair are made of pleasant materials. The fabric-upholstered version is wrapped in high-quality synthetic material that has a slight fluff to it. Don't worry, it's not fleecy – but it feels warm enough not to feel staticky or slippery.

I haven't had the chance to test the mesh version, but I expect it's slightly lighter-weight, more cooling, and slightly smoother. The choice you make is down to your preference.

(Image credit: Future)

Some of the materials could fell more premium, but it certainly doesn't feel cheap. For example, the rear plastic is nowhere near the scratchiest I've felt, but some really high-end chairs will feel less hollow, and have slightly more give if you were to press them with a fingernail.

Finally, I had a few issues with the castor wheels – most notably that when sitting and rolling towards my desk, the wheel would get slightly stuck in my carpet. Now, I'm aware that the carpet I have is fairly luxurious, but shuffling to move the chair was a little annoying. Of course, if you use a chair pad or have hard flooring, this won't be a problem.

• Comfort score: 4/5

Should I buy the Eureka Ergonomic Axion?Buy it if...

You want tons of adjustable ergonomic features

Almost every part of the Axion can be moved in at least two directions to make sure you're getting the support you need.

You want a hybrid gaming/office chair

The Axion won't embarrass you in your work-from-home meetings, but you also won't feel like you're sat in a boardroom while you're nailing headshots. The best of both worlds.

Don't buy it if...

You want the highest-end materials

The Axion by no means feels cheap. However, there are some parts of its construction that could slightly elevated.

You want a very plain chair

With no all-black colorway and a fairly sci-fi build, the Axion may look too jazzy for the most demure settings.

Also consider

Corsair TC100 Relaxed

Despite being almost $200 cheaper, the TC100 is one of our highest-rated chairs – and our top choice of budget office chair. Granted, it has a gamer-esque design, but the color scheme is muted enough to get away with it, and its build quality is much better than you might expect from the price

Read our full Corsair TC100 Relaxed review

SIhoo Doro C300

If you don't mind missing out on a fair amount of adjustable ergonomic features, the SIHOO Doro C300 is a cheaper alternative top the Axion. Plus, its all-mesh construction will be more comfortable in warmer climes than the fabric version of the Axion.

Read our SIHOO Doro C300 review

• ^ Back to top

Sony WF-1000XM6: Two-minute review

The all-new Sony WF-1000XM6 an impressive set of earbuds with a formidable set of features – especially formidable for tech journos such as me, who are obliged to stick within some sort of length limit for these reviews – but as Sony seeks to recapture class-leading greatness with its 1000X series lineup, I can't help but wonder whether at some point we'll reach a case of diminishing returns.

Here, for example, Sony once again provides us a smaller earpiece. It's 11% thinner but somehow contains a 1.5x larger antenna for better connection stability, an extra mic per bud to equal eight in total, and two processors. One of these is called the QN3E (to take care of the eight mics and facilitate a new auto ambient sound mode) and the other is the V2, to enable 32-bit audio support (with Sony's LDAC codec) using the new 8.4mm unique driver and introduce a new 10-band EQ tab with a 'Find your EQ' tech plus new 'gaming' EQ preset.

But how many mics per bud is enough to facilitate fantastic ANC? And how much do we need our earbuds to shrink before the listener decides enough is enough – because they're actually not sure it's made the product that much better?

But before I answer those questions, know that for sound quality alone, the Sony WF-1000XM6 are a very good set of earbuds.

Some of the best earbuds on the market then? Well, Sony has certainly sought to stuff these buds with every upgrade it can (and every feature you can possibly imagine) using its own proprietary technology.

But there's the rub; the company that brought us 360 Reality Audio with head-tracking would absolutely love for you to use it, but the format is no longer supported on nearly as many of the big music streaming sites as it used to be – Deezer dropped it in 2022; Tidal gave up its support for the 3D format in 2024.

And in terms of hi-res Bluetooth chops, LDAC is of little use to iPhone owners, although Sony's DSEE Extreme upscaler is here again and it does make Spotify streams sound a lot better.

So what's excellent about the WH-1000XM6, what's less so, and are they worth their refreshingly approachable asking fee? The design of the buds is now pill-shaped, and while the earpieces are thinner, the units are also taller with a little notch halfway up to help them fit.

Because they're slightly more raised from their charging nest and covered entirely in a matte plastic for better traction, they boast what Sony calls "easier pick up" from their case – and I can confirm that while I wasn't convinced about the overall fit in the ear, I didn't drop them while first grabbing them half as much as I did the older XM5.

Sadly, the active noise cancellation didn't live up to my expectations in real-world testing. That said, the battery life, at eight hours from the buds and up to 24 with the case – and yes, that is with noise cancellation deployed – isn't bad at all.

Do I love them? Having spent over two weeks with them, I like them a lot, and that new antenna does provide rock-solid connection that never falters. I also liked the new Background Music Effect perk much more than I thought I would – it's a great focus aid, allowing you to push the music back just slightly, so you can hear yourself think.

Also, Sony's Quick Attention feature, wherein you simply cover the left earbud to lower music and quickly filter in ambient sound around you, is a winner, although this isn't new for Sony – we've loved it on the Sony WH-1000XM6 and previous headphones too.

Ultimately for me though, the noise cancellation isn't the class-leading triumph it is billed as, and competing options such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen (and Apple AirPods Pro 3, if you've got an Apple source device) are offering better access to spatial audio formats and that cocoon of silence noise-nixing you may prioritize.

Add in the Technics EAH-AZ100 as an alternative – offering triple device multipoint, clearer calls and a more comfortable fit – and ultimately, while the WF-1000XM6 are talented and capable earbuds in many respects, there are other buds I would still nudge you to reach for, at this level.

(Image credit: Future)Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Price and release date

• Released on February 12, 2026
• Priced $329 / £250 / (about AU$480)
• Available in Black or Platinum Silver

Thankfully, Sony's kept a lid on price increases here here. The older flagship Sony WF-1000XM5 launched in July 2023 for $299.99 / £259 / AU$499, so the WF-1000XM6 are only slightly more expensive in the US, and are actually cheaper in the UK.

That said, Sony's hand has been somewhat forced, because Apple's AirPods Pro 3 came with a $249 / £219 / AU$429 price tag when they hit shelves back on September 19, 2025 – ie. cheaper or the same as the AirPods Pro 2's $249 / £249 / AU$399 price tag in the UK and US (although in Australia, they did come with a more expensive launch price).

Other direct competition at this level? The closest rivals are most pressingly the aforementioned AirPods Pro 3, followed by premium offerings such as the Technics EAH-AZ100, which are $299 / £259 / AU$478 or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) for $299 / £299 / AU$450. I might even mention the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 although those are a fair bit pricier, at $399 / £349 / AU$599.

So as you can probably deduce, Sony has actually gone in quite aggressive with the asking fee here.

(Image credit: Future)Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Specs

Drivers

8.4mm dynamic with 'soft edge, hard center'

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Battery life

8 hours (buds, ANC on); 24 hours (case)

Weight

6.5g per bud

Connectivity

Bluetooth with LE Audio and LDAC; USB-C and wireless charging

Waterproofing

IPX4

Sony WF-1000XM5 in the center, with WF-C710N on the left; WF-1000XM5 on the right (Image credit: Future)Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Features

• 10-band EQ tab with 'Find My EQ' and new Gaming preset
• DSEE Extreme upscaler, LDAC, LE Audio and 360 Reality Audio
• Background Music Effect is surprisingly useful
• …but the noise cancellation isn't the smash-hit it's billed as

Sony has once again stuffed these earbuds with all the perks and extras it knows, but a lot of them will be a case of "Yes, we know about that – what's new?" to fans of Sony's WF-1000XM lineup.

So what is new? The 10-band EQ tab (it used to be limited to five) is one upgrade, plus a specific Gaming EQ preset. Sony's more recent Sound Connect app is also newly used with the flagship lineup (this used to be the Sony Headphones app, until October 2024) but Sound Connect was already around for the budget-friendly Sony WF-C710N, which landed April 2025 – so anyone who owns those will be familiar with the 'Find My EQ' tab.

If you're not one of them, I can tell you that it's still good here: you tap on various sound profile bubbles and the software continues to supply more, based on your preferred listening choices, until it presents a personalized profile you can save as a preset.

But again, it's something that is also available in much cheaper Sony earbuds. It's also not a hearing test, as such (there are no diminishing tones to engage with; no analysis of your hearing and curation of a truly unique profile with augmented tones for you) and while you may not want a full hearing test, it's worth stating that competing options I've mentioned do offer it, for similar money. And if you're hoping for a huge app overhaul from the older Headphones app, you won't get it sadly.

For me, this companion app isn't the most intuitive. For example, the home screen is essentially a list of tabs – you can assign elements to be placed at the top of this, from the depths of the device settings, although for me this sometimes just further complicates things – but along the bottom are four smaller tabs labelled 'My Device' (the one you're brought to upon launching it); 'Scene', which attempts to work out what you're doing physically and also suggests profiles that can be deployed at specific times, such as 'Gym' or 'Commute Home', if you feel you need them; 'Discover' for your listening history (Sony likes to offer logs and 'badges' for listening) plus the option to deploy a gentler Safe Listening experience; and lastly, 'Menu'.

Now, you'd think 'Menu' is where all the good stuff lives, but this is basically just a home for the support bot, a 'Help' function, backups and 'About this app' info.

This means that what you need to do in order to get to any tweakable features is to scroll down to a small tab at the bottom of the 'My Device' toggle labelled 'Device Settings' and from there into the minutiae of customization tabs.

It just feels like a lot of taps. It also presents many chances for newbies to venture down the wrong route, to a dead end, and then wonder how to get back to what I like to call 'that long list I had before'. A reshuffle of the app might be sensible, to bring the user more quickly to the perks they actually want to find quickly.

(Image credit: Sony)

At the top of these Device Settings is 'Noise Canceling/Ambient Sound', but although Ambient Sound has a manual incremental 20-step slider, a 'sensitivity setting' which can be either Standard, High or Low, an auto toggle, and an option to toggle on Voice passthrough (to filter in voices while still suppressing noise), your actual noise cancellation options are still just 'on' or 'off', which feels a little disappointing, especially given the extra mic per-bud onboard here.

Sony hasn't listed a figure for the noise-nixing power in decibels, but the company is keen to tell us that the WF-1000XM6 are the "best noise-cancelling" earbuds it's ever released.

Sadly, I need to manage your expectations here, because although certain sounds are indeed dulled when I deploy ANC, when I switch to the AirPods Pro 3 and it's a different level. Want that bubble of silence feeling where the noise drops and extraneous sounds simply melt away? The kind of ANC that makes you genuinely surprised at how noisy your immediate surroundings have become, when you remove them? Sadly, the Sonys are fairly good, but they're not that good – Bose and Apple both have them beat.

Call handling? This is also a bit of a let down – and not just because it's been so hyped by Sony in these new buds. Although Sony couldn't wait to extol the talents of the new mic on each bud, the new wind-nixing structure around them, plus a new AI algorithm with beamforming and bone conduction sensors to aid with both ANC and call-handling on those four mics per earpiece… in practice, callers said I sounded "muffled" when using them for voice calls, especially when compared to my regular Technics EAH-AZ100.

While I'm on the comparison, Sony's answer to Technics' excellent Sidetone tech, to amplify your own voice in calls, is an on/off toggle called 'Capture Voice' in the app, but I couldn't detect much difference either way when trying to use it. And because I had to really screw the earpieces quite far into my ears to get a secure fit (more on this later), I think I would have benefitted from more of a boost here.

(Image credit: Sony)

All of this aside, a lot of things are really enjoyable about the WF-1000XM6 – and Background Music Effect is top of the list. To find it, you have to scroll down that thin tab at the bottom of the 'My Device' tab, labelled Device settings > Sound Quality/Volume > Listening Mode > Background Music – see what I mean about decent features being somewhat hidden away?

Only then will you be able to select from 'My room', 'Living room' or 'Cafe', which spreads and pushes your music just a little further away from your ears each time. I thought it'd be gimmicky; I was wrong. If you're someone who sometimes turns the TV on just for a bit of background noise to focus, or simply can't concentrate if lyrics are too prominent in your ears, say, this feature is for you.

I also like that the on-ear controls are now fully customizable, once you've delved into Device settings > Controls > Change the touch sensor function > Custom. The one caveat is that if you set a long-press of the left earbud to be volume decrease (which is always my preference) you lose Quick Attention, which is one of my favorite Sony-specific earbuds features because it's so useful – if someone starts talking to you or there's been an announcement about the late arrival of your train, say, simply press and hold the left bud and music is pushed low while ambient passthrough is boosted.

Other pleasing notable mentions go to the app's ability to corral my Apple Music subscription to the fold so I can see some playback information in the My Device tab, the 'Optimal Earbud Tips' wearer test (it's quite strict, you know) and the option to prioritize either a stable connection or audio quality. And I should probably mention that thanks to that bigger antenna, I never once experienced any dropouts in connection with this iteration (which was an issue with the older Sony WF-1000XM5 when I reviewed them, initially).

I've also long been a fan of Sony's DSEE Extreme upscaler, which takes your lossier music streams and does remarkable things to add detail and nuance. Here, it is very well implemented; I had to check more than once that I hadn't switched over from Spotify to one of the more audiophile-friendly streaming platforms, and that is something I don't say lightly.

There's also multipoint to two devices and Auto Switch, for handing off the audio from your buds to your Sony Linkbuds Speaker when you come home – but that's the only Sony speaker currently supported, so is pretty niche as an option.

Spatial audio? Ah. Yes, it's technically here, because you can have 360 Reality Audio – if you can find any content presented in the Sony-made format, given that Tidal and Deezer both dropped support a little while ago…

• Features score: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Future)Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Sound quality

• Crisp bass that neither bloats nor overstates itself
• Plenty of texture through upper mids
• Beaten for dynamic nuance and detail across the frequencies

Switching all sound profiles to 'standard', with a neutral EQ and making sure I've selected the connection profile that prioritizes audio quality (rather than a stable Bluetooth connection) in the Sony WF-1000XM6, I cue up Sevdaliza's Mad Woman. The clock chimes in the opening of the song simmer beautifully initially, with razor-sharp leading edges of notes from the buds. And that note goes all the way down to the abyss without issue too, which is more than can be said for entry-level (and even most mid-range) earbuds.

I'm just missing an extra ounce of build and intentional distortion through the belly of the note that I know to be there – and it's confirmed when I switch to the Technics EAH-AZ100, which have no trouble revealing it.

If you've heard Harry Styles' new track Aperture, it's a similar idea; the timing ticks along beautifully and the Sony buds never shy away from a bass drop, but I can't help but notice when they gloss over a marginal inflection or pop within a gloriously imperfect synth note – because that wants to be remembered as such, and the buds aren't quite recreating it perfectly.

I'm being hypercritical, of course. The sound here is very good indeed – in fact, in instrumental works such as Nicholas Gunn's Campfire there's an expansive and emotive soundstage wherein each musical strand is held together in a cohesive and rewarding mix.

Human breath feels three-dimensional and, for want of a better word, real. It's just that when the flute comes in, I'm missing an iota of excitement as the soundstage builds in intensity and the shaker comes in.

That said, I'll caveat all of this with one potential reason: I did struggle to get the Sony WF-1000XM6 to fit perfectly, even after a week with them… but that's for the next section. If you can achieve a secure fit and seal, I do think there'd be very little in it between them and the best-sounding earbuds in their class.

• Sound quality: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Future)Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Design

• On-ear controls are reliable and the headshell is grippy
• Divisive fit and ear-tip material – although plenty of tips are provided
• Case magnets feel a little weak

Sony has once again reworked the shape of its earbuds and I have to say that the company's commitment to tweaking and amending the fit in the pursuit of excellence is commendable. These earbuds are 11% thinner than the older model and are very much pill-shaped from above, but they are taller.

That means – and there's no pretty way to say this – they stick out of your ears a little more (as well as from their taller case), and there's a little notch or nub halfway up the housing, to nestle into your outer ear.

Far from being disappointing to me, this initially quite bulbous-looking fit can work very well (see the 'concha fit' style pioneered by the aforementioned Technics EAH-AZ100), however, in this thinner shape, I found that getting a secure fit did involve a fairly rigorous push and twist into the ear, to get them to 'lock in', as it were.

I worry that in the pursuit of a positive 'they're smaller!' goal, Sony hasn't quite achieved the aim of a better fit – although fit is a very personal thing.

FutureFutureFutureFuture

I eventually achieved the best fit using the 'S'-sized small tips (not the XS, which is unusual for me), backed up by Sony's in-app ear-tip fit test tech, but after several hours of listening, the lower part of my antihelix and on to my antitragus did ache a little.

I also think there's a small chance that the shape of these buds affects the efficacy of the noise cancellation – their thinness perhaps means they didn't fill my outer ear fully, quite where they should? It's hard to know for sure, but as someone who's testing more buds than I can count, it felt a little off.

One good aspect of the taller buds, along with the fact that there's no shiny plastic involved in the design, is that I never once dropped an earbud while getting them out of the case, and that is a comment often levelled at the older XM5 buds.

The ear-tips are again memory foam in style, and while I like them a lot and found them very easy to switch out (particularly thanks to the little colored bands on the bottom, so you don't mix them up), unlike silicone options you do need to give them a moment to re-form if you inadvertently squish them while fitting.

The case is much more angular and a little taller, but maintains a USB-C charger and reset button on the back (it'll also charge wirelessly) plus a solo green LED light on the front. It can charge wirelessly too.

My only point on the case is the magnets that snap the case lid shut; given the extra height and bulk on the top, it feels as if they could be stronger. I did an initial drop-test and it did stay shut, but I didn't feel as confident of this happening consistently as I have with other class-leading buds.

In terms of battery life, their claim of eight hours from the buds with ANC and 24 from the case equals that of the AirPods Pro 3, which means it's good – but this is a standard rather than outstanding figure. In testing, I got a little less from them, at seven hours before they needed charging – but my testing does often involve boosting the volume above 50% and scrolling through features and profiles.

• Design score: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Future)Sony WF-1000XM6 review: value

• Stuffed full of features and far from the most expensive buds around
• …but the ANC isn't class leading, and spatial audio might be hard to access

Do you want the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market for noise-blocking power? If so, the WF-1000XM6 are not my first choice – but that's not at the top of everyone's list, and doesn't mean you should discount them.

For sound, there's plenty to celebrate. These earbuds offer an expansive and pleasing soundstage with neutrality and plenty of options to further tweak the sound to your liking. If pushed, I could've used a little more energy and oomph to allow for an extra ounce of dynamic nuance, but it's my job to nitpick and I maintain that for sound, they're still bang on the money. Buy them, and you won't be disappointed in the WF-1000XM6 sonically.

But do you want device- and streaming-service agnostic spatial audio profiles with dynamic head-tracking? That's more of an issue sadly, since 360 Reality Audio isn't what it once was (Deezer and Tidal no longer support the format) and as such, you might feel you're missing out – where options such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) do offer that, in various guises and in conjunction with tweakable ANC.

• Value: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Sony WF-1000XM6 review?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Stuffed to the gills with perks, but the ANC isn't class-leading – and spatial audio is hard to come by

4/5

Sound quality

Neutrality and faithfulness in spades, but they could use just a little oomph injection at times

4/5

Design

The tweaked taller shape may work for you, or it may not, but they do well in most areas

4/5

Value

Plenty to celebrate and competitively priced, but there are a few compromises you need to make

4/5

(Image credit: Future)Buy them if…

You really need a good quick attention feature
I've tried literally scores of wireless earbuds that claim to offer an effective way to quickly hear external sounds without the faff of removing your buds or fully going into a transparency mode. I maintain that Sony's Speak to Chat (simply speak, and the music pauses and ambient sound filters in) and Quick Attention (cover the left bud for the same thing) features are the best in the business.

You want a rock-solid connection
Thanks to that larger antenna, I never once had Bluetooth connectivity dropouts using these earbuds in any situation, and you can prioritize the connection stability over audio quality – well done, Sony.

You're fed up of dropping your buds on the floor
Often grab your buds a hurry? Sony's worked hard to make sure there's enough traction on the earpieces and within the design of the case so that you won't lose a bud underfoot as you try to pluck them out of their battery nests, and it really works.

Don’t buy them if…

You want the absolute best noise cancellation around
It pains me to say this, because I really did want Sony to challenge the likes of Bose and Apple here. Sadly, in my tests it didn't quite match up to what was promised.

You need them for super long-haul flights
The battery life is far from bad here, but it hasn't been upgraded from the older set. And compared to direct rivals it can be bettered – the Technics EAH-AZ100 lasted over an hour longer, in my tests.

You want easy-to-find head-tracked spatial audio
At the time of writing, you can still get 360 Reality Audio on Amazon Music Unlimited, but it's safe to say that support for this Sony tech is on the wane.

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Also consider

Sony WF-1000XM6

Apple AirPods Pro 3

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)

Technics EAH-AZ100

Price

$329 / £250 / AU$TBC

$249 / £219 / AU$429

$299 / £299 / AU$450

$299 / £259 / AU$478 (approx.)

Drivers

'Unique' 8.4mm dynamic with 'soft edge, hard center'

'Custom high-excursion' Apple driver with new multiport acoustic architecture

10mm

10mm free-edge dynamic

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Battery life

8 hours (buds, ANC on); 24 from case

8 hours (buds, ANC on; 10 hours with ANC off); 6.5 hours (buds, heart rate sensor on); 24 hours (case)

6 hours (earbuds, ANC off; 4 hours with it on) case not specified

12 hours (earbuds, ANC off); 17 hours (charging case)

Weight

6.5g per bud

5.6g per bud

7.7g per bud

5.9g per bud

Connectivity

Bluetooth with LE Audio and LDAC

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX Lossless / Adaptive

Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC and LC3 compatibility

Waterproofing

IPX4

IP57 case and earbuds

IPX4 earbuds only

IPX4 earbuds only

Apple AirPods Pro 3
No LDAC, but these will take your heart-rate, offer a pretty comprehensive hearing test and (provided you've got an iPhone) translate various languages for you. Also, the ANC is some of the most effective I've ever heard, and Dolby Atmos head-tracked spatial audio is excellent. iPhone owner? You'll be hard pushed to beat these… 
Read my in-depth AirPods Pro 3 review for the full scoop.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)
This is the better pick over the XM6 for device- and streamer-agnostic immersive audio profiles, wonderful noise cancellation, and a colorful look (if you like). Some wearers may find the buds a touch big (though they're secure and fit excellently), but if profiles that combine bubble-of-silence ANC as a backdrop for wonderful spatial audio experiences sounds like your bag, you've found the best buy in the business.
See our full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review for more. View Deal

Technics EAH-AZ100
An option with slightly better stamina that also offers slightly better sound quality – and just costs slightly more. You'll still get LDAC higher-resolution Bluetooth support if you've got a device that supports it, but here, you also get multi-point to three brand-agnostic devices (rather than the standard two) and for me, the fit is also just that bit better. And Technics' sidetone tech (to better hear your own voice in calls) makes them the better bet for call handling.
Get the full picture in our Technics EAH-AZ100 review.

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Sony WF-1000XM6

• Tested for two weeks
• Tested at home, on a plane, on long train journeys, and while running (occasionally in the rain)

I used the Sony WF-1000XM6 for two weeks to complete this review. My testing process involved listening to new music on Tidal, Qobuz and Apple Music as well as podcasts and plus streamed TV shows from my Apple iPhone 15 Pro (I'm catching up on Married at First Sight UK, please don't judge me) on long train journeys to and from London. I also paired simultaneously to my MacBook Pro and both connections were easy and solid.

I listened at home, on a quiet train, on admittedly half-hearted runs in the constant UK rain, and I even taught myself to make natural soy wax candles from YouTube videos with the WF-1000XM6.

I've been testing audio products full-time since 2019, firstly at TechRadar's sister publication What Hi-Fi? as a staff writer, then as senior writer and now audio editor here at TechRadar.

My background as a professional dancer means I never tire of listening to music, and my still-insatiable need to move to what I'm hearing is what drives me to search for faithful timing, neutrality, precision, clarity, energy, and good old fashioned fun in recorded audio.

• First reviewed February 2026

• Read TechRadar's review guarantee
• Learn more specifically about how we test earbuds at TechRadar

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Over the years, Techradar has spent thousands of hours testing 140+ website builders, making our reviewers the leading experts in what makes a platform exceptional. Squarespace stands out to us for its award-winning templates, which can be modified down to the last pixel thanks to a powerful block-based editor.

Wix remains our top pick for the best website builder of 2026, thanks to a slightly higher number of features at a reduced price point. But Squarespace's new Blueprint AI and Design Intelligence tools make it a close competitor that gives the former a good run for its money.

Squarespace: 2-minute review

Squarespace is a complete website builder, with everything you would expect from one of the best-known names in the industry. This includes a range of stunning website templates, a full AI website builder, ecommerce features including payment gateway integrations, marketing tools, analytics, and the ability to integrate with select 3rd party services.

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What is Squarespace?

Squarespace is a website builder that helps you create professional websites without coding. It’s like a digital canvas where you can design your online presence. You can use pre-made templates and customize them to fit your vision. Whether you want a blog, portfolio, or online store, Squarespace has all the tools you need.

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What’s great about Squarespace for beginners is that everything is in one package. This includes domain registration, cloud hosting, design tools, and a CMS. The all-in-one approach saves you from juggling services from different providers, which can be overwhelming when starting out.

Recent updates

Squarespace 7.1 represents a fundamental shift in the platform's design philosophy, moving away from fixed template families to a highly flexible design system powered by Fluid Engine. This introduces a grid-based editing system that allows users to drag, drop, and layer content blocks with unprecedented freedom, essentially transforming every website into a custom design canvas with zero template limitations.

Design

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Squarespace 7.1 introduces Auto Layouts that intelligently present content sets, gallery sections for cohesive image displays, and advanced visual effects like Block Pinning for split-scrolling and Text Highlights for emphasizing selected content.

Content management

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Support

Security and support options have been strengthened through Squarespace's dedicated security team implementing enhanced technical and organizational measures updated in January 2025. The platform maintains a risk-based security approach with continuous monitoring, red team exercises, and threat modeling for new system developments, ensuring robust protection for both company and customer assets.

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Partner program

The platform's recent major update arrived in September 2025 with the launch of Squarespace for Pros, unveiled during Circle Day 2025. This professional-grade experience introduces Finish Layer Design Tools with interactive block animations, customizable transforms (opacity, rotation, offset), and the ability to import external fonts for complete brand consistency.

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Note: Upgrading to the 7.1 version of Squarespace is entirely optional for now. While new users get introduced to Squarespace 7.1 by default, existing website owners can choose to keep the legacy version of the website builder, along with all its existing features and support.

Features

Squarespace provides a wide range of features for different website needs. (Image credit: Squarespace)

Squarespace has always offered some of the best website templates on the market, making it a firm favourite amongst creatives such as artists and photographers. Anyone looking for a stunning website should seriously consider Squarespace.

Owain Williams, Website Builder Editor

Squarespace provides a wide range of features for different website needs. At the heart of the platform is a powerful drag-and-drop editor with a smart grid system. This helps keep your design elements aligned. You’ll also find over 180 professionally designed templates. These templates are great starting points for creating stunning websites. They feature a modern, minimalist design with plenty of white space and room for photos.

