TechRadar Reviews

It’s finally here; after a tumultuous few years of will-they-won’t-they development, Edmund McMillen (The Binding of Isaac’s creator) and his frequent collaborator Tyler Glaiel (for The End is Nigh and Aether) are finally ready to share their latest creation – Mewgenics.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PC and Steam Deck
Available on: PC via. Steam
Release date: February 10, 2026

Mewgenics is a game that does exactly what it says on the tin – its core mechanic is selective cat breeding – but if you’re looking for a life simulator, that it is not. Instead, you’ll march your army of superpowered pussycats through harsh battlefields (read: sewers, junkyards, and other such dismal settings), fight your way through turn-based encounters against grotesque foes, and develop winning formulas that will eventually lead your feline friends to victory.

It’s a surprisingly compelling and complex game, offering ample collectible items, a healthy number of achievements, and plenty of replayability. If you spent the 2010s haunting the virtual halls of Newgrounds or playing titles like The Binding of Isaac and Super Meat Boy, you’ll feel the warm embrace of nostalgia, but you won’t get bored quickly thanks to the creative ways Mewgenics plays with the roguelite formula. It’s unforgiving, in places, and won’t always let you take the easy route, but it’s great fun the whole way through.

That same strength could be a weakness for some players; the raunchy humor, slightly monstrous art style, and energetic dialogue might register as dated to some. Stripped away from its tone, however, the game still stands as a thoroughly enjoyable, well-paced, and amply versatile addition to your Steam library. Plus, it’s Steam Deck compatible, where it feels right at home.

No purr-lace like home

(Image credit: Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel)

Welcome to Boon County, where the cats are cute, the real estate market is booming, and both of those statements are only half true. In this rundown part of town lies your humble home, a shack-like property inhabited by your collection of cats. From these modest beginnings shall spring forth legend, however, because it’s here you’ll collect, breed, and care for a cat army.

That means ensuring there’s enough food, cleaning up their waste (and, er... corpses, occasionally), decorating your home, and shopping for both supplies and in-level items. You can also prune the genetic pool by shipping off cats to allies you’ll meet along the way to unlock various features and perks, so from the get-go, there’s plenty of macro management to dig your teeth into.

Along that vein, it’s important not to underestimate the importance of this hub; even in the early game, the cats you keep around shape the outcomes of the battles to come, whether that’s due to the mutations and stats they carry or because they have a penchant for infighting and can leave permanent injuries on one another.

When you’ve had your fill of cat care and it’s time to end the day, your cats can choose to fight each other or mate, leaving you with new messes to clean up. Later in the game, it’s possible to steer these interactions a little more by seconding your cats in groups as you gain new rooms for your shack. I had great fun selectively breeding in some mutations that I found especially cute, even if they did come at the detriment of some of my cats; I can’t help it, their goofy little snaggle teeth are irresistible.

New strays will also arrive each day, offering an easy way to fill out your party when you’re low on soldiers, or the gene pool is getting too slim. Over time, though, stockpiles will run low, and at that point, you can venture out with four cats of your choice to battle foes and bring home vital supplies like food and money; and here’s where the meat of the game begins.

I can’t fight this feline anymore

(Image credit: Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel)

Upon selecting your chosen warriors, you’ll be able to assign them to one of four classes to begin with; this increases to more than 12 over time, each with unique abilities and passives that you’ll curate over the course of your travels; those, too, can be passed on to descendants. There are over 1,200 abilities and passive traits in the game, so no two runs will play the same – this variation made the game pretty hard to put down.

There are seven stats each cat will come pre-loaded with: strength (melee and damage), dexterity (range and damage), constitution (HP and regeneration), intelligence (mana regeneration), speed (initiative and movement), charisma (max mana), and luck (chance-based events like critical rolls).

Based on these, certain classes will align better with different cats, but the further you get in the game, and the more chaotic your approach to breeding has been, the more often you’ll find yourself with some pretty busted combinations.

I managed to score a necromancer carrying many cleric traits, loaded it up with a bunch of perks for healing, and created the most monstrously good wham-bulance (high damage, high heal) since I discovered the Soraka/Yuumi bottom lane combination in League of Legends. A niche reference point, but if you know, you know.

After equipping any items you may have to boost stats and grant new abilities to your kitties, it’s time to head out on the road, where you’ll face enemies ranging from zombie kitties to strange psychic eldritch beasts, tom cats to bomb-lobbing mousers, and beyond in randomized battle encounters.

There’s a fantastic range of enemies to fight (over 200), each with their own abilities and behaviours; a personal favorite is a pair of giant shark cats, which I realised all too late can devour your brave soldiers in one bite – and there’s no coming back from this particular death.

Best bit

One of my Clerics picked up a passive that effectively made it dyslexic, swapping around letters and numbers in their abilities. Confusing, yes, but as a dyslexic person myself, utterly hilarious.

Outside of perma-death situations (which there are quite a few of!), enemies will down your teammates, and their fainted bodies can take damage three times before exploding into chunks of bone and meat.

This is more than just an inconvenience in-fight; each time one of your cats becomes downed, it will pick up conditions like injuries and jinxes. Sure, they’ll heal up a little at the end of combat, but these injuries limit their stats for the rest of the run, and items or abilities that cure these conditions are few and far between.

Speaking of which, in between battles, you’ll pick up various items (of which there are over 900) and face different encounters. In these encounters, a random party member will choose from different stat-based options, and, based on your stat points, a probability-based outcome decides if the interaction helps or hinders your crew.

The luck element of the game is often cruel, and there’s no room for sentimentality with your party; your front-line soldiers will die sometimes, and when that happens, you run the risk of losing everything you gained in the process.

A game that keeps on giving

(Image credit: Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel)

There are multiple pathways to travel, starting with the Alley and branching off to the Sewer and Graveyard. These lead on to the Caves and the Junkyard, respectively, and that’s just in the first act. Later, you’ll unlock more roads to travel with their own challenges. For example, in the Desert, the extreme heat leads to health loss over time unless you keep your cats cool and watered.

Survive a run, and you’ll be able to take your newly buffed up cats back home, where they’ll retire (likely into your selective breeding programme) and no longer be able to go out on battles – with a few exceptions.

All the above is basically just a precursor to the game in its entirety; I’ve played a solid 30 hours, and I’m still only 20% of the way through. There’s a reported over 200 hours of gameplay, so I’ve no concerns about tiring too quickly of Mewgenics. I’d assume that’s before you factor in unlockable achievements, too, meaning much like The Binding of Isaac, I expect superfans to see hours well into the thousands worth of kitty cat combat.

(Image credit: Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel)

It helps that the game has excellent music, consistently great art, and some really well-designed levels. Some of the boss fight song lyrics had me chuckling even as my ill-fated kitties erupted into a spray of body parts and blood, and the rest of the soundtrack has enough pace and variation to keep me locked in to the addictive gameplay loop.

Every time I’ve sat down to play, I’ve unlocked some fresh hell for my cats to endure – one of the latest is a monstrous doomsday cat called Guillotina, who turns up at my cats’ home every week or so to fight retired cats.

The chaos is almost certain to continue amplifying as I delve further into the world of these calamitous kitties, and while I don’t know if it will have such a broad appeal as the comparatively simple The Binding of Isaac, I hope long-time fans of it and other creative roguelikes in the genre will give it its due. I certainly intend to!

Should you play Mewgenics?Play it if...

You loved The Binding of Isaac and Super Meat Boy
Lovers of the grotesque roguelikes of yore, rejoice; Mewgenics is the game for you. It has its own twist, but I think even players who aren’t typically tactical play fans will get a real kick out of it.

You enjoy strategizing around the long game
While the runs themselves are immersive, it’s important in Mewgenics to consider the greater impact of your choices; does losing certain cats risk your gene pool? Are they carrying items you might want for future runs? Is there enough food on the table back at home?

Don't play it if...

You’re prone to developing emotional attachments to pixels
These cats are not for loving; they’re for lobbing onto a battlefield and keeping alive long enough to breed and reap the rewards. That didn’t stop me from growing attached, and it stung each time a cat I particularly liked passed on.

You’re faint of heart
If you don’t want to see cats humping, exploding, and fighting, I’m surprised you made it this far in the review. Though you can alter how graphic certain parts of the game are in the settings.

Accessibility features

Mewgenics is hit-or-miss with accessibility; there are no subtitle adjustments, difficulty adjustments or colorblind settings, but text boxes are pretty large by default and you can change the size of UI elements like the status bar, tooltip size and adjust the noise and grain and flicker levels. The controls are mappable, too. Some more work could be done here; a clearer font and colorblind settings wouldn’t go amiss, but hopefully that’s something we see in a later update.

My cleric developed a form of dyslexia, and as a dyslexic it took me a second too long to realize it wasn't just my own reading comprehension behind my confusion. (Image credit: Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel)How I reviewed Mewgenics

I spent over 30 hours in Mewgenics, covering the first act and most of the second as well as some side quests; enough to get a good sense of the gameplay, though I’m sure there’s plenty still to come as the game goes on.

I played on both my gaming laptop (Dell’s Alienware M16 R1) and my Steam Deck paired with my Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless gaming headset, and it played wonderfully on both.

First reviewed January-February 2026

SpyFu helps marketing professionals, SEO experts, and business owners with deep insights into the SEO industry. At its core, SpyFu specializes in competitor analysis and helps find those keywords that competitors are ranking for, along with the ads they have run on Google AdWords. This key feature helps identify lucrative keywords and ad strategies that can be adopted or improved. Plus, SpyFu offers detailed SEO audits and even tracks keyword rankings over time to optimize website content effectively. 

And if that’s not enough, it also offers backlink analysis which gives you insights into the quality and quantity of backlinks leading to a competitor's site. This comprehensive approach not only helps in understanding competitors' SEO strategies but also in identifying opportunities for improving your ranking and traffic. Our team at Tech Radar did extensive research on this tool and went deep with its features and capabilities to test its limits. 

In this article, you’ll find the A to Z of SpyFu and we’ll also give our take on whether this is the right tool for you or not. We’ll also cover the pricing, use case, support, and many other important metrics of this tool in this guide. 

• You can sign up to SpyFu here.

SpyFu: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: SpyFu)

Plan

Starting rate (paid annually)

Starting rate (paid monthly)

Basic

$29/month

$39/month

Pro + AI

$89/month

$119/month

Team/Agency

$187/month

$249/month

SpyFu offers three pricing tiers designed to accommodate different business needs. The Basic plan starts at $29 per month when paid annually and includes 10,000 row search results, 100 domain overview PDFs, six months of historical data, and tracking for 5,000 weekly keyword rankings. This makes it ideal for individuals and small businesses just starting with competitor research.

The Pro + AI plan costs $89 per month annually and unlocks unlimited searches, unlimited data exports, over 10 years of historical data, and 15,000 weekly tracked keywords. You also get API access, custom branded reporting, and access to RivalFlow AI for one website. We found this plan offers the best value for growing businesses and SEO professionals.

The Team/Agency plan runs $187 per month annually and includes everything in Pro + AI, plus support for five user accounts, 50,000 weekly tracked keywords, and RivalFlow AI for 10 websites. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test the platform risk-free.

SpyFu: FeaturesAI tools and features

SpyFu has added several AI-powered features to set it apart from traditional SEO tools. The most notable is RivalFlow AI, an AI-driven content optimization tool that analyzes your pages against higher-ranking competitors to identify content gaps. It doesn't just point out what's missing, it generates new copy that you can add to your existing pages. This helps you answer questions your content currently misses, which can boost your rankings in both traditional search and AI-powered search results.

You'll also get access to SpyFu's ChatGPT integration through SpyFu GPT. This custom GPT streams SpyFu's entire API directly into ChatGPT, letting you access real keyword data, domain statistics, and competitor insights without leaving the ChatGPT interface. This solves a major problem with using ChatGPT for SEO work since the AI no longer has to make up keyword data, which it often got wrong before.

The platform also includes AI Brand Monitoring through SpyGPT. This tool searches through millions of ChatGPT responses to show you where your brand gets mentioned, where competitors appear instead of you, and what questions people ask that trigger these mentions. As AI search becomes more prominent, knowing how LLMs talk about your brand gives you an edge in optimizing your content strategy.

These AI features are integrated into the Pro + AI and Team/Agency plans. The Basic plan includes limited ChatGPT integration (3 chats only) but doesn't include RivalFlow or full AI brand monitoring capabilities.

Competitor analysis and insights 

(Image credit: SpyFu)

SpyFu's competitor analysis tool pinpoints the details of your competitor's various SEO strategies. This includes actionable data on profitable keywords, search strategies, ad variations, and even their backlink sources. Plus, you can gain access to detailed metrics on thousands of keywords per competitor. Not only that, but you can also uncover high-level metrics and details such as seasonal variations in search volume, the profitability of keywords based on estimated clicks and CPC, and the potential ROI of targeting specific keywords. 

During our tests, we loved how SpyFu generated the search rankings for specific keywords. Under this, it delivers a detailed view of the keywords driving traffic to competitor sites, including long-tail keywords that may be less obvious targets. Along with this, tracking the changes in SERP position further assists this process and even offers a timeline of competitors' SEO wins and highlights potential vulnerabilities in their strategies. 

If that’s not enough, you can gain insight into your competitor's marketing strategies through historical data, which offers a deep report about your competitors' PPC strategies over time, including changes in messaging, targeting, and budget allocation. Additionally, it also reveals where competitors are getting their backlinks from. All of this identifies potential high-value sites for your own backlink efforts and offers insights into the types of content and partnerships that could enhance your site’s authority.

Keyword research and tracking

(Image credit: SpyFu)

SpyFu's keyword research and tracking capabilities are quite accurate and among the best, we have tried so far. It offers insights into keyword difficulty, expected click-through rate (CTR) for organic versus paid search, and the distribution of searches across devices. This helps you form strategies that are both effective and efficient in targeting the right audience. 

Plus, you can also view up to a decade of keyword performance data, which can help you identify emerging trends and avoid declining ones. This historical perspective can guide your content strategy and keyword selection well ahead of the competition. We even love how we get near real-time feedback on the impact of SEO efforts as SpyFu’s rank tracking updates daily. This lets you set alerts for significant ranking changes and maintain your competitive edge.

Backlink analysis and domain comparisons

(Image credit: SpyFu)

In terms of backlink analysis and domain comparisons, SpyFu excels by offering a detailed look at the quantity and quality of backlinks. These include insights into the domain authority of linking sites and the context of each backlink. This helps you prioritize efforts to secure backlinks that will have the most significant impact on your SEO. 

Moreover, SpyFu also gives detailed comparisons against competitors’ domains. This reveals gaps and opportunities in competitors' keyword strategies, backlink profiles, and ad spending so you can strategically decide where to focus your resources for the best return on investment.

Reporting and strategic planning

Finally, SpyFu's reporting and strategic planning tools are designed to process complex data into actionable insights. These customizable reports help you identify your SEO and PPC performance, competitor comparisons, and market analysis. Apart from that, exporting detailed datasets presents a further analysis in external tools or integration with in-house data. This makes SpyFu an essential tool for businesses aiming to blend its insights with other market intelligence or financial data for strategic planning. 

SpyFu: Interface and in-use

SpyFu's interface is user-friendly and efficient and caters to seasoned SEO professionals and newcomers. Its clean, intuitive dashboard provides easy accessibility to its features. Plus, the menu makes its key features easily accessible with just a few clicks.

We are also big fans of how the platform offers detailed insights through visualizations such as graphs, charts, and tables. These visual aids are not just decorative but are designed to present complex information easily. This makes it easier to get actionable insights without feeling overwhelmed by raw data.

Another commendable feature of SpyFu's design is its responsive interface. The platform performs consistently across various devices and screen sizes, so you can access vital SEO and PPC insights whether you're at the desk or on the move.

SpyFu: Support

SpyFu's customer support impressed us with its highly responsive, knowledgeable, and comprehensive approach. It blends multiple support channels, including email, phone, and live chat, so you can get immediate and convenient assistance whenever you want it. 