If you want to sell online, Squarespace offers strong ecommerce tools in its Business plans. You can sell physical and digital products, offer subscriptions, and create discounts. It even helps with abandoned cart recovery emails and social media sales. The platform supports various payment methods, such as PayPal, Stripe, and Square, and includes automatic tax calculations. However, these ecommerce features come at a higher price compared to some competitors.

In 2023, Squarespace introduced Blueprint AI, which streamlines website creation. This AI system guides users through five simple steps to create a personalized website. It also generates content with its AI text generator. We found this feature helpful for beginners facing the "blank page" anxiety. Still, the AI-generated templates seem basic compared to Squarespace's professionally designed options.

The platform has specialized tools like Acuity Scheduling for booking appointments, available for $16 a month. It also offers portfolio collections for showcasing work and various blocks to enhance user experience, like search and archive functions. While Squarespace includes many built-in features, it mainly relies on its own tools. This limits extensive third-party integrations in most areas. Squarespace’s pricing ranges from $16 to $52 per month (billed annually). Although it's a premium price, the quality of design and features usually justify the investment for users.

Tools

Over the years, Squarespace has stacked on a bunch of different tools and add-ons to make its website builder more lucrative. (Image credit: Squarespace)

Over the years, Squarespace has stacked on a bunch of different tools and add-ons to make its website builder more lucrative. This includes everything from SEO features to help you optimize your content strategy to AI tools for assistive design suggestions.

Blogging

Squarespace is well known for being one of the best blogging sites around. So, if you’re into blogging, you’ll be glad to hear that Squarespace provides a full set of blogging features such as built-in blog pages, a comment section, and content promotion tools. However, if you’re making a blog as a means of making money, Squarespace shouldn’t be your first choice. First off, to get hold of ecommerce features, you’ll have to purchase the “Business” plan or up, and it will set you back $23 per month (if you subscribe for a year) or $36 for one month.

Ecommerce

The Business plan (and up) will also let you integrate a shopping cart into your website with ease, as well as sell physical products, digital downloads, online services, and subscriptions. However, if we take the 3% transaction fee on sales and the plan’s initial price tag into account, this solution doesn’t seem particularly pocket-friendly.

Also, Squarespace isn’t as strong as some of its competitors (like Shopify) when it comes to shipping and payment options – for instance, manual payment isn’t an option, and you can’t sell in multiple currencies.

SEO and marketing

Squarespace also offers superb Search Engine Optimization (SEO) features, which will help you get your site in front of your core audience. There are multiple options for social media marketing, email marketing, and custom post designs. Not only are these tools powerful, but they are easy to use - this makes it one of the best small business website builders on the market.

AI tools

Although Squarespace’s AI offering isn’t quite as advanced as some competitors such as Wix and Hostinger, it does offer a host of helpful AI-powered tools that will make creating your website a breeze.

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Like with most AI website builders, the results are a little generic and will need some editing. Luckily, Squarespace also offers some AI tools to help you do this. For example, you can use an AI copywriter to help you complete your site's written content. A similar tool can be used to create product descriptions, which can be a lifesaver for large online stores.

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Integrations

Squarespace doesn’t take too kindly to third-party tools – while there’s a decent variety of versatile tools it’s not up to scratch – so, you might feel like you’re stuck with Squarespace's ecosystem.

Website editor

We should also talk about Squarespace’s up-to-date, drag-and-drop editor called Fluid Engine, a superior version to their old editor. As soon as you add an element or change something on the template you’re using, it will become visible straight away. It also offers a decent level of customization choices, so you can adjust your template to suit your needs and desires.

The only major drawback is that you can’t place elements (such as images or text) wherever you want them to be - you can position them in pre-built places bounded by grid lines. Also, while you’ll be prompted to save your site after each change, you won’t enjoy the convenience of the autosave functionality.

Ease of use

Of all the website builders we have tested, Squarespace ranks as one of the easiest to use. (Image credit: Squarespace)

Of all the website builders we have tested, Squarespace ranks as one of the easiest to use. Its drag-and-drop editor balances simplicity and functionality. This makes it great for beginners but still offers depth for experienced users. The clean, minimalist interface removes clutter. It shows only the tools you need, like the option to add a new section, which appears when you hover over an existing section.

Getting started with Squarespace is easy. During onboarding, you answer a few questions about your website's purpose and goals. This helps the platform tailor its recommendations to your needs. The 14-day free trial lets you explore without rushing into a paid plan. We liked that no credit card is needed to start the trial, allowing risk-free experimentation.

Squarespace emphasizes user experience (UX) principles, evident in how the platform works and the sites it creates. The editor uses a smart grid system to align elements. This helps beginners create visually balanced pages. Real-time previews show how your changes affect your site, making the design process dynamic. However, some users notice lag or unresponsiveness with larger, content-heavy websites.

The platform includes accessibility features through its All in One Accessibility Widget. This makes your website more usable for people with various disabilities, including visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive impairments. Yet while customization is simple, Squarespace has limits. Once you pick a template, you can't switch to another without rebuilding your site. And some advanced customizations need CSS or JavaScript knowledge, which is only available on higher-tier plans.

Pricing

Plan

Monthly cost (paid monthly)

Monthly cost (paid annually)

Basic

$25

$16

Core

$36

$23

Plus

$56

$39

Advanced

$139

$99

Pricing last verified: 12/02/2026

The site builder’s price tag is on par with similar all-in-one solutions on the market, and it provides plenty of bang for the buck. However, if you only wanted a pocket-friendly site builder without other components of Squarespace, we’re sorry to say you won’t find this here.

If you’re in for an all-in-one solution, you can choose between four plans ranging from $16 to $99 per month, if you opt for an annual billing option, that is. If you choose a one-month-only option, the price will spike significantly.

While Squarespace doesn’t offer a forever-free edition of its site builder, there is a 14-day free trial with all four plans, and no credit card details are required. It is also worth mentioning that you can often save on your subscription by using Squarespace promo codes and/or signing up for a longer period of time.

As for payment methods, Squarespace accepts all major credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, and American Express included), JCB, Diners Club (in USD only), and SEPA direct debit (in EUR only). As you already suspect, you can’t pay via PayPal or Bitcoin (BTC).

For a more detailed review of the plans available on Squarespace, you can read our full Squarespace pricing guide.

Integrations

Squarespace takes a curated approach to integrations, offering built-in connectivity to carefully selected platforms rather than an open marketplace of third-party apps. The platform provides what it calls "Connected Services," which are seamlessly integrated into the core Squarespace experience.

This includes essential tools for payment processing (Stripe, PayPal, Square), shipping carriers (FedEx, UPS, USPS), social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Vimeo), and marketing services (Google Analytics, Mailchimp, Facebook Pixel). We find that this approach ensures reliable performance and support, though it may feel limiting compared to platforms that offer thousands of third-party integrations.

But for automation enthusiasts, Squarespace also supports Zapier integration, which opens up connectivity to over 1,000 additional 3rd-party apps and services. Through Zapier, users can create automated workflows (called "Zaps") that trigger when specific events occur on their Squarespace site, such as new form submissions, newsletter signups, or product purchases. Common automation scenarios include adding new form submissions to Google Sheets, creating CRM entries in Salesforce or HubSpot, sending notifications to Slack, or adding contacts to email marketing platforms like ConvertKit.

Finally, Squarespace offers API access for developers looking to build custom integrations, though this requires technical expertise. API key generation is possible through the platform's developer settings. It uses OAuth 2.0 authentication and provides REST endpoints for managing content, products, orders, and inventory.

Developers can access endpoints for site-level configurations, e-commerce functionality, and content management, enabling custom solutions for businesses with specific integration needs. This is useful for connecting Squarespace to enterprise systems like ERPs, CRMs, or custom fulfillment services that aren't available through the standard integrations.

Security

Squarespace websites are all kept on secure with SSL certificates, two-factor authentication (2FA), and protection against distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. (Image credit: Squarespace)

Squarespace websites are all kept on secure with SSL certificates, two-factor authentication (2FA), protection against distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, and a login activity panel. While the activity log won’t protect your site by itself, it’ll help you discover if any logins were made from suspicious or unknown devices.

Squarespace’s security staff is monitoring all Squarespace sites round-the-clock for threats and vulnerabilities to make sure your site is properly protected. Still, if you discover a vulnerability, you can report it to the security staff and they’ll conduct their investigation on it.

Customer support

You can seek assistance from Squarespace’s support staff via live chat, email, and X (Twitter). (Image credit: Squarespace)

If you get stuck somewhere during your Squarespace journey, you can seek assistance from their support staff via live chat, email, and X (Twitter). Sadly, phone support isn’t available.

Live chat is available Monday to Friday, 4 AM to 8 PM, ET, and once you contact the staff, someone will get back to you in a matter of minutes. In contrast, email support is available 24/7, but the response time can sometimes be sluggish.

As for self-service, you can visit the Help Center which contains a well-supplied knowledge base, video guides, and an avidly active community forum you can conveniently browse by topics.

Alternatives

Wix

As we noted earlier, Wix is an awesome alternative for those who want to build their site on a tight budget or entirely free — it even offers a forever-free edition of its site builder for personal use. Plus, it’s super simple to use, packed with features, and provides automatic backups.

Discover more about Wix in our Wix review.

WordPress.com

If you’re searching for a cheap yet endlessly customizable site builder, WordPress is the solution of choice. Since it’s an open-sourced software, it has thousands of themes, templates, plugins, how-to guides, and a committed community that can lend you a helping hand. While it’s not as beginner-friendly as Squarespace or Wix, it makes up for it with a fabulous level of flexibility and freedom.

Read our WordPress.com website builder review to learn more.

Shopify

Shopify is built for ecommerce from the ground up, so if an ecommerce solution is what you’re looking for, it might be the best choice. Squarespace offers all essential ecommerce features, but it’s still better suited for a professional site or a blog.

You can learn more in our full Shopify review.

Hostinger

With plans starting at just $1.99/mo (intro rate), Hostinger offers many of the same tools as Squarespace, including a full AI website builder. Although it doesn't offer the same level of design prestige, websites built on Hostinger still look clean and professional, making it a great choice for small businesses.

You can see how the two stack up in our Hostinger vs Squarespace guide.

How we tested Squarespace

To test the Squarespace website builder, we started by setting up an account. We then got hands-on with the tools and features available when building a website on the platform. This included exploring the various available website templates, SEO and marketing tools, and testing the drag-and-drop website editor.

We also reviewed the available plans, comparing their pricing and what they include. Finally, we researched what level of help and support is available to users and how the platform protects users’ websites from security threats.

You can learn more about how we test website builders with our full guide.

Summary

Squarespace is a splendid, simple-to-use site builder with terrific templates and it gets better each time a new version crops up. Hitting high marks in all major areas, Squarespace site builder qualifies as an amazing all-arounder in the market, and it’s also fit for small and mid-sized online stores.

Their website builder comes packed with tools and features such as email marketing, an SSL certificate, and options for mobile responsive templates - giving you everything you need to launch and grow your website in one convenient space.

However, Squarespace keeps its users on a short leash with a low level of customization and the inability to switch between templates without starting from scratch. Also, the lack of auto-save features makes it less convenient than some of its competitors.

Squarespace: FAQsDoes Squarespace have a free plan?

No, unlike some other website builders, Squarespace doesn’t have a free plan. However, it does offer a free 14-day trial. This offers you the opportunity to test out the platform to make sure it is the right one for you.

Does Squarespace charge a transaction fee on sales? 

It depends on the plan you pick.

The Business plan ($23/mo paid annually) is the cheapest plan which offers the full range of ecommerce functionality but charges a 3% transaction fee for physical products and services sold via the site. Both the Commerce plans (Basic ($27/mo paid annually) and Advanced ($49/mo paid annually)) charge a 0% transaction fee.

So, at just $4 extra a month, most ecommerce businesses would benefit from investing in the Commerce plan. But you will need to do the math to decide which one works best for you.

Can I get a discount on a Squarespace plan? 

Yes, we keep track of all the latest Squarespace voucher codes.

Is Squarespace better than Wix?

Well, it depends on what you’re looking for in a site builder. Wix offers more templates overall, but the ones you’ll get with Squarespace look better. Also, Wix has a forever-free edition, while with Squarespace you can make use of a 14-day free trial, and that’s about it.

Both site builders are easy to use, offer robust ecommerce features, and provide superb value for money. However, Wix is cheaper while Squarespace has more additional tools for growing your site.

Is Squarespace good for beginners?

Yes, Squarespace is one of the best site builders for beginners. Its intuitive, drag-and-drop editor is backed by simple-to-follow guides in case you get stuck. And if that doesn’t do the trick, you can rely on rather responsive customer support staff.

What are the downsides of using Squarespace?

The primary drawbacks of using Squarespace are the shortage of customization capabilities, the absence of auto-save features, and the lack of phone support. Also, there are cheaper options around and some of them offer a free edition of their site builders too.

Specs

Type: color laser multifunction printer

Functions: Print, scan, copy, fax

Connectivity: Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi

Data storage slots: USB Host

Print speed: 33ppm

Max paper size: Letter/legal/A4

Print quality: 1,200x1,200dpi (4,800x4,800 enhanced color)

Memory: 2GB

Apple AirPrint: yes

Consumables included: 4 x setup cartridges (1,500 black, 1,000 color pages)

Dimensions/Weight: 479 x 475 x 491 mm (WxDxH)/60lb/27kg

With its rapid print rate of 33ppm (pages per minute), duplex printing and scanning and a modular design that can expand its paper capacity in step with your growing business, the Xerox C325 is a significant step up from the Xerox C235. The extra $100 buys you a higher spec and premium features such as duplex scanning.

On paper, it has the chops to serve a busy workgroup with high print demands and Xerox suggests a print volume up to 6,000 pages, which could make it an easy entry into our best small business printers guide.

The Xerox C325 is essentially a rebadged Lexmark CX532adwe and since Xerox bought the Chinese-owned brand in 2025, I’ve been keen to see what, if any, improvements have been made.

Xerox C325: Design and build

(Image credit: Xerox // Future)

The C325 looks like a typical Xerox MFD (multifunction device) with its two-tone grey plastic and large ADF giving it a top-heavy appearance. One big difference though, are the four square toner cartridges and their compartment at the side of the printer.

Previously, Xerox had always housed its elongated torpedo-shaped cartridges in the center of its printers. The advantage here is that you can swap out your empties as easily as if they were inkjet cartridges. Frustratingly, the Xerox and Lexmark cartridges are not interchangeable.

The Xerox C325 is larger than the C235, with the overhanging ADF and scanner bed being raised up so the unit is almost 50cm tall. The footprint, however, is reasonably compact and in order to load Letter or A4 paper, you first need to extend the main tray beyond the rear panel by an inch or two.

The 4.3-inch tilting touchscreen control panel is both detailed and sensitive and there’s a USB Host port conveniently located close by. All other connections are at the rear. It looks and feels like a sturdy piece of office equipment that would withstand the demands of a workgroup. For my home office, though, I’d prefer the smaller Xerox C235.

Xerox C325: Features & specifications

(Image credit: Xerox // Future)

In addition to key features such as auto duplex, Wi-Fi with AirPrint and Mopria and embedded security software, the Xerox C325 also has a DADF — that’s a duplex automatic document feeder. The ability to scan both sides of a stack of documents saves a whole lot of standing around the printer and is something only upmarket MFPs can do.

With its fast print rate of 33ppm, powered by a 1.2Ghz processing and 2GB inbuilt memory, the Xerox C325 has a higher spec than the C235 in every department. It holds a similar amount of paper (251 sheets of Letter or A4) but this can be upgraded to 901 sheets with the purchase of additional cassettes, while the deeper out-tray can hold 120 sheets. The manual feed slot is useful for printing envelopes and headed letter paper and the USB Host port is handy for scanning directly to a USB thumb drive.

The native print and scan quality is the usual 600x600 DPI (dots per inch), but this is enhanced to 4,800 DPI for best quality color prints. It can recognize and print on a wide range of media up to Letter or A4 size and up to 216gsm in weight. The only absent feature that might have improved this model is NFC (near field communication) which could have enabled more secure printing in a shared office.

Xerox C325: Setup and operation

(Image credit: Xerox // Future)

The Xerox C325 comes with pre-loaded setup cartridges, so the initiation is simple and should only take a few minutes. My printer fired up quickly and launched straight into the setup procedure, which can be done via the touchscreen.

You can use the free companion app called Easy Assist and use your smartphone to help, but I tried both methods and found it faster to use the printer’s own touchscreen interface, which is particularly responsive and easy to type on.

The first test sheet you get from a new laser printer often looks faded as it takes a page or two for the toner to feed through, but this one printed crisply right from the box. In both setup and operation, the Xerox C325 responds promptly making it a pleasure to use.

Xerox C325: Performance

(Image credit: Xerox // Future)

The Xerox C325 printed a whole range of documents with the speed and accuracy you would expect from a printer at this price, but its bright and vivid presentation with color prints gives it an edge over the competition.

The advantage is most noticeable when printing photos on laser photo paper. The Xerox produces a slighter lighter image with more discernible detail than rival lasers such as the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw thanks to its strong contrast. You can still see the pixels that comprise the image, so it cannot compete with an inkjet photo printer for photos, but it is very good with mixed color documents.

And like most laser printers, it’s more consistent at printing text than your average inkjet. Characters always look sharp on plain paper and remain legible down to the smallest point size. The Xerox 325 churns out long Word documents at around 33ppm in simplex mode and about 22ppm in duplex mode, which is to say that it can turn the page over quickly.

The Xerox C325 also makes a great photocopier, thanks to a combination of a speedy scan rate and that valuable duplex scan function. Place your documents to be copied on the 50-sheet ADF (or DADF in this case) and each page will be sucked in, copied on both sides and duplex printed in a few seconds. Copies are so faithful it’s hard to tell them apart from the original.

Xerox C325: Consumables

(Image credit: Xerox // Future)

With the Xerox C325, you get four pre-installed setup cartridges containing enough toner for 1,500 black and white pages and 1,000 color pages, while the highest capacity carts available for this model will yield up to 8,000 black pages and 5,500 color. It works out at around 3 cents (2p) per black page, and 12 cents (9p) per color page, which is quite competitive.

However, the Lexmark CX532adwe, on which this model is based can take even higher capacity cartridges promising yields up to 15,800 mono pages and 8,800 color with a slightly lower CPP (cost per page). This seems to be the main difference between the two MFDs, so for very high print volumes, the more expensive Lexmark makes more sense.

Xerox C325: Maintenance

(Image credit: Xerox // Future)

The only parts that might need replacing apart from the toner cartridges are the black and color imaging drums. These cost several hundred dollars each, but the good news is that they last so long, Xerox says it’s unlikely you’ll need to renew them.

Xerox C325: Final verdict

(Image credit: Xerox // Future)

The Xerox C325 fills its roll as a do-it-all workhorse for a busy workgroup well. It has all the key features you could ask of an office printer, with single-pass duplex scanning being a real bonus. It has the paper capacity and upgradability to satisfy a growing business and pretty good toner capacity too, though it has to be said, the near identical Lexmark CX532adwe manages even higher yields. T

he intuitive touchscreen makes it easy to use and the print and scan rates are impressive. Crucially, the print quality also lives up to expectations. The black text output is good, if unremarkable, while the color output is especially strong with lots of detail and bright color. In short, this is a great multifunction device for the office.

Xerox // FutureXerox // FutureXerox // Future

For more top-rated options, I've tested out the best home printers and the best laser printers.

Back in 2023, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lisa McGee on the BAFTA red carpet the night she won for Derry Girls season 3. It was one of the highlights of my career to date, but after watching her character Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher) flee for her life from the awards in new Netflix show How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, I'm starting to wonder if McGee felt the same way.

The Derry Girls creator was always going to have all eyes on her when it came to her follow-up show, and I'm pleased to report it's an absolute belter. This time around, McGee is blending eerie tragedy and crime-style mystery into her signature blend of Irish wit and charm, and together, it goes down like a spoonful of sugar.

At its core, best friends – screenwriter Saoirse, mum Robyn (Sinéad Keenan) and reclusive mummy's girl Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne) – are told that an estranged friend from their school days has died after falling down the stairs. When they get to the wake and discover Greta (Natasha O'Keeffe) might not be dead after all, they open a can of worms bigger than they could ever have imagined.

When I say you are going to race through these eight episodes because they're so addictive, I mean you won't even move to get another drink. After a doozy of an opening episode, I almost resented the plans I had that meant I had to leave my TV screen unwatched. That's the power of McGee, people... it's almost witchcraft.

The critical eye in me has to really pick this apart... yes, it could have been easily condensed into six episodes and I'm not too sure how much I love one of the most significant sub-plots. But for the most part, I'm breathing a sigh of relief that great Irish telly is back once again (and this is possibly the most Irish show I've ever seen).

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast isn't Derry Girls, but it won't let you forget where Lisa McGee started

Think about Bad Sisters, Big Little Lies and Orphan Black all getting together and having a little Irish TV baby, and you've got How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. McGee's latest work has much darker undertones than we're used to, touching on everything from murder and the occult to witness protection and false arrests. Even the intro titles are creepy enough to send a shiver running down your spine.

While these are topics you'd rarely joke about, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is teeming with natural laugh-out-loud moments. Our lead trio are just as hilarious as they are charismatic, making them the ideal characters to deliver McGee's exceptional script with the timing and wit it needs.

This is where it's most similar to Derry Girls – but if anything, the new Netflix show is almost an ode to it, ramming in Easter eggs wherever you look. Everything from subtle dialogue references to the cast mural that now sits in the center of Derry is there, and that's before you get to cast appearances from the likes of Saoirse Monica-Jackson, Art Campion and Father Ted legend Ardal O'Hanlon.

The comedy is strong enough to stand on its own, but I loved reminiscing on some of my favorite Derry Girls scenes as How to Get to Heaven from Belfast went along. Again, it's something that shouldn't work but does, and it's a testament to McGee's craft that she's managed to pull off intertwining the two shows.

As McGee said the night I interviewed her, "I'm Irish, so I can talk quickly." It's this snappy and dynamic pace of storytelling that makes any of her work feel so electric, meaning we can power through the scenes that don't quite work and not feel hard done by. It's such a creative leap that it was almost a given that there would be imperfections, but like all good things, the pros far outweigh the cons.

The soundtrack is any 2000s kid's dream – and almost a character in its own right

It's giving ITV crime drama. (Image credit: Netflix)

It took watching How to Get to Heaven from Belfast for me to realize that we've scarcely had any dramas centering on 2000s school culture. The 80s and 90s have been done to death, with the 70s not too far behind. Even the 2010s to now are well represented thanks to shows like Euphoria.

But for some reason, the 2000s has been a blind spot... until now. Much of Saoirse, Dara, Robyn and Greta's backstory takes place during their high school days in 2003, and boy has production paid attention to the all-important details. Classic McGee motifs like diary writing and shifting boys at house parties are all present and correct, but the day-to-day culture of the early naughties almost feels refreshing.

This best comes to life in the (frankly, exquisite) soundtrack that I hope somebody at Netflix eventually turns into a Spotify playlist. We've got Liberty X, 'The Ketchup Song', and copious plays of 'Sound of the Underground' by Girls Aloud in multiple episodes (though their featured discography is not limited to this).

In peak humor, we've also got B*Witched's 'C'est La Vie', which had me both roaring and subconsciously Irish dancing within seconds. How lucky are we to have a talented creator who doesn't take themselves or their work too seriously? Where else can we have a payoff that resembles Popstars: The Rivals?

I will go as far as to say that How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is my best TV show of 2026 so far. It's not perfect, but the smorgasbord of cultural and craft references we're getting are a feast for the eyes and ears, and I'm thrilled McGee's talents will be appreciated on a global streaming service. Let's keep funding her work until the money runs out, please.

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There was a moment late last year when I thought I'd lost my wallet. I searched everywhere, in every nook and cranny. It was nowhere. I began walking through all the steps I'd have to take to secure my life; my IDs, my credit cards, even some memories stuffed inside. I was, for a moment, devastated. Then I remembered something: I'd had the wallet on me the other day when I briefly wore a pair of pants... then I switched into shorts.

The wallet was in the pocket of those pants, folded, and laying a shelf in my closet. Now, if I'd had an AirTag on it, I could've located the wallet with some ease. The irony is that this wallet came with a perfect circle cut-out to hold Apple's popular tracking tag. After that scare, I decided to slip an AirTag in, and now I can find it in my house.

And if I had the new AirTag (Second Generation or AirTag 2), I'd find it even more easily – because, as promised, it's got far better range, and can chirp loud enough that you can easily hear it from a room away.

Apple AirTag 2: Price and availability

•  $29 / £29 / AU$49
• Available now at Apple Store and retail

Apple AirTag 2: SetupLance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / Future

If you own one of the best iPhones, setting up the new AirTag is as easy as it was with the original tracking disc. After unpacking the AirTag, I pulled the thin plastic covering off and then tugged until the tiny bit of embedded flexible plastic pulled out of the AirTag.

With that, the AirTag started looking for its iPhone mate. My iPhone 17 Pro Max, which was sitting nearby, immediately detected the AirTag and lit up. On-screen steps guided me through the process of pairing it with the phone and naming the tag (you typically choose a name that aligns with what you want to track, so 'Backpack,' 'Luggage,' etc.).

There's also a pretty stern warning about how AirTags are not intended to be used to track people without their consent. The new AirTags support all the same privacy features, like alerting you if an unknown AirTag is somehow on your person. Plus, if the AirTag is separated from its owner for an extended period, it will start making noise.

Since Apple sent me one of its $35 / £40 / A$59 FineWoven Key Rings, I slipped the AirTag into it and attached it to my backpack.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)Apple AirTag 2: Test drive

From the outside, the Apple AirTag 2 is indistinguishable from the original AirTag launched in 2021, but inside it's a whole different story.

Apple replaced significant components, including the ultrawideband chip, which now matches what we've had in the iPhone since 2023 (iPhone 15), and new speakers. Both of these changes are critical to the AirTags 2's biggest updates.

When I learned about the new Apple AirTag, I noted Apple's claims of 1.5x better range and a 50%-louder speaker with some skepticism. Those sounded like big leaps, and I wondered, at first, how I might test them.

The answer was simple, and it resided in my wallet. I simply compared the original AirTag to this new and improved one.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)Finding things near and far

The AirTag is useful for finding stuff you've misplaced in your home, but even more impactful when you, or say, your airline has misplaced your luggage, for example. Apple has partnered with dozens of airlines that can now use an AirTag to help locate your lost luggage and let you know it's been found; a reunion with your luggage should soon follow.

Like the original AirTag, the new one can tap into a network of one billion Apple devices to phone home. Basically, an AirTag separated from its owner can ping, for instance, a nearby iPhone, and that connects with the iCloud network to deliver the AirTag's location information (based on that original iPhone's location) back to the owner in the Find My app. All of this information is delivered anonymously, and it's also end-to-end encrypted.

A locally misplaced item can be found via the AirTag's ultrawideband capabilities.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

To be clear, I had no intention of losing my wallet or backpack, but I thought I could test out the new range and audio capabilities.

My house is about 40ft front to back and 50ft diagonally from one corner to the other. I placed my backpack with both the AirTag 1 (in my wallet) and the AirTag 2 in one corner, and then I walked to the opposite, far corner of my house.

In the FindMy app, I started by selecting my wallet and then choosing 'Find' to launch Precision Finding. The app reported that my wallet was 'far' and, though connected, said the signal was weak and suggested I move to a different location.

AirTag (2026): The range is much better.FutureAirTags (First Gen): It works but the range is much shorter.Future

I started walking in the direction of the wallet and AirTag 1. When I was almost two-thirds of the way to its location, the Find My interface picked up the wallet at 22ft away, but could not identify the direction.

It wasn't until I was within six feet of the AirTag 1 that I got directional information, which is a giant white arrow on a green background that points you to your missing bag, wallet, or whatever.

Next, I returned to the far corner of my house and selected the backpack, in which I had placed the AirTag 2.

Even from that location, the phone connected to the AirTag and told me it was 47 feet away. By the time I was just a third of the way across my home (roughly 32ft), Find My started displaying directional information – a significant improvement over the original AirTag.

I reran the test with the wallet and backpack AirTags fully exposed, and the results were the same.

Sound off

The new AirTags are also advertised as being significantly louder than the original tags, thanks to new speakers.

Keeping the AirTags in the same location, I first selected the wallet AirTag in Find My devices and then chose 'Play Sound'. I heard the familiar two-tone sound.

From inside my backpack, I could just make out the muffled dat-dat-da-dat-dat, which plays three times before ceasing.

I made sure the AirTag 2 was similarly seated inside the backpack, and then selected 'Play Sound' for that AirTag. The difference in volume was stark; I could hear it clearly, even over the din of a nearby television. Impressive.

Watch this

If you have an Apple Watch 9 (or above) or Ultra 2, try this with the new AirTag. (Image credit: Future)

The new AirTag also works with the Apple Watch (Series 9 and above or Ultra 2), though enabling it was slightly less intuitive than I'd prefer.

To add an AirTag to your Apple Watch, you open the Control Panel, hit Edit, and then select 'Find AirTag'. The system walks you through selecting a compatible AirTag, in my case, the backpack one, and once that's done it's just a press of your Apple Watch Side Button and a tap on the Find AirTag icon to launch a search for that item.

When I did it on my Apple Watch 9, the screen immediately transformed into a searching graphic similar to what I see in the iPhone Find My app's Precision Finding feature. It instantly showed me how many feet I was from the backpack, and when I started walking toward it, it switched to a circular wayfinder, with one portion of the circle turning bright white to indicate the proper direction. When I arrived at the backpack and its AirTag, the screen turned green with a bright check mark.

While I can't test battery life, you'll be pleased to know that the new AirTag uses the same CR2032 3-volt lithium coin battery, and is rated to last a year. Finally, the IP67 rating remains, which means the AirTag (2026) can handle splashes of water (rain) and dust.

Overall, this is an excellent little update that retains all that's good about the original AirTag, and updates crucial features to make them much more useful when you're trying to find your lost item. And Apple earns extra points for not raising the price or altering the design, which might have forced you to buy new AirTag accessories.

Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra: Two-minute review

The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra is the very latest premium laptop from the South Korean tech giant. While Samsung is better known for its TVs, smartphones, and home appliances, in recent years it’s been steadily releasing some of the best laptops we’ve ever tested through its Galaxy Book lineup, and the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra was launched at CES 2026 alongside the Book6 Pro and more affordable Galaxy Book6.

They all come with Intel’s brand-new Core Ultra Series 3 mobile processors (also known as Panther Lake), which have been seriously impressing us, as well as Samsung’s increasingly sophisticated ecosystem that allows these laptops to interact with other Samsung devices, especially smartphones and tablets, and gives, in my mind, the closest experience to Apple’s slick Mac/iPhone/iPad integration for Windows 11 and Android devices. More on that later.

As a Galaxy product, this is naturally a high-end flagship device, and with a price tag of £2,999 (around $4,000 / AU$6,000) for the base model, this isn't going to be a laptop for everyone.

However, if you can afford it, you should be pretty happy with what you get for your money. The latest hardware from Intel and Nvidia means this is a brilliant performer for basically any task you require, and Samsung has made sure this is a solidly-built laptop with excellent build quality - and comes with one of the best screens you can get.

But that high price and abundance of power mean a lot of people simply won't need the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra, and a more affordable laptop (such as the standard Galaxy Book6) will be a much better choice.

(Image credit: Future)Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra: Price & Availability

• Starts at $2,449.99 / £2,999 (around AU$6,000)
• Launch seems to have been delayed

As with Samsung’s other Galaxy products, the Galaxy Book6 series of laptops are premium devices with designs, specs, and price tags to match. The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra, as the name suggests, is the highest-end model, and starts at $2,449.99 / £2,999 (around AU$6,000) for the model that comes with an Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU and 1TB of storage.

That’s expensive for a laptop. Very expensive. It makes the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) from last year seem like a bargain at $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,499, and while you can argue that the Galaxy Book6 Ultra is a much more powerful laptop, mainly thanks to its high-end CPU, discrete GPU and more RAM, if you’re making a product that’s a more expensive rival to an Apple device, you’ll need to justify the extra cash.

Arguably, comparing the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra to the more powerful 16-inch MacBook Pro with either M4 Pro or M4 Max chips (which, despite being last-generation, are more powerful than the M5) is more fair. The MacBook Pro 16-inch with M4 Pro and 24GB of unified memory is $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,999, while the model with an M4 Max chip and 36GB of unified memory is $3,499 / £3,499 / AU$5,699.

• Value: 2.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra review: SpecsSamsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra Specs

Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra Base Config

Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra Review Config

Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra High end Config

Price

$2,449.99 / £2,999 (around AU$6,000)

TBA

TBA

CPU

Intel Core Ultra 7 series 3

Intel Core Ultra 7 series 3

Intel Core Ultra 9 series 3

GPU

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070

RAM

32GB LPDDR5X

32GB LPDDR5X

64GB LPDDR5X

Storage

1TB PCI Express NVMe 4.0 (M.2)

1TB PCI Express NVMe 4.0 (M.2)

1TB PCI Express NVMe 4.0 (M.2)

Display

16-inch Touch AMOLED, Anti-Reflective, WQXGA+ (2880×1800), 1000nits

16-inch Touch AMOLED, Anti-Reflective, WQXGA+ (2880×1800), 1000nits

16-inch Touch AMOLED, Anti-Reflective, WQXGA+ (2880×1800), 1000nits

Ports and Connectivity

Thunderbolt 4 (2), USB Type-A, HDMI 2.1 port (Supports 8K@60, 5K@120),
SD, Headphone/Microphone

Thunderbolt 4 (2), USB Type-A, HDMI 2.1 port (Supports 8K@60, 5K@120),
SD, Headphone/Microphone

Thunderbolt 4 (2), USB Type-A, HDMI 2.1 port (Supports 8K@60, 5K@120),
SD, Headphone/Microphone

Battery

80.20Wh

80.20Wh

80.20Wh

Dimensions

14.05 x 9.76 x 0.6 inches / 356.9 x 248 x 15.4mm

14.05 x 9.76 x 0.6 inches / 356.9 x 248 x 15.4mm

14.05 x 9.76 x 0.6 inches / 356.9 x 248 x 15.4mm

Weight

4.2lbs / 1.89kg

4.2lbs / 1.89kg

4.2lbs / 1.89kg

Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra review: Design

• Very smart looking
• Excellent display
• Manages to be slim

As with previous Galaxy Book laptops, the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra is a great-looking product, with a sleek, understated design in silver that is reminiscent of Apple’s Intel-based MacBook Pros (before they underwent noticeable redesigns with the switch to Apple’s own M-series processors). This won’t be the last time I’ll mention the Book6 Ultra’s similarities to a MacBook.

Unlike the Galaxy Book6 Pro and Galaxy Book6, which come in both 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, the Galaxy Book6 Ultra comes in a single 16-inch size. While this might mean that if portability is your biggest concern when buying a new laptop, you might not want a large-screen device like the Book6 Ultra, Samsung has done a good job of keeping this laptop feeling thin and relatively light.

It measures 14.05 x 9.76 x 0.6 inches (356.9 x 248 x 15.4mm) and weighs up to 4.2lbs (1.89kg). This means it’s slightly thinner than the 14-inch MacBook Pro (M5), despite its larger screen and discrete GPU, although because this is a 16-inch laptop, the overall footprint is larger than the M5 MacBook Pro.

(Image credit: Future)

Despite the thin design, there’s a decent selection of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, a standard USB Type-A port, HDMI 2.1, and an SD card reader. Thankfully, Samsung’s decision to drop the headphone jacks from its smartphones hasn’t made it to its laptop division, as the Galaxy Book6 Ultra comes with a port for plugging in headsets and microphones.

Fans of USB-C formats (come on, there must be some) will note that the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra’s two ports are Thunderbolt 4, rather than the newer (and faster) Thunderbolt 5. While this means the Book6 Ultra isn’t quite packed with the very latest components, it’s worth noting that its main competitor, the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025), also comes with Thunderbolt 4 ports.

(Image credit: Future)

The keyboard, which again invites comparisons with the MacBook Pro, is decent, and while the keys themselves are rather shallow, they still feel responsive and comfortable to use. As with Apple’s laptops, there’s a dedicated button on the top-right of the keyboard that’s used to scan your fingerprint. This allows you to securely log into Windows 11 with just a touch, and it also means you can use features such as the controversial Recall tool that require advanced biometric security.

The main appeal, design-wise, of the Galaxy Book6 Ultra, however, is its screen. Samsung is known for using excellent screens for its devices, especially TVs and smartphones, and the Galaxy Book6 Ultra continues that tradition.

(Image credit: Future)

The 16-inch touchscreen comes with a sharp WQXGA+ (2880 x 1800) resolution, and AMOLED screen technology that results in an incredibly vibrant and detailed image quality. That, combined with a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz, makes Windows 11, its apps, and pretty much any media you play on the Galaxy Book6 Ultra look absolutely fantastic.

The display is surrounded by a thin, modern bezel, which means Samsung can maximize the screen size without bulking up the rest of the laptop, and there’s no controversial ‘notch’ that modern MacBooks have around the webcam.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra review: Performance

• Excellent Windows 11 performance
• Can even play games
• Gets very hot

Coming with Intel’s latest, and very impressive, Panther Lake processors, and able to be configured with up to an Nvidia RTX 5070 graphics card, the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra offers an exemplary Windows 11 experience, with the operating system and apps all running smoothly.

Whilst testing the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra, I had no problem at all running various apps, and with plenty of RAM, multitasking between apps is smooth and responsive.

The model I reviewed comes with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 laptop GPU, something that’s often found in the best gaming laptops. The inclusion of this high-end GPU doesn’t mean the Galaxy Book6 Ultra is a gaming laptop, however, as it can be used for graphically-intensive workloads, such as ultra-high-definition video editing, 3D animation, and advanced AI tasks. So, this model of the Galaxy Book6 Ultra is a great choice for creative professionals, especially thanks to its gorgeous OLED screen.

(Image credit: Future)

The Galaxy Book6 Ultra certainly had no issues while I was editing a 4K movie in Adobe Premiere, with clips loading quickly, and scrubbing through the video’s timeline was instant. This was also while I had numerous apps and websites open at once, and Windows 11 felt incredibly fast and smooth.

Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra: Benchmarks

Here's how the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
3DMark: Fire Strike: 26,767; Time Spy: 12,309; Steel Nomad: 2,758; Port Royal: 7,687
Geekbench 6.5: Multicore: 16,655; Single-core: 2,852
PCMark 10: 6,827
Crossmark: Overall: 1,880; Productivity: 1,669; Creativity: 2,275; Responsiveness: 1,514
Cyberpunk 2077: (1080p, High, DLSS Quality): 111.86fps
Assassin's Creed Shadows: 1080p, Medium: 54fps; 1080p, Ultra High: 32fps, 1080p, Medium, DLSS Quality: 65; 1080p, Ultra High, DLSS Quality: 39fps
Total War: Warhammer III: 1080p, High: 101.3fps
Battery Life (TechRadar video test): 13 hours, 39 minutes
Battery Life (Battery Informant): 15 hours, 11 minutes

Also, while the RTX 5070-toting Galaxy Book6 Ultra is not a gaming laptop, it can still play games, though you’ll want to enable DLSS upscaling where possible. At 1080p with DLSS on and graphics set to ‘High’, I got Cyberpunk 2077 running at a very impressive 111.86fps. Meanwhile, Assassin's Creed Shadows at ‘Medium’ settings with DLSS switched on hit 65fps.

Sure, these aren’t the most mind-blowing numbers, and there will be plenty of PC gamers who turn their noses up at the need to use DLSS, but the fact that such a thin and light laptop can play these games at all, let alone at those kind of frame rates, is really impressive, and again thanks to the OLED screen, they look incredible.

The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra also remains impressively quiet. Even when performing intensive tasks, fan noise was kept to a minimum. The lack of distracting whirring is nice, but it does mean that at some points, primarily just above the keyboard, the laptop can get very hot to the touch. Using it for prolonged periods of heavy workloads (including gaming) could lead to the performance getting throttled to stop the Galaxy Book6 Ultra from overheating, though it didn’t happen during my tests. Packing such powerful components into such a slim chassis does mean that this is a risk, however.

One of the key features of the Galaxy Book6 Ultra is how it can work with other Samsung devices, much like how MacBooks can work with iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices.

(Image credit: Microsoft / Samsung)

I connected the Galaxy Book6 Ultra to my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and with a bit of tweaking, I was able to easily share documents between the laptop and the smartphone. 'Multicontrol' is a particularly impressive feature, whereby dragging the mouse cursor to the edge of the Galaxy Book6 Ultra’s screen, the cursor will jump to the smartphone, and you can use the Galaxy Book6 Ultra’s trackpad and keyboard to interact with the phone.

I used this to type out some long messages that would have been a pain to write using the phone’s touchscreen. You can also use Samsung’s tablets as a second display for the Galaxy Book6 Ultra, a nice touch if you have invested in Samsung’s ecosystem.

If the Galaxy Book6 Ultra is going to be your first and only Samsung device, then sadly you won’t be able to make use of most of these features, though Windows 11’s Phone Link feature remains a great way to access your phone via your laptop, and it’ll work on the Galaxy Book6 Ultra without the phone needing to be a Samsung model.

You’re missing out on some really useful features, though, many of which make life easier – and Samsung has made it the furthest out of any of its rivals when it comes to providing an Apple-like experience with its ecosystem.

This is all the more impressive as Apple has complete control over its ecosystem: it builds both the hardware (including many components) in its Macs, iPhones, and tablets, as well as the software those devices run on. That means making everything interact with each other is a lot easier (relatively speaking, I mean. I’m certainly not downplaying the hard work and effort that’s still required).

Meanwhile, Samsung’s laptops and smartphones are mainly made of components made by other companies, such as Intel, and the software they run (Windows 11 for laptops, Android for smartphones and tablets) is also made by other companies (Microsoft and Google, respectively).

(Image credit: Microsoft / Samsung)

So, making its various products all work together is an impressive feat, and for the most part works well. It does mean that you need to use Samsung’s own apps for a lot of things, and you need to sign into your Samsung account (on top of your Microsoft account, Google account), so if you’re not a fan of extra apps (sometimes uncharitably called ‘bloatware’) on your laptop or smartphone, then you’ll be frustrated with Samsung’s penchant of preinstalling its own apps.

Also, it’s not quite as slick as Apple’s implementation, and there are a few performance niggles. While using Multcontrol to use the trackpad and keyboard of the Galaxy Book6 Ultra on my Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphone was helpful, it prevented the onscreen keyboard on the phone from appearing when I moved control back over to the laptop. Not the end of the world, but a bit annoying if you forget and then wonder why you can’t type out a message. It’s easy to fix by reenabling the touch keyboard, but it’s an example of how Apple’s ecosystem works so much better.

As well as the excellent OLED screen, which offers beautifully dark blacks, high contrast, and vibrant colors, the Galaxy Book6 Ultra comes with six Dolby Atmos speakers with four force-cancelling woofers and two tweeters, which allows the laptop to handle both deep bases and high details. It can reach loud volumes without the audio distorting, and there are no annoying vibrations thanks to the speaker design.

As a Copilot+ PC, it’s also been designed with on-device AI in mind, but even though both Microsoft and Samsung seem fully committed to AI, I’ve yet to find a compelling case for it in a laptop. Sure, it’s nice to have and means this laptop is certainly future-proof, but it’s the least exciting part of the Galaxy Book6 Ultra.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Future)Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra review: Battery Life

• Over 15 hours
• Gaming drains it in 2 hours

Despite what many companies, including Microsoft, insist, AI is not the most interesting or exciting feature of this new generation of Copilot+ PC laptops (ugh, I hate that name) – but rather, it's the battery life.

The processors powering these laptops are getting ever more efficient, which means they can offer excellent performance as well as longer times between charging, and the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra is an excellent example of this, managing over 15 hours in our benchmark tests. That’s not the longest we’ve seen, and the MacBook Pro comfortably beats it by about five hours in the same test. It’s still very good for a laptop that offers this kind of performance.

I was able to use it for multiple workdays without needing to plug it in, and when I did, the battery charged quickly. I used the included power adaptor, but any USB-C charger should do the trick – and it’s worth noting that in the UK and EU, the Galaxy Book6 Ultra does not come with a power adaptor, similar to the MacBook. This is supposed to help reduce e-waste, and while that’s an admirable goal, it does add to the expense if you’ve not got a spare charger already.

• Battery Life: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Acer Aspire 16 AI?Acer Aspire 16 AI Scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

This is a stylish and very powerful laptop that predictably comes at a very high price that will likely put off a lot of people.

2.5 / 5

Design

The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra is one of the nicest-looking laptops on the market right now, and its AMOLED screen is a particular highlight.

4.5 / 5

Performance

Windows 11 is incredibly fast, and even the most intensive workloads are handled with ease. It can also play games.

4.5 / 5

Battery Life

Scoring over 15 hours in our tests, this is very impressive for a laptop that offers this level of performance.

4.5 / 5

Total

The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra is one of the best laptops you can buy right now thanks to its awesome performance and stunning design. It's especially great if paired with a Samsung phone, though the high price means it won't be for everyone.

4.5 / 5

Buy the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra if...

You have other Samsung devices
The Galaxy Book6 Ultra really comes into its own when you pair it with a Samsung smartphone, tablet or headphones.

You want a thin and light creative workstation
Intel’s latest chips and the ability to configure the Galaxy Book6 Ultra with an RTX 5070 GPU mean this is an incredibly powerful laptop that’s ideal for creative workloads, all wrapped up in a thin and light chassis.

You want a fantastic screen to work on
The 16-inch AMOLED screen of the Galaxy Book6 Ultra is one of the best displays you can currently get in a laptop.

Don't buy it if...

You have a tight budget
The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra is a flagship laptop with cutting-edge components and features, which makes it very expensive.

You want a gaming laptop
Despite coming with an RTX 5070 GPU, this is not a gaming laptop, and while it certainly can play games, you’d be better off buying a machine specifically designed for gaming, as they will offer better cooling and other gaming features.

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra

• Tested for several weeks
• Used for various tasks
• Connected it to my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphone

I tested the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra over the course of several weeks, using it for work and writing the bulk of this review on it. I also played a few games on it to see how the dedicated GPU copes.

I also edited a 4K video using Adobe Premiere Pro and streamed several movies and listened to music. I've been reviewing laptops for nearly 20 years, and I've used my extensive experience to rate this device.

• First reviewed: February 2026
• Read more about how we test

It's rare that I don't know where to start when it comes to writing a movie review, but there's a first time for everything. I'll just give the bad news to you straight: like a vet's trip to get your old pet put down, "Wuthering Heights" is about as spicy as a plain meal at Nando's, and as basic as the restaurant choice.

But we knew this going into it, didn't we? We've had the collective debate about the death of modern literacy, the outrage about the casting choices and Emerald Fennell's outright refusal to include the Emily Brontë novel's original themes of race and colonialism. They're all necessary conversations and causes for concern, and I agree with them.

On the other hand, I also agree with freedom of interpretation and creative license. I'm a huge fan of Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, so it made sense that Fennell was the director who could reinvent a classic into something jaw-dropping, pushing the boundaries of how we interpret a classic tale.

Alas, we've actually ended up with something superficial that can be commercially marketed, inspiring 10-second TikToks instead of critical thinking. Add two and two together, and you get boring... the most mortal sin in cinema.

From the impeccable first trailer with Charli XCX's Everything is Romantic remixed into it (as it's better than the entire movie, I'll link it below for you to enjoy), "Wuthering Heights" sold itself as lustful yearning confirmed to get you hot under the collar. I thought this would make it messy and overbearing – but I never expected it to be as dull as dishwater.

From teaser to feature, something's gone wrong

If I'm completely honest, I so badly wanted to fall head over heels for "Wuthering Heights" just so I could spite the masses who hate it. Perhaps I'm as petty as Fennell's version of Cathy (Margot Robbie). But that dream wasn't to be, so let's dig deeper into what didn't work.

Here's the infuriating part – you can completely buy the chemistry and sense of longing happening onscreen, even the unhinged behavior that makes up being driven made with selfish desire. But you'll struggle to care about any of it.

Working with deeply unlikeable characters needs a master at the helm, and I wonder if Fennell is too focused on translated her own personal experience of reading the book as a young girl. In essence, what's happening in the movie might mean a lot to her, but not to anybody else.

A friend of mine described "Wuthering Heights" as a two-hour Taylor Swift music video, and I think she's nailed it. We're looking at something that could easily have been featured on The Life of a Showgirl, laced with vibrant colors and ostentatious production design shaped by period drama Instagram.

While the costuming is easily the star of the show, production often reveals Yorkshire to actually be on a soundstage, with props so 2D you'd fear squashing them into cardboard mulch if you got too close.

Charli XCX's tailor-made album for the film is in scant supply too. The orchestrated soundtrack is hauntingly melodic, but I was promised some electro-pop bangers in between this snoozefest, and I only counted three.

Everything isn't always romantic. (Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Then there's the wayward casting. Perhaps somebody like Mia Goth, Mia Wasikowska or Elle Fanning might have been a better fit for Cathy than Robbie, who can never truly shift that beautiful Gold Coast glow. Her performance is solid and she's clearly done the groundwork for it, but full suspension of belief doesn't follow.

I've got a lot more time for Jacob Elordi's Heathcliff, especially after his riveting role of The Creature in Frankenstein. He sells the hard done by Yorkshire grafter better than anybody else, but the press tour had helped solidify our yearning for him. Holding Robbie's dress, making sure she doesn't get soaked in the rain and taking the time to answer every endless press question thrown his way... yeah, that's a man raised right.

While Hong Chau's Nelly Dean remains constantly stone-faced and Shazad Latif's Edgar Linton looks like he doesn't even know he's in a movie, I'm bowled over by Martin Clunes' Mr. Earnshaw. It's hilarious for a Brit to see the Doc Martin star scold Elordi and crawl on a dirty floor for coins, but God does he pull it off. Both cruel and captivating, we definitely don't spend enough time with him during "Wuthering Heights'" 132-minute runtime.

Owen Cooper and Charlotte Mellington are the exceptional ace up Fennell's sleeve though. Matured and emotional beyond their years, they reel us in during the movie's opening 20 minutes with such vulnerable honesty that I almost had a tear in my eye. Thank you Netflix and Adolescence for giving us a star being born in Cooper.

But surely it's erotic... right?

Get ready to see this sort of pose a LOT. (Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Where "Wuthering Heights" removes the socio-political context of Brontë's novel, it fills out with a 50 Shades of Grey approach to what's left. Again, this leaves a bland taste. Aside from one truly erotic scene – Fennell seems to pull her lust off best when she stops just shy of sex – nothing is sexy, shocking, or particularly inviting. If you want sexual scandal, try Rivals on Disney+.

As I said in the headline, if this film was a spice, it would be flour. You can't market something solely on the promise of hedonistic lusting and then deliver something you'd actually feel comfortable watching with your parents. I doubt it would even have made ripples 20 or 30 years ago. But sure, Elordi will get some cheers when he takes his top off.

Will I be watching "Wuthering Heights" again? No. Do I remain a Saltburn truther? Yes. Will Fennell's latest make a shed-ton of money at the box office despite being widely panned? Absolutely. I've got a sneaking suspicion that Fennell kicks into full gear with original stories, so don't count me out of her work completely.

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Light spoilers follow for Crime 101.

Chris Hemsworth can't seem to catch a break away from the MCU.

Best known for playing Thor in Marvel's cinematic juggernaut, his CV largely reads like a list of critical darlings that underperformed at the box office (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Rush) and critically-panned flops (Spiderhead, Men In Black: International, and 2017's Ghostbusters). Sure, there have been successes, such as Netflix's Extraction franchise, but even those are considered to be unoriginal overachievers by plenty of people. Not exactly the consistent hitmaker some might have expected him to have become, then.

And so comes the turn of Crime 101, an action-heist thriller fronted by Hemsworth. At first glance, it looks like the kind of gritty and pulsating film that'll go down well with fans and critics alike, and be the big, non-superhero box office success that the Aussie actor needs. Enjoyable for what it is, though, Crime 101 commits too many offences to be a must-see film and/or an immediate genre classic.

To catch a thief

Chris Hemsworth plays Mike Davis, a careful but effective jewellery thief (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios/Sony Pictures)

Written and directed by BAFTA-winning crime genre fanatic Bart Layton (The Impostor, American Animals) and based on Don Winslow's short story namesake, Crime 101 introduces us to Mike Davis (Hemsworth).

An extremely meticulous and seemingly untraceable crook, Davis' penchant for committing armed robberies – often of the jewellery variety – along the Hollywood Freeway puts him in the crosshairs of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

Davis is a walking contradiction in every sense of the word – and, by proxy, an incredibly interesting individual

When a routine diamond heist goes awry, Davis soon finds Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo), who's hunted him for an extended period of time, hot on his trail once more. The only way to evade capture and set himself up for life, it seems, is to successfully carry out one last money-spinning crime. And, for that, Davis will need to employ the services of Sharon Colvin (Halle Berry), a disillusioned insurance broker who holds the key to his $11 million plan.

Detective Tillman (left) joins Mark Ruffalo's Lou Lubesnick in pursuing Davis throughout the film (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios/Sony Pictures)

There's no question that Hemsworth has the charisma and acting qualities to be a leading man, which he's demonstrated as Marvel's heroic God of Thunder and Furiosa's the love-to-hate villain Dementus. It'll come as no surprise to learn, then, that he turns a potentially one-dimensional character in Davis into a fully rounded individual with real emotional depth and complexity

Okay, given his line of work, Davis has learned to become a enigma whose vulnerabilities only surface with people he's close to. Once the soul-shuddering moment that spooks him during the near-botched diamond robbery occurs, though, a window is opened into Davis' life and mysterious backstory that suggests he's not the run-of-the-mill thief you might expect.

Neither a master of his craft nor a perfect executor of a plan, and armed with an unexpectedly strict moral code that juxtaposes the criminal world he operates in, Davis is a walking contradiction in every sense of the word – and, by proxy, an incredibly interesting individual to accompany as Crime 101's story unfolds.