It's worth mentioning that the support team is an expert in both the platform and wider digital marketing strategies. This means you can receive technical support and actionable strategic advice to enhance your overall marketing efforts. 

For those who want to navigate common challenges independently, SpyFu also offers support through tutorials, FAQs, and case studies. In fact, it even has a community forum and multiple social media pages where you can exchange insights and strategies and learn from the experiences of other digital marketers.

SpyFu: The competition

When it comes to competitive intelligence and keyword research capabilities, SpyFu is one of the best tools in the digital marketing community. With its Basic monthly plan priced at $39 and the Pro + AI plan at $89, it is a cost-effective option for both beginners and seasoned marketers. It lets you go deep into SEO and PPC without the financial burden often associated with similar platforms.

For instance, platforms like SEMrush and Ahrefs start their pricing at $119.95 and $99/ month for their base plans. However, these can quickly escalate based on usage and the need for additional features. This makes SpyFu a more attractive option for those requiring comprehensive analytics on a tighter budget.

Moreover, SpyFu's offerings go beyond just cost savings. It specializes in delivering deep analyses of competitors' SEO and PPC strategies. Many tools only touch this niche superficially. 

We also noticed that SEMrush and Ahrefs provide a broad spectrum of SEO, content marketing, and backlink analysis tools. On the other hand, SpyFu is mainly focused on competitive intelligence, which lets you uncover actionable insights and strategies to improve your marketing efforts. Hence, If you prioritize strategic overviews and competitor insights over a broader array of SEO tools, SkyFu can be the ideal choice for you.

Its subscription plans also deserve mention for their flexibility. Many digital marketing tools lock you into annual contracts or complex tiered systems, but that's not true with SpyFu. Its subscription model helps you scale up or down based on immediate needs, so you don't have to pay more than you need at any given time. In contrast, SEMrush and Ahrefs require upfront payment, which deters smaller businesses or individual consultants who don't prefer long-term financial commitments.

Lastly, SpyFu's user-centric design and straightforward interface cater to a broad audience. It doesn’t have a steep learning curve as more comprehensive tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs have due to their technical depth. Therefore, you can quickly leverage SpyFu to gain competitive insights even with limited SEO knowledge.

SpyFu: Final verdict

Having thoroughly reviewed SpyFu, we found it exceptional as an SEO and PPC analysis tool. Its focus on competitor intelligence, keyword research, and affordable pricing model stand out, making it an attractive option compared to its higher-priced competitors.

We are also impressed with its user-friendly interface, which accommodates both beginners and seasoned experts. Plus, the flexibility of monthly subscriptions helps you adapt your plans based on changing needs.

Overall, SpyFu might not offer the broad variety of digital marketing tools found in more expensive platforms like SEMrush or Ahrefs. However, it excels in its niche, providing targeted, actionable insights that can significantly impact a business's online visibility and marketing success. If that sounds like something you want to achieve, you should get your hands on SpyFu as soon as possible.

We've also featured the best content marketing tools.

Majestic SEO offers a suite of SEO tools that focus on backlink analysis. It is widely used for its huge index of the web that lets you explore your websites’ and web pages’ backlink profiles. All these tools are vital for understanding how websites are interconnected through links and can be pivotal in developing SEO strategies.

If you're interested in learning more about Majestic SEO’s features, usability, and impact on SEO results, you've come to the right place. We'll explore its extensive range of functions, evaluate its user-friendly interface, and assess its effectiveness in boosting your website's search engine rankings. Let's get started with our in-depth review of the platform and see if it's the ideal choice for your website.

• You can sign up for Majestic SEO Tools here.

Majestic SEO: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Majestic)

Plan

Starting Rate (paid annually)

Starting Rate (paid monthly)

Lite

$41.67/month

$49.99/month

Pro

$83.33/month

$99.99/month

API (100M units)

$333.33/month

$399.99/month

API (300M units)

$666.66/month

$799.99/month

API (1B units)

$1333.33/month

$1599.99/month

Majestic's pricing structure starts at $49.99/month for the Lite package and scales up to $399.99/month for API access with 100 million analysis units. You can save money by paying annually, too - Lite drops to $41.67/month and Pro falls to $83.33/month.

The Lite plan works well if you're running a small operation or just getting started with backlink analysis. You'll get access to the Fresh Index, which updates several times daily, plus essential tools like Site Explorer, Keyword Generator, and Trust Flow metrics. It supports one user and includes 1 million analyzable backlinks with 5,000 analysis depth. The plan caps you at 60 report units per month, which should cover basic campaign tracking and keyword list management.

Step up to Pro at $99.99/month (or $83.33/month annually) and you'll unlock the Historic Index alongside the Fresh Index. This tier adds comparison tools, flow metric history, backlink tracking over time, and access to experimental features. You also get 20 million analyzable backlinks, 30,000 analysis depth, and 300 report units monthly. Pro still includes just one user account, but you can share campaigns and set up email alerts for link changes.

The API plan targets agencies and developers who need maximum power. At $399.99/month for 100 million analysis units (or $333.33/month annually), you get everything from Pro plus full API access to integrate Majestic's data into your own platforms. This tier supports 5 users, a major upgrade from the single-user limitation on other plans. You can scale up to 300 million (10 users) or even 1 billion analysis units (20 users), with scalable pricing options depending on your usage.

All plans include a 7-day money-back guarantee for new customers, though this applies only to first-time Lite and Pro subscribers. Payment options include credit cards, PayPal, and bank transfers for annual Pro and API plans.

Majestic SEO: Features

Let's dive into the key features of Majestic SEO and see what makes it a go-to choice for improving your website's search rankings. 

Site Explorer

(Image credit: Majestic SEO)

By using this feature, you can see how well a website is doing with its backlinks. Basically, Site Explorer examines the links, giving detailed reports on the number and quality of backlinks, the variety of linking domains, and their original source. With this feature, understanding how links are set up on your website and your competitors' websites becomes super easy.

Site Explorer also shows how a website's backlink profile has changed over time. This is to help those users who want to track link-building progress and spot trends. Users can even find specific types of links, like educational or government links, which can be super helpful with niche marketing strategies.

Trust Flow and Citation Flow

Trust Flow and Citation Flow are different measurements that evaluate the trustworthiness and impact of web pages based on their inbound links. Trust Flow assesses a page's credibility by examining the caliber of links that direct to it.  It operates on the premise that links from reputable and authoritative sites contribute more positively to a site's trustworthiness than links from lesser-known or potentially dubious sources.

On the contrary, Citation Flow measures a URL's influence by counting the number of sites linked to it. This indicates the popularity of a page based on the number of inbound links, regardless of their quality. While a high Citation Flow can come from links from any site, including low-quality ones, such as third-party movie streaming sites, it can still be harmful if the linking sites have low Trust Flow.

These metrics can work together to boost a page's impact, but calculating them can be a tough task. That’s why accurate measurement and enhancement of Trust and Citation Flow become important for better SERP rankings. Majestic does that for you and calculates these metrics using unique algorithms.

In a nutshell, Citation Flow is determined by the number of links a page receives without considering the link’s quality. Meanwhile, the Trust Flow is influenced by the quality and trustworthiness of the links. In the end, it boils down to understanding and optimizing these metrics for improving a page's search engine ranking and online presence.

Link Context

(Image credit: Majestic SEO)

We were amazed by how this tool examines the content and the context in which these links are placed. By understanding the types of content that link to a site and the context of these links, users can gain insights into how their site is perceived. This also lets users do a detailed evaluation of link quality, as links surrounded by relevant, high-quality content are generally more valuable. It further categorizes links based on their location on the page, such as main content, sidebars, footers, and more. 

Keyword Checker

What sets Majestic's Keyword Checker apart is its integration with the platform's extensive backlink database. This means that users can not only see how popular a keyword is but also how effective it is at attracting quality backlinks and driving web traffic. It gives users a clear picture of which keywords are performing well in real-world situations, helping them optimize their content. On top of that, it also presents different metrics like search volume, frequency of appearance in Majestic's database, and keyword competitiveness.

Plus, the tool also presents insights into how keyword trends have changed over time. This historical context is crucial for adapting to evolving search behaviors and staying competitive. By understanding this factor, you can ensure that your content doesn't lose its relevance and remains effective in reaching its target audience in the long run.

Author Explorer (Beta)

With the E-E-A-T update, Google has been emphasizing more strongly on demonstrated expertise, as do AI search platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini.

Majestic now offers Author Explorer (Beta) as a Pro+ feature. This tool analyzes author profiles and their backlink attributions, which could be very handy for tracking content authority.

Majestic SEO: Interface and in-use

Majestic SEO's user interface stands out for its clarity and efficiency, making it accessible to users of all skill levels. The design focuses on simplifying the complex data of backlink analysis, ensuring that information is easy to find and understand. Navigation is intuitive, with clear labels and a logical layout that guides users seamlessly through its features.

Whether you're exploring detailed reports or tracking your site's Trust Flow and Citation Flow, the interface minimizes confusion and maximizes productivity. Its dashboard provides a quick overview of key metrics at a glance, while advanced features are just a few clicks away. This balance between depth and usability makes Majestic SEO a user-friendly tool for conducting thorough SEO and backlink analysis without the need for extensive technical knowledge.

While the interface of Majestic SEO is user-friendly and efficient, there's some room for improvement. On top of it, there are occasional inconsistencies in the reporting of link indexing dates, with older links sometimes appearing as newly indexed. Additionally, the backlink history charts offered by Majestic can at times, present confusing data. That said, It remains a dependable option, even with its limitations. It is particularly valuable for professionals looking for thorough backlink analysis. 

Majestic SEO: Support

Majestic makes it easy to get help with a variety of support options. You can find various services to help you navigate efficiently in the Tools section. If you have any questions about your account or billing, Majestic's support team will assist you. Additionally, the FAQs section is updated regularly to provide quick solutions to common issues. There is also a glossary to explain important SEO terms related to Majestic. And for those who prefer visual learning, the “How To” videos section offers helpful tutorials. Along with this, users and developers who use the API pack can access detailed guides in the API Reference Guide to better understand and utilize Majestic's tools. 

Majestic SEO: The competition

The size of Majestic’s link connection database sets it apart from alternative SEO tools such as Serpstat, which is similarly priced, making it likely that Majestic will produce more accurate results when analyzing your site. Majestic also easily beats out more basic SEO tools such as SEO Spider and Yoast SEO which aren’t capable of producing the kind of detailed insights that this product can.

Majestic SEO: Final verdict

Overall, Majestic SEO is a great tool for link analysis. It has a great set of features for SEO experts and website owners to improve their link's profile. Be it the Site Explorer, Backlink Checker, or even the Keyword Checker, it delivers accurate data that is both valuable and super helpful. 

By using its many tools and metrics, you can improve your site’s performance in competitive spaces, and considering the value it provides, we feel the pricing reflects good value for money.

That said, Majestic SEO is not an AI-forward all-in-one toolkit like Semrush or Ahrefs. Their capabilities are fine-tuned for link analysis and there have been no new AI feature roll-outs as of now. If you're looking for a one-stop SEO solution that helps with more than link-building and competitor research, this might not be it.

• We've featured the best online marketing tools here.

Moz was originally founded in 2004 and is currently one of the most popular brands in SEO. It offers a complete suite of tools that help website owners and search marketing experts boost their traffic through different features, including keyword research, site audits, rank tracking, link building, page optimization insights, etc. 

It's widely popular among the SEO community for both its paid and free tools. In fact, its metrics are so respected and widely accepted that it has become a vital criterion for analyzing websites.

In this Moz Pro review, we will take a close look at its extensive features and scrutinize its best and worst parts. We will also cover its pricing plans, free and paid products, and rate their usefulness. So, let’s get started.

• You can sign up to Moz Pro here.

Moz Pro: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Moz)

Plan

Starting rate (paid annually)

Starting rate (paid monthly)

Starter

$39/month

$49/month

Standard

$79/month

$99/month

Medium

$143/month

$179/month

Large

$239/month

$299/month

Enterprise

Contact sales

Contact sales

Moz Pro offers five pricing tiers designed to accommodate businesses at different stages of growth. It also provides a 20% discount when you commit to annual billing, making it more cost-effective for long-term users.

The Starter plan begins at $49 per month ($39 monthly when billed annually). It's perfect for solopreneurs or small businesses managing a single website, with support for 50 tracked keywords, 20,000 pages crawled weekly, and access to Moz AI tools, MozBar Premium, and basic SEO features. If you're just dipping your toes into professional SEO, this entry point offers solid value.

For small businesses requiring more robust capabilities, the Standard plan costs $99 per month ($79 annually). This tier supports three websites, tracks 300 keywords, crawls 400,000 pages per week, and includes backlink analysis plus unlimited scheduled reports. It's the natural starting point for most small businesses with established online presence.

The Medium plan at $179 per month ($143 annually) represents Moz's most popular option. It accommodates growing teams with 10 websites, 1,500 tracked keywords, 2 million pages crawled weekly, three user seats, branded reports, and report templates. We've found this tier hits the sweet spot for agencies and mid-sized companies.

Large businesses and agencies benefit from the Large plan at $299 per month ($239 annually). This package includes 25 websites, 3,000 keywords, 5 million crawled pages weekly, and all Medium plan features with substantially higher data limits.

At the top end, there's a custom enterprise plan that delivers the platform's most advanced features, suitable for larger agencies and in-house marketing teams managing extensive portfolios.

Moz offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for new subscriptions, allowing you to test the platform's full feature set before fully committing.

Moz Pro: Features

Moz AI

Moz Pro has integrated artificial intelligence throughout its platform to enhance SEO analysis and decision-making. All subscription plans now include access to Moz AI tools, which leverage machine learning to provide more accurate and actionable insights.

The platform's AI-powered keyword suggestions help you discover relevant opportunities based on search behavior patterns and industry trends. Rather than simply showing raw search volume data, Moz's AI analyzes semantic relationships and user intent to surface keywords that align with your content strategy. This two-layer approach combines a machine learning classification model with a rules-based system to deliver particularly granular intent metrics.

Brand Authority Score is another AI-driven feature that measures your domain's strength and credibility. It continuously analyzes various signals to help you understand how your brand stacks up against competitors in search results.

The Keyword Explorer tool uses AI to cluster related terms and identify content gaps that your competitors might be missing. This saves considerable time during the research phase, as the system automatically organizes keywords by topic and semantic relevance. You can also use AI-powered SERP analysis to understand which content formats and approaches are currently winning for your target keywords.

Keyword Research and Analysis

Moz offers a very in-depth keyword research and analysis feature. With a vast database of over 500 million keyword suggestions and comprehensive metrics like search volume, difficulty score, and SERP analysis, you can effortlessly identify promising keywords for your projects. The platform's Keyword Explorer tool is particularly impressive as it provides valuable insights to steer your SEO strategy. Furthermore, by monitoring keyword rankings over time, you can assess the effectiveness of your strategy and make the necessary changes.

Site Audits and Performance Monitoring

Moz's website checker carefully examines your site, pinpointing problems ranging from major errors to small flaws that can be improved. It looks at crawlability, HTTPS status, and page loading speed and gives you a list of problems ranked by their impact on your site's SEO. The performance tracker keeps an eye on your site's condition and alerts you if a new issue arises. This helps you stay proactive while monitoring your website’s progress.

Backlink Analysis and Link Building

Backlinks are the backbone of SEO, and MozPro's backlink analysis tools are probably among the best in the industry. We've used the platform to find really good opportunities for backlinks and check the strength of our current backlinks. 

You can even use Moz's backlink analysis tools to review your link profile, spot and disavow damaging links, and uncover new link-building chances. Similarly, Link Explorer provides details on the strength and quality of backlinks, helping you create a strong link profile.

Rank Tracking and Reporting

It goes without saying how crucial it is to monitor your website's search engine ranking. Moz Pro stands out in this aspect by providing accurate keyword ranking monitoring, tracking changes over time, and offering valuable insights into your website's visibility and performance. Additionally, Moz’s reporting functionality shines bright with its customization and in-depth metrics. With this, you can create reports focusing on specific keyword groups, time frames, or competitors. 