Davis enlists the help of Berry's Sharon Colvin (right) to land his next – and potentially last – score (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios/Sony Pictures)

It's the journeys that Davis and his fellow alienated individuals in Lubesnick and Colvin embark on, plus the broken systems they operate in, that makes Crime 101 shine as a character-led crime drama.

Crime 101 shines as a character-led crime drama

Whether it's Davis' faith being shaken by his near-death experience, Lubesnick's hands being tied by red tape and lacking the support of his law enforcing counterparts, or Colvin being overlooked by her peers due to her gender and age, Crime 101's core trio are all pushed to their breaking point.

Watching these individuals grapple with their conscience and fully transform into morally ambiguous individuals, especially once their worlds collide, is arguably the Amazon and Sony flick's best feature. My only criticism? That these engrossing interactions, which I was fully invested in alongside their individual arcs from the outset, aren't revisited as often as I'd have liked.

Under pressure

Crime 101's romance-laced subplot between Maya and Davis is trite (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios/Sony Pictures)

Outside of these character interactions, Crime 101's story is as disappointingly derivative as they come.

Its action, while slick, kinetic, and at-times edge-of-your-seat viewing, is pretty par for the course. When you consider the Mount Rushmore of genre movies that Layton says Crime 101 was influenced by, especially from an action spectacle standpoint, I expected more from its rubber-burning set-pieces and gun-toting stand-offs.

I expected more from Crime 101's rubber-burning set-pieces and gun-toting stand-offs

The same can be said of Crime 101's romantic sub-narrative, which sees Davis fall for, and later date, Maya (Monica Barbaro) after they're involved in a car accident during its first act. Hemsworth and Barbaro have a mostly natural chemistry that bubbles with sexual anticipation, and its inclusion certainly adds some amorous spice that's missing from Winslow's original tale. Contextually, though, it's a storytelling addition that's hokey at best and, at worst, is an unnecessary distraction from the primary plot.

Despite Barry Keoghan's best efforts, Ormon isn't a villain who'll live long in the memory (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios/Sony Pictures)

Even Ormon, a belligerent, overeager, and violent criminal portrayed by the ever-excellent Barry Keoghan, lacks originality. A one-note pantomime villain, his inclusion is nothing more than simply being a deeply unlikeable, antagonistic foil to the multifaceted Davis, and play a vital role in Crime 101's nail-biting albeit formulaic final showdown.

Crime 101 feels like a throwback to movies that aren't made anymore – but maybe that's the point

And that's a pity, because Crime 101 could've saved face if said confrontation had built upon the suspense-riddled foundations that it had done a largely good job of laying throughout.

Sure, it's not the worst face-off in movie history, and it would be remiss of me not to mention that the Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures venture dispenses with the usually grim endings that the crime genre is renowned for. Spoilers notwithstanding, I respect that it wraps up many of its characters' individual stories in a satisfying manner.

Nevertheless, the slow but purposeful ratcheting up of the tension throughout its two hour and 20 minutes runtime doesn't get the payoff it deserves once things come to what should be a thrilling, high-stakes head.

My verdict

Crime 101 is a serviceable albeit puzzling film. There's a fair amount to admire about the first feature that Layton has directed that's based on a work of fiction rather than a real-life crime. That's especially true from a character-first perspective, with the action-thriller anchored by many strong performances.

Still, while it's commendable that it's a largely authentic retelling of Winslow's original tale, Crime 101 just isn't ground-breaking or genre-bending enough as it needs to be to stand out.

It's honorable that one of this year's new movies tries to evoke films of its ilk of yesteryear, and feels like a throwback to movies that aren't made anymore – but maybe that's the point. Filmmaking and storytelling has moved on so much since the crime movie genre's heyday of the late '80s and early '90s. Such big-screen offerings need to do or say something fresh and exciting to drive the genre forward. Put simply, Crime 101 doesn't.

Crime 101 arrives in theaters worldwide on Friday, February 13.

Wix may be the biggest name in website building, but is it right for you? Our Wix review helps you get all the information you need to make an informed decision.

We’ve extensively tried and tested 80+ website builders and found that Wix consistently beats competitors in important areas including tools and features, ease of use, and price. In fact, Wix features heavily across all our buying guides and has maintained the #1 spot in our list of the best website builder platforms for some time.

Wix is a fully-comprehensive website builder, offering everything from high-impact templates and an outstanding AI website builder to powerful business tools including ecommerce features and a booking platform.

There is a lot to cover in this Wix review. We signed up, built a host of test sites, and took an in-depth look at the templates, editor, features, ease of use, speed, security, SEO, apps, hosting, and more. But before we dive into the details, let’s get the TL;DR for those who just want the most important insights and information.

If you decide that Wix is the website builder for you, you can now save on your subscription with our list of the best Wix promo codes.

Wix review: Overview

Wix is the world’s most popular website builder, and by a very long way.

According to BuiltWith, Wix has a massive 33% share of the market, more than any other commercial website builder. It's closely followed by Squarespace at 26%, with GoDaddy and Weebly trailing further behind in 2026.

1. Wix - a top-notch website builder

Wix offers some powerful paid plans, starting from as little as $12 per month for the Light plan (on a three year plan), which gets you 2GB of storage space, a free domain, and the removal of Wix branding.View Deal

What’s the secret? Some website builders focus on newbies, others on experts and the most demanding sites, but Wix targets everyone. Whether you’re a first-timer looking to build a simple personal site, or a company launching a new web store, Wix has the tools and technology to help. We signed up and built a stack of test sites to find out more.

Wix is the world's most popular website builder, the power behind 46% of the market by the number of websites, more than the likes of Squarespace (17%), GoDaddy Website Builder (10%) and Weebly (5%) combined.

Getting started with Wix

Wix got our website project off to a very quick start by allowing us to choose from a huge library of 900+ templates. Whether you’re creating a food blog, an online CV, a pet store, a site for your restaurant, or wedding events business, there’s a template to suit.

We chose a Hotel template, and were immediately impressed. It was a very complete site, with pages showing the rooms, hotel amenities, our policies on hosting weddings and events, with slideshows, downloadable menu PDFs, a Live Chat button, and a Contact Us page with a map and a working Contact form.

Wix offers some stunning templates right off the shelf (Image credit: Wix)

All we had to do next was change the built-in photos and text for our own. If you already have the content you need, you could have most of the site up and running in an afternoon.

Although most templates come with a sensible default set of pages and features, you may well want to add others, and Wix has more options than we’ve seen with anyone else.

This starts with core features like photo galleries, video and music players, embeddable social media streams, buttons, maps, forms and more. But there’s so much more such as blogs, web stores, and forums.

Wix app market adds over 500 possible tools and feature to your website (Image credit: Wix)

If the standard tools don’t deliver what you need, the Wix App Market has 500+ extensions to add new website features and connect your sites to various platforms and services - that’s way more than anyone else.

As with the templates, although Wix has an array of features and apps, they’re not the best in every area. The sheer volume and number of options can make Wix more difficult to use, too. But we think it’s important to have that choice.

Blogs, ecommerce, and speed

If your website needs a blog, then the good news is Wix can add one to any template with a single click. We found it easy to create, organise, and manage posts.

The blogging system doesn’t have the power or flexibility of WordPress, but then neither does anything else. Although we noticed a few issues, they are minor (a post can’t have two authors, for instance). Overall, Wix has all the blogging power most personal and business users will need.

Wix offers simple, yet powerful ecommerce functionality. (Image credit: Wix)

It’s a similar story with ecommerce. Wix can’t fully compete with platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce, but that’s no surprise. Ecommerce is only one of the areas Wix covers, and it’s trying to create a service that anyone can use.

But let’s keep this in perspective. If you’re a newcomer, maybe a small or medium business looking to build a capable web store, Wix’s ease of use and lengthy feature list could make it the perfect partner.

Whatever your website or audience, performance is important. We built several test websites and used some of the best speed testing platforms around to see how they compared.

The results were reasonable. Wix adds lots of scripts and other files to its sites, and that means it’s not as fast as, say, a hand-tuned WordPress setup. But that’s no surprise - all website builders have the same issue. Wix delivered similar and very acceptable speeds to Squarespace in our tests, even with its most basic paid plan.

Value

You can get started with Wix for free, no credit card details required. The plan is very limited, with a tiny 500MB storage and bandwidth per month, but it’s enough to test the service.

Paid plans start at $17 a month, but you only get 2GB storage and there’s no ecommerce support. If you’re building a web store or need more features or speed, you’ll be spending $29+ a month on one of the higher plans. That’s a little above average, but it’s also very similar to Squarespace, and we think it’s fair value for what you get.

Wix example websites Animal Music StudiosIzzy WheelsKode With KlossyEvolve Clothing GalleryRoee Ben YehudaMananalu

In this review we’ll talk about Wix’s many features and what they can do, but if you’re in a hurry, the quickest way to understand the possibilities is to look at what others Wix users have created.

A website about your coding camps could easily be just dull blocks of text, but Kode With Klossy makes great use of Wix photos features, scrolling effects, and animations to create a modern and appealing site.

Evolve Clothing, Roee Ben Yahuda, and Izzy Wheels are professional ecommerce and portfolio sites which use eye-catching graphics, scrolls, and effects to grab and hold your attention.

Wix makes it very easy to use video on your site, and we’re talking about way more than just embedding some YouTube clip. Animal Music Studios produces award-winning music and sound design for ads and elsewhere for many of the world’s biggest brands, and its Wix site allows you to browse them all in an amazing video wall.

If you do nothing else, scroll down Mananalu and count all the handy features Wix allows you to use in ecommerce and other sites: shopping cart top right, video header, social media sharing buttons, Amazon shopping integration, a ‘Find a Store’ button which uses your current location, animations, easy newsletter subscriptions, and more.

Wix pricing and plans

Wix offers a range of plans for everyone from hobbyists to enterprise level businesses. (Image credit: Wix)Wix Plan Options:

Plan

/mo (paid monthly)

/mo (paid annually)

/mo (paid every 2-years)

/mo (paid every 3-years)

Free

$0

$0

$0

$0

Lite

$24

$17

$14

$12

Core

$36

$29

$24

$21

Business

$43

$36

$29

$26

Business Elite

$172

$159

$121

$110

Pricing last verified: 11/02/2026

Free: Great for giving Wix a try

Wix's limited free plan inserts ads on your site, doesn’t support custom domains, and limits you to only 500MB storage and 1GB monthly bandwidth. It’s not for serious sites, but the free plan does give you an easy way to try Wix before you buy, and we think it’s a big plus for the service.

It is worth noting that you cannot currently connect Google Analytics to Wix with its free plan, which can make the plan unsuitable for more serious users.

Lite: Ideal for solopreneurs and personal sites

Lite drops the ads and bandwidth limits. It also allows you to use your own domain, making it more suitable for professional users than the free plan. Storage is limited to 2GB, though, there’s no ecommerce or analytics, and there are assorted other restrictions and issues.

For example, you get one automatic monthly backup only (you can have up to three active manual backups); video streaming is limited to 30 minutes; and there’s no support for adding live chat to your site.

Core: Perfect for small, ambitious businesses

If you’re a small business building a web store, a business or other demanding site, we think you’ll be better off with the Core plan. This plan lifts your storage limit to 50GB, it also unlocks ecommerce features, analytics, and site chat.

You’ll also get some added marketing tools and site collaborators, making it ideal for a business that is growing its team.

Business: Great for growing businesses

The business plan is similar to the Core plan, but it gives you more. More storage (100GB), more collaborators (up to 10), and more marketing and ecommerce tools and features. This is a great plan for more established businesses that need that extra bit of power.

Business Elite: Best for established businesses that want to scale

The Business Elite plan is aimed at serious users with big international sites, and although it comes with a hefty price tag, when we dug into the details, we could see why.

Opting for Business Elite gets you unlimited storage and video streaming time, for instance. You also get multi-cloud hosting, access to an advanced developer platform, up to 100 site collaborators, and advanced marketing tools.

This really is an all-in plan from Wix, and most businesses won’t ever use up any limits here.

Hidden costs

There are some additional costs that you should be aware of with Wix.

Although the Wix App Market is a huge selling point for Wix, many of the apps charge one-off or monthly fees for using them.

Many Wix plans come with a free domain, but only for the first year. After the first year, your domain will renew at anything from $20 and up.

If you opt to connect a professional email (such as hello@mywebsite.com), you can do this via Wix, but it will also come at an additional cost.

What do Wix users think?

To get a feel for how Wix users feel about the service, we’ve looked at how it scores on popular ratings sites around the world (and how it compares to some of it's top competitors).

Review Site

Wix

Squarespace

Jimdo

Trustpilot

4.6/5 (24,981+ reviews)

1.2/5 (1,494+ reviews)

4.5/5 (5,551+ reviews)

G2

4.2/5 (1,729+ reviews)

4.4/5 (1,089+ reviews)

3.9/5 (18+ reviews)

Capterra

4.4/5 (10,406+ reviews)

4.6/5 (3,328+ reviews)

3.8/5 (42+ reviews)

SoftwareAdvice

4.4/5 (10,406+ reviews)

4.6/5 (3,327+ reviews)

3.8/5 (42+ reviews)

GetApp

4.4/5 (10,400+ reviews)

4.6/5 (3,325+ reviews)

3.9/5 (40+ reviews)

Recent reviews often praised Wix for ease of use, its range of features, and specific incidents of great customer support from individual agents.

Although there are relatively few negative reviews, common themes include poor speeds when creating and editing the site (but not for site visitors), and problems solving complex support issues which can’t be handled in a single contact.

Put it all together and this is a good result for Wix. Its ratings are generally high, comparable to or better than the competition, and although negative reviews are always a concern, we don’t see any indication of major service problems.

Getting started with Wix

Get started quickly with Wix's help, or take your time with a more bespoke design (Image credit: Wix)

We clicked the ‘Design a Site’ box, and Wix offered us two choices: allow the service to build a site for us, or choose one of Wix’ many templates and customize it with the editor.

We chose the first ‘Build it for me’ option, and the service asked us a series of questions about our site and our business. What was our business name, email, physical address, or phone number? Did we have any social media links? What colors and fonts did we like? Did we have a logo?

(If you don’t have or want to share any of these details, leave those boxes blank and Wix won’t mention them on the site.)

Wix gives you options to pick from, helping tailor your site to your preferences (Image credit: Wix)

Next, Wix suggested three site layouts. We chose our favorite, and Wix asked which pages we needed: ‘Locations’, ‘Store Policies’, ‘FAQ’, ‘About Us’, and ‘Contact.’ Helpful scrolling thumbnails showed us what each page contained.

Pages chosen, we clicked Next, and Wix both created our site and put it online using a Wix subdomain (oursitename.wixsite.com/my-site-1.)

Our results weren’t bad at all, considering we’d told Wix little more than we were running an online shoe store. It chose a good quality ‘woman-putting-shoe-on’ picture for the top of the page, displayed more products (with neat animation effects) as we scrolled down the page, had a built-in store with product filters and a shopping cart, 12 product pages, and more.

Although you’ll want to customize the default copy to suit your needs, this is quicker and easier than you might think. Our sample site used this as its first paragraph, for instance:

‘At My Site, we are dedicated to carrying your favorite designers and showcasing their latest collections. We make sure to offer you outstanding value without compromising on quality. All online orders are inspected prior to shipment to ensure that your package arrives in perfect condition. Are you ready to find your next favorite pair of shoes?’

That may not work for everyone, but it’s a decent first attempt. If you’re happy with the text, add your own business name and it’s sorted in seconds. But even if you want something else, having good default text shows you the points you should probably make (‘favorite designers’, ‘latest collections’, ‘outstanding value’), and you can rephrase or expand those however you like.

We noticed one unexpected limit with Wix sites on all plans: you’re allowed a maximum of 100 static pages. That doesn’t include blog posts, product descriptions, and other dynamic pages, so it shouldn’t be an issue for the vast majority of sites. But if you know it might be a problem for you, Squarespace has a far more generous 1,000 static page limit, and we’ve seen WordPress handle 10,000 static pages successfully in the past.

Wix templates

Wix offers a huge range of stunning templates to pick from (Image credit: Wix)

Wix has a huge library of 900+ professionally-designed, clean, and modern website templates to explore, far more than we see elsewhere (Squarespace has 150+, Jimdo 100+.)

The templates aren’t all fully responsive. Wix generally does a good job of ensuring websites look just as good on mobile devices as desktops, but there can be occasional glitches. We didn’t have any notable issues with our test sites, though, and even if we did, the good news is that Wix now has very advanced editors which can produce fully responsive sites. (You can try them for free, too, but more on that later.)

A library of this size means there’s a very good change that you’ll find a template which suits your needs. When we chose the Food category at Squarespace, it showed us eight templates, with cryptic design names like ‘Lexington’ and ‘Hester’, giving us few clues about what they were for.

When we searched for ‘Food’ at Wix it gave us 70+ hits, with clearly labeled templates helping us find food blogs, food shops, online grocery stores, nutritionists, bakeries, cafes, catering companies, Italian/ vegetarian/ pizza/ fast food/ seafood/ burger and other restaurants, and more.

Once you have picked a template, you can use the easy editor to make it your own. (Image credit: Wix)

Many templates are sensibly set up with appropriate pages and content for their purpose. The Steak House Restaurant has gorgeous pics of juicy steaks, along with default menu and reservation pages, for instance, ready for you to customise with your own details. Meanwhile, the Musician site we chose had default links to our Tiktok, YouTube, BandCamp, SoundCloud, Apple Music, and other sites, along with placeholders for our latest music and video, and a Subscription form for visitors to join our mailing list.

Even if you can’t find a template which precisely suits your needs (you’re a musician but don’t have any videos, for instance), having this many pre-built templates gets you off to a quick start. You can then customise your favorite to deliver just what you want.

If the regular designs just don’t work for you, Wix also provides a bunch of blank templates. These have a range of layouts, but no images or industry-specific titles or text, so you’re free to start with a blank page and create whatever design you like.

Whatever you’re after, the good news is that Wix makes all its templates visible to everyone, without signing up. (Jimdo only displays template thumbnails until you sign up.) Visit the Wix Templates page and you can choose a template and browse it as a full website, exploring every page and feature to see if it’s right for you.

Wix website editor

The Wix editor is one of the easiest to use on the market (Image credit: Wix)

The standard Wix editor opens with a simple and beginner-friendly look which uses the vast majority of your screen space to display the current page, and keeps other clutter to a minimum.

The first editing steps are simple. We moved our mouse cursor around the page sections - headers, footers, image galleries, sliders - and, in most cases, a Quick Edit button appeared. That sounded promising, so we clicked it, and the Wix editor displayed a single sidebar with options to change titles, captions, images, and everything else in that section. It’s a great approach which makes it easy for anyone to begin editing a page, even if they’ve never used a website builder at all.

Select other elements and Wix gives you relevant options. Click a paragraph of text, for instance, and you can just start typing to add content; clicking a menu displays options to change how it works; and experienced users can right-click just about anything to access a host of advanced options.

Highly customisable

Wix offers great freedom in your design, but not so much that it is easy to mess up your site. (Image credit: Wix)

If the items on your page (text blocks, images, videos, maps, forms) don’t quite work for your needs, then the editor allows you to resize and reposition them as you like.

One significant feature of the Wix editor is that it allows you to precisely position objects wherever you like on the page, and resize them appropriately. That’s different to Squarespace and some other editors, where you can drop objects onto the page, but they snap to a grid: you can still place them approximately, but you don’t have as much creative freedom.

If you’re an experienced web designer, or you’re looking to achieve very specific goals or effects, the customization options in the Wix editor could be just what you need.

If you’re very much at the beginner end of the market - you’ll probably choose a template, replace the text and images but not much more - then the Wix Quick Edit feature also makes it relatively easy to use.

But if you’re an intermediate user, inexperienced but you’d like to try a few page and site tweaks, then the more guided approach of the Squarespace editor could make it easier to use.

Wix recently integrated AI into its website editor, making it easier than ever before to tailor your website to your needs. Users can interact directly with AI via conversational chat, in response to your questions or instructions the AI will help you edit templates, guiding you through key areas such as selecting color palettes and fonts by extracting colors from your logo to helping you experiment with various themes.

Developer features

Wix Studio offers advanced creative tools to all users. (Image credit: Wix)

If the standard Wix-generated pages don’t work for you, the service has advanced options which might help.

The standard editor has a Velo Dev Mode, which allows developers to add custom JavaScript code, or use an array of low-level APIs to reconfigure precisely how the service works.

As of January 2025, Wix Studio has now replaced Wix's Editor X as the platform's more advanced editor aimed at web design freelancers and agencies. It's designed specifically for agencies and professionals. You get advanced design tools without the complexity.

This isn't your typical website builder. Studio offers pixel-perfect control and responsive design by default. Every element automatically adapts to different screen sizes. No manual adjustments needed.

The collaboration features shine for team projects. Multiple designers can edit simultaneously. You see where colleagues are working in real-time. Comments and task assignments keep everyone organized.

Lots of website builders promise design freedom with efficiency, but Studio actually delivers. You can create custom breakpoints for precise responsive control. Drag-and-drop editing works alongside advanced CSS options. Even Figma designs import directly into Studio.

We found the AI integration especially impressive. Smart layout suggestions speed up initial designs. The AI creates custom wireframes based on your project goals. Content generation handles copy across multiple pages instantly.

Client management gets streamlined too. Custom branding removes Wix logos from your sites. Detailed reporting keeps clients informed about progress. Handoff tools make site transfers seamless.

Studio includes over 375 professional templates. Each one's industry-specific and fully responsive. So even with the advanced editor, you're not starting from scratch every time. Wix Studio is purchased separately from the website builder. There's no free plan, but paid subscriptions start at just $19/month with a 14-day money-back guarantee. You don't need a regular Wix subscription if you use Studio.

The flexibility that Wix Studio offers makes it one of the best website builders for agencies and freelancers.

Wix features and tools

Templates get your site off to a good start, but every quality website builder allows you to add a bunch of other features.

In a click or two, Wix can add text boxes, images, video and music players, social media bars, buttons, maps, menus and more. Plus the new AI features pack a ton of value.

AI marketing assistant

Wix's newest AI tool tackles one of business owners' biggest headaches. Meet Kleo, the AI marketing assistant that arrived in 2025.

You don't need advanced marketing expertise to start building your online presence. Kleo handles SEO, social media, email campaigns, and paid ads from one place. It's like having a marketing manager built into your dashboard.

The setup process is refreshingly simple. Tell Kleo about your business goals. The AI creates tailored marketing plans automatically. No guesswork required.

What sets Kleo apart from basic automation tools is that its suggestions are actually useful. Other website builders offer simple content generators. Kleo goes much deeper. It understands your brand voice and target audience.

The AI publishes social posts across multiple channels. It sends email campaigns when timing matters most. You can upgrade your social media and email plans to unlock even more publishing power.

We also found Kleo very consistent during our testing. It does not stray too far from your original voice and tone instructions. However, some assembly might be required to get the content to a publishable state.

Currently, Kleo works in English only. But, Wix plans to expand to other languages soon. The tool also comes free with all premium Wix plans, so no extra subscription is needed.

AI business assistant

Astro launched in April 2025 as Wix's first AI business assistant. Think of it as your digital business partner. Available 24/7 through a simple chat interface.

You'll find Astro in the top right of your dashboard. Click the blue "AI" button to start chatting. The assistant understands natural language perfectly. Just ask questions like you would a human colleague.

The range of tasks Astro handles is impressive. It monitors website traffic and analyzes sales trends. Need a performance report? Astro generates one instantly. Want to optimize your SEO settings? The assistant guides you through every step.

Content creation becomes effortless with Astro. The AI writes blog posts, social media content, and email campaigns. It maintains your brand voice across all platforms. Quality stays consistent whether you're writing one post or one hundred.

Business expansion gets simpler too. Astro helps you add new products to your store. It explores dropshipping opportunities that match your niche. The assistant even manages subscriptions and team permissions.

We liked Astro's proactive approach during testing. The AI doesn't just answer questions, it spots opportunities for growth and suggests relevant tools. This often leads to discovering features you didn't know existed.

Guy Sopher from Wix calls Astro "the largest collection of skills" they've ever built into one assistant. The AI learns continuously, adding new capabilities regularly.

Currently available in English for Wix and Wix Studio users. But, Wix has said that support for languages is coming soon. The assistant works on all Wix plan levels, including the free tier.

Simple forms are a great way to interact with your website users. (Image credit: Wix)

Image handling

Wix earned a thumbs up from us for its strong image support. Squarespace and most of the competition limit you to the usual JPEG, PNG and GIF formats, but Wix also supports the ultra-efficient WebP, saving bandwidth and improving speeds.

We found the very capable Wix image editor helped us prepare most photos without using external tools. We could adjust brightness, contrast, highlights, shadows and more just by dragging sliders; there are 27 filters, crop and resize features, and you can automatically enhance your images with a click.

Other website builders have decent photo editors, and some outperform Wix in one or two areas (Squarespace has more flexible image cropping, for instance.) But, overall, Wix has more adjustments and tweaks than anybody else, and also crams in some surprisingly advanced features.

A Cutout feature automatically identifies the subject of a photo and removes the background. Its success rate depends very much on your photo, but we had excellent results with most of the images we tried.

We loved the ability to add elements to your photos, too. This can be as simple as a text caption, but you can also choose overlay effects including image flares, shadows and reflections.

If you’re short on quality photos, Wix gives you access to free images from both its own library, and the excellent Unsplash. The image search engine isn’t always the best with complex searches (entering ‘traffic lights UK’ still got us photos with freeways and palm trees), but it’s more choice than we usually see elsewhere (Squarespace offers free images via Unsplash only), and we had no problem finding what we needed.

If you can’t quite find the right image, Wix also allows you to search Shutterstock and purchase individual images from only $2.99 each. There are some restrictions (you can use the image for free, but on Wix only), but that’s still a very good deal. Squarespace uses Getty for its premium photos, but it asks around $10 per image.

Wix forms and collections

Some Wix page elements have a huge amount of depth. Choose to add a Form, for instance, and Wix displays multiple templates for various form types. There are Contact forms, Order forms, Registration forms to collect visitor details, and others for applications, feedback, donations, subscriptions, waivers, and more.

That’s just the start. We chose a Contact Us form, clicked Settings and found all kinds of configuration tools.

Forms can change dynamically as users fill them in, for instance (ask an extra question if they choose a certain value.) When a user submits a forum, you can choose whether to display a message, a download link, redirect them to another URL, something else. Wix can save time, too, by automating common tasks: sending them a Thank You email, sending them a coupon, adding them to this or that contact list.

One big plus for Wix is that, because of its vast App Market (with many free options), it can add very major features which completely transform your site.

Squarespace doesn’t offer built-in support for adding live chat or web forums to its sites, for instance. Users can do it, but they must connect their Squarespace sites to third-party apps or services. That works, but it makes life more complicated if there are problems, because you must work with multiple support teams to sort them out.

Vibe coding platform

In January 2026, Wix launched its dedicated vibe coding platform, Wix Harmony. This platform allows Wix users to take a new approach to building, combining 'vibe coding', where you simply describe what you want the website builder to do (like explaining to a friend), and traditional drag-and-drop website building.

Wix promises that, unlike some other vibe coding tools, this new feature works in 'Harmony' with your website, ensuring no broken code.

Forums and groups can help you increase engagement and even offer new methods for generating profit. (Image credit: Wix)

Wix, meanwhile, can add live chat and all kinds of community features (forums, monetizable groups, areas where your visitors can share files or photos with each other) with built-in features and the company’s own apps. They’re much easier to add, and if they have any issues, Wix’ own support team should help you get everything working.

That’s important, because these larger features can extend your site in ways you may not even have thought about. You might sign up with Wix thinking you’ll get a simple site about your gardening company, for instance. But what if you added a forum, where you could offer gardening advice? Or a photo sharing area where customers could share before and after pics of your latest projects? There are all kinds of possibilities, even for the smallest of sites.

Wix ecommerce features

Wix is best known as an easy-to-use website builder for blogs, simple personal, and small business sites, but it also includes a very complete ecommerce platform that includes every web store feature you might need.

The service gets off to a great start with its huge choice of templates. When we searched for ‘online store’, Wix presented us with a list of 100 store types, making it easier to find a site which suited our needs.

There’s wide support for selling physical and digital products, services (appointments, classes, courses and more), as well as dropshipping (products shipped by a third party) and print-on-demand products (your designs, produced and shipped by a third party.)

Selling on other platforms such as Amazon is easy with Wix (Image credit: Wix)

Wix can handle multiple sales channels, and has support for selling on eBay, Amazon, Google, Instagram and TikTok, and physical stores, as well as your own web store. It also recently launched a new tool that allows you to sell directly through Pinterest.

Connect your store to Wix Payments and you can accept payments via credit card, Google Pay and Apple Pay. It’s easy to add PayPal, too, and support for 80+ other payment gateways allows you to handle crypto, bank transfers, ‘buy now, pay later’ schemes, and more.

Wix Payments charges a reasonable 2.9% fee + $0.30 per online credit card transaction in the US. (Beware, the figures vary widely depending on your customer’s region and payment method. The Wix Payment Processing Fees page has all the figures you need.)

This is similar to many top providers, although there are ways you can cut your costs. Shopify’s starter plan also asks 2.9% per transaction, for instance, but upgrading to the Shopify plan cuts that to 2.6%, and the Advanced plan charges 2.4%.

There’s a lot of work involved in setting up any substantial web store, but Wix does a better job than most of walking you through the process. A helpful wizard breaks this down to the key steps - setting up payments, adding products, defining your shipping rules and more - and there are some excellent help tools.

We particularly liked the tutorials. ‘How to’ guides are often lengthy documents, with lots of screenshots, where it’s hard to connect what you’re seeing to the real control panel. These tutorials aren’t separate documents; they work by explaining steps and animating the actual Wix dashboards, making it much easier to understand what’s going on and remember it for later.

The Wix App Market has a vast range of ecommerce tools to take your store even further. We found impressive apps to create and sell online courses, print barcodes and labels, manage inventory, handle accounting tasks, shipping, marketing, and more. If you’re interested, take a look at the Wix Ecommerce apps, see what’s available.

Wix doesn’t offer ecommerce support with the free or $17 a month Light plan. But signing up for the Core plan gets you the main ecommerce features, including support for selling up to 50,000 products, accepting payments, selling on social media and top online marketplaces, and more. It’s $29 a month on the annual plan, and only $19 if you’re willing to sign up for three years.

Upgrading adds valuable ecommerce extras, such as support for multiple currencies, adding customer reviews, and even creating a loyalty program.

This is fair value, especially at the lower end of the range. Shopify’s starter Basic plan is $29 a month billed annually, for instance; Squarespace offers basic ecommerce features with its $23 a month business plan, but that doesn’t include some of the advanced extras (selling subscriptions, abandoned cart recovery) that Wix bundles with all its ecommerce plans.

Overall, Wix gives you a lot for your cash, making it a decent choice for ecommerce newcomers or small existing sites. But if you’ve a busy existing store, BigCommerce or a good WooCommerce plan could also be worth a look.

Creating a Blog with Wix

Blogs are a great way to engage your audience and boost search engine rankings (Image credit: Wix)

Wix is one of the best blogging sites on the market. It id very simple for beginners to create their first blog, but also has a pile of advanced features for more demanding and experienced users.

Getting started is really easy. Just select Blog when Wix asks you which pages your new site should include, and it’ll add a blog section for you. (But if you forget, you can add a blog later in a couple of clicks).

A straightforward blog editor allows you to create new posts. This opens with a choice of standard templates for common post types (‘How to…’, ‘Ultimate Guide to…’, ‘Product Review…’, recipes and more. That doesn’t just save time, it helps the blog look more professional because you’re using a consistent format for each post type.

Alternatively, you’re able to create rich posts from scratch, with text, images, galleries, video, GIFs, downloadable files (a PDF you want to share, say), buttons, tables, lists and polls. Squarespace allows you to create blog posts with even more types of content, but, realistically, Wix likely has more than enough options for most people.

Wix AI is now integrated into the platform's blogging tools. You can turn to AI for tailored blog suggestions based on your website/business information. It can also help you by generating comprehensive blog outlines, delivering AI-generated images, and optimizing your content for search engine results.

Ecommerce options include the ability to display product descriptions, and you can allow readers to book services or make appointments directly from the page.

There are some really professional touches here. Hit ‘Publish’, say, and Wix doesn’t just put your post online. It also has templates allowing you to immediately promote your new post via an email campaign or social media post (Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and Linkedin are supported.)

A strong core set of blog and post management features include the ability to schedule your posts for a later date, and organise your posts with categories or tags to make them easier to find.

We had some issues with the fine details of Wix blogs. You can’t add multiple authors to a blog post, for instance, unlike Squarespace and WordPress.

It was a mixed story with some of the more advanced blog features, too.

We liked the Monetize feature, where you could put some posts behind a paywall and charge for access. But the Import tool, designed to import posts from an existing WordPress blog, didn’t work reliably for us. And a ‘Translate’ option to translate posts into 180+ languages sounds appealing, until you realise it charges per word, won’t translate everything, and has all kinds of usability issues (probably why it rates only 2 out of 5 stars on the App Market as we write.)

Overall (and as we expected), Wix can’t match WordPress for blogging ability. Squarespace is fractionally more powerful, too. But the differences are marginal, and Wix is still a very capable blogging platform with more than enough power for most people. (If blogging is a top priority, create a free Wix account and you can try before you buy.)

What video features does Wix have?

Video can add an element of depth and excitement to your website (Image credit: Wix)

Wix scores for its powerful built-in video features. You can upload videos up to 15GB into your own video library; there’s support for accessing video files stored in your Dropbox or Google Drive account; and you can embed videos directly from YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Dailymotion and Twitch.

If the standard Wix tools aren’t enough, the App Market has plenty more. We ran a few searches and quickly found apps to embed video content from Tiktok, Twitter, Instagram, and others.

Wix allows you to host up to 30 minutes of video, even on the free Wix plan. (Beware the 500MB free bandwidth limit, though: streaming services use around 700MB per hour, even with basic 480p footage.)

We were happy to see Wix offers significantly more video storage as you purchase higher plans, with the Business plan giving you 10 hours, and the Business Elite plan dropping all video limits. Squarespace only offers a basic 30 minutes storage on all its plans, and you need to purchase an add-on product to get more.

Unusually, Wix also has direct support for live streaming, both from your mobile or a desktop (Windows, Mac or Linux.) Free Wix users have a 10 minute limit on a single stream, but upgrade to a premium plan and this jumps to three hours. You can even monetize your stream, with options to take payments for individual streams, to (on the higher plans) sell weekly, monthly, or annual subscription plans.

We noticed some issues. When we chose to ‘stream now’ from a mobile device, for instance, Wix could only point us to an iOS app; Android users are left out. Streaming from a desktop takes some work, too, requiring you to install and set up an encoder. And although the Support site does a fair job of walking you through the desktop process, it ignores mobile streaming entirely.

Still, most website builders offer far less video streaming support (and regular web hosts rarely allow it at all.) If you’ve big video plans for your website, Wix’s flexibility and range of tools make it well worth a look.

Wix app market

The app market helps you grow your site in the ways that matter most. (Image credit: Wix)

Wix has more built-in features than we can count (we know, we’ve tried), but they’re just the start of what it has to offer. The Wix App Market has 500+ apps which can add new design elements, integrate your site with marketing or sales platforms, connect to social media platforms and a whole lot more.

That’s way more than even the best of the competition. Squarespace only recommends 40+ extensions on its site, for instance (although there are plenty of others around, if you go looking.)

This doesn’t quite give you as much choice as you’d think. Although there are loads of apps here, most of them are for niche situations which only apply to relatively few users ( an app to offer extended warranties, say, or connect your Wix store to Simla.com’s CRM platform.)

We checked the number of ratings for various apps to get a feel for how many users they might have, and the results were a surprise. Although Wix has 200+ million users, we noticed that 59 out of the 86 ‘Store’ apps had less than 10 ratings (35 had none at all), and only four (including the built-in web store) had been rated more than 100 times.

If you happen to need one of these niche apps, though, you’ll be very happy they’re available, and there are plenty of other more generally useful examples around. We found some great social media apps to integrate feeds with your site, for instance, or automatically post on your social media site when you create a blog post or add a new product. There are a number of new AI chatbots you can use on the site, and a wide range of marketing, sales, and shipping integrations.

A few apps are entirely free, and most have limited free plans, but it’s likely you’ll have to pay to get their full benefits. Prices vary according to the vendor, but small apps might be just two or three dollars a month, and we noticed some gave us benefits you won’t see outside of Wix.

Sign up with the excellent 123FormBuilder from its own site, for example, and the cheapest standard ad-free plan is $24.99 a month. Sign up via Wix and you’ll find a Starter plan which is much simpler, but also ad-free, and priced at only $3.99 a month.

Overall, the Wix App Market is a big plus for the service, both because it has many ways to help you build your initial site, and it also gives you a lot of scope to grow later. If you’re at all interested in third-party apps or integrations, browse the App Market before you sign up, find out what could work for you.

SEO on Wix

SEO tools are essential if you want people to find your website (Image credit: Wix)

Building a great website isn’t just about stylish templates and quality design tools. The site should use core SEO (Search Engine Optimization) principles to automatically boost your Google ranking, as well as allowing experts to fine-tune everything for the best results.

Wix does a good job with the SEO basics. While we got on with creating pages and dragging and dropping content, Wix automatically took care of common SEO-related tasks such as managing an XML sitemap, creating a robots.txt file, adding default canonical and other tags, and boosting website speed (also important for SEO) by converting large images to the hyper-efficient WebP format and using its own CDN.

A new AI-powered tool SEO tool analyses your page content to understand search intent, then automatically comes up with the most relevant meta tags. That’s great news, whether you’re new to SEO or just want to save some time.

If the AI suggestions don’t work for you, there are plenty of low-level tweaks available. We were able to edit title tags, meta tags, descriptions, enable AMP for faster-loading pages on mobile devices, even create structured data markup to increase the chance of Google highlighting your site in its search results (for example, by displaying a snippet of your site content in the searcher’s results page.)

An SEO panel includes a host of tools and options allowing you to take more manual control of your site. The SEO Setup Checklist walks you through a personalized set of first steps; an issues lists warns you of problems, and a recommendations list offers useful advice.

If you need more, there are a handful of useful SEO tools in the Wix App Market, including a couple of decent options in Rabbit SEO and rankingCoach.

To get an understanding of how Wix handles SEO, we used SEO checkers seobility and SEO Site Checkup to analyse three Wix templates. Although this could only tell us about the default Wix SEO setup (it can’t account for what you might do later), we were interested to see how a Wix site might perform if you don’t make any SEO changes.

The tests delivered decent results overall, essentially scoring a B grade: not perfect, but no fundamental SEO problems, and there are plenty of tweaks you can make to improve results.

We did notice one more general issue, though, with all our SEO reports saying the site used a lot of CSS and JavaScript files, slowing it down and potentially affecting search engine rankings. That’s not unusual for website builders, though, and we found some used even more. Our Wix templates used 4 CSS files and 10 JavaScripts, for instance, but when we created a couple of Squarespace sites, they used 8 CSS and 14 JavaScript files.

Overall, Wix offers a strong set of SEO abilities which delivers reasonable baseline settings by default, and includes many more advanced options which experts can adjust to suit their needs. That makes the service one of the best small business website builders and a great option for start ups, although if you’ve complex needs, using WordPress gives you even more tools and control.

Wix also recently launched a new analytics tool that helps websites better understand how much traffic they are driving via mentions on AI tools.

Wix security and safety

Good site security can give you and your visitors peace of mind (Image credit: Wix)

Having a secure website is vital to protect your visitors, your reputation, and your search engine rankings. But it’s also a technical topic, so we were happy to see Wix manages all the complicated bits for you.

The service automatically creates an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate for your site, allowing users to safely browse your pages with a secure encrypted connection.

Wix is compliant with PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards), the top industry standard to show a provider can securely protect credit card payments.

Wix doesn’t say much about protecting your site from malware. A support site page simply tells you to report a virus if you spot one, for instance, although Wix does claim to monitor the service 24/7 to ‘identify threats as they appear’ (and there’s built-in DDos protection, too.)

Even if something happens to your site, or perhaps you accidentally trash it yourself, the good news is that Wix automatically maintains a site history. You can easily go back in time to a previous version of the site whenever you like.

Account protection

2 step verification is considered an essential security process (Image credit: Wix)

Every quality website builder needs the best possible security to protect your account, website, and visitors from hackers, malware, bots ,and all the other threats out there.

Wix gets off to an excellent security start with its logon features. 2-step verification (also known as 2-factor authentication, or 2FA) prompts you to enter a code, as well as your username and password, before you can access your account.

Wix can send your 2FA code using email, SMS, and even an authenticator app for the most secure results.That’s a wider choice than we see with many providers. For example, Squarespace also supports 2-step verification by SMS and app, but not email; Hostinger supports app and email, but not SMS.

A Login History page displays account logins, locations, and dates. Even if someone could find a way to bypass the 2FA, their illicit login would show up here and raise the alarm.

If you’re building a business site, you might want to allow other colleagues to help you manage the process. You could share your username and password, but that’s horribly insecure. The Wix ‘Collaborator’ feature allows you to securely share access to your account by adding trusted users, each with their own roles. If one staff member works solely on the web store, for instance, you could allow them to manage store products but not change the site design.

Wix mobile apps

Wix's mobile app makes managing your website incredibly convenient (Image credit: Wix)

Running busy websites is a 24/7 business, but Wix, Squarespace and some of the other top website builders try to help by offering custom Android and iOS mobile apps with assorted site management tools.

Features include the ability to create blog posts, handy as a way to keep productive while you’re on the move.

You can respond to visitors via your site’s Live Chat, if you’ve enabled it, or post replies in your web forum.

The real value of the app, though, is its ability to manage your online business. You can check appointments made on the site, take payments, view the latest sales figures, and explore a bunch of other surprising extras. (If you’ve created an event and issued tickets, for instance, you can scan those tickets with the apps and check those visitors in.)

It’s not all good news. Despite the relatively high app ratings (4.7 for iOS, 4.3 for Android), recent reviews consistently report poor speeds, unreliable blog features, and a host of usability issues.

If you really need to edit your website while on the go, you might also be a little disappointed. Squarespace and Jimdo have apps with a fair amount of editing functionality, but Wix only allows you to tweak its most basic sites.

Overall, the Wix app delivered the functionality we think most people need, allowing them to chat to visitors and keep up-to-date with website stats. But it is a very complex tool with a lot of features, and if mobile functionality is important to you, we’d recommend you give it plenty of testing time before you buy.

Wix AI tools

Wix has plenty of tools to help you manually build a website yourself, but that’s not your only option. It also has AI-powered features which can handle many tasks for you.

Wix's AI website builder asks you a few basic questions and automatically creates a custom website complete with relevant content. It’s easy to use and is a great way to kickstart the website building process. However, like with all of the best AI website builders, the site will almost certainly need some editing in order to make it fit to represent your business online.

Wix's AI website builder starts with a short conversation between you and the AI assistant. It then uses the information you provide to produce a complete website. (Image credit: Wix)

The editor has more interesting features, including an ‘AI Creator’ tool to build custom common website sections: About, Welcome, Services, Contact, Team, Features, Promotions and Subscribe. An AI assistant can also be used within the editor to help customize elements such as theme colors and fonts.

Outside of website building tools, Wix also offers a host of other AI tools including a dedicated AI portfolio builder, AI text creator, AI powered image creation, editing, and enhancement tools, as well as image background and object removal features. Further to this, AI is integrated into the blogging feature on Wix, offering everything from ideation to outline and image creation.

Wix users that opt for a Google Workplace account will also gain access to Gemini for Workspace, helping them streamline workflows and boost efficiency via the power of AI.

Wix help and support

Wix provides a great level support - essential when you run into unavoidable issues (Image credit: Wix)

Wix help begins with the design of its dashboard and editor. Click a web page image, say, and buttons appear with clear captions for common tasks (Change Image, Edit Image.) There’s also a toolbar with small icons, but if you don’t recognise one, hovering your mouse over it gets you a quick description. Even if you’ve never used Wix before, it’s relatively easy to discover features and begin to use them.

A search box points you to the next level of support. Can’t see how to use PDF files on your site, for instance? We typed PDF in the search box, and Wix pointed us to Document Buttons (page elements which allow visitors to download documents), a couple of PDF-viewing apps, and useful support documents on how to upload and share PDFs and other files. Wix has so many features that we couldn’t always find what we needed, but the Search box always pointed us in the right direction.

There’s more detailed Wix help available in the content-packed web support center. Articles are organized into sensible categories (‘Getting started’, ‘Creating your site’, ‘Managing your business’, ‘Promoting your site’, and more), or you can search for whatever keywords you need.

We searched for ‘SEO’, and Wix returned 20 support articles. The top ‘Optimizing Your Site’s Content for SEO’ has a lot of useful information, and points to many related documents if you’d like to know more. It’s good, but we think Squarespace’s SEO Checklist is even better: longer, with extra details and more in-depth advice.

If you can’t find the answers you need - or you’re in a hurry, with a problem you need to fix right now - then you can contact the Wix support team 24/7.

Getting in touch with support is a little more complicated than we expected. When we hit the Contact button, we had to explain our issues to a chatbot first, which tried to refer us to various support site documents.

The bot also asked us if its advice had solved the problem, though, and when we clicked No, it offered us options to open a live chat session, or set up a callback with a support agent. (Yes, while GoDaddy expects you to work through a host of call options and then wait for ages, Wix will call you back, and often in under five minutes.)

That’s better than most of the competition. Squarespace doesn’t offer phone support at all, for instance. It does also have fast email and live chat support, so there’s plenty of help available, but if you like phone support then that’s a big Wix plus.

Is Wix right for you? Summary

Wix works best for home, small or medium business users who want an easy way to build a professional website with some very advanced features.

Whether you’re building a website about your hobby, your band or your business, for instance, Wix goes way beyond the basics. The 800+ template library gets you off to a stylish start, there are hugely configurable image galleries, live streaming support, multiple types of form, a comprehensive booking system, and all the ecommerce, sales, marketing and SEO tools to build a successful web store.

Don’t be intimidated by the length of the feature list, though: you don’t need to master all (or any) of these options right away. If you’re happy with a simple three page website with some text and photos, then that’s fine, start there. But if, in a couple of months, you want to allow visitors to subscribe to a mailing list, you can do that in minutes, no technical knowledge required.

This doesn’t mean Wix is right for everybody. If you feel you’ll never need more than the very simplest of websites, for instance, then there’s no point paying Wix for features you’ll never use. Hostinger website builder could give you everything you need for a fraction of the price.

And if you’re at the other end of the requirements spectrum, building the most demanding of high-traffic business-critical sites, Wix probably won’t give you the control or hosting power you need. Instead try Managed WordPress and our Best Dedicated Server Hosting guide, instead.

But if you’re anywhere in between those two extremes, Wix’s blend of power and ease of use makes it an excellent first choice. And if you’re unsure, sign up for the free plan (no payment details required) and browse the templates, editor, and feature list for yourself.

Wix review: FAQsHow do Wix prices compare?

Wix prices are very similar to Squarespace. Wix's entry level plan starts at $17/mo and Squarespace's just $1 cheaper at $16/mo. Both also have more powerful plans in the mid $20’s which can build very capable web stores.

We worked through the small print, and noticed some significant differences. Squarespace wins out on the $16 plan by offering unlimited storage (Wix only gives you 2GB); but Wix is better for the cheapest ecommerce plan as it doesn’t have a transaction fee (Squarespace charges you 3%, although it drops this on higher plans.)

The differences are more obvious if you’re looking for a high-end ecommerce plan. Wix’s high-end Business Elite is stuffed with ecommerce features, but it’s $159 a month. Squarespace’s high-end Ecommerce plan is less capable, but only $49 a month. And Shopify’s mid-range Shopify plan also can’t match Wix for features, but it’s only $105 a month, and it saves you money with cheaper US credit card fees (2.6% + $0.30 vs. 2.9% + $0.30 for Wix and Squarespace.)

Overall, Wix is at the higher end of the website builder price range, but we think it’s worth it. The mix of power and simplicity means Wix will help you build a better site and save you time, probably justifying any extra cost all on its own.

Note: If you’re looking for something significantly cheaper, take a look at the Hostinger Website Builder. It has only a fraction of the features of Wix, and it’s based on more limited shared hosting technology, but you can get an ecommerce-capable plan from $3.99 a month for the first four years - although it does climb to $13.99 after that.

You can also find great Squarespace promo codes that will make your Squarespace subscription much cheaper for an introductory period.

Does Wix include hosting?

Wix is an all-in-one service which helps you build your website, and hosts it for you on its own servers. You don’t have to pay for a separate hosting service.

This approach makes life much easier. Go shopping for hosting and you have to think about all kinds of technicalities, from whether there’s free SSL, to if there’s a speed-boosting CDN, and what hosting control panel do you get? With Wix, every site automatically gets SSL for security, a CDN for extra speed, and other hosting essentials, so you can focus 100% on building your site.

One issue is that, even if you register your custom domain with Wix and buy a premium plan, you don’t get email included. Wix offers a Business Email plan (which is Google Workspace), but it’s a paid extra, and costs from $6 a month.

There can be disadvantages for expert users, too. The lack of advanced hosting options keeps Wix simple, but it also means you can’t take full fine-tuned control of the hosting to suit your own needs.

You also have relatively limited upgrade options. If you’re using WordPress on shared hosting and need more speed, you can usually upgrade to faster VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting from just a few dollars a month. With Wix, all you can do to get more resources is to sign up for one of its more advanced ecommerce plans (even if you’ll never use any of the ecommerce features.)

Does Wix offer free domains?

Wix offers a free domain for one year with every Premium plan.

You don’t have to choose a domain name when you sign up, good news if you’ve not chosen one yet. When you buy a plan, Wix gives you a ‘1 Year Free Domain Voucher’, and you then have up to two months to redeem it.

Beware: the voucher isn’t valid for all domain extensions. You can use it for .com, .net, .org, .biz, some country-specific domains (.com.au, .co.uk, .com.br, .de, .nl) and more modern extensions such as .blog, .fitness and .shop. But you can’t use it to register .ai, .site, .tv and many other domains.

Check the Free Domain page on the official Wix support site for the full list.

What does Wix charge for domains?

Getting a free domain with your Wix plan sounds appealing, but remember, it’s only free for a year. It’s important to look at what you might pay for a domain long-term.

Wix doesn't spell out its domain costs up-front, so we tried purchasing a few sample sites to get an idea of its prices.

Our test .COM domain was available for $17.35, dropping to $16.35 if we paid for two years up-front, or $15.35 on the three-year plan.

Our test .NET and .CO.UK domains were a little cheaper at $14.95 on the one-year plan, $13.95 over two years, and $12.95 per year over three.

.SHOP domains always go for a premium price, and it's the same with Wix. Our domain was $45.95 for one year, $44.95 per year over two years, $43.95 over three.

Wix offers partial privacy protection for free, masking your name, address, phone number and email address in the WHOIS database. That's good news for individuals, and enough to help you avoid most domain-related spam. But if you're a business, or just want to be thorough, a Full Privacy Protection option also hides your country, state/ province and organization for an extra $9.90 a year.

These prices are more expensive than most, and there are big savings to be made if you get your domain elsewhere. Namecheap charged $10.28 for our .COM domain ($13.98 on renewal), only $6.98 for our .CO.UK ($7.48 on renewal) and only $1.78 for the first year of our .SHOP, then $30.98 afterwards. Full privacy protection is free forever with Namecheap, and you can lock in these savings by purchasing the domains for up to 10 years.

Our advice: take your free domain from Wix, but transfer it to a cheaper registrar towards the end of the year to get the best possible deal.

Does Wix include email?

Wix doesn’t include email as standard with its free or Premium plans. To get email with your domain, you must either buy one more Wix Business Email (aka Google Workspace) accounts at a cost of $6 a month, or use a third-party service from the best email hosting providers.

This isn’t just an issue for Wix. Squarespace doesn’t include free email, either, and although GoDaddy includes free professional email for year one, you’ll pay on renewal.

Does Wix have a money-back guarantee?

If you sign up with Wix and it doesn’t work out, you can cancel within 14 days and get your money back.

The good news is this applies both to monthly and annual subscriptions. Many hosts (including Squarespace) only refund annual plans.

There are some exclusions, but nothing we haven’t seen elsewhere. Wix won’t refund domain registrations or other third-party products, for instance, so be careful when choosing your perfect domain: there’s no changing your mind later.

What payment methods does Wix support?

Wix supports payments via card and PayPal.

Is Wix better than WordPress?

Wix makes it quicker and easier to build your first site than WordPress. Spend just one or two minutes answering some questions and Wix can create a very capable custom website for you, even including a working web store with a built-in shopping cart.

Signing up with Wix is also more convenient, because the service includes web hosting, and Wix will put the site online. Choose WordPress (we’re talking WordPress.org here, not the hosted WordPress service at WordPress.com) and you’ll have to choose the best web hosting service for you, then install WordPress yourself. That’s not difficult, even for newcomers, but it does take more time and effort.

WordPress wins out if you’re more interested in power and features. Wix includes hundreds of apps to add design, marketing, SEO and other tools, for instance, but WordPress offers tens of thousands of plugins which can handle just about any task you can imagine.

WordPress is also far more customisable, and you’re free to use whatever HTML, CSS or JavaScripts you need.

The bottom line: Wix is best for users looking for a quick and easy way to build a professional website or web store, without requiring any web design knowledge of experience.

But WordPress is best for more complex or demanding websites where you need the maximum control and configurability.

How fast is Wix?

The speed of a website varies according to all kinds of factors, from the type of hosting, to the number and size of the files used on each page, and exactly what the size is doing (downloading someone’s full Instagram feed will be much, much slower than displaying a couple of paragraphs of text.)

We can’t give you a definitive verdict on Wix performance, then, but what we can do is use some of the best web benchmarking tools to check the speed of various Wix templates, and report on the results.