Moz Pro: ProductsMoz Pro

(Image credit: Moz Pro)

Moz Pro improves keyword research, site audits, and rank tracking. It provides valuable information about backlink profiles and competitor strategies, along with tools for optimizing pages and creating custom reports. With its extensive keyword database, Moz Pro helps you with strategic planning and prioritizing efforts for maximum return on investment. Plus, its useability goes well with both beginners and professionals, thanks to its educational resources and excellent customer support. Overall, as an SEO tool, it boosts your website’s visibility and drives organic traffic with actionable insights and features. 

Moz Local

(Image credit: Moz Pro)

If you're looking for a tool to manage your local SEO and boost your business's online presence, then Moz Local might be what you need. With this tool, you can create and handle your business listings on Google, Facebook, and other platforms effortlessly. It has many useful features like Continuous Listings Sync, Automatic Duplicate Removal, and Profile Optimization. Moreover, Moz Local offers a Review Management System to track and respond to reviews from one convenient dashboard. It also provides detailed reports and insights to monitor your business's online performance. 

STAT

(Image credit: Moz Pro)

STAT by Moz helps you stay ahead of your competition. It gives you detailed information about search engine results and lets you track your rankings daily. With STAT, you can monitor an unlimited number of keywords and competitor sites worldwide. Plus, the customizable alerts help you keep up with the latest trends. Starting at $720 per month for 6,000 keywords, STAT might suit agencies dealing with big projects. With that in mind, you should also consider looking at its other features like tracking local and mobile search results, expert support, and an easy-to-use API. 

Moz API

(Image credit: Moz Pro)

Moz designed this tool specifically to help out the developers, SEO & PR agencies, enterprise marketing teams, app developers, and mergers & acquisitions professionals. It gives you access to Moz's huge index of over 44 trillion links. With this API, you can get all sorts of detailed link data, like a number of linking root domains, anchor texts of URLs, and even the number of followed, unfollowed, and external links. On top of that, the Moz API also delivers smart metrics related to Domain Authority (DA )and Page Authority (PA). These metrics help you figure out the value and ranking potential of a domain or brand. What we love about Moz’s API is that it’s really versatile. You can build SEO or inbound marketing tools, add link metrics to websites, or even gather internal intelligence for making important strategic decisions. 

Moz Data

(Image credit: Moz Pro)

Moz Data offers a wide range of tools, APIs, and custom solutions to enhance SEO and AI models. It includes a large link index and a growing database of keywords and search engine results (SERPs). Along with that, it provides access to over 45.5 trillion links, 8.7 trillion URLs, and over a billion domains. 

Additionally, Moz Data offers about 1.25 billion monthly keyword volumes and over 800 million keyword suggestions. Pair this with the insights you get into more than 25 billion historical SERPs and 440 million new SERPs each month, and you’re all set to maximise the output. Digital marketers, AI developers, digital PR experts, and  M&A specialists who analyze markets and competitors find such data important for optimizing content and SEO strategies.

Free SEO Products

Moz Pro has a great set of free SEO tools that can help improve different parts of your content strategy. You can use Domain Analysis to see important SEO metrics like Domain Authority and top pages. Plus, you can explore over 1.25 billion keywords with Keyword Explorer to find the right keywords that can bring more traffic to your website. Similarly, Link Explorer gives you access to over 40 trillion links for detailed backlink data. Along with that, the Competitive Research feature helps you understand your competition in organic search. 

Moz offers a range of free tools that can take your SEO game to a whole different level. These tools are top-notch when it comes to analyzing links, tracking rankings, scoring keyword difficulty, optimizing local searches, and much more. Let's take a quick look at the free SEO tools provided by Moz.

• Domain Analysis: Get valuable SEO insights such as Domain Authority (DA), top pages, and more for any domain.
• Keyword Explorer: Discover and prioritize the best keywords for your website using Moz's extensive keyword database.
• Link Explorer: Uncover content and link building opportunities, and compare your site to competitors for effective link building.
• MozBar: A Chrome extension that allows you to analyze search, social, and page metrics of any website you visit.
• My Online Presence: Evaluate how your business appears on local search engines and directories, and enhance it with Moz Local.
• Free Domain Analysis: Instantly access SEO metrics like top pages, ranking keywords, and competitive analysis for any website.
• MozCast: Keep track of Google algorithm changes and monitor day-to-day fluctuations.

Moz Pro: Interface and in-use

Moz Pro's dashboard layout may not be as intuitive as SemRush or Ahrefs, but it still lets you assess website performance and identify areas for improvement quickly. Its Menu offers a wide range of features and options, but it is organized and easy to navigate. When you log in, you will find a customizable dashboard that gives you an overview of your projects, key metrics, and direct access to various SEO tools. Meanwhile, when you set up a new project, Moz provides helpful tips for selecting search engines and keywords.

Moz's suite includes specialized tools for keyword research, link analysis, site audits, and rank tracking, each with a user-friendly interface for managing and analyzing data. Furthermore, it goes on to integrate educational resources into the tool interface, giving you immediate access to learning materials to enhance your SEO strategies.

Moz Pro: Support

Moz offers highly informative resources covering every area of the service. If you’re new to SEO marketing, start with the Beginner’s Guide to SEO. From there, it’s easy to learn more in the SEO Learning Center which has guides available organized around twelve topic areas, or by posting questions in the Moz community which connects you with 500K+ digital marketers.

If you need some more help, you can also contact the support team directly via the help portal through the website. Moz has teams in Seattle and Vancouver, but the hours of operation or the response time is not listed. Unfortunately, there’s currently no option for either direct phone, direct email, or live chat support.

Moz Pro: The competition

With many platforms focused on a certain area of SEO, Moz Pro brings to the table a deep range of functions for keyword and competitor research, SEO crawling, backlink profiles, and more. It’s really one of the most comprehensive services for any company interested in SEO marketing.

Alternatively, this depth does contribute to a steeper learning curve than some others. If you’re new to SEO and especially with relatively small-scale needs, a more targeted and affordable service could be the better option.

Moz Pro: Final verdict

Moz Pro is an excellent SEO tool for businesses looking to enhance their online presence. It offers a wide range of features similar to SpyFu, Majestic, KWFinder, etc. Although softwares like SpyFu may be more user-friendly, Moz Pro stands out with its renowned and valuable metrics, making it a preferred choice for marketers. Plus, its USP is offering many free tools that have created a long-standing reputation of Moz in the SEO industry.   

In 2026, theme parks are a massive part of society. There are attractions all over the globe, competing to build the biggest and best rides to entertain thrill-seekers. They've become so successful that even Disney’s newest CEO comes from a park background, solidifying their importance in modern culture.

But back in 1955, the idea of a large-scale theme park like Disneyland in Anaheim, California, was seen as ridiculous, impossible, even. Such a feat had never been attempted before, and many people thought Walt Disney's dream was simply that, and could never be realized.

It's genuinely fascinating to watch all this unfold through Disney+'s new documentary Disneyland Handcrafted. I've been to a couple of Disney parks in my life, and I'll admit I might take them for granted at times. But imagine being there to witness the first-ever Disney park, built in just over a year? It's a remarkable achievement, and it's no wonder it's gone down in history.

I loved witnessing so many iconic attractions from start to finish, like the water ride Jungle Cruise and Mark Twain, which, at the time, was the first functional steamboat built in the US in 50 years.

There are some anxiety-inducing moments, too, as workers are seen climbing to great heights without the safety equipment we have today. The construction site for Disneyland looked nothing like modern-day ones, and it's so special to have all this archive footage preserving the process.

Disneyland Handcrafted is a love letter to Walt Disney's ambition and to the way he embraced television to spread the word about his theme park. He gave progress reports and marketed its development in a way that was groundbreaking back then, leveraging new technologies and ideas.

So many people worked hard to build Disneyland, from its attractions to Sleeping Beauty's castle, a huge structure that I'm constantly in awe of even now. Immersion was everything to make Disneyland a success; without an effective theme, it would've all fallen apart.

But Walt's team of designers, builders, and more were able to bring it all together, including the first iteration of Main Street, an iconic Disney-themed land, which resembles American small towns during the early 20th century.

Even though it's all laid out in front of us, it still seems unbelievable that they were even able to pull all this off. It's an incredibly hopeful documentary that proves how far determination and hard work can take you, even if people around you doubt you can do it.

Disneyland Handcrafted is sure to give you a new appreciation for theme parks, even beyond the Disney umbrella. So much work goes into funding, design, marketing, and building attractions.

Disneyland's opening was not perfect, as they ran into issues such as a plumber's strike, which forced a choice between working water fountains and toilets, leaving guests without drinking water. But the fact that it even existed back then is monumental, and improvements were made based on the all-important first visit. Over time, it's gotten even better, blossoming into the park we know and love today.

There are a few small issues with Disneyland Handcrafted. It doesn't provide a complete timeline or a deep dive into certain areas, as its short runtime limits it. However, there is enough to keep you engaged and plenty of new things to uncover, which may encourage you to go off and read more about it.

Walt himself doesn't appear much either, beyond important television broadcasts, which could disappoint some fans. But personally, I did enjoy the fact that it focused on all the people who worked hard on the Anaheim site every day, lifting heavy equipment and following blueprints that probably felt overwhelming at first. Together as a community, they really did build something beautiful.

Disney+ is home to plenty of great behind-the-scenes looks at the parks. We Call It Imagineering focuses on how Disney Parks are designed and built in the modern day, taking you behind the scenes of the biggest attractions and new ideas.

There's plenty to explore, and as a huge fan of Disney movies and parks, it's incredible getting to see the process and how it's changed over time. Disneyland Handcrafted is a must-watch for anyone keen to see where it all began, and it's streaming now on Disney+ and YouTube.

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GEEKOM GeekBook X14 Pro: 30-second review

Out of the box, the GeekBook X14 Pro instantly strikes you as a premium laptop, with the magnesium alloy build not only contributing to the lightweight and robust design of this 14-inch laptop, but also giving it the unmistakable look and style of many other premium laptops of this size, most notably the MacBook Air and Microsoft Surface machines.

While it is lightweight and sleek, Geekom have ensured there is a decent amount of connectivity. If you're a business user, the fact that it has two USB4 and a full-size HDMI 2.1 port means it’s easy to connect to networks and other accessories, and any larger display. If the number of connectivity options isn’t enough for you, then in the box alongside the laptop is a hub that boosts the connection options and includes a dedicated LAN port.

The internal processing power is also impressive, and the fact that the small machine features one of the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 processors, coupled with Arc graphics and an integrated NPU, means it's AI-ready and a perfect option if you rely on Copilot to help with your productivity.

One of the other key features here is the 2.8K OLED display, which is relatively bright at 450 nits, although with its glossy surface, reflections in brighter environments can be a bit of an issue.

Overall performance is exceptionally good, and opening up Microsoft’s main productivity apps, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, proves how well-tuned this machine is for day-to-day office work. If you want to touch on some creativity, then the 2TB SSD offers plenty of storage capacity for small projects, and this is backed up by the CPU and GPU power, which is more than capable of handling 1080p and 4K video. Through the test, I was able to put together a short video shot on a Sony A7 Mark V without too many issues. However, during the editing process, it is worth noting that as the production reached about five minutes, the machine took a little longer to process the footage and edit in DaVinci Resolve.

Switching down to an application such as CapCut, again with 4K video shot on the iPhone 15 Pro, the laptop is more than capable of swiftly enabling all edits as well as supplying effects and templates with ease.

Taking a look at photo editing and Lightroom, again, this is a machine that, while small and lightweight, is more than powerful enough to handle both of those applications. In Photoshop, using Generative Expand as well as some of the generation tools that are native to that application, the AI enhancements offered through the integrated MPU helped to speed up the image generation process.

Finally, when it came to looking at games, once again, this small laptop was extremely impressive. Taking a look firstly at DiRT Rally, it was able to cope with the graphics without too many issues, and I was able to do a few laps of various courses, although the fans did kick in trying to keep the small machine nice and cool.

Likewise, pushing the GPU a little bit further with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, again, the machine was able to cope with settings reduced. When the fans did kick in, the design seemed to be sufficient to keep that fan noise down to a bare minimum. However, you could really feel the heat building up.

Geekom GeekBook X14 Pro: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? $1249 RRP
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Directly from Geekom and Amazon.com

At present, the GeekBook X14 Pro is available directly from the Geekom website, where the Core Ultra 5 model discounted to $1049 and the Core Ultra 9 model is $1249 at the time of review.

Both models are also available for the same price at Amazon.com here.

Right now, the laptop looks to only be available in the US.

• Value: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)GEEKOM GeekBook X14 Pro: Specs

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 125H / Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
Graphics: Intel Arc integrated
RAM: 32GB LPDDR5x
Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD
Left Ports: 2× USB4, 1× USB-A 3.2 Gen2, HDMI 2.1
Right Ports: USB-A 3.2 Gen2, 3.5mm combo jack, microSD
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4
Audio: DTS:X Ultra stereo speakers
Camera: 1080p with privacy shutter
Size: 312 x 215 x 16.9 mm, 999g
OS Installed: Windows 11 Pro
Accessories: 65W GaN USB-C charger, user manual

GEEKOM GeekBook X14 Pro: Design

The GeekBook X14 Pro has been designed as a premium 14-inch laptop, and the magnesium alloy casing certainly reinforces that. From the moment you lift the machine out of the box, the matte silver finish is reminiscent of the MacBook Pro machines, with a slight wedge-like design that enables a bit more ventilation towards the back.

When it comes to size and weight, the laptop weighs in at 1030g, although the list weight is just under 1KG, and measures 312mm by 215mm by 20mm. The wedge shape makes this in line with the small MacBooks and Microsoft Surface.

The laptop is left minimalistic, just with the GEEKOM logo. Flipping over to the base, you have three large rubber feet to help keep it nice and secure when placed on a desktop.

Taking a look firstly at the left-hand side of the machine, you have the HDMI 2.1 port and two USB4 ports of the Type-C design. On the right-hand side, you have a USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (labelled 5GB/s), a 3.5mm headphone combo port and a camera on/off slide switch to disable the webcam.

When it comes to power, this is all provided through a 65W PD GaN fast charger, which is USB-C to USB-C, so if you don't have the proprietary charger with you, you can use others to give this laptop a charging boost.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Opening up the machine, you’re presented with the 14-inch OLED display at a resolution of 2880 x 1800. This display is capable of showing 100% DCI-P3 colour at 450 nits of brightness, with a 60Hz or 120Hz refresh rate, which is good for creativity as well as gaming and multimedia.

When it comes to the keyboard, it is of a decent size, although not full-size. GEEKOM have really thought about the layout, with backspace, enter and shift keys on the right side being a little larger than the other keys. The cursor keys also give you two-thirds left and right, and half-sized up and down keys, making it quite easy to navigate through documents.

The touchpad is also a decent size, measuring 120 x 71 mm, and supports multi-gesture control. It's made of Mylar, ensuring that it has a good, long life and is perfect for day-to-day use.

• Design: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)GEEKOM GeekBook X14 Pro: Features

The premium looks of the GeekBook X14 Pro give you some idea of the quality of the electronics within, and the small machine features one of the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPUs. This is coupled with Intel Arc graphics and an integrated NPU.

One of the other big selling points is the high-resolution 2.8K OLED display, capable of displaying the DCI-P3 colour gamut at 100% with a 120Hz refresh rate and brightness up to 450 nits.

The Intel Core Ultra 9 mobile processor offers 16 cores, 22 threads, 24MB onboard cache, and a 5.1GHz turbo boost. This is more than sufficient for a workflow of most creativity apps and top-level games. I’ll be using Indiana Jone and the Great Circle to test this out later.

The Intel graphics are similarly impressive with the Xe-LPG architecture that enables XeSS upscaling, support for DirectX 12.1, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing. This allows you to play far more power-intensive games than you'd expect from a laptop of this size. For creatives, there is AV1 and H.265/HEVC support for video, and it's also AI-ready for graphics, which I was able to test using the Adobe Creative Suite.

The GeekBook X14 is one of a growing number of new laptop releases that feature an NPU alongside the Intel CPU and GPU. This enables greater hardware processing for AI, so if you utilise Copilot or some of the AI features within applications, then this NPU will help speed up the process.

Inside, there's a relatively large 72Wh battery that will last up to 16 hours for light use and can be fast-charged using the 65W GaN adapter. It also supports USB-C charging, so even if you don’t have your charger with you, you should be able to find some other way to charge.

The laptop also supports USB4, enabling ultra-fast transfer rates as well as connectivity to networks and high-resolution external displays without too many issues. One of the features that really caught my eye was the inclusion of a full-sized HDMI port, so it's easy to connect to a display when giving presentations.

As well as the wired connectivity features, Wi-Fi 6E offers fast networking and transfer rates. Whilst there is no wired network port, GEEKOM have gone to the effort of including a slimline USB4 hub in the box, which gives you a standard network connector as well as additional ports. This is a great addition that enables you to keep the laptop nice and slim but expand the ports if and when you need.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

• Features: 4.5 / 5

GEEKOM GeekBook X14 Pro: PerformanceBenchmark scores

Benchmark Results:
CrystalDiskMark Read: 6994.18 MB/s
CrystalDiskMark Write: 6188.09 MB/s
Geekbench CPU Multi: 12,600
Geekbench CPU Single: 2,382
Geekbench GPU: 30,577
PCMark Overall: 7,536
Cinebench CPU Multi: 12,133
Cinebench CPU Single: 1,700
Fire Strike Overall: 7,513
Fire Strike Graphics: 8,107
Fire Strike Physics: 23,448
Fire Strike Combined: 2,925
Time Spy Overall: 3,780
Time Spy Graphics: 3,427
Time Spy CPU: 9,087
Wild Life Overall: 23,102
Steel Nomad Overall: 701
Windows Experience Overall: 8.2

Getting started with the latest Windows laptops just involves running through the last few setup screens of Windows 11, and in this case, the Pro release. Whether you're doing this yourself or have an IT team handling it, the process is relatively quick and easy, with the usual registration of existing Microsoft or Google accounts before the main Windows 11 Pro interface opens up.

In this test, I started off with some of the Microsoft productivity applications as well as browsing the internet, putting together a slide presentation on darkroom photography for a course I’m presently running. Windows 11 Pro was able to handle Microsoft Word and PowerPoint with absolutely no issues, and as I added to Excel sheets on development times and chemical mixture ratios, it was able to handle relatively large slides and images. What stood out here was that 2.8K resolution screen, which just enables a little bit more real estate when it comes to handling Excel, which is a huge advantage even on this relatively small 14-inch screen.

The bezel around that 14-inch screen is also very slight, so you get maximum coverage. Whilst the screen looks good, bright and very clear, with good tonal graduation and overall quality, it was apparent from the outset that it has slightly more reflection than some of the laptops I’ve looked at recently, including the far more expensive ASUS ExpertBook. But still, considering this is almost £1000 cheaper, it holds up extremely well, as long as you're not in a bright location where screen reflections could make it a little tricky to see what you're doing.

As expected from most Windows laptops these days, the ability to handle Microsoft applications goes without saying. If you're looking for a straightforward, powerful laptop for general day-to-day business processing, then the GeekBook X14 Pro is a superb option.

However, I had to push this a little further. Having now used quite a few machines with the new Intel Core Ultra 7 and Ultra 9 CPUs, I was keen to see how good it was at handling DaVinci Resolve with some straight 4K video footage shot on the Sony A7 Mark V. This 4K footage isn't the highest bitrate, but it is good standard quality video you'd use for YouTube or social media content. DaVinci Resolve was able to handle a five-minute edit without too many issues, and the large 2TB SSD offered fast transfer rates, both read and write, around 6000 MB/s, while the USB4 connectivity enabled me to connect to a fast SSD, allowing smooth editing. This surpassed what I thought it would be capable of.

Where it did start to struggle was when effects were applied, and the fans kicked in to keep everything cool. There was a little lag on render times, but as long as you dragged the footage into the timeline, waited a second or two to settle and render, and then made the edit, the process was relatively smooth.

Switching in DaVinci Resolve to 4K video shot on the iPhone 15 Pro and opening that in CapCut, the experience improved further. CapCut is a far more lightweight video editor and much better suited to a small machine like this. It handled the 4K footage without issue, and as effects and templates were applied, there were no problems with slowdown. While once again you could feel the heat building up, it was able to stay on top of thermal throttling, enabling fast and smooth edits and uploads.
While I was initially worried that the machine is limited to 32GB of DDR5 RAM, with no option to upgrade, through the review process, this proved more than enough, not only for day-to-day office use but also for relatively light video editing work.

Switching over to stills imaging and looking at Lightroom and Photoshop, again, this small machine was able to handle both without issue. Lightroom catalogues were created and adjustments made in both Lightroom Classic and Lightroom CC at speed, showing that it’s a great option if you are a photographer looking for a very lightweight yet powerful small laptop. Likewise, Photoshop ran exceptionally well, and with AI enhancements like Generative Expand and image generation, the onboard processing made the experience relatively quick.

Finally, I loaded up a couple of games to see how it could handle them. Starting off with DiRT Rally, that CPU and GPU combo was far more powerful than the game required. I didn’t push the graphics, and the gameplay was smooth. However, the keyboard wasn’t the greatest for gaming; the keys lacked the responsiveness you’d want, so switching over to a dedicated controller is, as ever, a far better idea.

Then, really pushing the system, I loaded up Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The graphics quality needed to be lowered to get decent gameplay, and even then, you could feel a little stutter as the machine warmed up. But ultimately, the game was playable, really highlighting the leap forward these mobile CPU and GPU combos have made in the last year.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)GEEKOM GeekBook X14 Pro: Final verdict

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

For creative applications, I was impressed across the board. Whilst there was a little bit of a delay and waiting in DaVinci Resolve, it could handle pretty much anything I threw at it. My one issue was that I couldn’t quite get the hang of the trackpad; it wasn’t as responsive as many others, and the double-click on the left corner wasn’t as precise as I would’ve hoped.

There was also a feeling of slight lightness to the keyboard, and it didn’t have that precision of key press that I find with some of the more premium models. But then again, considering the price, you’re paying for the quality and speed of performance rather than the precision of the keyboard and trackpad.

Whilst the screen proved to be of decent quality with good tonal graduation and a relatively bright 450 nits of brightness, I did find the surface just a little overly reflective. It’s an issue in cafés, but if you’re sat in an office or on a train, that should be absolutely fine, just make sure you’re not sat with your back to a bright window.

Audio quality was also better than expected. With DTSX built in, the small speakers were able to produce a decent sound, not quite as deep and full-bodied as you’d get from a MacBook Pro or Microsoft Surface, but you’d only notice if you had those machines side-by-side.

Overall, if you’re looking for a very decent, premium-styled 14-inch Windows laptop for work and some light creative and gaming use, then the GeekBook X14 Pro is a superb option.

Should I buy the GEEKOM GeekBook X14 Pro?

Value

Considering that this is a powerful laptop for around the $1000 / £1000 price mark, it’s extremely impressive

4.5

Design

Good quality outer shell and design, let down slightly by the trackpad and lightweight keyboard

4

Features

Good range of features, with the power of the CPU, GPU and MPU really standing out

4.5

Performance

Able to handle all productivity and light-to-medium creative and gaming tasks 

4.5

Overall

A relatively cheap premium laptop that will suit those who require power in a lightweight and relatively robust form

4.5

Buy it if...

You want lightweight portable power
This is a good Windows laptop that's as light as a tablet but strong enough for real work on the go.

OLED display matters
If you’re a content creator, the 2.8K OLED screen and colour fidelity are definitely a big advantage.

Don't buy it if...

You need upgrade options
If you're the type who wants to swap out RAM or storage later, the soldered design isn’t for you.

You like to relax with gaming
Integrated Arc graphics are solid, but not meant for high-end 1440p/4K gaming—although they do pretty well.

For more productivity machines, we've reviewed the best business laptops around.

Notta Memo: 30-second review

The Notta Memo is another AI-enhanced voice recorder that enables you to record voice memos, record meetings and calls for the purpose of AI transcription, though not in real time, but almost. The style of design is slim and compact with MagSafe mounting, so it’s easily attachable to the back of your iPhone. For other manufacturer phones, there’s a magnetic ring in the box, so even if you're using an Android , you can still easily connect the Notta Memo neatly in place.

From the outset, the ease of use of the Notta Memo stands out, with a single button press to start and stop recording. A switch on the left side of the screen lets you switch between voice calls on your mobile and recording meetings or voice memos. That combination of a button press and a physical switch on the device itself is a really nice touch, letting you quickly access options without having to delve into an app or on-device screens.

Throughout the review process, I utilised the Notta Memo in lectures, meetings, and during phone calls, and in different situations, from a crowded and noisy classroom, through to phone calls in a busy café and meetings in a far quieter office. Each time, the Notta Memo impressed me. It was able to isolate all speakers nicely and cleanly. Again, what I really came to like was the physical switch on the device, enabling me to quickly switch between recording phone calls and live meetings, making it intuitive and like an integral part of the phone.

The one thing that was a little bit irritating was that, to utilise the Notta Memo, you need to first register the app and the device. You can use the AI offline, and the audio recording feature lets you record phone calls or meetings with a single tap, but for the AI features, the core of what this device is about, registration, is needed.

Whilst you can perform basic functionality such as audio recording, the device needs to be online to access transcription, AI summary, chat, language translation, and app sync and export of your recordings. Essentially, it becomes no more than a dictaphone without the app or internet connection.

One of the other smaller issues that I had with the Notta Memo is that once again, it uses a magnetic proprietary charging and data cable, which means that if you do leave home without that cable, you can't use a MagSafe charger or a more standard USB option to give it a boost in power. But then, because of the device's slim profile, fitting into a USB socket would be slightly counterintuitive.

As it goes, the Notta Memo is definitely a step up from the already-impressive AI-enhanced voice recorders I've seen. It's just a shame that an internet connection is still required even for the most basic of grip processes.

Notta Memo: Price and availability

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

• How much does it cost? From $149 / £139
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Online retailers such as Amazon

At present, the Notta Memo is available for $149 on Amazon.com and £139 at Amazon.co.uk.

• Value: 4 / 5

Notta Memo: Specs

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Languages: 58 supported
Microphones: 4 MEMS + 1 bone conduction
Battery: 30 h recording / 28 days standby
Storage: 32 GB
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Charging: Magnetic cable
Display: Small status screen
Accessories: Leather MagSafe case, ring adapter, charging cable

Notta Memo: Design

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The style of these AI-enhanced voice recorders is quite generic, all being about credit card size and ultra-slim so they can easily attach to the back of your mobile phone through some sort of MagSafe connection. For the Notta Memo, it comes in its own leather magnetic wallet, which it neatly slips into before attaching it to the back of your phone.

If, however, you're using an Android phone that doesn't have MagSafe capabilities, the company has included a magnetic ring in the box that simply sticks to the back of your phone or phone case, enabling easy connectivity.

Before starting the Notta Memo, the device needs a good charge, and here a magnetic charger cable is used. This is proprietary to the system and will only fit one way round, but again keeps the sleek, low-profile design of the Notta Memo. You just need to ensure you take it with you, as you won't be able to use any MagSafe or USB-C charger to top it up if it runs out of power, which, from reviewing a few of these devices now, I would personally have preferred.

When it comes to physical size and design, it measures 86.1 x 55.1 x 3.5 mm, essentially the same size as a credit card, just slightly thicker. Weight-wise, and again given the technology it contains, a weight of 28 g is impressive. On top of that, you do have to think about the leather wallet, but it doesn't add much to the unit and does let you easily attach it to the back of your phone, so it's always there, ready to use.

On the device, it’s very simple. On the front, it has a really beautiful, tactile texture, and, of course, it's extremely thin. At the top, there's a small switch that lets you record phone calls or meetings. Next to this is a 1-inch screen that shows which mode you're in, and to the right is the record-on/off button. So again, very minimalistic and simple.

Aside from the design and build's visual and physical features, there are 4 MEMS microphones and 1 bone-conduction microphone built in, which help the Notta Memo capture some of the clearest audio of any AI recording device I've looked at so far.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Notta Memo: Features

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Notta Memo is an AI-enhanced voice recorder that records audio in real time, transcribes it into text, and lets it be saved, interrogated, or summarised in a multitude of formats. This obviously gives you a quicker way to cover meeting notes than traditional data, and you can type simple human questions into the search box after a meeting to ask and clarify what was said. It's an extremely useful tool for anyone in business who often takes phone calls or meetings and needs a transcription to check over later.

Obviously, this in itself is impressive, but the Notta Memo, like many others, goes a step further. It has a companion app with templates to help you create summaries, identify and differentiate between speakers, and create action lists you can utilise later.

These AI voice recorders are improving rapidly, and Notta Memo can transcribe live audio and translate it simultaneously. So if you do find yourself in a multilingual conversation, you can record the audio, translate it almost live, and converse with people in different languages, although you can't just use your Notta Memo alone, and you will need the companion mobile app. While this sounds great, it isn’t quite the live transcription and translation, but it is handy.

That app ties the Notta Memo features together, not only enabling all the advanced AI voice recorder options but also letting you create summaries from a list of templates or export the audio, transcription, or translation so you can send it to other parties.

One of the big features of this AI voice recorder is that it has four highly tuned MEMS microphones, which are very good at picking out the voice from background noise, including busy conversations, even in a crowded café. This means that it picks up not only the vocals but who is talking and is able to differentiate and label voice one and voice two (or more), so once you're looking through the note, you can tell who has said what.

Like many AI voice recorders, there’s a physical switch on the front so that you can switch between the microphone modes. This switches the pickup from being used to pick up people talking in the same room (say, in a meeting), and then, if a call comes through, you can quickly switch to a bone-conduction microphone to pick up the audio from the phone conversation.

The hardware is impressive, though very minimalistic, but it's the app where all the processing happens, enabling real-time transcription and translation, as well as an AI summary and AI chat, so you can ask the app about the conversations you have recorded. These AI features are impressive and, alongside the chat, transcription and translation, there are also 30+ smart templates that you can use to summarise meetings, create sales pitches and far more.

However, it is worth noting that for many advanced features, you will need to pay an additional subscription fee in addition to the device's cost. However, unlike some others, the starter plan is free, offering 300 minutes of AI transcription per month, a good number of reusable AI templates, and AI chat and real-time transcription speaker identification.

• Features: 4 / 5

Notta Memo: Performance

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

My first introduction to one of these AI recorders was about a year ago, and at the time, the potential was obvious; the ability to record meeting audio that you can then listen back to for reference has been common place for years, but these AI audio recorders take it a step further.

A transcription of what was said by who is only the surface of the abilities, but then the transcription can be formatted so that you can search, summarise and reformat for different purposes. The fact that you can have it as a document or a PDF just adds to its usability. The fact that you can now use a chatbot to discuss and question the meeting transcription afterwards is an invaluable business asset.

From this point of view, the Notta Memo makes a lot of sense. Before I go into how it was to use it, it’s worth pointing out that Notta already has quite a substantial presence in the AI voice recording market, with a standalone app for your mobile phone. So, initially, you might think: why spend almost £200/$200 on a dedicated piece of hardware if you can just get by with your mobile phone?

The simple answer to this is pure convenience. Firstly, having a hardware device with 32 GB of internal storage means you won't fill up your phone's storage with voice recordings. Once you use these AI apps, you realise how useful they are and how quickly they fill up your phone with multiple recordings, especially since a few meetings last only half an hour.

The other point is that with the Notta Memo attached to the back of your phone, it’s always there, ready to use. Whilst it's normally just a quick swipe up on your phone, you still need to launch the app. Here, with the Notta Memo, if you make a call, you simply slide the switch to the call position and press the button. It's all a very natural movement, and you know that you're going to capture everything that was said. Likewise, if you're in a meeting, you can place your phone screen down, tap the button again (making sure the switch is in the right place), and the meeting will be recorded, ready for transcription later.