Pingdom awarded our Wix sites a performance grade of B, with a score of 84. The site did well on five out of seven performance areas, but Pingdom rated it only a C for the number of HTTP requests (which means pages are slowed down by loading too many files), and a bottom-of-the-class F for not using gzip compression.

GTmetrix also found our site had some room for improvement, partly because its large number of files (675) and some marginally slower-than-usual stats (360ms time to first byte, 1.4s time to first byte, 2.8s time to interactive and 7.3s overall load time.) But the overall GTmetrix verdict was positive, with our site earning the best possible Performance Grade A, with a score of 91%.

Catchpoint essentially said our site wasn’t bad, but did have room for improvement. The details broadly matched our other tests, with GTmetrix reporting that the site was slow to connect and deliver the initial code, also suggesting this might be down to the number of files and scripts.

These results are broadly similar to what we’ve seen from Squarespace and the top competition. Wix doesn’t offer leading-edge server speeds, and (like all website builders) it’s weighed down a little by the sheer number of scripts and CSS files. But it’s more than powerful enough to handle some very large and feature-packed sites, and most users are unlikely to have significant performance problems.

Do big companies use Wix?

Some huge names use Wix - music video platform Vevo (26 billion views a month) is one of the best known - but they’re in a minority, and that’s no great surprise. If you’re in the Fortune 500, you’ll probably want maximum control over your website and hosting, and you’ll have no problem at all finding the funds and expertise to make that happen.

But, Wix is recognized everywhere as a great way to rapidly build amazing-looking websites, and it’s regularly used by some very big names to run their latest web projects.

Booking.com’s Sustainability subsite, for instance; the UN’s Human Rights and Digital Technology hub; TED’s leading-edge AI event site; Unicef’s Core Commitments For Children site ; Live Nation’s user support portal , even the PBS Kids store, are all powered by Wix.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Wix will be right for you, but it does show the service is widely trusted by some very expert users, and that’s a very positive sign.

What are the disadvantages of Wix?

If we leave out the limited free edition, the main disadvantage of using Wix is the lack of mobile-responsive templates. While Wix templates are mobile-friendly, you’ll have to work with the mobile view editor to make sure your site looks good across all devices.

Also, once you choose a template, you can’t simply go back and swap it for another one. No, with Wix you’ll have to start building your site from scratch.

Is selling on Wix worth it?

If you’re wondering whether Wix charges additional transaction fees, the answer is no. However, there’s a standard processing fee for using Wix Payments to process orders and it’s 2.9% of the transaction amount plus $0.30 for the USA. For UK citizens it’s 2.1% of the transaction amount plus £0.20. And if you want to check the processing fees for other countries, check the “Wix Payments Processing Fees” section on Wix’s official site.

So, is selling on Wix worth it? Yes, it probably is. Wix provides all essential (and some additional) e-commerce features and everything else an online store should have. It’s also powerful, superbly secure, and a scalable solution excellent for any e-commerce business.

Is Wix good for SEO?

Wix has a wide range of great SEO tools to help websites rank well in search engine results. Wix gives you the ability to customize your website’s meta tags, URL structure, canonical tags, structured data markup, robots.txt file and more.

Can you switch from Wix to WordPress?

There are two ways you can convert your Wix site to WordPress. The first way is by using an automated migration plugin and the second is by using the RSS feed to import all your posts then manually migrate your pages, images and other content on your website. Website owners who built on the New Wix Blog can use an automated migration plug-in by CMS2CMS.

Do Wix sites show up on Google?

Wix websites are search engine friendly, with Wix guaranteeing that all of your website content can be crawled and indexed by search engines (e.g. Google and Bing) whether you have a Premium site or not.

Is Wix payment secure?

Yes, Wix Payments are secure and complies with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS).

Why is Wix so slow?

If you are experiencing a slow loading time on your website, this could be down to the images and media used. If you've chosen high-definition images and videos, it takes up a lot of space. The server first loads the image before loading the site, thus those high-quality images and videos will take more time to load.

Wix Studio is an all-in-one website creation platform that extends the capabilities of traditional website builders to meet the demands of agencies, consultants, and professional web designers. While not a typical choice for the best website builder, this platform deserves serious consideration for specific businesses.​

We have spent thousands of hours testing 140+ website builders. We've seen the market evolve dramatically. While we named the Wix website builder as our pick for the best website builder in 2026, Wix Studio takes things even further for professionals and agencies.​

Built by the same company that led the concept of accessible web design, Wix Studio was specifically engineered for agencies managing multiple client sites. It includes enterprise-grade features like team collaboration, client handoff tools, and centralized workspace management that standard platforms simply don't offer.​

Wix Studio: 1-minute review

Wix Studio delivers a compelling package for agencies and consultants. It combines sophisticated design tools with practical business features that simplify client work. Unlike consumer-focused builders, it provides role-based permissions, real-time collaboration, advanced design tools, and automated client reporting — all from a unified dashboard.​​

What is Wix Studio?

Wix Studio is a website development platform that agencies and consultants use to build, manage, hand off, and maintain client websites at scale. Think of it as a complete workspace where you can collaborate with team members on different designs, then seamlessly hand off projects to clients without leaving the platform.​

With Studio, you get custom breakpoints for responsive design, Figma integration for importing designs, several AI website management tools, and a no-code CMS for content-heavy sites. It also includes features like personalized onboarding kits, content mode for safe client editing, and automated performance reports. Everything runs on Wix's enterprise-grade infrastructure with built-in security, automatic updates, and SEO tools.​

Features

(Image credit: Wix Studio )

Wix Studio packs an impressive feature set tailored for professional use. Its design tools offer precision control with grid systems, API management, custom CSS, and advanced typography. Responsive AI automatically adapts layouts for different screen sizes, while custom breakpoints let you fine-tune designs for specific devices. The Figma-to-Studio plugin lets you import your wireframes and prototypes directly into functional sites.​

For agencies managing multiple clients, you get real-time collaborative editing, commenting, and role-based permissions that keep teams synchronized. Your workspace lets you manage unlimited client websites from a single dashboard, accessible via web or mobile app. Client handoff is smooth thanks to personalized kits and content mode, which lets clients update copy and layouts safely without breaking design fundamentals.​

With the StudioCMS, you can create dynamic pages with custom collections, schedule content for later, and design your own multi-author workflows. Built-in analytics track traffic, signups, sales, and behavior across categories, with customizable reports you can schedule and export. Native integrations with Google, Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn connect to your social media campaigns seamlessly.​​

Unlike with Wix standard, AI tools extend beyond basic text and image generation. They help you create meta tags, Google Ads copy, CMS collections, and even generate code through the AI assistant. However, low-level code control is restricted, and certain integrations require complex workarounds. Starting at $19/month for the Basic plan and scaling to $159/month for Business Elite, this won't be the platform of choice for most individual and business users. But for agencies and freelancers managing multiple high-volume projects, this pricing is worth the toolset it offers.​

Tools

(Image credit: Wix Studio )

Wix Studio bundles multiple specialized tools into one platform. They cover everything from design and development to marketing and client management. Each one addresses specific needs that agencies face daily, for example:​

Design tools

Studio's design system includes grid layouts, flexbox controls, section stacking, and custom breakpoints for responsive design. You can also use CSS overrides to adjust specific style settings beyond the default options. There's an AI assistant that can make advanced layout suggestions, create workflows, and even write code for you.​

Figma integration

There's a Figma-to-Studio plugin that exports high-fidelity designs directly into Wix Studio, saving you the trouble of manually recreating the entire design. It speeds up the design-to-development process, which works great for designer-developers who can get to deliverables more quickly. Your designs still retain their structure and can be enhanced with Wix's interactive features.​

CMS collections and pages

Wix Studio's no-code CMS builds content-rich sites with multiple dynamic content streams like blogs, wikis, and knowledge bases. Create custom collections, connect them to repeating layouts, and generate hundreds of pages from a single template. Content translates into 180+ languages directly from the dashboard.​

Ecommerce

Build fully customized online stores with flexible product pages and category layouts. Wix handles the inventory, orders, returns, and refunds from the same dashboard. Native integrations add gift cards, loyalty programs, and dropshipping connections, reducing the reliance on third-party software.​

Collaboration workspace and hub

Manage unlimited client websites from one centralized hub. Role-based permissions control team access, while real-time editing and on-canvas comments keep everyone aligned on the current designs. A mobile app lets you manage projects on the go.​

Analytics and reporting

Track website performance across sales, traffic, bookings, subscriptions, and SEO. Schedule automated reports daily, weekly, or monthly to keep clients informed without manual work. Export data or create custom reports tailored to specific metrics.​​

Lots of AI tools

AI features generate text, images, and videos directly on canvas. Wix's AI code assistant provides code snippets and troubleshooting help. Responsive AI makes layouts mobile-friendly in one click, while AI-powered content marketing tools create meta tags, Google Ads copy, and CMS collections at scale.​

Client management features

Personalized client kits include brand assets, guidelines, and templates for smooth handoffs. Content mode gives clients controlled editing access to update copy and media without disrupting layouts. Automated status reports keep clients informed automatically.

Ease of use

(Image credit: Wix Studio )

Wix Studio walks a fine line between accessibility and power. The interface is sleek and minimal, with an inspector panel on the right that controls styles, spacing, and layout. You start with a clean dashboard offering three options: use a template, start from scratch, or import an existing site. This works for both resourceful beginners and professional designers.​

The drag-and-drop editor uses WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) functionality, so changes appear instantly. There's no need to understand code for basic website creation. However, there's a learning curve when mastering advanced features like responsive behavior and custom breakpoints. Some users suggest the platform is more complex than its marketing implies, particularly compared to the standard Wix Editor. There are also a few outdated components from the classic editor that haven't been updated, which can affect responsiveness.​

For agencies, the interface works great for collaborative workflows. On-canvas commenting, role-based permissions, and centralized multi-site management make coordination a breeze. The mobile app extends accessibility while travelling, letting you manage projects remotely. Yet while beginners can grasp basic functions with a bit of effort, professionals will need time to unlock the platform's full potential.

Wix Studio pricing and plans

Plan

Starting rate (paid annually)

Renewal rate (paid annually)

Basic

$19/month

$19/month

Standard

$27/month

$27/month

Plus

$34/month

$34/month

Business Elite

$159/month

$159/month

Wix Studio's pricing structure scales with your agency's needs. The Basic plan at $19/month includes 10GB storage, 3 site collaborators, and 1,500 CMS items. It's good for freelancers or small teams managing a few client sites. Standard ($27/month) and Plus ($34/month) increase storage, collaborators, and CMS limits, with Plus adding priority support. All plans include unlimited bandwidth, a free domain for one year, site analytics, and payment acceptance.​

Business Elite at $159/month is built for large agencies. You get unlimited storage, 100 site collaborators, advanced ecommerce tools, and the full developer platform. Compared to similar options, Wix Studio is competitively priced. Webflow starts at $18-$29 but charges more for ecommerce and CMS features. Meanwhile, WordPress requires separate hosting costs and paid plugins that can exceed these prices.

Security

(Image credit: Wix Studio )

All websites automatically include SSL certificates that encrypt data between visitors' browsers and your site using HTTPS and TLS 1.2+. Data at rest uses AES-256 encryption, the strongest commercially available standard. Payment processing complies with PCI DSS Level 1, the highest industry security standard, with anti-fraud protection included.​

Wix Studio maintains multiple certifications, including SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 3, and several ISOs, while remaining compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and LGPD. Real-time detection systems guard against DDoS attacks, keeping sites available during threats. Machine learning monitors pattern changes to block suspicious activity across accounts and sites.

Account security features include multi-factor authentication via email, SMS, phone, or authenticator apps, plus social login through Facebook and Google. Enterprise users get additional protections: SSO integration with Azure, Okta, Auth0, and Google; IP whitelisting for access control; full audit trails of user activities; and SCIM for automated identity management.

Wix also runs a Bug Bounty program with independent security researchers and maintains a strict third-party risk management program for vendors.​

How good is Wix Studio support?

(Image credit: Wix Studio )

Studio offers multiple support channels tailored to different user needs. 24/7 live chat provides quick troubleshooting and help for common issues, accessible through the floating chat icon. Response times are fast, particularly for premium plan holders dealing with design or functionality questions. Email support operates through a guided contact form that routes requests to the correct department, with response times typically ranging from 24 to 72 hours.​

For phone support, Wix uses a callback system rather than direct phone numbers. You request a callback through your account, then representatives reach out during business hours (Monday through Friday, with timing varying by region). The Plus plan includes priority support, giving agencies faster response times. The Help Center features tutorials, videos, community forums, and step-by-step guides covering everything from design basics to SEO.​

Enterprise account holders receive white-glove service with a dedicated customer success manager available 24/7. This manager handles technical questions, business strategy, and platform migration with regular check-ins. While standard support is solid, the lack of direct phone numbers frustrates some users when dealing with urgent issues.​

Wix Studio alternatives

Wix Studio occupies a unique position between beginner-friendly builders and developer-focused platforms. It's best for agencies and consultants who want advanced design control without diving into full code development.

Some of the best website builders for agencies include Webflow, which offers more code-level flexibility and appeals to developers comfortable with technical customization. You can see how the two stack up in our Wix Studio vs Webflow guide.

WordPress provides maximum customization but requires more technical knowledge and separate hosting, along with advanced design and management plugins like Elementor or Duda. Shopify still dominates the market for ecommerce-focused agencies.

Non-website building professionals may find WiXx Studio a little overwhelming. If you are just looking to build an individual website for your business, Wix's AI website builder may be a better option for you. You can see how they compare in our Wix Studio vs Wix AI website builder guide.

Wix Studio review: Summary

Wix Studio delivers a complete platform tailored specifically for multi-client agencies and consultants. It combines powerful design tools with practical business features like collaborative editing and role-based permissions.

A powerful CMS and Studio's ecommerce capabilities handle content-rich sites and online stores without any add-on subscriptions. Security is enterprise-grade with automatic SSL, PCI DSS compliance, and multiple certifications.

While there's a learning curve for advanced features, the platform balances accessibility with professional power. Pricing scales from $19/month for small teams to $159/month for large agencies — making it a worthwhile investment for seasoned service providers but not novices.

Wix Studio FAQs Is Wix Studio different from regular Wix?

Unlike regular Wix, Studio is specifically designed for agencies, consultants, and professional web creators, while regular Wix targets individual users and small businesses. Studio includes advanced features like team collaboration tools, role-based permissions, custom breakpoints for responsive design, and centralized site management. You also get Figma integration, advanced CSS controls, and client handoff features like content mode and personalized kits.

Can I migrate existing Wix sites to Wix Studio?

Yes, you can migrate existing Wix sites to Wix Studio. There's an import option when you start a new project, allowing you to bring in sites built on the regular Wix Editor. This gives you access to Studio's advanced features like improved responsive controls, team collaboration, and enhanced design tools. Enterprise customers get dedicated support from customer success managers who can assist with platform migration. However, some elements may require adjustments after migration due to differences in layout and components.

Does Wix Studio require coding fluency?

Wix Studio doesn't require coding knowledge for most website-building tasks. The drag-and-drop editor uses WYSIWYG functionality, meaning you see changes instantly. You can build professional websites, add ecommerce functionality, and manage dynamic content entirely through the visual interface. However, Studio does offer code access for those who want it —you can add custom CSS, use the AI code assistant, and integrate APIs for complex workflows. ​

What's included in the Business Elite plan?

The Business Elite plan ($159/month paid annually) is Wix Studio's top tier for large agencies. You get unlimited storage, 100 site collaborators, and the full advanced developer platform. Ecommerce features include advanced tools for managing products, inventory, orders, and customer relationships. The plan also includes the complete advanced marketing suite with native integrations for Google, Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

Can clients edit their sites without breaking the design?

Wix Studio includes a dedicated content mode that gives clients controlled editing access — they can update copy, swap images, and modify basic content without touching your design. You can set permissions through role-based access controls, determining exactly how much each client can edit. For more hands-off clients, you can provide personalized client kits with brand assets, guidelines, and templates.

Philips Fidelio FT1 turntable/CD player: two-minute review

There’s no school like the old school, right? Philips certainly seems to think so anyway, because it’s delivered a product you may not have even realised you needed: the Fidelio FT1 is a belt-drive turntable with integrated phono stage and a built-in CD player, that can act as a Bluetooth transmitter and features Auracast connectivity.

And it costs less than a stand-alone turntable or CD player that might easily be considered ‘entry level’.

Obviously the FT1 is not that last word in sturdiness or unburstable build quality. It’s perfectly well put together, though, looks quite good in its gloss-black finish (as long as you’re not the one who has to clean it) and arrives with a very decent Audio Technica cartridge pre-fitted to its aluminium tonearm. Add in a control app to complement its physical controls and you’ve got a ‘just-add-speakers (-or-wireless-headphones)’ plug-and-play device that covers several functionality bases.

In practice it’s not without charm. There’s plenty of drive and energy to the sound, no matter the source of the music you’re listening to, and the midrange communicates very freely. Dynamic headroom is significant, and the Philips controls its (solid, detailed) low frequencies well enough to express rhythms with real confidence. It’s strangely flimsy where treble response is concerned, though, and the bass does tend to sound rather estranged from the rest of the frequency range.

It’s nevertheless an enjoyable listen overall, though, and there’s a lot to be said for the amount of sonic enjoyment, as well as extended functionality, your money buys. One of the best turntables on the market? For this money, I really think it's hard to argue against it.

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Philips Fidelio FT1 turntable/CD player review: price and release date

• Announced in September 2025, but released early 2026
• Priced $349 / £269 / (approx.) AU$429

The Philips Fidelio FT1 turntable/CD player/ Bluetooth transmitter is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it sells for £269, while in the United States it’s yours for around $349. In Australia, meanwhile, the going rate is something like AU$429 – or, at least, that’s what today’s exchange rate suggests…

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Philips Fidelio FT1 turntable/CD player review: features

• 33.3 and 45rpm turntable with Bluetooth transmission
• Integrated phono stage
• CD playback too

You can’t argue with the functionality that’s available here; certainly not at the asking price. In a chassis that’s actually a little narrower than your average turntable, Philips has managed to incorporate a record player with a switchable phono stage, a CD player and Bluetooth transmission. If you’re old enough to remember the whole ‘music center’ thing, you’re entitled to have a mild flashback just about now.

As far as the turntable section goes, the Fidelio FT1 is a belt-driven device that arrives with an Audio Technica AT3600L moving magnet cartridge pre-fitted to a straight aluminium tube tonearm. It has automatic speed-change via a dial on the plinth, and on the rear of the device there’s a switch to turn the integrated phono stage on or off.

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

The platter is of die-cast aluminium and there’s a rubber slip mat supplied too. The FT1 is a Bluetooth transmitter, and can convert an analog signal from your vinyl to a digital equivalent and then send it to a pair of wireless headphones or speakers via Bluetooth 5.4 using one of the SBC, AAC or LC3 codecs with which it’s compatible. Philips, understandably, considers its Fidelio FA3 wireless speakers to be the ideal partner for the FT1, but any Bluetooth receiver is fair game. It’s also Auracast-equipped – so it’s able to transmit whatever’s playing to as many appropriate speakers as you have access to.

There’s a compact disc drive built into the FT1 too. The tray into which CDs are loaded emerges from the front right section of the plinth – the tray door also features an LED display which gives confirmation of the selected input and the usual ‘track number, time elapsed, etc etc’ stuff when a CD is playing. The regular CD player modes (‘shuffle’, ‘repeat’, ‘random’ and so on) are available, and the drive itself is compatible with CD-R/RW and MP3-CD as well as your ordinary CDs.

• Features score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Philips Fidelio FT1 turntable/CD player review: Sound quality

• Quite direct and energetic character
• Insubstantial treble response and slightly dislocated low end…
• …which can make the midrange seem rather exposed

There are, of course, perceived differences in the fundamental sonic signatures of vinyl and compact disc – but initially, one of the most most striking things about the Fidelio FT1 is just how consistent and itself it sounds no matter the source of the music it’s playing.

For better or for worse, its own sonic character seems to override those of the format it’s dealing with. So a CD of Barry Adamson’s Oedipus Schmoedipus is presented in much the same way as a vinyl copy of Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal. The FT1 is an up-front, positive and quite energetic listen. It keeps a firm grip on the lower frequencies where attack and decay are concerned, so rhythms are expressed with confidence. There’s appreciable drive to its presentation, and a facility with dynamics that makes the up- and down-shifts in volume or intensity in a recording perfectly apparent.

Detail levels are respectable, even where the most minor and/or transient information is concerned. And the Philips discloses quite freely through the midrange, giving Doechii’s idiosyncratic delivery abundant character and attitude as well as revealing the goings-on of her technique and tone. This is further facilitated by the way the FT1 organises a soundstage – the midrange is nudged forwards, which further adds to both the intelligibility of voices and the overall sensation of direct communication.

Where tonality and frequency response are concerned, though, we’re on less solid ground. At the top of the frequency range the FT1 can quite readily become splashy and insubstantial, even at quite low volume levels – there’s a lack of body to treble sounds that never quite becomes edginess or hardness, but certainly serves to make the top end sound a little flimsy.

At the opposite end there’s no shortage of low-frequency substance, and a fair amount of tonal and textural variation – but there’s a sense of remoteness to the bass, a lack of unity with the frequency information above it that makes it sound a little distant.

The ability to stream wirelessly to headphones or speakers, or to physically connect to a system of some sort, is of course very welcome. But if you’re switching between the two you’ll need to be prepared to ride the volume control (either in the app, on your wireless speakers/headphones, or your amplifier), because the FT1 is noticeably quieter through its line-level output than it is through its Bluetooth equivalent.

• Sound quality score: 3.5/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Philips Fidelio FT1 turntable/CD player review: Design

• 130 x 420 x 370mm (HxWxD, without dust cover)
• Plastic shell contains 20% recycled materials
• Detachable clear plastic dust cover

You can’t expect the Earth when ‘design’ is concerned when it’s obvious Philips has devoted the bulk of its budget to piling on the features – and sure enough, the FT1 is as pragmatic a piece of design as you’re likely to encounter.

The main box, on which the turntable platter sits (and in which the CD-related stuff lives) is built of hard, extremely glossy black plastic that features a fair amount of recycled post-consumer material. It’s shiny and reflective, as is all too obvious from my photographs – and even though the detachable dust cover is clear, rather than black, it’s just as keen to pick up fingerprints as the rest of the device.

Although the dust cover of my review sample doesn’t sit absolutely centrally on the plinth (it’s offset to the right just about enough to trigger my latent OCD), there’s no arguing with the standard of construction and finish here. Nothing feels vulnerable, even though the entire unit weighs less than 4kg, and the CD tray opens and closes smoothly.

The FT1 isn’t absolutely silent when it’s loading a disc or the turntable’s ‘auto start’ feature kicks in as the tonearm is taken from its rest and moved over the vinyl – but keep the asking price uppermost in your mind and there’s really not that much to take meaningful issue with here.

• Design score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Philips Fidelio FT1 turntable/CD player review: usability and set-up

• Control app and physical buttons
• Auto-start and -stop
• Rapid Bluetooth pairing

Setting up the Fidelio FT1 is neither complex nor taxing. The die-cast aluminium platter needs to be put on its spindle, and the belt that’s attached needs to be put over the drive pulley. The tonearm needs its counterweight to be fitted and adjusted – Philips recommends a tracking weight of 1.5g or so. There’s a guard on the cartridge which needs to be removed. That’s your turntable section ready to go – for CD playback, just remove the transport tape holding the drawer closed and that’s all you need to do.

The FT1 can be hard-wired to an amplifier using stereo RCA connections – make sure the integrated phono stage is switched either on or off, depending on the input you’re connecting to. There’s a 3.5mm analog output on the rear panel too (not the most convenient location, but let’s not get bogged down in that), in case you’d like to connect a pair of wired headphones. Otherwise, the Philips can be quickly and easily paired with wireless speakers, wireless headphones or any other kind of Bluetooth receiver.

Control of the system is available via some physical buttons on the plinth. There’s a relatively big ‘power on/off’ button and a speed-control dial (choose between 33.3 and 45rpm). In addition, there are buttons handling Bluetooth pairing, source selection, Auracast, play/pause, and the opening and closing of the CD drawer.

The FT1 can be integrated into the Philips ‘Entertainment’ app, too. Here you’re able to duplicate the functions of the physical controls (apart from ‘power on/off’, weirdly), adjust volume, programme the CD player, adjust the clock or set a timer, check for software updates and plenty more besides. It’s not the most intuitive app around, in all honesty, but stick with it and it proves very useful indeed.

• Usability and setup score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Philips Fidelio FT1 turntable/CD player review: Value

• Three separates in one, plus Bluetooth transmission
• If you can deal with a few sonic shortfalls, it's a lot of kit for the money

On the face of it, it’s hard to argue with the value represented by swapping $349 / £269 for an automatic turntable with integrated phono stage and CD player, especially not one that’s a Bluetooth transmitter and Auracast device too.

But of course, you didn’t buy the Fidelio FT1 just to admire its specification (or to constantly be dusting its high-gloss finish), did you? If you can live with its insubstantial treble response and, to a lesser extent, with its rather remote way with the low frequencies though, the Philips has plenty going for it.

• Value score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Should I buy the Philips Fidelio FT1 turntable/CD player?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

It's impossible to take issue over the plentiful separates built into a single chassis

5/5

Sound quality

There are a few compromises to be made here, but again, for the money there's still a lot to like

3.5/5

Design

A lot of glossy black plastic and it's a shade off rock-solid in terms of build quality, but it's all here and it all works well

4/5

Usability and setup

The turntable setup is well-explained and simple and the app, although not the most intuitive, is ultimately a a good and useful addition

5/5

Value

Accept its insubstantial treble response (and it's admittedly remote way with bass) and the Philips has a lot to recommend it

4/5

Buy it if...

You want multi-format convenience
Here’s a turntable, a CD player and a Bluetooth transmitter in a single shiny box

You own Bluetooth speakers and/or wireless speakers
You can connect the FT1 to a traditional system using stereo RCA cables, but where’s the fun in that?

You enjoy full-bodied low-frequency response
They may not get on with the rest of the frequency range all that well, but the FT’s bass sounds are deep, well-controlled and detailed

Don't buy it if...

You’re not particularly houseproud
The ‘none more shiny’ finish of the FT1 needs constant attention if it’s going to stay clean

You’re sensitive to high-frequency response
The Philips system is strangely boneless and insubstantial at the top end

You’re going to switch between wired and wireless use
There’s a fair discrepancy between the output volume of the Philips in one state compared to the otherView Deal

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Philips Fidelio FT1 turntable/CD player review: also consider

The beauty of the Fidelio FT1 is that it’s currently Number One in a field of very, very few - and certainly the ‘Philips’ badge is more credible that that worn by any of its nominal competitors. So unless you want to trust your vinyl collection to a brand you’ve either never heard of or that has a less-than-stellar reputation, the FT1 is probably the way to go.

That's unless you can stomach the idea of a Bluetooth-equipped turntable – the Sony PS-LX310BT is a particularly impressive example, the Majority Folio is also worthy of a look – and an affordable CD player as a separate purchase. But then, of course, you can’t stream your CDs wirelessly…

How I tested the Philips Fidelio FT1 turntable/CD player

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

• Tested over the course of three weeks
• Tested its vinyl and CD performance, wired and wirelessly

Naturally I listened to both vinyl and compact discs during the course of my testing. I connected the FT1 wirelessly to a pair of matching Philips Fidelio FA3 wireless speakers (review incoming!), and I also connected it to my reference system using RCA cables and with its integrated phono stage switched on.