So really think of the hardware as convenience, firstly for the storage it provides, and then for the quick access to the buttons and of course battery life. It’s just quick and easy to use, making it far more intuitive than digging through your phone for that app. I also found that when I tried to use the app in a meeting, I was always asked what it was and what it would do. Whereas with the piece of hardware on the back doing exactly the same thing, you can simply say it’s a digital recorder, and everyone seems perfectly happy with it, especially when they see the consolidated notes at the end and the easily organised action points that would usually take a while to type up after a meeting has finished.

During the test, I used the Memo in three main areas. The first was during a photography evening class, where I taught black-and-white photography. Whilst the students already had PDF slide notes, additional information often comes up through the night, most importantly, questions about the process of film or print development that arise as the evening progresses. Whilst they do try to make a note of these in a notebook, there are often one or two points that slip through.

But here, with Notta Memo, at the end of the evening, I was able to save the transcription and ask it to pull out a series of Q&As, and it listed them out perfectly. I was able to copy and paste these into an email and send them to all the participants of the evening as a handy addition to the lecture. What impressed me here was that it cut out all the additional chitchat that happened through the night. I was able to use the AI to pull out all the relevant information for the evening and summarise it so I could easily pass it on.

In the next test, I had a small editorial meeting. I needed to speak to a couple of writers and the editor about a few projects I have going on, as well as the logistics of moving certain cameras from one location to another. Here, Notta Memo really came into its own, able to separate the individual speakers and create action points for each. This saved us time while we were taking notes. Having a unified summary made all the difference, so we were all looking at the same interpretation of the meeting rather than walking away with slightly different thoughts. Essentially, the action points were clear and assigned to each individual.

The final test was the phone pickup, again, a simple, straightforward conversation with a colleague about a new 3D printer and a few issues I was having, which they had already sorted out with the manufacturer. Through that conversation, they walked me through the network connectivity step by step. Whilst I was furiously writing notes, just knowing I had that conversation recorded and could ask it questions later on was a huge help, especially as there was so much information to take on board.

What’s even more impressive is that I had to do this conversation in a busy café in Salisbury. Whilst the noise wasn’t drowning out the call, there were a few times when I found it difficult to fully make out what was being said. However, with the live transcription also happening, I could read what was being said, although I will say there was a good five-second delay between the speaker telling me a procedure and those words appearing on the screen.

This time delay varies depending on the strength of your mobile phone's connection, and at all times, all transcription, translation, and templates require a good network connection to work. Later on, I was taking some memo notes whilst on a dog walk using the Notta Memo. I wanted to quickly summarise those notes so that I could send them on to a colleague. However, because there was no internet connection, all I could do at that time was voice record, then translate it once the connection came back in.

Throughout the test, I attempted to use the Memo for a couple of days in between charges. The battery life seemed exceptional. However, once again, it has a proprietary charger, and I always find this can be a bit of an issue, especially when you forget to take that charger with you. Although it might add a little bulk to part of the device, I'm sure it could have been designed so that a USB cable could be inserted rather than the magnetic connection at the back. It might not be quite as convenient for the design, but it would certainly be more handy and usable for anyone who travels frequently.

32GB might not sound like a lot of storage, but when it comes to transcription and audio voice recording, that’s actually quite a great deal. Through the course of this review, I must’ve recorded some 20 hours’ worth of audio, which all sat perfectly happily within the Notta Memo. What I like here is that you can sync that audio with the Notta Cloud, so if you need to access that note and you don’t have the Notta Memo with you, you can log in online and find everything there.

Whilst I have used quite a few of these AI voice recorders, I will say that the depth of the Notta app and its online presence are greater. My one issue with this, as with some of the other recent AI-enhanced devices and applications that I've used, is the overuse of emojis and cartoon characters, such as waving cats, which just doesn’t seem very professional or businesslike in a business-focused device.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

Notta Memo: Final verdict

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The Notta Memo is an exceptionally impressive AI voice recorder, and if you're looking for a dedicated device to complement your mobile phone so you're not filling it up with voice recordings and can also access it quickly whenever a call or meeting happens, then it's a superb option.

I like that you can either use it live, connected via Bluetooth to the app, or, if you're not with your phone and just want to take the recorder, record the vocals and have the transcription applied to those recordings later.

The app is one of the most comprehensive that I've seen. The transcription speed is superb. My only quibble with the app and the online presence is that some of the light-hearted aspects, such as clapping cats and caricatures that randomly appear at different points, just don't feel very professional compared with some other options.

However, that's in stark contrast to the power it actually has, and compared with many of the other AI transcription and, for that matter, translation options, it is extremely powerful. What also gives it the edge is not only the pure accuracy of that transcription, but the fact that you get a decent amount of transcription for free. Obviously, you need to pay for the hardware, but unlike other devices, you can get by for most general use without paying an additional monthly subscription.

AI voice recorders are in their infancy, and whilst many people will see the benefits, it isn't until you start to use one in your day-to-day life that you realise just how useful they are. Just having one in a meeting to record the audio so you can quickly summarise it afterwards is invaluable. And when you're making phone calls, especially to colleagues, having that recording firstly to listen back to, but also to quickly type into a chat and ask to summarise that phone call, is again extremely useful.

At present, I don't really know anyone other than myself who has started using one of these AI voice recorders, but every time I show someone one of these iterations, they need very little explanation as to why they're so useful. Soon, I'm sure they'll become commonplace, attached to the backs of people's mobile phones, ready to aid people in their busy lives alongside AI-enhanced apps we have yet to imagine.

Should I buy a Notta Memo?

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Value

Under £200/$200 for a slimline device that essentially does what your mobile phone can do with an app may sound expensive — until you start using it. Then its convenience becomes apparent.

4/5

Design

The slimline design and MagSafe connection let it sit on the back of your phone, ready for use whenever you need it. Just a shame it uses a proprietary charger.

4/5

Features

The ease of recording with the switch, screen, and button makes it extremely easy to interact with, and the fully featured app, which includes templates, makes it one of the most feature-packed AI recorders yet. 

4.5/5

Performance

Transcription accuracy across the test — in the lecture theatre, café, and a quieter meeting room — was almost 100%.

5/5

Overall

Slim, stylish, and easy to use with superb accuracy. Once you start to use one of these devices, there really is no going back.

4.5/5

Buy it if...

You need meeting notes.
If you're in a meeting and need to take the minutes, this audio recorder will quickly summarise everything that's been said, who said it, and create action points.

You need to quickly translate.
If you're off to a trade show anywhere in the world, and you know you're going to be in situations where you'll be talking to people in a variety of languages, even if the translation isn't live, it is certainly fast.

Don't buy it if...

You only take notes occasionally.
While the idea of a dedicated hardware device might be appealing, most of the features can be found through the standard Notta app, which is a software download with a subscription for both iOS and Android devices.

You're worried about privacy.
You can make audio recordings offline and take notes, but to use all features, you must be logged in to the ecosystem to enable online transcription, translation, and other features.

For more note-taking tools, we reviewed the best speech-to-text apps around.

Specs

Type: color laser printer

Functions: Print only

Connectivity: Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi

Data storage slots: USB Host

Print speed: 33ppm

Max paper size: Letter/A4

Print quality: 600x600dpi; 38,400x600dpi (enhanced)

Memory: 512MB

Apple AirPrint: yes

Consumables included: 4 x set-up cartridges (1,200 black, 1,000 color pages)

Dimensions/Weight: 421 x 427 x 288 mm (WxDxH)/36lb/16.3kg

The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw (or 4202dw in the UK) is an office-oriented color laser printer capable of fast high-volume printing. It improves significantly on the HP Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw with faster print speeds, increased paper and toner capacity and an upgradable modular design.

This makes it well-suited to a busy workgroup of around ten people, but I’m sure its slick and relatively compact design will also appeal to home-based workers. For me, the enhanced black print quality is an attraction, while its somewhat expensive toner cartridges aren’t, so let’s see how it performs overall.

HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Design and build

(Image credit: HP // Future)

Crisp corners, strict symmetry and refreshing blue panels ensure the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw stands out from all the other off-white office printers. It’s compact enough to share your desk at home and its modular design can be expanded with the addition of a 550-sheet paper tray to suit a growing business.

The blue drawer at the bottom can hold up to 250 sheets of Letter or A4 paper, the standard amount, while the blue panel above reveals a 50-sheet multi-purpose tray, which is more useful than the usual single sheet. The output tray on top is also deeper than most, holding up to 150 sheets.

To access the toner cartridges, you press a button on the side of the printer to make that blue panel hinge all the way open. Another tiny flap on top of the printer hides a handy USB Host port. Always a welcome feature. All other ports are hidden on the rear panel.

Despite being a fairly costly step up from the HP Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw, there’s still no touchscreen, just a four-line LCD with a rotary dial beneath it. Some users might like this retro design choice, but I found it annoying. Overall, I think the design and build quality inspires confidence.

HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Features & specifications

(Image credit: HP // Future)

HP has endowed this mid-price printer with plenty of features and a pretty high specification. It can duplex print, of course, and has dual-band Wi-Fi 5 with AirPrint and Mopria compatibility. There’s a USB Host port in addition to the usual square USB-B port and HP has even-thrown in a USB-A to USB-B data cable.

It has wide media compatibility with 33 choices appearing on the menu when you come to identify the type of paper you loaded. It can take any size sheet up to letter, legal or A4 with the heaviest paper it can handle being 200 g/m² which is actually fairly thin card. It has HP’s Wolf Pro Security software built in and an adequate 512MB memory.

The print speed is given as 33 or 35ppm (pages per minute) depending whether printing on Letter or A4 paper and that was broadly confirmed by my testing. That’s about equal to the Xerox C320, but slower than HP’s black and white printers.

The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw can take large cartridges capable of holding enough toner for up to 7,500 black and white pages and can be expanded to hold up to 850 sheets of paper if you buy the extra paper tray. That kind of capacity should meet the needs of any SME (small to medium enterprise) and HP suggests a monthly duty cycle of up to 50,000 pages.

HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Setup and operation

(Image credit: HP // Future)

With the set-up cartridges already pre-loaded, this printer is almost ready to print out of the box. The setup guide runs to 5 pages, but you won’t need it. Just load your paper, turn on and follow the on-screen prompts. I found that initiation took longer than usual because of the dial interface. Like a safe cracker, you need to turn it this way and that to enter every letter of your wi-fi password. Unlike some of HP’s printers, there’s no inbuilt Bluetooth to hand the setup of this printer straight to the HP Smart app on your mobile device.

The next model up in this series is the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4301dw multifunction printer, which does have a touchscreen, and I can see HP’s logic. A single-function device doesn’t have enough settings to justify the expense of a touchscreen. But that doesn’t stop most rival printers at this price having one.

The free HP Smart app for Android or iOS gives you an alternative to the dial interface, but you’ll still need to scroll through the paper types at the machine each time you switch media.

HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Performance

(Image credit: HP // Future)

The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw performed very well in my tests, achieving strong print quality in all categories, but most notably with text documents. Black text on plain paper looks especially dark and crisp with unusually sharp definition.

This must be down to HP’s 6-bit resolution enhancement technology (RET) which has the effect of boosting the native 600x600dpi engine to a claimed 38,400x600 in best black mode. Basically, with 64 levels of gray (6-bit), the printer is multiplying 600 dots x 64 to give you 38,400 dots.

Mixed color documents also look impressive, thanks to the vivid nature of HP’s LaserJet toner. It’s applied evenly too, so there’s less of that banding you see when shading blocks of black or solid color. Photographs also fare well here, especially when I switched to laser photo paper.

Laser photo paper is only slightly heavier and glossier than regular paper, which is one reason lasers aren’t as good as inkjets when it comes to photos. The other reason is you can always see the dots that make up the 600x600 dpi laser photo and that’s still the case here. Even so, this laser printer is better than most and certainly good enough for printing eye-catching images on brochures and handouts.

HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Consumables

(Image credit: HP // Future)

The consumables cost for the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw is competitive for monochrome prints, but slightly higher than average for color prints. And there’s only a limited amount of pre-loaded toner. It ships with four setup cartridges which should yield up to 1,200 black or 1,000 color pages, which is about half the toner you get in HP’s standard carts.

The extra high-yield carts, however, can deliver up to 7,500 and 2,200 black and color pages respectively and it’s these expensive carts that give the lowest cost per page (CPP). With the black cartridges having a much higher yield than color, but small difference in price, you have monochrome pages with a pretty good CCP of around two and half cents and color pages costing more than 15 cents.

HP uses software to block any cartridge without a genuine HP chip, so I wouldn’t recommend buying cheaper third-party toner. Given the high quality of its monochrome output in particular, the answer is to buy this printer if you print predominantly in black and white.

HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Maintenance

(Image credit: HP // Future)

Like other low-maintenance laser printers, the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw combines the optical drum with the toner cartridge, so drum replacement is not a consideration. On the downside, it explains why the cost of its cartridges is relatively high.

HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Final verdictHP // FutureHP // FutureHP // FutureHP // Future

There’s a lot to like about the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw. Its slick and compact design, the rapid duplex print rate and the enhanced black print quality for a start. Having two paper inputs is very convenient, while the option to add a third is sensible future-proofing for a growing business.

I’m not so keen on the rotary dial interface — I would have preferred a touchscreen — and it’s a pity it can’t handle paper heavier than 200 g/m². A bigger concern is the relatively high cost of HP’s color cartridges, but that still doesn’t put me off.

The high quality of its black and white output and the more competitive price of its black toner make this an ideal printer for anyone who needs to print a high volume of predominantly monochrome pages.

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

Ahrefs is a leading SEO tool with tried-and-true features like keyword research, rank tracking, backlink tracking, content research, and site audit capabilities. It remains one of the most powerful SEO platforms available in 2026, now enhanced with cutting-edge AI features for content optimization and brand visibility tracking.

While the pricing is premium and AI tools require additional investment, the platform's industry-leading backlink index, rich keyword database, and innovative use of AI make it a great choice for serious SEO professionals — even though there are a few caveats.

Let's get into more of that now.

• You can sign up to Ahrefs here.

Ahrefs: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Ahrefs)

Plan

Starting rate (paid annually)

Stating rate (paid monthly)

Starter

$29/month

$29/month

Lite

$129/month

$108/month

Standard

$249/month

$208/month

Advanced

$449/month

$374/month

Enterprise

$1,499/month

$1,499/month

Ahrefs has fully revamped its pricing structure for 2026, now offering five subscription tiers plus several optional add-ons to meet diverse user needs. All plans include access to core tools like Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, and Site Audit, with higher tiers offering increased limits, historical data access, and advanced features.

Starter Plan ($29/mo): The newest addition to Ahrefs' lineup, the Starter plan provides entry-level access to Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, and Site Audit with 100 credits per month. This plan is ideal for individuals testing Ahrefs or running small-scale projects. Note that this plan only supports monthly renewal and doesn't allow purchasing additional credits or users.

Lite Plan ($129/mo): Ahrefs' Lite plan costs $129/mo ($108/mo if billed yearly) and remains ideal for solo marketers, freelancers, and small businesses. It supports up to 5 projects with 6 months of historical data and allows tracking of 750 keywords. Users get 500 credits per month and 100,000 crawl credits for site audits. The plan includes 1 user with the option to add up to 2 more at $40/mo each.

Standard Plan ($249/mo): The Standard plan is priced at $249/mo ($208/mo if billed yearly) and caters to freelance SEOs and marketing consultants. It supports 20 projects with 2 years of historical data and unlimited monthly credits. Keyword tracking increases to 2,000 keywords with 500,000 crawl credits per month. Additional features include Portfolios, Content Explorer, and Batch Analysis. The plan includes 1 user with the option to add up to 5 more at $60/mo each.