I used it with wired and wireless headphones. That’s the thing about products with as much functionality as this – it takes ages to investigate every aspect of their performance…

• First reviewed: February 2025
• Read more about how we test

Zettlab D6 Ultra: 30-second review

The world of NAS systems has been turned on its head in the past couple of years, with Ugreen entering the fray aggressively and Synology walking away from the prosumer market.

In what appears to be an attempt to rekindle the same spark that propelled Ugreen, ZettLabs is launching a range of NAS on Kickstarter, with a focus on personal AI.

Having already launched two ARM-based NAS, the D4 and D6, the two new AI models use Intel processors and are the six-bay D6 Ultra reviewer here, and an eight-bay D8 Ultra. These are both available through a pre-order system and can be purchased either barebones with no memory or with DDR5 pre-installed.

At the heart of the D6 Ultra is the Intel Core Ultra 5 Processor 125H, a series 100 processor that first appeared in laptops back in late 2023.

This platform is powerful enough to handle the six conventional drive bays, the dual 10GbE LAN ports, and the dual USB4 ports that this NAS offers. The memory installed model comes with 32GB of DDR5, but this can be upgraded to 96GB for those who can afford 48GB modules.

Where this diverges from other six-bay NAS is that, with the Intel Core Ultra 5 Processor 125H and its Intel AI Boost capabilities, this system can host LLM AI models and run them in isolation. AI is a niche requirement, but those who don’t use AI are still going to get a fast, powerful NAS to share files, make backups, and interact with Cloud services.

With this level of system-resident functionality in a NAS, the price is higher than that of a conventional 6-bay NAS, so it will only be of interest to those who want its AI capabilities. However, Zettlabs aren’t the only NAS maker offering the hosting of local AI models, and the general features of ZettOS aren’t at the same level as more established solutions.

I wouldn’t write off the Zettlab D6 Ultra as one of our best NAS devices in years to come, but the operating system needs to mature before that happens.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Zettlab D6 Ultra: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From $1680
• When is it out? On pre-order
• Where can you get it? Direct from Zettlab

This Zettlab D6 Ultra is currently on pre-order from the company's website and comes in two variants, with and without memory. The version I tested for this review came with 32GB of DDR5 memory and costs $1679.99, and the same hardware without that RAM is only $1079.99.

That’s either a reflection of how much RAM costs these days, or how much Zettlab is willing to charge you for it. As I was able to find Crucial 16GB SODIMMs for around $150 on Amazon.com, taking the thirty seconds to populate this machine yourself could easily save you $300.

For those interested, the 8-bay D8 Ultra, is priced at $1319.99 with no memory, and $1919.99 for 32GB, which is a similar price differential for two memory modules.

What might be more problematic for Zettlab is that the Super Early Bird pricing of the Ugreen NASync iDX60011 Pro with 64GB of DDR5 is only $1559, while the MSRP is $2599.

The iDX60011 Pro is also a 6-bay NAS, built on Intel mobile silicon, but it uses the more powerful Core Ultra 7 255H, a modern 200-series processor.

I haven’t tried that NAS yet, but it arrived today, so soon I should have a baseline for comparing the two platforms. But on paper, the D6 Ultra does seem expensive when supplied with RAM, and the iDX60011 Pro has a potential performance advantage.

• Value: 3.5 / 5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Zettlab D6 Ultra: Specs

Item

Spec

CPU:

Intel Core Ultra 5 125H 14 Cores 18 Threads (34 TOPS)

GPU:

Intel ARC

NPU:

Intel AI Boost (11 tops)

RAM:

32GB DDR5 (expandable to 96GB)

Internal Storage:

256GB SSD for ZettOS

SATA Storage:

6-bays (3.5 or 2.5 inch mechanisms)

M.2 Storage:

2-slots M.2 2280, 2242 or 2230 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSDs

Ports:

2x USB4

1x USB3.2 Gen2 USB-A (10Gbps)

1x USB 2.0

1x HDMI 2.0b

2x SD card readers, SD4 and TF4

1x SFF-8654(PCIE4.0 x8)

Networking:

2x RJ45 10GbE LAN

OS:

ZettOS

Maximum Capacity:

6x 24TB SATA (152TB)

RAID Modes:

JBOD/Basic/RAID 0/RAID 1/RAID 5/RAID 6/RAID 10

PSU:

20V 12A 240W

Dimensions:

256 x 237 x 186 mm (LxWxH)

Weight:

5kg

Zettlab D6 Ultra: Design

• Solid construction
• Great port selection
• Minor tweaks needed

The design and layout of the D6 Ultra aren’t radical, but the chassis's all-metal construction suggests this is a machine with a long life ahead.

However, if this NAS had been entirely metal, it would be exceptionally heavy, and the six drive trays are made of plastic.

Curiously, the trays are labelled A through F and are not numbered. What’s nice about the tray design is that for 3.5-inch drive installations, no tools or screws are required. What I didn’t care for is that they don’t include any sort of locking mechanism, and triggering them to open requires only a light press.

Given the utter chaos that disconnected drives can cause in a running system, these drive trays need locks or a mechanism to prevent all trays from opening accidentally.

A feature of all Zettlab NAS is the 3.49-inch display at the bottom left of the fascia, which shows drive status, network IP address, and more. Most people will need to get reasonably close to read the information from this display, but it’s a good alternative to flashing LEDs.

Also on the front are two card readers, one is SD4.0 and the other TF4.0, covering both common card types. And alongside those are a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port and a USB4 Type-C port. A feature that initially confused me was the button on the far right of the fascia, which I easily assumed powered the NAS up. It doesn’t.

The power button is on the back, out of the way. The button on the front is designed to initiate copying files from SD cards and USB ports to the internal storage.

On the rear are another USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, another USB4 port, a USB 2.0 port, dual 10GbE LAN ports, and an HDMI out. These are all to be expected on a NAS at this price point, but what I’ve not seen before is the SFF-8654, a port built to provide an external connection for PCIE4.0 card with 8 lanes.

Using that port, it should be possible to connect an external GPU, expand the storage, or install a 25GbE network adapter. While there isn’t the physical room inside the NAS for a full-sized video card, the SFF-8654 enables one to be outside with enough bandwidth to the system to be useful.

Based purely on the included ports, the specification of this machine was carefully designed to please those who use NAS systems to their fullest potential.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

My only concern about the hardware is that a few minor details suggest the D6 Ultra changed extensively during development, and the industrial engineers involved struggled to keep up with those modifications.

An obvious mistake I noticed was that the magnetically attached filter that covers the fans on the back doesn’t fit correctly. It’s too small, and slides down when attached.

Another is that, underneath the NAS, there is an access panel that provides access to the two M.2 and two SODIMM memory slots. The plate that covers this has four screws retaining it, when one or two screws would have been sufficient.

That’s a minor thing, but what’s more of an issue is that Zettlab provides two thermal pads to place on M.2 drives to connect them thermally to the skin of the D6 Ultra. Unfortunately, these pads are far too thick, and if four screws are tightened down, they could put excessive pressure on the NVMe drives to the mainboard, causing damage.

This configuration also doesn’t account for NVMe SSDs that have a heatsink attached.

I hope the filter and the thermal pads both get addressed when the D6 Ultra next has a version change, because the cost of this NAS dictates that the details are right.

• Design: 3.5 / 5

Zettlab D6 Ultra: Features

• Intel Core Ultra 5 125H
• 28 PCIe Lanes
• Intel Deep Learning

For many years, NAS makers almost exclusively used either ARM SoCs or, occasionally, low-power Intel chips like the Atom or Celeron series.

The design logic for this was sound, since moving data from SATA drives doesn’t require much computing power.

What’s happened more recently is that the app installations on NAS have become much more sophisticated, with Virtual Machine and Docker containers being used, but also now we’re transitioning into an era where NAS are AI nodes curating the data they hold.

As a result, we’re seeing more machines like the D6 Ultra, which use repurposed mobile platforms like the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H, a processor with 14 cores, a 7 Xe core GPU, and dedicated AI silicon.

This is far from the most powerful CPU that I’ve seen in a NAS, but the functionality that it inherently comes with because of this Meteor Lake generation processor casts a long shadow over those NAS designs still relying on ARM CPUs or Intel N300 chips.

The AI component in the Core Ultra is an important aspect that elevates it above lesser Intel silicon and ARM SoCs, but the feature of this hardware that has a greater impact, I’d suggest, is the 28 PCIe lanes.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The Zettlan support documentation helpfully reveals how those lanes are allocated, taking the guesswork out of how the bandwidth pie is sliced up.

For starters, each of the two M.2 SSDs is configured as PCIE 4.0 x4, which could make them capable of up to 7,000Mbps transfers if used directly as storage. That’s eight lanes, and a further four are given over to the 10GbE LAN ports, with two lanes per port.

That’s twelve used up, another eight are allocated to the SFF-8654, and two are used for the SATA interface that the hard drives attach to. That leaves two lanes for the card readers and other minor requirements. It’s my understanding that the USB ports are all inherent to the CPU, so they don’t need PCIe lanes, but I could be wrong about that.

If all that is accurate, then this is one of the few NAS I’ve tested where most of the PCIe bandwidth is utilised, on a platform that has plenty to hand out.

However, this technical achievement isn’t the focus of the Zettlab marketing, because the favourite buzzword of the moment is AI, and the Core Ultra 5 does bring reasonable offerings to the AI table.

Where the D4 and D6 models have ARM processors with 6 TOPS (Trillions/Tera Operations Per Second) of AI processing, the D6 Ultra and its Intel Core Ultra 5 125H have 34 TOPS. That number is a combination of the CPU, GPU, and NPU, with Intel’s AI Boost silicon contributing 11 TOPS to the total.

That’s significantly better than the ARM chips, although compared with the likes of the Nvidia high-end GPUs, like the RX 5090, which can muster 3,352 TOPS, it's still at the modest end of the scale. However, this NAS is sufficient for running local AI models, and using the SFF-8654 port, external GPUs can be added to significantly bolster AI capability.

Overall, the hardware in the D6 Ultra is impressive, even if Intel has released better chips since the Meteor Lake era.

• Features: 3.5 / 5

Zettlab D6 Ultra: Software

• ZettOS
• ZettAI

Since the likes of Synology, Qnap and Asustor all have mature NAS operating systems, the best comparisons can be made between ZettOS and Ugreen’s evolving UGOS Pro operating system.

My immediate reaction to ZettOS was that even in this early stage, it has features that took at least six months or longer to appear on UGOS Pro, and a much better app selection.

These include support for Docker and Virtual Machines, media tools, Home Assistant, Plex, Jellyfin, Unifi, and a collection of developer tools.

While I’d have expected to see more software development options, the inclusion of Docket and VM provides an easy means to add those things either with a container or a VM of a desktop Linux distro.

I’m not a huge fan of the red, yellow, green dots for window controls, aping Apple; the Web interface is relatively clean and doesn’t require supporting documentation to navigate.

But there are a few significant holes in the feature selection of the OS, most notably with respect to security. At the time of writing, there is no 2FA, limiting access to the machine via a login and password, and if you use the Windows Zettlab AI NAS app, those are both stored on the client PC. It is possible to use a Zettlan Remote ID to connect to the NAS externally, using the Zettlab cloud portal.

I was a little shocked by some of the security choices made for this unit when I discovered that by default, the FTP server functionality was active. That’s not typically considered a wise move, and admins only activate that feature when they’ve put in place controls to avoid it being externally exploited.

Another area where this NAS OS veers slightly off the beaten path is its file system, which, to my understanding, is a proprietary one developed by Zettlab. Those expecting the choice of Ext4 or BTRFS will be disappointed, and I don’t think the current file system supports a hybrid structure with drives of different sizes. For sharing, SMB and NFS are supported, but I didn’t see any means to format USB-connected storage. In fact, all the external drives I connected, either to USB 3.2 or USB4 ports, were ignored. Eventually, I got a thumb drive that appeared to be formatted in FAT32, but drives that were preformatted in exFAT or NTFS were not recognised. That’s a feature that needs to be made a priority, I’d suggest.

Having two 10GbE LAN ports offers some great network bandwidth, but there currently aren’t any link aggregation or failover options to leverage the full potential of them.

In my tests, the USB4 ports did not work in host mode, although this feature, I believe, is promised. The USB-C ports did charge my laptop, at least.

The HDMI port does nothing currently, not even showing the Linux boot.

During my time with this machine, it underwent two firmware updates, suggesting that the software developers are backfilling functionality that’s either missing or not working optimally.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Software: 3.5/5

Zettlab D6 Ultra: Performance

• Network performance
• External drives limitation
• AI models

For my testing, I used six IronWolf 4TB drives and allocated them into a RAID 10 pack for the best possible speed available. And to enhance that further, I allocated one Crucial P3 NVMe drive as a 1TB cache.

Like with many NAS, for whatever reason, a single drive can only be allocated to caching reads, and it takes two modules to cache reading and writing. I didn’t have two spare M.2 drives, so I went with the cached reading instead.

Over a single 10GbE, the read throughput hit over 900MB/s, which is excellent. As there is no link aggregation on the network ports, that’s realistically as fast as it’s possible to go. Should host mode on the USB4 be made active, that should be capable of much faster speeds. But without caching, six hard drives hit a bandwidth ceiling of around 900MB/s, since each is only capable of about 150MB/s. For this reason, unless you run SATA SSDs or have large M.2 cache drives for both reading and writing, there is little point in using the SFF-8654 port to add more or faster network ports.

And, in the support material, it states that “We currently do not natively support U.2 or U.3, but our machines can expand via the SFF-8654 interface.” Since SFF-8654’s function on some motherboards is to connect U.2 or U.3, that seems an odd choice.

As I mentioned earlier, external drives' functionality is incomplete, and without support for NTFS and exFAT, it's extremely limited in what it can be used for. I also found it disappointing that if the system didn’t recognise the file format, it didn’t offer to format it into one it was happy to work with.

That fun was as if nothing compared to the adventure of using this NAS as an AI local platform.

Inherently, the D6 Ultra and D8 Ultra support a local LLM model that can analyse whatever documents you put on the NAS, providing a chatbot interface to work with the contents.

If that sounds great to you and you have lots of files you need to navigate with AI logic, then right out of the box, this might be the NAS for you.

When the processing of the local model occurs is configurable, so that it doesn’t step on current tasks like file serving.

What’s great about this functionality is how automatic some of it is. After loading some prior review content folders onto the NAS, I discovered that the LLM had created a photo album based on the files and the subjects that it saw in the images. It could then also answer questions about the files, revealing the knowledge it has gained processing them.

Or rather, that’s what is implied. Except when you ask it in the AI chat window, it wants you to specifically say which files it should check, which isn’t super-helpful.

I should also say that the default ZettAI created by Zettlab, I assume, was poor at some general AI tasks, like history.

To further explore this feature, I looked at all the models that the system has available to install. These included four variants of Gemma, the Google AI, four flavours of Phi, the open-source Small Language Models (SLMs) created by Microsoft, two more QwQ models made by the Owen Team, two DeepSeek-R1 models, and a couple of Meta-made Llama models.

It’s possible to load and use each of these, though they range in size from about 2GB to more than 4GB, and some use plenty of memory.

I tried a number of them, and to put it mildly, my mileage varied considerably.

What I learned was to not ask DeepSeek about history, since it failed the most basic questions about historical events.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Its collection of the Kings and Queens of England was horrifically wrong, with it deciding that Queen Elizabeth I reigned from 1237 to 1558, which would have easily made her the oldest person ever recorded, if it were true. For those wondering, her reign lasted from 1558 to 1603.

Realizing what a rich mine of alternative information DeepSeek could be, I then asked about which US presidents died in office, and it completely messed up that challenge. It said ten presidents had died while in office, whereas the right answer is eight. It got the names of those eight wrong, included people who died after they left office, and insisted that three presidents died while hunting.

ZettaAI did a better job of the King's question, although not perfect, as it left out Harold, who died at Hastings. But it entirely messed up the dead Presidents, leaving out Zachary Taylor, Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, Warren G. Harding and even John F. Kennedy. Then it included Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, none of whom died in office. Out of eleven U.S. presidents it provided, the only ones it got right were William Henry Harrison and William McKinley.

I’m sure it’s possible to find subjects that these AIs are much better with than Western history, but the point is that if you were a student using these tools for homework exercises, you could be in deep, deep trouble.

To be clear, the effectiveness of these models, or not, isn’t a reflection on the Zettlab D6 Ultra, but the nature of AI technology, and its value to those expecting it to come back with generally correct answers.

When I questioned the ZettAI about how Abraham Lincoln wasn’t in the list of Presidents in one of those who were assassinated, it tried to say that the list of those who died in office didn’t include those who were killed, even though that was not a context I created. Then contradicting itself, it also argued that Lincoln died of Pneumonia, caused by the gunshot, but not directly from the assassination. This appears to be a riff on the concept that guns don’t kill people; complications from gunshot wounds kill people.

In short, if you are expecting something as powerful as datacentre AI in a small box on your desktop, you might need to scale that objective back that thinking somewhat, though as models improve, it might become an invaluable tool.

• Performance: 4 / 5

Zettlab D6 Ultra: Final verdict

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

There are some positive things to say about the D6 Ultra, since, for a NAS platform in the earlier stages of development, ZettOS is already reasonably sophisticated.

Where more questions exist is in the value of AI on hardware like this, because, as nice as a Core Ultra 5 CPU is, it's hardly a data centre. Depending on the size of the dataset you wish to use with the AI, this could be a highly responsive and productive solution, or something painfully slow to access.

I’m aware that even more powerful NASs are coming along that can outperform the D6 Ultra, although if an external GPU were added to this platform, it might be quicker. What’s not a guess is that if you added an RTX 5090 to this machine externally and gave it 96GB of RAM to run its models, this could be an impressive local AI solution, but the system's cost would be a minor part of the total expenditure.

Given the power of datacentre AI solutions, a solution like the D6 Ultra is likely to interest only those who want to use models experimentally or isolate the development of an AI platform from the Internet.

But I have to question how cost-effective this would be in the long term, should the model reach a level of complexity where the NAS struggles to run it interactively to achieve the level of performance you might want.

Should the AI bubble burst and people realise that it's of limited use for many tasks, at least this hardware is sufficient to be an excellent file server and media system.

Should you buy a Zettlab D6 Ultra?

Value

Expensive option, especially with RAM

3.5 / 5

Design

Metal constuction but no tray locks

3.5 / 5

Features

Powerful CPU with plenty PCIe lanes

4 / 5

Software

A work in progress that needs more security features

3.5 /5

Performance

A quick platform with bags of potential

4 / 5

Overall

AI is unconvincing, but ZettOS could be great with some development

4 / 5

Buy it if...

You want to explore AI on a NAS
The Zettlab D6 Ultra is AI-agnostic, allowing the deployment of a wide range of LLMs and even use as an AI test environment. It also has the potential to become much more powerful in this respect, using an externally connected GPU.

You have data to deep-dive
Using the provided AI tools, you can hand the local AI on the D6 Ultra a large amount of data, in photos, documents, or other file formats, and have the LLM look for relationships and patterns. You can even use it to create AI agents to alert you to things seen in newly added data.

Don't buy it if...

You want proper security
At this phase in the development of ZettOS, security doesn’t have the priority that many NAS users expect. While these things are likely to be added, security on ZettOS currently doesn’t support two-factor authentication, WORM volumes, or approved client IP/Mac addresses. At this time, it's purely user/group-level security using passwords.

You need hybrid RAID or Ext4
The RAID models supported by ZettOS are the basic ones most are familiar with, which include JBOD, 0,1, 5, 6 and 10. What this file system can’t cope with is drives of different capacities, and it doesn’t use a familiar file system such as Ext4 or BTRFS. View Deal

For more NAS solutions, these are the best NAS hard drives we've reviewed.

Romeo is a Dead Man is an action game in which you play as a guy named Romeo Stargazer who - in the first five minutes - has his face ripped off by some kind of demonic creature, only to be saved from the brink of death by his time traveling scientist grandfather and enlisted into the FBI’s Space-Time Police division and reborn as a cyborg known as DeadMan. Your enjoyment of the game may hinge on whether or not you vibe with this bewildering setup.

Review information

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: February 11, 2026

It’s a bonkers premise that could only come from developer Grasshopper Manufacture, and the oddball creative minds of Goichi ‘Suda51’ Suda (killer7, No More Heroes, The Silver Case) and Ren Yamazaki (No More Heroes 3).

It’s quite appropriate, then, that Romeo is a Dead Man’s difficulty selection screen is presented as a literal box of chocolates, because you never really know what you’re going to get from a Grasshopper-developed game.

Romeo is a Dead Man is not a visually stunning tour de force for the action game genre. Its story that traverses time and space can be tough to follow along with, and its cast of utterly bizarre characters seems as random as they are deeply charming. It may even disappoint those looking for something as fleshed out as, say, a Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, with its relatively straightforward combat and short runtime.

Me, though? Outside of some wonky performance issues (and a somewhat disappointing final act), I greatly enjoyed almost every moment of Romeo is a Dead Man in the 12 hours it took me to finish the game. And I loved it even more when turning up the difficulty for a New Game Plus run, as that’s where the game really forces you to learn the nuances of its combat, varied enemy types, and the hilarious ‘Bastards’ summoning system (more on that in a bit).

It might not be your pick for game of the year, but considering it’s not a full-price title, I highly recommend Romeo is a Dead Man if you’re in the mood for a wonderfully weird action game that’ll stick in the memory long after you roll credits.

Killing the past, again and again

(Image credit: Grasshopper Manufacture)

So what is the deal with this Romeo fella? Long story short, he falls in love with a woman he finds injured on the road while out on patrol. She’s rather fittingly named Juliet, and after being rescued himself and enlisted with the Space-Time Police, Romeo learns that she’s an extraterrestrial capable of duplicating herself, adopting various powerful forms, and generally disrupting the flow of time. Hey, happens to the best of us, right?

Best bit

(Image credit: Grasshopper Manufacture)

Romeo is a Dead Man has a vibe all its own. My favorite thing about the game is that it's unashamedly unique in many aspects. The way it handles combat and its supporting systems is one thing, but the ambitious narrative that weaves together so many striking art styles is something that Grasshopper continues to excel at.

Thus, Romeo embarks on a quest (aided by the spirit of his grandpa, who assumes the appearance of a large patch on the back of Romeo’s jacket) to save space-time from Juliet and a menagerie of other very evil people.

It sounds utterly nonsensical, and that’s because it is, but that’s nothing out of the ordinary for games developed by Grasshopper Manufacture. What’s here in Romeo is a Dead Man isn’t as immediately parseable as, say, No More Heroes or Lollipop Chainsaw, but it doesn’t reach the dizzying ‘what on earth is going on’ heights of killer7 or The 25th Ward.

Romeo is a Dead Man, like the No More Heroes series, is a third-person 3D action game, but it loves to play around with other styles. Your hub is a spacecraft called the Last Night, and here you’ll be presented with a top-down, 2D pixel-based art style.

The ship is a joy to explore between missions, as there are plenty of colorful NPCs you can interact with for some fun dialogue. You might even recognize a couple of them from past Grasshopper works. My favorite has to be GreenRiver, a woman with - and I promise I’m not joking here - an encyclopedic knowledge of Premier League football/soccer club Manchester United and its most iconic strikers.

Vamos!

(Image credit: Grasshopper Manufacture)

Jumping into combat, then - the thing you’ll be doing most in Romeo is a Dead Man - you’ll find gameplay that’s very easy to pick up, but deceptively tricky to master. Especially at those higher difficulties.

Playing like a mixture of No More Heroes and Shadows of the Damned, Romeo primarily attacks with melee and ranged weapons, of which there are four of each. The weapon types are your pretty standard affair at a surface level. On the melee front, a balanced beam katana-like weapon is accompanied by a heavy but slow greatsword, and fast and agile fists, for example. Your ranged weapon options include a highly accurate pistol, as well as a shotgun, machine gun, and even a rocket launcher.

Going into Romeo is a Dead Man for the first time, I quite wrongly assumed that the ranged weapons wouldn’t feel nearly as useful or impactful as their melee counterparts. In actuality, they’re arguably your most essential option in combat.

Your standard zombie-like ‘Rotter’ enemies will tend to rush you down (some even plagued with nasty status effects) and thus are best dispatched with melee. However, more specialist enemy types that dot mobs in less frequent numbers will typically require you to shoot at weak points first for massive damage. These targets should take high priority, too; one is a ballerina-like monster that can buff all other enemies around it. While another can drop dangerous landmines in your vicinity.

Combat can be tough as you dance around mobs and prioritize certain enemy types. Rotters are largely fodder, but they effectively act as fuel for Romeo’s ‘Bloody Summer’, a devastating attack that does massive damage to anything it touches, which you’ll charge up by landing hits on enemies in the first place.

The game’s superb boss fights will then take everything you’ve learned - knowing when to attack and avoid, and carefully hunting for weak spots on these larger targets - and bookend each chapter with style. Bosses have terrifyingly grotesque designs and come with several mechanics and moves of their own you’ll need to learn. Especially, again, at those higher difficulty levels.

Bring in the Bastards

(Image credit: Grasshopper Manufacture)

Without a doubt, Romeo is a Dead Man’s weirdest, quirkiest, and most charming gameplay system is the ‘Bastards.’ You might want to sit down for this one. Bastards are zombie-like creatures (that honestly look alarmingly similar to killer7's Heaven Smiles) that you’ll grow and cultivate at home base on the Last Night.

They come with their own stats and parameters (such as attack power and cooldown rate), and a specialty to aid you in battle. During stages, you’ll collect Bastard seeds of three rarities, with the most desirable ones offering the most power, naturally.

By holding L1 and pressing another button, you can summon one of the four Bastards you’ve brought into a stage. There are so many different types, and almost all are useful and can help you form a playstyle all your own. One Bastard, for example, draws the attention of all enemies around it. Others still can freeze enemies, form a powerful energy beam between themselves and Romeo, and even plant a temporary weak spot on a foe.

There are tons of different Bastard types, to the point where I don’t think I even saw the majority of them in my initial 12-hour playthrough. You can even fuse two Bastards together, forming a new seed that, upon cultivation, will create a more powerful version based on those base Bastards’ stats.

It’s not the most straightforward system, but once I had my head around it, creating new and powerful Bastards almost felt like a game in and of itself. And with everything carrying over to New Game Plus (Bastards, Romeo’s stats, weapons, and more), there’s plenty of replay value to be had with Romeo is a Dead Man thanks to its fast-paced action and relatively short runtime.

Out of time

(Image credit: Grasshopper Manufacture)

There’s a decent amount of side content in Romeo is a Dead Man, too, often rewarding you with upgrade currency and badges that you can equip to give Romeo various effects in battle. Partway through the game, you’ll unlock a Boss Rush-style mode, as well as Palace Athene; a procedurally-generated dungeon of four scaling difficulties that you’ll gradually unlock throughout the story.