Advanced Plan ($449/mo): The Advanced plan costs $449/mo (or $374/mo, if billed annually) and is designed for SEO agencies and larger marketing teams. It supports 50 projects with 5 years of historical data and includes all Standard features plus Looker Studio integration and advanced Site Explorer capabilities. Keyword tracking extends to 5,000 keywords with 1.5 million crawl credits per month. The plan includes 1 user with the option to add up to 10 more at $80/mo each.

Enterprise Plan ($1,499/mo): The Enterprise plan has increased from $999/mo to $1,499/mo and requires an annual commitment. It's designed for large enterprises with custom needs, supporting up to 100 projects with unlimited historical data. The plan includes 3 users (with unlimited additional users at $100/mo each) and allows tracking of 10,000+ keywords with 5+ million crawl credits. Exclusive features include API access, SSO, audit logs, and advanced security controls.

All plans now include the new Social Media Manager feature in beta. Ahrefs also offers a free Webmaster Tools plan with limited access to Site Explorer and Site Audit, perfect for website owners who want to monitor their own sites without a full subscription.

Optional Addons:

Brand Radar AI: Starting at $199/month

AI Content Helper: $99/month

Content Kit: $299/month

Report Builder: $99/month

Project Boost Pro: $20/month per project

Project Boost Max: $200/month per project

• We've featured the best onpage SEO tools.

Ahrefs: FeaturesAI Tools

Ahrefs has significantly expanded its AI capabilities in 2025-2026, introducing several features that help marketers optimize content, track brand visibility in AI search results, and automate repetitive SEO tasks. These AI-powered tools represent a major evolution in how the platform addresses the changing landscape of search and content discovery.

Brand Radar AI stands as Ahrefs' most ambitious AI feature, tracking how brands appear across major AI platforms including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Claude. With a database exceeding 239 million prompts, Brand Radar monitors brand mentions, analyzes share of voice against competitors, identifies topic gaps where competitors appear but you don't, and correlates AI citations with web mentions from Ahrefs' massive index.

AI Content Helper ($99/month as an add-on) transforms content optimization by analyzing your draft against top-ranking pages and identifying topical coverage gaps. Rather than focusing on keyword density, it uses AI to identify core topics for your target keyword and scores how well your content covers those topics in real-time as you write. The tool provides color-coded sentence analysis showing which subtopics are covered, word-for-word recommendations for improving topic depth, and an integrated AI chat assistant that can provide feedback, brainstorm ideas, and help refine your writing.

AI Content Grader (available only for Enterprise customers) serves as a lighter version of Content Helper, assessing topic coverage of your content versus the top three SERP competitors using a traffic light grading system. This tool is particularly useful for quickly evaluating existing content and planning updates without the full content creation workflow.

Beyond these flagship tools, Ahrefs has embedded AI throughout its platform. AI Keyword Suggestions in Keywords Explorer help brainstorm lateral keyword opportunities your competitors may have overlooked. AI Search Intent Analysis goes beyond traditional intent categories (informational, navigational, transactional, commercial) to provide granular breakdowns showing exactly what percentage of traffic goes to each specific intent type. AI Keyword Translator automatically translates keyword lists into 40+ languages while preserving local dialect nuances, making international SEO research significantly faster.

Finally, the upcoming Patches feature will use AI to automatically fix simple technical SEO issues on your website with one click, eliminating the need for developer involvement for common problems like missing meta tags or broken schema markup. The platform also includes AI detection in Site Audit, which can identify pages with AI-generated content, and an "Ask AI" feature throughout the interface that helps with specific tasks like rephrasing content, generating alternatives, or explaining data.

 Site Explorer

(Image credit: Ahrefs)

The Site Explorer is a powerful tool for analyzing a website's SEO performance. It presents insights into organic search traffic, backlink profiles, and paid search activities. Apart from its core purpose, Site Explorer presents several advanced features that help in the analysis and strategic planning of SEO experts.

For example, if you want to analyze your competitors' best-performing web pages, you can do it under “Top Pages.” This tool goes through a specific website and lists down the top-performing pages that are getting the most traffic. Through this, you can create several strategies for targeting the right keywords and ranking along your competitor's popular articles.

Our next favorite feature is the "Outgoing Links" report which presents a list of where a site is sending its traffic through external links. This can help in identifying potential partnership opportunities for your website or even ensuring that outbound links are to reputable and relevant sites, which is super important for maintaining a site’s E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).

Apart from that, Site Explorer's "Content Gap" tool lets you compare your site's keyword profile against those of your competitors. It simply identifies keywords for which your competitors rank but your site does not. This is such a useful tool that even the talented SEO experts at TechRadar use it.

The fun doesn’t end here. You also get an "Internal Backlinks" report, which analyzes the internal link structure of a website and helps in optimizing site architecture for better crawl ability and distributing link equity effectively across pages. Lastly, it also provides a "Broken Links" report, identifying both broken inbound and outbound links. Fixing these links can improve user experience and site health. 

 Keywords Explorer

(Image credit: Ahrefs)

Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer not only excels in providing detailed keyword metrics and suggestions but also offers several other features that enhance keyword research and strategy development. For instance, it includes a "Keyword Difficulty" score, which helps users quickly assess how challenging it might be to rank for a specific keyword based on the strength of the current top-ranking pages. This score is calculated using a variety of factors, including the number and quality of backlinks pointing to the top-ranking pages, making it a reliable indicator of the effort required to compete.

It further helps you understand the reader behavior with the "Clicks" data, which estimates the total number of clicks that the search results for a keyword receive. This metric is super useful as it goes beyond mere search volume to give an idea of actual traffic potential, considering factors like SERP features that might affect the click-through rate for organic listings.

Additionally, Keywords Explorer offers a "Return Rate" metric, which measures how often people search for a keyword again. This insight is valuable for identifying keywords that could bring recurring traffic to your site.

We also tested its SERP analysis features that show the presence of features like featured snippets, site links, and image packs in the search results for a keyword, providing pointers on how to optimize content to achieve these high-visibility positions. And to top it all, Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer even integrates with other tools available on the platform. This helps you transition from keyword research to site audit or content exploration, making it a great solution for anyone looking to enhance their SEO and content marketing efforts with data-driven insights.

Site Audit

(Image credit: Ahrefs)

Probably this feature is like that doctor who tells you what’s wrong with your website in terms of SEO. Site Audit scans your entire site to find out everything from technical SEO problems to content-related issues. Plus, it doesn't just highlight what's wrong, but it also delivers actionable tips to easily fix those issues.

To test it, we gave it a sample site and it got back to us with various helpful insights such as broken links, missing alt tags, slow-loading pages, and much more. It even categorized issues into errors, warnings, and notices based on their potential impact on our SEO, making it easier to prioritize fixes. What we loved even more is the visual representation of data, through charts and graphs, which gives a clear perspective of the current condition of the website.

The competitor analysis feature is another key component, offering the ability to track competitors' backlink growth and keyword rankings. This competitive intelligence can inform strategic decisions and help users stay ahead in their niche.

Additionally, if you want to track your competitor's backlinks and keyword ranking, you can use the Competitor Analysis feature. It gives a detailed insight into your peer's SEO strategies and helps you in staying ahead in your niche.

Rank Tracker

(Image credit: Ahrefs )

If you want to monitor your website's ranking for targeted keywords on the SERP, you can use the Rank Tracker feature present in Ahrefs. It's particularly useful for tracking the effectiveness of your SEO strategies and understanding how changes in your website or external factors influence your rankings.

First off, Rank Tracker can help you track your website’s ranking positions across different search engines and locations, presenting insights into how well your pages perform in various regions. This is crucial for businesses targeting a global audience or aiming to improve their local SEO. It further provides updates on ranking positions, showing whether your site’s rankings for specific keywords have improved, declined, or remained stable over time.

It further helps you level up your SEO game by offering visibility and traffic forecasts based on your ranking positions. These projections can help you estimate the potential traffic you might gain from improving your rankings for certain keywords, making it easier to prioritize SEO tasks. Not just that, you can see which keywords trigger special search results like featured snippets, local packs, or knowledge panels. 

 Content Explorer

(Image credit: Ahrefs)

Content Explorer focuses on analyzing the performance of your website’s content across different topics and niches. It guides users on content creation, outreach, and strategy decisions by explaining what content resonates with your readers and earning backlinks for your site. As you open the tool, you need to enter the website to analyze its content. Once searched, it provides many insights about the content, including the referring domains, page traffic and its value, URL Rating, organic keywords, and social shares. 

What makes it even easier to understand is the graphical representation of the metrics along with the timeline to help you further understand the behavior of your website’s specific content. While we ran a scan for one of our sites, it gave us the entire data along with useful metrics. We even sorted the list in various formats like relevance, domain rating, Twitter shares, and date, which made the list even more helpful. 

After doing the proper analysis, we even tried exporting the list for other team members, and Ahrefs did it seamlessly in a .CSV format, where we also had the option to choose the number of rows we wanted. Plus, if you run a website with multiple languages, you can further analyze the content based on different languages, giving a good summary of the website’s content map.

• We've featured the best rank checking tools.

Ahrefs: Interface and in-use

Like a lot of software these days, Ahrefs is used through a web browser, and we like the robust online interface, however it has no dedicated desktop program or smartphone app. The web app puts a ton of information into each page, with explanations for important features available via convenient info-bubbles. You can rely on The Dashboard to give you an overview of your projects, with each of the five core components having its own landing page. Finally, most elements provide more info via clickable links making them interactive for greater insights into the many graphs, charts, and metrics. 

Ahrefs: Support

If there’s one thing that Ahrefs does best besides SEO, it might be its customer support. It offers support access 24/7 via email, which is helpful for technical issues that require longer conversations and screenshots. For quick fixes and general queries, live chat is available during business hours.

We have had multiple occasions to verify Ahrefs' support quality here at Techradar. Most recently, we asked them about their link intersecting feature, and within minutes, a team member assisted us with it. 

(Image credit: Ahrefs)

Moreover, the platform's Help Center is packed with detailed articles, guides, and FAQs for self-service assistance, while a collection of tutorial videos and webinars provides visual learning options for users at all levels. 

Ahrefs also has an active online community for peer support and hosts sessions for direct feedback to the development team. This comprehensive support ecosystem helps you navigate the platform's features, resolve issues promptly, and maximize your SEO efforts.

Ahrefs: The competition

Ahrefs provides similar functionality to other major SEO tools like SEMrush and Moz, and they all offer similar price points for basic plans. Historically Ahrefs has been the more expensive option, recent pricing updates have made it more in line with its competitors.

Carefully consider which features and data limits work best for your budget, because different products prioritize different features at different price points. SEMrush’s basic plan, for example,  offers 10 times the page crawls as Ahrefs’, but no API access or historical data, unlike the latter. 

• We've featured the best keyword research tools.

Ahrefs: Final verdict

If your primary focus is building a robust backlink strategy, conducting detailed site audits, and diving deep into competitive analysis, Ahrefs is a clear winner. Its extensive backlink database and detailed site audit reports offer valuable insights for improving your website's SEO performance.

Ahrefs' strength in finding your competitors' strategies through its Site Explorer and Keywords Explorer tools can give you a real competitive edge in your SEO game. And with the new AI tools, their feature-heavy toolset is more accessible than ever.

For businesses and professionals prioritizing link building and detailed analytics on backlinks, along with a strong toolset for keyword research and site audits, Ahrefs provides an equally comprehensive solution. Its user interface is designed to accommodate both seasoned SEO experts and those new to SEO, which makes it a versatile choice for many.

• Find the best online marketing tools here.
• We've featured the best content marketing tools here.

Semrush was launched in 2008 by a group of IT and SEO specialists to make the digital competition fair and transparent. Today, it's one of the most popular and powerful platforms used by marketers to grow their website’s traffic and keep up with the SEO industry.

It offers a wide range of features, including keyword research, competitive analysis, site audit, on-page SEO checker, and many more. With the introduction of Semrush One, it has also added complete visibility tracking across AI search engines like ChatGPT and Gemini. In this detailed review, we’ll cover Semrush’s core features, pricing plans, use cases, and much more.

• Sign up for an exclusive 14-day free PRO trial here

SemRush: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Semrush)

Plan

Starting Rate (paid annually)

Starting Rate (paid monthly)

Pro

$117.33/month

$139/month

Guru

$208.33/month

$249/month

Business

$416.66/month

$499/month

Semrush One Starter

$165.83/month

$199/month

Semrush One Pro+

$248.17/month

$299/month

Semrush One Advanced

$455.67/month

$549/month

Semrush underwent a significant evolution in October 2025 with the launch of Semrush One, which fundamentally changed how the platform approaches search visibility. The company now offers two main product lines: the Classic SEO Toolkit and the bundled Semrush One platform.

SEO Classic

The Pro Plan now costs $139.95/month (or $116.16/month billed annually), representing a $10 increase from previous pricing. This entry-level plan is ideal for freelancers, startups, and in-house marketers managing up to 5 projects. You can track up to 500 keywords, generate 10,000 results per report, and access 3,000 reports daily. The plan includes essential SEO, PPC, and research tools, covering keyword research, website audits, backlink analysis, competitor analysis, and advertising tools.

The Guru Plan remains at $249.95/month ($208.33/month annually) and targets agencies and mid-sized businesses. This tier includes everything in Pro plus the Content Marketing Toolkit, historical data access (12 months), multi-location and device tracking, and Looker Studio integration. You can manage up to 15 projects, track 1,500 keywords, and generate 30,000 results per report. This plan has become particularly popular among growing marketing teams needing more robust data analysis.

The Business Plan stays at $499.95/month ($416.66/month annually) for large agencies and enterprises. It expands to 40 projects, 5,000 tracked keywords, and 50,000 results per report. Exclusive features include Share of Voice metrics, extended limits, API access, PLA (Product Listing Ads) analytics, and free migration from third-party tools. This tier is designed for organizations with extensive marketing operations requiring deep data insights.

Semrush One

Semrush One represents a major strategic shift, bundling the Classic SEO Toolkit with the AI Visibility Toolkit into a unified platform. This integration addresses the evolving search landscape where AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, and Perplexity are reshaping how users discover information.

The Starter Plan ($199/month or $165.83/month annually) combines the equivalent of Semrush Pro with AI visibility tracking. You can monitor up to 5 websites, track 50 prompts daily across major AI platforms, and monitor 500 keywords. This plan saves $40/month compared to purchasing Pro ($139.95) and AI Visibility Toolkit ($99) separately.

The Pro+ Plan ($299/month or $249.17/month annually) includes all Starter features plus historical data, monitoring for up to 15 websites, 100 tracked prompts, and 1,500 keywords for daily tracking. This tier particularly appeals to growing agencies managing multiple clients.

The Advanced Plan ($549/month or $457.50/month annually) offers comprehensive capabilities for large agencies, including API data integration, MCP (Model Context Protocol) access, free migration from third-party tools, monitoring for 40 websites, 5,000 keywords, and 200 prompts daily.

AI Visibility Toolkit

Available separately at $99/month per domain, this toolkit can be added to existing Classic SEO subscriptions. However, purchasing Semrush One provides better value and integration. The toolkit tracks brand mentions and visibility across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Gemini, and other AI platforms. Additional domains cost $99/month each, and extra users require $99/month per seat. Prompt tracking can be extended at $60/month for 50 additional prompts.

ContentShake AI

This AI-powered content creation tool is available as a standalone subscription at $60/month or included within higher-tier plans. It generates SEO-optimized articles, provides topic ideas, creates outlines, and publishes content directly to platforms. The tool supports seven languages and integrates Semrush's competitive data with AI writing capabilities.

Additional costs

Semrush plans are designed for single users. Additional user seats cost extra: Pro plans add users at one rate, while higher tiers have different pricing structures. The platform also offers various add-ons including Base Report ($10/month) and Pro Report (pricing varies) for enhanced integrations. The AI Writer Chrome Extension is free with limited features (50 rewrites/month for non-subscribers).

All plans include a 14-day free trial for new users (7 days for some toolkits), though Semrush has implemented a strict refund policy limited to seven days after purchase for annual subscriptions only, available as a one-time offer.

SemRush: FeaturesAI tools

Semrush has aggressively expanded its AI capabilities, transforming from a traditional SEO platform into a comprehensive AI-powered marketing suite. The platform now offers multiple AI-driven tools addressing content creation, visibility tracking, and optimization across both traditional search engines and emerging AI platforms.

ContentShake AI represents Semrush's flagship content creation tool, combining ChatGPT's generative capabilities with real-time SEO data from Semrush's extensive database. Unlike standalone AI writing tools, ContentShake AI leverages Semrush's competitive intelligence, analyzing top-ranking content to generate articles optimized for both search engines and user engagement.

ContentShake AI also generates royalty-free AI images and supports seven languages including English (American and British), French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Dutch. You can customize tone of voice, readability level, and brand style, with the platform maintaining consistency across all generated content.

Content Toolkit encompasses multiple AI-powered features beyond ContentShake. The AI Article Generator creates data-driven content for both Google and AI search engines, AI Search Optimizer helps make content visible across traditional search results (Google) and AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT. Meanwhile, Semrush's Content Repurposing feature uses AI to transform website content into shareable assets for social media, email campaigns, and other channels. Topic Finder analyzes Semrush data to suggest trending content ideas while the SEO Brief Generator creates structured outlines for readers and search algorithms.

AI Visibility Toolkit addresses the paradigm shift toward AI-powered search experiences. Launched as a standalone product in early 2025 and integrated into Semrush One in October 2025, this toolkit monitors brand presence across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI platforms.

Visibility Overview provides an AI Visibility Score showing how frequently and prominently your brand appears in AI-generated responses compared to competitors. Brand Performance Analysis tracks how AI platforms describe your brand, identifying which content they cite and whether mentions are positive, neutral, or negative. Semrush also offers the AI Readiness Audit, which checks technical and structural issues that could block AI systems across 25+ on-page factors.

Keyword research tools

(Image credit: SemRush)

SemRush does in-depth keyword research and offers tons of details, including search volumes that often stretch into millions for high-traffic terms, user intent classifications (informational, commercial, navigational, transactional), and competitive density scores on a scale from 0 to 1.0. This is crucial to tweak your SEO strategy to match your audience's behavior precisely.

Plus, its competitive analysis doesn't just skim the surface but goes deep. By analyzing your competitors' organic search metrics, SemRush finds out not just the keywords they're ranking for but also delivers a visibility score that reflects their prominence on SERPs. This is instrumental in identifying not just any keywords but the right ones that can improve your SERP positioning.

The tool's keyword magic feature is also pretty impressive, as it offers over two million keyword ideas from a single seed keyword. This vast pool of suggestions opens up avenues for content strategy expansion and reveals less obvious yet potentially lucrative keyword opportunities.

We also love SemRush’s Gap analysis feature which takes a comparative approach and directly contrasts your keyword profile with up to five competitors. It's not merely about volume but it dives into keyword difficulty scores and SERP features occupied by competitors. This comparison explains strategic gaps in your SEO approach and offers a roadmap to prioritize efforts on keywords where you can realistically outperform your rivals.

Moreover, if you’re looking for “not provided” keywords, SemRush also integrates with Google Analytics and Google Search Console to bring such keywords to light and present a complete picture of your organic search landscape. This integration is super-friendly for bridging the gap between estimated search data and actual visitor behavior on your site.

Again, SemRush is designed to help you out with extensive tasks. For this, you get to manage and segment up to 2,000 keywords under the Keyword Manager. This feature is particularly useful for large-scale campaigns or agencies managing multiple clients.

Content optimization tools 

(Image credit: Semrush)

SemRush content optimization tools analyze and provide recommendations on keyword usage to make your content more SEO-friendly. They not only identify which keywords to use but also mention the number of times to use them. This is guided by insights acquired from your competitor's performance.

Plus, you can integrate Semrush into your Google Docs, WordPress, and even MS Word account. It offers extensive writing assistant tools that use AI to brief you on important metrics about your content, including its formatting, SEO optimization, tips to improve readability, and many more. They do this by evaluating your content for factors like sentence length, complexity, and overall structure and offering suggestions to enhance readability. This is crucial, as accessible content tends to perform better in terms of user engagement and search engine rankings. The best part? You get all this live along with your writing tools. This saves a lot of your time during editing and improves your content significantly. And, if you use a separate tool for plagiarism checking, SemRush will also solve that issue, as it has its own originality checker. The tool scans a vast database, flagging potential duplicates so you can maintain the uniqueness of your content, which is critical for ranking purposes.

PPC keyword research tools 

(Image credit: Semrush)

SemRush's PPC Keyword Research Tools present highly searched terms to niche long-tail keywords, with volumes varying from a few searches per month to several thousand. This information helps you identify both high-traffic and low-competition opportunities.

Cost-per-click (CPC) analysis is another area where these tools deliver extensive data. CPC values can range from as low as $0.05 in less competitive niches to over $50 for highly competitive terms. This insight helps you make informed decisions on budget allocation and bidding strategies.

We’re also big fans of Semrush’s competitive analysis feature, which points out rivals’ strategies and reveals opportunities for optimization and outperforming competitors. This insight includes data on competitors' ad spend, the keywords they are bidding on, and their past ad performance. By gaining this information, you can identify gaps in their strategy and take an upper hand.

Lastly, you also gain access to localized data with Semrush. This helps you improve the relevance of ads in specific demographics and regions to increase your engagement rates and the overall efficiency of PPC campaigns.

On-[age and technical SEO

(Image credit: Semrush)

Semrush's Site Audit tool is designed to crawl websites in detail by simulating search engine crawling behaviors. While doing this, it pinpoints and prioritizes on-site issues, covering more than 130 checks for SEO health, including HTTPS security protocols, core web vitals, and issues like duplicate content.

Among the On-Page and Technical SEO tools, the On-Page SEO Checker is our favorite, as it goes beyond keyword optimization. Utilizing Semrush's extensive dataset, it provides tailored recommendations by analyzing SERP positions, backlink profiles, and content quality. Plus, it predicts how much traffic you might get and compares your site with competitors.

Also, if you face difficulty deciding what to include in your article, the SEO Content Template tool can be of great use to you. It generates content creation blueprints by analyzing top-performing pages for selected keywords. Moreover, It advises on text length, backlink sources, and multimedia inclusion tailored to Google's SERP features preferences.

Link building and backlink analysis 

(Image credit: Semrush)

Semrush's Backlink Analytics tool examines websites' backlink profiles by identifying link-building patterns and pointing out opportunities for growth. It does this by separating links by type, attributes, and quality. Besides this, it also tracks how backlink profiles change over time to understand patterns on how these links are won.

We all know how harmful backlinks can affect SEO health. Keeping that in mind, SemRush also offers a Backlink Audit feature that identifies potentially harmful backlinks. This process involves integrating with Google Search Console to evaluate link quality using over 45 different toxic markers. With this, you can easily manage and reject harmful links directly on the platform.

Its link-building tools further help to simplify your outreach process. It suggests potential link-building opportunities based on competitor backlink profiles and keyword priorities. We also love how Semrush manages outreach campaigns and evaluates the authority and relevance of suggested sites. Also, the way it organizes prospects by campaign for the efficient execution of targeted link-building strategies greatly streamlines the process.

SemRush: Interface and in-use

SemRush’s interface is user-friendly and effective, so whether you're a beginner or an experienced digital marketer, you won't have issues navigating its extensive toolset. The dashboard is also neatly organized, so you have tools for SEO, PPC, and content marketing at your fingertips. What we love the most about this setup is the ease with which we can switch between tasks.

Though the platform's broad range of features might initially confuse a beginner, this variety showcases SemRush's strength as a vast digital marketing tool. Overall, SemRush offers a mix of complexity and user-friendliness and delivers a powerful resource for diverse digital marketing activities.

SemRush: Support

(Image credit: SEMRush)

SemRush offers multiple support options to help you fully utilize its capabilities. If you're new to the platform or want to improve your understanding of its features, you can schedule a session with an expert. These experts walk you through the platform and demonstrate how to make the most of its extensive features.

For those considering an upgrade or needing a solution for their specific requirements, the sales team is always available to assist and guide you through the different options to find the perfect fit for your needs.

SemRush also caters to users who prefer to explore and learn independently. It offers many self-help resources, including user manuals, instructional videos, and FAQs. These materials are designed to help users navigate the platform and address any questions they may have.

SemRush: The competition

SEMRush is broadly aligned with competing SEO services in terms of both pricing and the feature set. For example, Moz Pro, one of its top competitors, has roughly comparable subscriptions (although a lower entry tier) at the price points of $99, $179, $249, and $599 per month, with each upgrade adding higher limits and new features.

Also, keep in mind that some platforms have more affordable plans than either SEMRush or Moz Pro. For those who don’t need everything included in the Pro subscription, or if $120 per month is over your budget, then consider a service with a lower barrier to entry.

SemRush: Final verdict

If you’re looking for an SEO tool to enhance your website’s SEO, PPC, and content strategies, SemRush is probably among the top options. While we did face a learning curve to use its comprehensive features, its interface is remarkably user-friendly. We appreciate the supportive resources and expert guidance SemRush provided, as it helps maximize the investment.

The plans offered by SemRush are also designed to accommodate the needs of all businesses, whether a small team or an enterprise. Despite the plans being costly, the substantial value SemRush adds to online marketing efforts justifies the price, making it an excellent investment if you're looking to boost your website.

• You can signup to SEMRush here.

Centr: One minute review

Not many fitness apps have the name of a bona fide Hollywood star on them. Chris Hemsworth, the actor who plays Thor, puts his money where his muscles are with Centr, a holistic workout app that manages just about every aspect of your fitness journey. The app packs content on food to helping you plan rest days, and, of course, the exercise sessions themselves, and it does a pretty great job across all aspects.

There are daily workout classes accessible within the app, as well as self-guided workout plans that incorporate both strength training and cardio, with ratios based on your chosen goal. I was impressed with is the diversity of workouts on offer; while I’ve primarily used Fitbod over the last couple of years, that particular app essentially just keeps rotating exercises and workouts forever, with no real plan outside of the user setting a goal.

That made Centr’s way of working, with exercise plans spanning days and weeks, much easier for me to stick to, especially as it does a great job of layering in rest days or active recovery. Centr can work with the equipment you have, whether that’s bodyweight-only exercises, a full gym, or anywhere in between, and the whole app feels thoughtfully designed so that it’s easy to switch out exercises or substitute in different weight amounts.

Aside from workouts, there’s a really impressive recipe section that made me want to invest more in meal plans, and mindfulness tools for winding down after a hard day’s work. One of my favorite features is that your plan is viewable online via the Centr website, making it easier to plot your progress or prepare included recipes on your laptop.

The rub is that all of this comes at a high price, at least if you’re paying monthly. $30 a month will be a tough pill to swallow for many more casual users, but you can save a ton by going for the $139.99 / £114.99 / AU$360 annual plan. There is a free trial, but you can only enjoy that for a week, so be sure to make the most out of it.

For those looking for a holistic fitness and wellbeing tool, Centr will tick a lot of boxes. Not only is it packed with features, but the app is much easier to navigate than some rivals that do less.

(Image credit: Centr)Centr: Price and availability

• Monthly cost is high at $29.99 / £19.66 / $29.99 per month
• Annual plan considerably lowers costs to $11.67 / £9.58 / AU$13.33 per month
• iOS and Android

Centr is available worldwide on the App Store and Play Store, meaning it’s ideal for both iOS and Android users.

It works out to $29.99 / £19.66 / $29.99 per month, which is more than many of its rivals like Fitbod or PUSH, but paying for a year brings that down to $11.67 / £9.58 / AU$13.33 per month, a sizeable drop.

Centr: Scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

Pricey per month, meaning annual membership is the only real way to go.

4/5

Design

The initial quiz is handy for setting things up, and the app is easy to use.

5/5

Features

Wide variety of programs (including equipment-free options), mindfulness and even recipes.

5/5

Performance

No body scan workouts, but very detailed instructions and very easy to follow as a result.

4.5/5

Centr: Should I buy?

(Image credit: Future)Buy it if...

You want more than just workouts

Centr incorporates mindfulness tools and recipes, meaning there’s more than just planning and tracking workouts included.

You want to build muscle sustainably

Because it factors in rest days and longer-tail workout regimens, Centr is an ideal choice for anyone looking to build sustainable muscle.

Don't buy it if...

You want to focus on workouts alone

There are cheaper alternatives that don’t have meal plans and other optional inclusions, meaning you can focus your budget elsewhere.

You want a cheap workout app

Even with all of those features, Centr is expensive, costing twice what you can get from the likes of PUSH or Fitbod.

Also consider

Centr

Fitbod

Push

Platforms

iOS/Android

iOS/Android

iOS/Android

Price

$29.99 per month, $120 annually

$15.99 per month, $95.99 annually

$15.49 per month, $89.99 annually

Devices

iPhone, Android phone, Apple Watch

iPhone, Android phone, Apple Watch

iPhone, Android phone

Guided Content

No

No

Yes

Video Content

Yes

Yes

Tes

Fitbod

Fitbod is more squarely focused on tracking weight exercises, but has an easy-to-use interface with great video tutorials for each one.

Read our full Fitbod review

PUSH

PUSH is all about building muscle, and leans on the tried and true progressive overload technique to keep you pushing ever further.

Read our full PUSH review

How I tested

I took Centr to the gym over the course of three weeks, working out with the app installed on my iPhone 15 Pro Max and then an iPhone 17 Pro Max. I also used the web interface to more easily read the recipe guides.

Fluance Ri91: Two-minute review

The Fluance Ri91 floorstanding speakers are the third pair of Fluance's line-up that I’ve reviewed here at TechRadar with each model sounding better than the last – I don't mind sharing that this testing has turned me into a bit of a fan.

The Fluance Ri91 represent a modernized addition to the competitors for our list of the best stereo speakers – like the Fluance Ri71, they are a step up for the company since they include support for Bluetooth including aptX, plus an HDMI ARC input. Add in the reasonable price for what they are, and they're very tempting indeed.

There are issues with the Fluance Ri91, but they're minimal. Sure, the sound is a bit mid-focused, but most people looking for pleasing audio will appreciate this fact (and they sound great overall anyway). The lack of a phono preamp isn't a dealbreaker, and is easily remedied if needed.

The only real concern I have is about build quality, because the original pair of these speakers I received had an issue with the HDMI port (quite a major one: it didn’t work).

That said, the Fluance Ri91 speakers come with a warranty, and the replacement pair the company sent presented no issue during review.

Considering how expensive floorstanding speakers can get, I think these speakers at $799 (about £640 / AU$1,270) are very easy to recommend for any music lover or budding audiophile.

(Image credit: James Holland)Fluance Ri91 review: Price and release date

• $799 (about £640 / AU$1,270)
• Released in March 2025

Being the big brother of the Fluance Ri71 I recently reviewed, the Fluance Ri91 is appropriately a bit more expensive, but thoroughly reasonable at $799 (about £640 / AU$1,270).

While the Fluance Ri71 is available in both the US and UK, the Ri91 reviewed here seems to only be available in the US.

At least these floorstanding speakers are available through a number of retailers like Amazon, Macy’s, and Walmart, as well as directly from the brand itself.

Fluance Ri91 review: Specs

Dimensions

41.73 x 8.5 x 10.24 inches / 106.0 x 21.6 x 26.0 cm

Weight

Active Speaker: 41.89 lb (19 kg) Passive Speaker: 40.79 lb (18.5 kg)

Active or passive

Active

Subwoofer

No (has sub out)

Frequency response

40Hz - 30kHz

Dolby Atmos / DTS:X enabled

No

Maximum output

150 watts

(Image credit: James Holland)Fluance Ri91 review: Features

• Comes with HDMI ARC input
• Bluetooth supports aptX HD
• Doesn’t come with phono preamp or Wi-Fi streaming

The feature set of these sorts of speakers – even active ones – is going to be pretty limited compared to what you find in the best soundbars, despite the addition of an HDMI port. But that’s because they’re not trying to do the same thing. The features here are focused on convenience and helping getting the best stereo sound possible.