I found Palace Athene to be the weakest aspect of Romeo is a Dead Man. All difficulties of it share a pretty bland street-like aesthetic, and its narrow corridors can make dealing with enemies a real pain. Worst of all, though, these dungeons completely tank the game’s performance - likely due to the entire thing being rendered all at once. It’s horrendous to play at the highest difficulty setting, as that’s where the largest dungeons lie, and those are populated by the highest volume of enemies.

Another thing about Romeo is a Dead Man that, I think, could’ve been handled better is its closing chapters. The final two levels heavily reuse assets and locations found elsewhere in the game. And while the last couple of bosses are brilliant, the act of getting to them is a seriously painful gauntlet that completely ditches the often clever and semi-explorable design of earlier levels.

It’s something that really strikes me as odd; Romeo is a Dead Man is a self-published game. Which means Grasshopper, presumably, wasn't tied down by strict publisher deadlines. It’s a real shame, especially given the relatively high quality of the rest of the game. Well, bar one horror-themed stage that strips all your weapons away for a forced stealth section. Wasn’t too keen on that part, either.

Stages are often interspersed with trips to an alternate dimension known as Subspace, and I'd say these were the weakest parts of the game for me. While they do provide a nice break from combat, they can often drag on a bit too long with mazelike design and extremely simple puzzles. They get worse as the game progresses, too, as they tend to get longer with each passing stage.

These issues aside, I found plenty to love about Romeo is a Dead Man. As a huge fan of Grasshopper’s prior works, I certainly wasn’t let down by the game, and I’m happy to see the creative juices flowing once again at the developer. Especially after the rather rushed and divisive (but still mostly great) No More Heroes 3.

Romeo’s eclectic shifting of art styles, amazing soundtrack, the way it tells its story across cutscenes, comic books, even one or two visual novel-style sections - it all adds up to form a wonderfully unpredictable ride; one I really didn’t want to get off.

Should you play Romeo is a Dead Man?Play it if...

You feel the AAA space has gotten a bit bland
Romeo is a Dead Man is a sensational palette cleanser if you’ve gotten a bit sick of big-budget open-world games and the checklist-style design they often employ. By comparison, Romeo is an undiluted injection of fun, madness, and irreverence. It’s an extremely confident game that won’t be for everyone, but if you dig it, you won’t soon forget the time you spent playing it.

You want fast-paced combat with a twist
The Bastards system is a brilliant addition to combat in Romeo is a Dead Man, and can really help you overcome the game’s higher difficulties when used in creative ways. You’ll even randomly generate a name and hobby for them upon cultivation, lending a bit of personalized charm that makes me smile every time.

You like weird, offbeat stories
Romeo’s journey is far from simple, and the game has a story to back that up. It’s bizarre and unpredictable, but not so much that it comes off as contradictory or pretentious. A cast of intensely likeable characters, however minor, also really helps the story and its overall presentation.

Don't play it if...

You would’ve preferred a longer game
Romeo is a Dead Man is pretty lean, at around 12 hours long for a first playthrough on the standard difficulty setting. While I’d argue there’s plenty of replay value to be had (I’m halfway through my first New Game Plus run), the rather abrupt way the game wraps up could certainly leave you wanting more, as it did me.

Accessibility

There’s little in the way of dedicated accessibility options here. You can toggle melee and ranged weapon aim assists, and there are three distinct colorblind settings (protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia) available. You can also adjust the intensity of these colorblind options, too.

How I reviewed Romeo is a Dead Man

I completed Romeo is a Dead Man from start to finish in around 12 hours, on PlayStation 5. That playtime included the whole main campaign, all Palace Athene instances, some Boss Rush time, and heading off the beaten path to find optional upgrades and collectibles. I played the game with a DualSense Wireless Controller, on an LG CX OLED TV, and with my gaming headset of choice, the Nacon RIG 900 Max HS.

First reviewed February 2026

When celebrating the 40th anniversary of Super Mario, I expected something more substantial for gaming's most iconic character than Mario Tennis Fever. But even if it's not a brand-spanking new platformer, the ridiculous success of Mario Kart 8 means it would be unwise to dismiss a Mario spin-off.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: February 12, 2026

Mario sports spin-offs have always been a fun arcade sports alternative to the more serious simulations. But Fever feels like it takes the most inspiration from Mario Kart, while retaining the solid tennis mechanics of its predecessors to make for a more fulsome Nintendo Switch 2 game.

It also does the opposite of what Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash back on the Wii U failed to do, and that's layering these mechanics with a wide variety of content, whether that's different modes and challenges or just having a large roster of characters and fever rackets to unlock so that you can mix up and experiment with the combinations to keep the gameplay feeling fresh.

But with Mario fans having to make do with re-releases like Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2, and the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, is Mario Tennis Fever going to be enough to satisfy those hankering for a truly new Mario title?

Courting with content

(Image credit: Nintendo)

As the first new Mario game for the Switch 2 since launch title Mario Kart World, Fever makes less of a strong case than the faux-pen world racer as an exclusive for Nintendo's new hardware.

Apart from the motion controls of Swing mode previously included in its Switch 1 predecessor, there's a lack of any hardware gimmicks or technical grunt. The most clear difference from previous instalments is that Fever gives more bang for your buck - as it should, being the most expensive Mario Tennis title to date.

The main menu is packed with different modes to play, and sometimes breaks down into further modes. For instance, Ring Shot from Mario Tennis Aces returns, but this time just as one of many other modes under Mix it Up. Here, even more unusual rules come into play, which are also linked to the themed court you're playing in.

For example, one court is designed like a pinball machine where you and the ball can get bounced off pinball bumpers that pop up from the ground or the side, while another is themed after Super Mario Bros. Wonder, where hitting a Wonder Flower causes random things to happen.

This does, however, mean the annoying Talking Flower is a character here, and actually serves as the commentator. You'll also find that even though there's an option to turn off commentary, there will still be times when you can't shut him up.

Best bit

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Although Adventure mode is short and largely consists of tutorials, its latter half does make up for it, where instead of just tennis matches, you've also got some fun boss fights to make use of your tennis skills to defeat. It's the closest you'll get to a Mario game.

If you're after something more traditional, Tournament mode offers different tiers of difficulty playable in singles and doubles. A more unconventional challenge, however, is Trial Towers, where you have to complete a run of pre-set challenges with just three lives, progress resetting once you've failed three times.

What makes these trials fun is that each challenge has its own conditions, and also gives you a different character to play as, a good way to force you to mix things up if you're usually only sticking with one or two characters.

That choice of how and who to play is arguably one of Fever's strengths, with a total roster of 36 characters to unlock, more if you take into account the different colour options of several characters, such as Yoshi. There's a nice sense of progression that you'll always be unlocking something new, be it a new character, court, or difficulty mode, especially as some of these come from just playing a set number of matches.

So even if you eat dirt in an online match, you can at least console yourself that it counts towards your goal of unlocking something else. Any piece of grayed-out content will also tell you what you need to achieve to unlock it, which helps with working towards ticking off your achievements.

Fever dream

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Adding to that variety is, of course, the introduction of Fever Rackets. The best way of describing it is basically if you put Mario Kart-style items into a tennis match. Once you fill up your Fever gauge, you can activate this on the next returning ball, while having a short window to aim where in the court for it to go, and create all sorts of shenanigans on the court for your opponent.

Flame Racket, for example, scatters flames around where the ball lands, but this is also different from the Fire Bar racket, which creates one of those iconic spinning fire bars on the ground. Then there are rackets that give you an advantage, like having a shadow double running away to return shots for you, or another where you instantly dash to impossible lengths to catch a returning shot.

While these rackets can disrupt and even cause damage to an opponent, they're also not meant to be an ace. Where Mario Tennis Aces could let you win a match by breaking an opponent's racket, a KO isn't an instant forfeit in Fever. It's also possible to counter fever shots by returning the ball before it lands on the ground, meaning you can return a fever racket's effects back to the other player, potentially building up a tense rally with the knowledge that the loser is going to have the disadvantage of mud, slippery ice, or worse to stick out at least the next point.

If you'd rather not do with the gimmicks, then you can also just play classic tennis, where in the ranked online mode, you can choose between singles and doubles modes with or without fever rackets, while on the other extreme, Free Play or custom online lobbies gives you the option to pick two fever rackets in a match then swap between them before a serve so you can change up tactics.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Where fever shots feel underutilised is in the game's Adventure mode, which is also on the short side, even though it has some lovely presentation, including several of the best-looking cinematics in a Mario game since Luigi's Mansion 3.

Even the premise, which finds Mario, Luigi, and Peach (as well as the no-good Wario and Waluigi) turning into babies, is a fun idea that also justifies having to train Baby Mario back to his prime through a role-playing game-style levelling system.

Unfortunately, this also means much of the campaign is a glorified tutorial where you're being taught (and occasionally quizzed) by multiple Toads in every aspect of tennis, with the fever mechanics reduced more to aiming at an enemy weak spot. While there are some well-designed minigames in this section, which can also be replayed on higher difficulties, it's deflating to discover that the adventure proper will have you racing through its world map in and the whole campaign over in about 4 hours.

It's not without some highlights, though if you've already dipped into some of the other modes, there'll also be a touch of deja vu in some of the challenges encountered. The consolation is that there is at least plenty more for you to do in Fever, even if you've rolled credits in Adventure mode.

Should you play Mario Tennis Fever?Play it if...

You're after a variety of content in a wacky arcade tennis game
Mario Tennis Fever keeps things fresh with a generous variety of content, from unlockable characters to unlockable fever rackets, so that you're never far away from having something new to play with and master.

You want a fun tennis game to play with friends
The tennis mechanics are simple enough that you can play with a friend out of the box with a single Joy-Con 2 each, either with in-button or swing modes. You can play against each other or together in doubles, and multiplayer supports up to four players local or online, and even using Game Share locally, where only the host needs to own the game.

Don't play it if...

You're after a deep Adventure mode campaign
While there's plenty to be unlocked just playing matches or the different modes on offer, if you're after a meaty story mode, then you may find it short-lived when it's over in a few hours.

Accessibility features

Mario Tennis Fever doesn't have accessibility settings specifically, but its settings do allow for adjustments, such as performing moves like lobs and drop shots as one-button inputs, which you can assign to the bumpers or triggers. The camera position can also be adjusted between standard and raised perspectives, and you can also set which racket hand your character is using in both button and swing modes.

(Image credit: Nintendo)How I reviewed Mario Tennis Fever

I played Mario Tennis Fever for about 15 hours on Nintendo Switch 2, which included completing Adventure mode and unlocking a substantial amount of content over 100 matches across different modes. This also included playing some local and online multiplayer matches, but not its Game Share functionality.

I played primarily in docked mode on an LG C2 OLED TV with the default TV speakers. I played mostly with a Switch 2 Pro Controller, but also tested it in handheld mode, as well as the Joy-Con 2 for swing mode.

First reviewed February 2026

Atlantic.net is one of the older brands in the web hosting industry. Founded in 1994, its history stretches even further back than common consumer-oriented hosts like GoDaddy and IONOS. It was also among the earliest providers of cloud hosting.

Today, Atlantic.net boasts formidable infrastructure, operating from data centers spanning the globe and covering multiple regions from New York to Singapore.

Unlike most mass-market web hosts, Atlantic.net focuses on the more technical end of the spectrum. It offers cloud hosting, dedicated servers, GPU hosting, and specialized managed services. You can also get specialized options here, such as HIPAA and PCI hosting.

What types of hosting does Atlantic.net offer?

Aside from some typical hosting products most will recognize, like cloud hosting, the rest of Atlantic.net's product line is best described as either high-performance or meant for control and compliance. These primarily affect companies with specific regulatory, privacy, or other needs.

Cloud hosting

(Image credit: Future)

Atlantic.net's cloud hosting range is the most recognizable and should suit everyone, from regular users to developers and SMEs. It's also the most flexible, offering scalability from micro (1 CPU, 2GB RAM, Linux at $8/mo) to "wow" (32 CPUs, 192GB RAM, Linux at $816/mo).

This is surprisingly cheap compared to other cloud providers like DigitalOcean and VULTR, where plans with the same specifications cost $10/mo (the same at both providers). And that's not even mentioning Cloudways, which offers a managed Cloud at those same specs for $278/mo.

Pricing is also daily flexible, with customers able to choose between on-demand, 1-year, and 3-year terms. Naturally, the 3-year term option offers the greatest price reduction. You can also choose Windows-based cloud plans, but they cost more due to licensing fees.

Cloud hosting plans are also sub-categorized to cater to those with specific needs. This includes storage-optimized, memory-optimized, and compute-optimized plans. Each of these plans have their resource allocations tweaked to best serve your needs.

GPU cloud hosting

(Image credit: Future)

In the booming age of AI, GPUs have become more essential than ever before. If you're dabbling in this area, Atlantic.net offers a good range of NVIDIA-based GPU cloud hosting plans. The plans start at 32 CPU and 192GB of RAM with a single NVIDIA L40S card and range up to 224 CPU and 1920GB of RAM with 8 NVIDIA H100NVL cards.

Prices for these plans are naturally hefty (from a consumer's perspective) and start at $1058/mo on 3-year terms. At the upper end of the scale, expect to pay up to $19,262/mo on the same terms.

Dedicated hosting and bare metal

(Image credit: Future)

Atlantic.net's dedicated hosting plans start at pretty modest levels. That means servers with 6 cores, 8 threads, and 128GB of RAM for $266/mo on 3-year terms. At the high end of the scale are servers with 32 cores, 64 threads, and 1TB of RAM for $1,895/mo on the same terms.

Bare-metal servers are priced lower, with the starter server offering 6 cores, 12 threads, and 64GB of RAM for $138/mo (sale price). On the other end of the scale, it goes to 64 cores, 128 threads, and 256GB of RAM for $495/mo. You can also reach out to them to create a customized server that fits your requirements.

Specialized hosting plans (HIPAA and PCI)

(Image credit: Future)

Unlike regular web hosting plans that are loosely marketed by many service providers, specialized offerings like HIPAA and PCI hosting are beasts of an entirely different nature. You can't simply slap a "secure" label on a standard server and call it compliant.

Atlantic.net builds these environments from the ground up to pass audits and is one of the few providers willing to sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA), which legally binds them to protect your data. That's one of the most critical requirements for any HIPAA-compliant application.

Atlantic.net's HIPAA solutions offer pre-configured packages. These servers also include the full compliance stack (Firewall, VPN, Backups) for Windows or Linux servers. Prices range from $333/mo to $757/mo, with custom options available.

(Image credit: Future)

For those running ecommerce websites or online stores, PCI-compliance is where Atlantic.net shares your responsibilities. The company ensures that your hosting infrastructure (physical network, hardware, and OS) is secure, while you ensure your application code is compliant. Prices range from $416/mo to $6,872/mo.

How fast is Atlantic.net hosting?

Since Atlantic.net is currently offering new customers 1 year of free cloud hosting, we decided to go big and test a server with 4 CPUs and 8GB of RAM based in their Singapore data center. That was apparently a good choice, as we recorded some strong results in both core performance and resilience.

However, take these test results in context because, unlike most other hosts we test, this one had to be built and configured from scratch. That process alone took us two days (due to slight server-end technical hiccups), unlike shared hosting, where a few clicks will do.

WordPress benchmark testing (G3.8GB Plan)

CPU & Memory

Operations with large text data

10

Random binary data operations

8.2

Recursive mathematical calculations

7.4

Iterative mathematical calculations

9.55

Floating point operations

8.44

Filesystem

Filesystem write ability

9.28

Local file copy and access speed

9.5

Small file IO test

10

Database

Importing large amount of data to database

1.4

Simple queries on single table

6.12

Complex database queries on multiple tables

7.17

Object Cache

Persistent object cache enabled

0

Wordpress core

Shortcode processing

6.9

WordPress Hooks

8.83

WordPress option manipulation

8.18

REGEX string processing

7.94

Taxonomy benchmark

8.47

Object capability benchmark

9.08

Content filtering

4

JSON manipulations

7.03

Network

Network download speed test

9.63

Overall

Your server score

7.7

WordPress core benchmark scores were quite good, with strong results across all categories. However, the overall score of 7.7 wasn't particularly good compared to other unmanaged VPS providers, especially Bluehost.

Part of the reason for this is likely the lower CPU core speed of 2.5 GHz, which is slightly lower than what we see in most contemporary hosts. For example, Bluehost runs 4th-gen EPYCs at 2.7 GHz, while ScalaHosting sticks with Intel running at 3.6 GHz.

Siege test (G3.8GB Plan)

Concurrent users

5

9

15

Transactions

8582

10888

10584

Availability

100

100

100

Elapsed time

299.08

299.01

299.82

Data transferred

701.37

891.56

865.25

Response time

0.17

0.24

0.42

Transaction rate

28.69

36.41

35.3

Throughput

2.35

2.98

2.89

Concurrency

5

8.91

14.99

Successful transactions

8582

10888

10584

Failed transactions

0

0

0

Longest transaction

5.42

5.26

6.16

Shortest transaction

0.02

0.02

0.02

True to form, with decent server specs, Atlantic.net held up well under siege, passing all three tests with 100% availability. It also did so without specific load-balancing features configured, showing similar results for longest transaction times even at high loads.

Customer support

(Image credit: Future)

Atlantic.net's customer support offers a "High Touch" approach that gives customers direct access to engineers, rather than navigating a maze of chatbots and menus.

This was proven during our test of their systems when he encountered issues with server provisioning. We sent a message to the support team from our customer dashboard and received a response within an hour.

The support staff at Atlantic.net knows what they're doing, and when first-line assistance can't help, problems are automatically escalated to the proper technical department. Our server provisioning issues were caused by a technical fault at their data center, and engineers worked overnight to resolve the complex issue within 12 hours.

You get several support channels here, including phone, email, a ticket system, and live chat. The support channels are available 24/7. However, it's essential to understand that support is available at several tiers, depending on the packages you purchase.

For self-help, there is a blog section that covers some content, but we find it a little unstructured and challenging to access. Seeking an answer from Google seemed faster - even if the answer leads you back to Atlantic.net's content. There is, however, very visible and extensive API documentation covering everything from authentication to DNS.

Who should use Atlantic.net?

Server deployment at Atlantic.net is fairly easy. (Image credit: Future)

Atlantic.net is a little special from our point of view. It's unlike Cloudways, which comes with an excellent server management dashboard. However, it's unlike a typical cloud provider because it lets you deploy servers that are fully configured to run specific apps, such as WordPress. You can even choose the deployment framework, such as a traditional LAMP stack or Docker.

That makes it technically usable by a broad range of users, while also being highly flexible in its options. Here, though, we have to insert a massive caveat. While deploying a WordPress-ready server (for example) works in a pinch, you'll still need technical skills to manage it. Imagine having to handle server security hardening, package updates, and everything else via the command line, and you'll get the idea.

Learning to manage your server via Linux command line may not be everyone's cup of tea. (Image credit: Future)

At the end of the day, the overall vibe it gives off is highly technical and professional. Because of this, we feel that Atlantic.net is suitable for either those with more niche requirements or, at the very least, certain categories of individuals with a decent level of technical skills, such as developers, system administrators, and the like.

So, who do we recommend it for? Here's a short list:

Healthcare Organizations and MedTech Startups: This is the group that will find Atlantic.net the most vital. Specific products here help them to solve a complex problem. For example, in healthcare, the biggest hosting headache isn't technical, but legal compliance.

SMEs without IT Teams: Thanks to managed services, Atlantic.net becomes accessible to a much broader market. SMEs that need more robust hosting but lack technical backing can rely on these services to move forward.

Ecommerce and Fintech Companies: The vital points to consider here are security and, again, compliance. Atlantic.net's PCI-Ready hosting options make this abundantly clear. Additionally, the 100% Uptime SLA and scalability can prove lifesavers during the sales season.

Final verdict

It would be a mistake to take Atlantic.net as your run-of-the-mill cloud provider. It's highly scalable and flexible, plus gives relatively non-technical customers some quality-of-life tools to make cloud hosting more manageable.

But don't expect it to be as simple to manage as Cloudways. That makes sense as well, since Atlantic.net charges significantly less. Almost half as much as Cloudways, plus Atlantic.net throws in more system resources.

For those seeking a middle ground between affordability and ease of use, Atlantic.net is definitely worth looking into.

Atlantic.net FAQIs Atlantic.net HIPAA compliant?

Yes, Atlantic.net is HIPAA compliant. It offers a fully audited HIPAA-compliant hosting environment and is willing to sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA). This document is required by law to share liability for protecting patient data. Their compliance stack includes encrypted VPNs, off-site backups, and intrusion detection systems.

Where are Atlantic.net’s data centers located?

Atlantic.net claims to operate a global network of data centers to ensure low latency and compliance with local regulations. However, when we signed up for a cloud plan, our options seemed limited to various US locations plus Singapore.

Will Atlantic.net help me migrate my existing website or application?

Atlantic.net claims to operate a global network of data centers to ensure low latency and compliance with local regulations. However, when we signed up for a cloud plan, our options seemed limited to various US locations plus Singapore.

How does the billing work for Atlantic.net cloud VPS?

Atlantic.net uses a per-second billing model for its cloud platform that's similar to Cloudways. While there is a set monthly fee, that's more of an upper-end cap. The reality is that you only pay for the exact time your server is running (not the time it's idle).

Does Atlantic.net support Windows or just Linux?

Atlantic.net is one of the few remaining places that offer Windows-based plans, especially across almost its entire product range. That means Windows Server editions (2016, 2019, 2022) across both their Cloud VPS and Dedicated Server lines.

I’ve been reviewing monitors for a long time, and I think we may be officially in the era of 4K monitors being standard or near-standard, given how popular they are now. It’s hard to find monitors that aren’t 4K these days; however, that also means companies have been chasing the 4K badge for a while now, and in that race, some have lost focus on color accuracy.

For business users who don’t care about their red looking like the perfect red or their blacks being perfect black, or their magenta having the perfect hue, this may not be a big deal, but for those who work in the creative space, particularly in design, where colors are your world, accuracy and factory calibration are massive.

BenQ saw this and cares about this space, so they created the BenQ PD2706QN, focusing on achieving color accuracy in their pixels, making each pixel count rather than just chasing density.

For creatives and designers who work in photo editing, illustration, graphic design, and more, this is not just a welcome addition to the market, it is a gap BenQ just filled with ease. Expect this one to shortly appear in our round-up for the best monitors for photo editing.

BenQ offers this display with 95% DCI-P3 gamut coverage, factory-calibrated Delta E ≤ 2, certifications from the biggest names, a Nano Matte panel, a built-in USB-C hub, and still only QHD resolution. So, the question must be asked: Is this enough in 2026?

BenQ PD2706QN: Price and availability

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

The BenQ PD2706QN retails for around $400, available at a range of online retailer - however at the time of review, it's discounted to $280 at Amazon.com.

In the UK, it's similarly widely available, with it priced at £300 at Amazon.co.uk.

For that price, it's a solid monitor. BenQ also offers higher-end PD displays with greater resolution for a few hundred dollars more, but if you don't need 4K, the PD2706QN may be the better choice.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )BenQ PD2706QN: Design & Build Quality

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

BenQ has always excelled at build quality, striking an excellent balance between price and craftsmanship across every monitor I've tested. The PD2706QN features a functional stand that gets the job done—though I do miss their Ergo lineup. Since BenQ now sells dedicated monitor arms, I'll forgive this and consider using one across multiple displays.

Back to the individual display. It has great color, but we’ve talked about that. What I want to cover here is the Nano Matte display, the physical build, desk usability, and a few more design-specific points.

To kick it off, BenQ's Nano Matte display is absolutely phenomenal. The screen remains high-precision, blocks light beautifully, and reduces glare, even when direct light hits the display. Even when light hits the panel directly, color accuracy stays sharp and precise, making it easier to keep your projects as picture-perfect as possible, whether you are editing during the day or at night.

The physical build of this panel is clean and professional without being boring or dated. It has relatively slim bezels and a matte black finish on the casing, keeping it looking professional and sleek. This is the kind of monitor you don’t feel the need to hide behind a wall, and you can showcase on your desk without it feeling too loud.

The stand is pretty good, too. I’ve not been a fan of basic monitor stands for quite some time now, but this one gets the job done. It’s nothing fancy, and I’d still prefer the ergo arms personally, but if you really want that feel, you can pop your monitor on a monitor arm like I usually do.

Some monitors feel premium, like the notorious Apple monitors, and other pro-tier monitors, and some feel cheap, like, well, I won’t name them here. The BenQ PD2706QN is a nice middle ground. It can blend in if needed, but it can also fit on a higher-end desk. Though odds are this tier display would be used on more budget-conscious setups.

BenQ PD2706QN: In use

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

The BenQ PD2706QN has been a great display for my team and I over the last three months. A member of my team or I have used it nearly daily over that span, and we have put it to the test and then some. This monitor has been used mostly for creative work, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Web Design, Video Editing in DaVinci Resolve, and more. It’s been great for ensuring color consistency across all projects. Even when moving from the connected MacBook Pro 16-inch display to this, we noticed almost no color differences, and if there were, they were negligible and didn’t slow us down at all when switching between mobile and docked work on this monitor.

Since BenQ emphasizes skin tone accuracy and shadow detail, we tested it extensively—not just in theory, but in real-world use. We work extensively with photos of people in our projects, so we edited them as we normally would using the PD2706QN and found that this panel reproduced a wide range of skin tones exceptionally well.

We also used this display as a reference monitor for a podcast recording, plugging the camera directly into the HDMI port to ensure we were in frame, properly focused, and had correct settings. Since BenQ included standard display inputs on this monitor, we easily switched between camera monitoring and editing—connecting our MacBook via USB-C, charging while connected, and switching between devices with the simple on-screen controls.

An upgrade over previous models, this unit offers a 100Hz refresh rate, making video playback and editing buttery-smooth. It’s not 120Hz, yes, but for our editing experience, we didn’t notice any massive loss in productivity or usability. I will say that for our 4K edits, we would cross-check some shots on the MacBook Pro display to confirm they looked good, but we were always pleased with the 4K output, even though we couldn’t fully appreciate it on this display.

Moving on, I used this monitor for some web design and coding. While it’s not a dedicated programming monitor like the BenQ RD280UG (Review Coming Soon, currently in progress), it does a great job of showing deep blacks in a terminal and even in a blank web design window.

For day-to-day productivity and business tasks, this monitor shines. It’s smooth, it looks great, there is no glare from the gorgeous Nano Matte coating, and the 100Hz refresh rate reduces eye strain, helping us use the panel all day with less fatigue than we would experience with other monitors. In our testing, we had users on this panel for admittedly 6 or even 9-hour days+ pretty frequently, with no excessive fatigue, discomfort, or desire to switch to another monitor.

BenQ PD2706QN: Final verdict

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future

The BenQ PD2706QN occupies a smart position in the monitor market. It delivers factory-calibrated color accuracy that matches displays costing hundreds more, while staying practical for designers who don't need 4K resolution for their daily work.

After three months of real-world testing across photo editing, design work, and video projects, this monitor proved itself as a reliable workhorse. If you prioritize accurate, consistent color over pixel density, and want professional results without a professional price tag, the PD2706QN delivers exactly what it promises.

For more options, we've tested the best business monitors and the best monitors for video editing.