Regarding convenience, it first should be noted that the Fluance Ri91 are an active set of floorstanding speakers, meaning that they don’t need an external receiver for power or connections. Also on the convenience front is the HDMI-ARC input, which is new for Fluance on the Ri91 and the Ri71 bookshelf speakers that were released at the same time.

There's Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX HD support for wireless streaming, with the allowing transmission of higher-res audio. That’s greatly appreciated for those using hi-fi-level streaming services – but not that there's no Wi-Fi, or for the highest-res support, except for wiring in the old-fashioned way.

These speakers pump out 150 watts of class D power using two 6.5-inch woven glass drivers and a 28x35mm AMT in place of a traditional tweeter. There’s no subwoofer, but there is a bass port at the bottom of each speaker cabinet.

All the connectivity is on the back of the active speaker, which is the right one by default, though you can hold the mute button down for three seconds and switch the configuration. Besides the ARC-supported HDMI port, there are also two RCA inputs, and a subwoofer out, along with the speaker wire hookups.

Lastly, while you can (and should) connect one of the best turntables to these speakers, the Fluance Ri91 do not come with a built-in phono preamp, so you’ll need to make sure your record player has one built in (or get an external one) to make sure the signal going to the speaker is loud enough.

• Features score: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: James Holland)Fluance Ri91 review: Sound quality

• Sound great when turned up and a little muffled when not
• Somewhat mid-focused
• Better for music than for movies

The Fluance Ri91 sound very good. And for any audiophiles out there, they sound like what you would expect from floorstanding speakers that cost about $800. They’re not going to wipe the floor with speakers that cost the price of a new car, but they’re good enough to blow away people that are not in the audiophile world, or are new to it.

I played all sorts of artists to test them, from John Coltrane to Kendrick Lamar to Smashing Pumpkins. I also listened to music from the ’60s and ’70s. After all my listening, a few things became clear.

First, as somewhat behemoth speakers, they don’t really come alive until you turn the volume up, in some instances even sounding a tiny bit muffled when lower. Also, when I was initially listening at lower volumes, I felt like I wasn’t getting a lot of low end. Turning them up fixed all these issues.

The sound was expansive when loud, with plenty of low-end, though you might want to add a sub if you listen to a lot of Hip Hop or EDM, as some songs didn’t translate as well. The high-end was clear and detailed, and the mid-range was rich, though it is a bit upfront.

Unfortunately, there’s no EQ for the mids, so you have to turn up the treble and bass a little if that bothers you (I prefer to cut the mids a bit when dealing with this problem, but obviously couldn't here).

I also used the Fluance Ri91 for some movie watching and gaming. The sound quality is there, but being a more traditional stereo setup makes this not as ideal for the immersive home theater experience.

With music, I can feel the wide stereo soundstage with accurate imaging when the speakers are correctly set up. With movies, it can feel a little one dimensional, especially at lower volumes.

Now, that’s not to detract from the Fluance Ri91, as they shine for a more traditional listening experience, and that’s what they’re really meant for. They do work well enough for movies and gaming, but using them right after testing a surround-sound system really highlights that these are speakers for listening to music first.

• Sound quality score: 4 / 5

(Image credit: James Holland)Fluance Ri91 review: Design

• Tall and hefty as floorstanders
• Good connections and controls on one speaker
• Has EQ controls on remote

The Fluance Ri91 are fairly imposing, standing at just under 42 inches tall. And with a weight of about 40 lbs per speaker, they’re hefty as well. It’s a good thing that they look good (available in walnut, black, or white) since these aren’t the kind of speakers you can tuck away discreetly.

There’s a Bluetooth pairing button on the back, and two additional controls on the active speaker, one being the power switch. The other is a volume dial that sits atop the back of the speaker that can also be pressed in to change inputs.

But you’re more likely to use the included remote for any adjusting. The remote is pretty straight forward with all the usual stuff like volume controls, power, input, etc. But it also includes a Treble and Bass Boost and Cut that’s helpful for fine tuning the audio a little bit.

My only real issue with the Fluance Ri91 are some concerns about quality assurance. Not only were the styrofoam packing the speakers came in disintegrating, but the HDMI input didn’t work in my first pair, so I had to request another test unit.

The speakers were promptly replaced for me, and come with a two-year warranty for regular buyers.

• Design score: 4 / 5

(Image credit: James Holland)Fluance Ri91 review: Setup and usability

• Setup is simple and straightforward
• Positioning the speakers takes some time but is worth it
• Using them is fairly intuitive

The functional setup of the Fluance Ri91 is very straightforward. Take each speaker out of the box, connect the active one to power, and connect the two speakers together with the included speaker wire. Then pop in the batteries for the remote and connect whatever sources you want. Flip the power switch and you’re good to go.

Of course, you should correctly set up the speakers to get the best sound and that can take a little time (and a measuring tape) – I found that you needed to be careful with positioning them next to walls. But it doesn’t take that long and it’s worth it.

Using the Fluance Ri91 is just as simple. The included remote is not all that complicated, and the color-coded LED indicator on the active speaker not only lets me know what source I’m on, but will flash when certain settings are reached, such as the mid, low, or high point for EQ settings.

• Setup and usability score: 5 / 5

(Image credit: James Holland)Fluance Ri91 review: Value

• These are Fluance’s most expensive speakers
• Some other quality options at the same price
• The Ri91 are more feature-heavy than the competition

It's interesting to compare the Fluance Ri91 with the company’s previous floorstanding entry, the Ai81, which is a little cheaper at $599, versus to $799 for the Ri91. The Ri91 replaces the silk dome tweeter of the Ai81 with an AMT one, not to mention also includes an HDMI port.

Interestingly, the Ai81 reaches down to 30Hz instead of 40Hz like the Ri91, so does have a little more bass without adding a subwoofer. On the flipside, the Ri91’s 30kHz upper range is more impressive than the 20kHz of the Ai81 and is something I value more than the deeper bass.

Since Fluance generally fits into that budget-premium range, the Fluance Ri91’s price tag is about what one would expect. They’re not in the thousands like most boutique audio brands, but have some competition at the same price, such as the Q Acoustics M40 HD. The Q Acoustics were a little more expensive when released in 2024, but go for the same amount now, not to mention are also available in the UK and Australia.

Plus, the two products stack up fairly well against each other, though the Fluance Ri91 do include an HDMI port, 50 more watts of power, and a wider frequency response, probably thanks in part to those AMT tweeters.

• Value score: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Fluance Ri91 speakers?Score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The feature set is pretty good for this type of speaker, including aptX. No, phono preamp or Wi-Fi streaming, though.

4.5 / 5

Sound quality

While not ideal for TV, these speakers sound great, particularly when turned up.

4 / 5

Design

Good port selection and imposing look only held back by build quality concerns.

4 / 5

Setup and Usability

Easy to set up and use, though one should make sure to spend some time on speaker placement.

5 / 5

Value

The price is very good for floorstanders, especially considering the feature set.

4.5 / 5

Buy them if…

You want loud and expansive, impressive sounding audio
These speakers sound really good when they’re really loud. If your criteria is loud and good, then get the Fluance Ri91.

You need extra connectivity
The included HDMI ARC port and aptX HD over Bluetooth support is something that sets these speakers apart, especially from other models at this price point.

You can’t quite justify audiophile prices
Audiophile speakers can get really expensive. These sound good while still staying under a grand. That’s pretty good for a new pair of floorstanding speakers.

Don’t buy them if…

You’re in a small space
These speakers are a bit underwhelming at low volume (and they take up a lot of space), so if you have limited space, go for the Ri71 instead.

You want pristine, neutral audio
These speakers sound very good, but are not the right pick for anyone looking for very neutral sounding audio.

Fluance Ri91 review: Also consider

Q Acoustics M40 HD
Like the Ri91, these sound massive. They also bridge the gap between big speakers and not needing a lot of space as they’re a bit smaller than the Ri91 making them a good alternative if you don’t have a big space.

Read our full Q Acoustics M40 HD review

Kanto Ren
The Kanto Ren has it all in terms of connectivity – USB-C, HDMI, Bluetooth 5.3. Plus it comes in interesting colors, though it will pick up every fingerprint. It’s lovely with a full, robust sound. However, the bass can get a little flabby.

Read our full Kanto Ren review

How I tested the Fluance Ri91

• Used regularly for a few weeks
• Listened to all kinds of audio
• Tested the various controls and ports

I used the Fluance Ri91 for a few weeks at home, listening to all sorts of genres of music – Hip Hop, EDM, Top 40 Pop, Rock, Jazz, and Folk, among others – to get a better feel for these speakers. They were also tested with some TV and computer games. I tested the various controls and ports as well.

I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.

• First reviewed: February 2025
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

The people at Paylocity recognize that HR teams want to do more – but they’re often bogged down in tedious administrative tasks.

To that end, Paylocity’s HR and payroll solutions place a strong focus on automation, process simplification, and ease of compliance to give your teams the time they need to think strategically and have a greater impact.

There’s a lot of emphasis on employee experience in this tool, too, thanks to a smart set of employee engagement features. The most recent addition to the app is an AI assistant that can streamline your experience.

Paylocity believes that by combining technology with humanity, it can produce the ideal, all-around HR and payroll solution.

Paylocity: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Paylocity)

As with most HR solutions, Paylocity’s pricing is devised on a case-by-case basis, with no concrete costing information provided on the company’s website.

While this enables you to pick the modules you need and build a package that is suited to your business, the lack of pricing transparency can make initial budgeting and comparison difficult, and adding plenty of modules could see your pricing scale quickly.

The company says that sample pricing ranges from $18 to $32 per employee per month, with potential setup fees as an additional cost. Those figures tally with what we’ve seen on third-party sites that list approximate pricing for the Paylocity solution.

Paylocity: Features

(Image credit: Paylocity)

With a name like Paylocity and a company ethos that “everything leads back to payroll,” it’s no surprise that this app features strong financial functionality.

Its payroll options are completely customizable, and once you’ve built processes that work for your organization, you can review and run a complete payroll in a few clicks – reducing manual work for your HR teams.

Data flows directly into the payroll system from your employee database, and the system automatically flags employees with discrepancies. It’s both fast and easy to set up general ledger mapping.

Paylocity’s Payroll Readiness Dashboard highlights critical tasks that need attention before your next payment, and a tax geolocation system can audit your staff to ensure they’re paying the correct taxes. It’s also possible to pay local and global employees from the system when using Paylocity.

If your business has grown and has global needs, Paylocity also offers global payroll services alongside consulting, compliance, and treasury management, though these services may incur additional fees because Paylocity is primarily designed for US payroll requirements.

Paylocity’s excellent payroll capabilities are paired with good core HR features. You get centralized document storage and custom, automated workflows across the platform – alongside automation templates to make deploying those workflows even easier.

There’s plenty of personalization available here, too, because you can add unlimited custom fields for tracking and reporting that reflect your organizational needs.

On top of all this, real-time analytics and dashboards that help you analyze your workforce and make smarter, data-based decisions, and AI-powered tools throughout the app improve search functionality and answer your basic questions.

(Image credit: Paylocity)

Paylocity’s reporting and analytics revolve around a module called Modern Workforce Index. This insight and benchmarking tool is a relatively new addition to the solution, and it collates sentiment, utilization, and organizational health data to track the health of your business when compared to the rest of the market.

It’ll track how employees are using Paylocity to inform discussions around ROI, it’ll suggest how you can make improvements, and illustrate your progress over time.

The employee self-service module enables your staff to access and modify payroll and HR data via web browsers and the Paylocity mobile app.

Paylocity’s time and attendance management tools include automated policy enforcement, real-time notifications, and in-depth analytics – so you can easily spot trends, plan shifts, monitor budgets, and reduce administrative overheads.

The app offers AI-enhanced shift recommendations, open shift claiming and shift swapping, and a range of time capture options, from badges and biometrics to apps, kiosks, and smart watches. Geolocation, fingerprint validation, and facial recognition are all supported.

Paylocity’s in-built social network supports greater employee collaboration and engagement, and it’s available on the mobile app too. It’s got a company feed, “ask an expert” options, and AI-assisted announcement creation. Users can even “follow” particularly active colleagues.

A module called Employee Voice collects automatic feedback from your staff that you can then use for analysis and reporting, and you can build customized employee recognition programs with rewards linked to your budget to foster connections throughout your workforce.

The tool’s community engagement features are particularly impressive, so it’s no surprise that Paylocity describes them as a “crown jewel” of the app.

Guided benefits support is available for both providers and employees, so deployment and enrollment are easier, and you’ll get notifications about eligibility changes and benefit requests.

(Image credit: Paylocity)

Paylocity supports a broad range of benefit options and can manage flexible benefits, too, and the system will help you manage benefit compliance at the same time. It also enables you to look after your technology, with an asset management module that tracks hardware assignments and locations – perfect for keeping track of laptops, smartphones, and other equipment.

This solution also includes a broad slate of recruitment options, including candidate screening, headcount planning tools, and self-service interview scheduling. HR teams can use automated job posting to over 20,000 job boards alongside integrations with LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, and Indeed.

Pre-written templates and AI tools accelerate job requisition, and you can keep recruitment moving by sending emails and text messages from within the platform. It’s even possible to define roles and compensation from within Paylocity by browsing market data – and then create and send personalized offer packages to candidates.

Once talent is recruited, onboarding is bolstered by automation, in-built compliance tools, background checks, pre-boarding tasks in the mobile app video welcomes, auto-assigned training, and team introductions.

Employee performance is monitored using easy feedback collection, 360-degree reviews, and talent assessment templates. Training is handled by an interactive environment that features a vast library of courses, and you can use Paylocity to create, define, and manage your compensation strategy using company and market data. The system supports annual increases and customized bonus payments.

Paylocity supports hundreds of third-party integrations, including Microsoft 365 and Dynamics, Google Workspace, Dropbox, Slack, HubSpot, and QuickBooks.

Hundreds more integrations are available in the Paylocity Marketplace across categories like benefits, finance, compliance, health, and recruiting. The solution also includes API support for creating your own integrations.

As usual with HR solutions, you’ll only get many of these features if you include those modules in your custom package. With Paylocity, we’d advise you to check the international payroll situation before you invest.

Paylocity is a US-first business, and while the company does offer global payroll services, you may need to use additional third-party integrations to ensure smooth operations.

Elsewhere, while Paylocity offers good analytics, reporting, and customization, SAP is stronger for reporting; you’ll find more in-depth customization with some rival products, and the mobile app doesn’t have feature parity with the desktop product.

Paylocity: Ease of use

(Image credit: Paylocity)

There’s no denying that Paylocity is packed with features – and there’s no denying that the team has done a decent job with the interface.

It’s consistent and straightforward, with a navigation pane on the left and a dashboard that’s packed with quick links to common actions. That dashboard presents loads of information, including key details about pay, budgeting, timesheets, urgent tasks, activity, and more.

The dashboard is customizable – you can rearrange the location of the widgets or remove them entirely – but you can’t build your own, and the data displayed in each widget is hard-coded.

Employee and equipment records are well-designed and easy to navigate, and the reporting section is comprehensive, with dozens of options quickly available if you know where to look.

The payroll module does a great job of presenting your payroll options and enabling you to easily start your next run. The community section is great, with a social media-style feed, team-specific groups, and easy-to-spot pinned announcements.

The Modern Workforce Index is one of the more colorful parts of the app, with a dial that gives an easy indicator of your company’s score – and you can dive further into the data to track sentiment, health, and organization across a variety of charts.

Paylocity’s interface does a good job of collating the tool’s wealth of features, but it has some minor downsides.

The data-rich, busy interface could prove overwhelming at first, especially for users who aren’t familiar with complex software packages, and if you want a visually attractive interface, then you would be better off shopping elsewhere.

We’ve seen user sentiment online suggest that implementation experiences vary – some customers experience smooth deployments, while others describe a lengthy implementation due to the complexity of the software.

Paylocity: Support

(Image credit: Paylocity)

Paylocity offers live phone support from 6am to 7.30pm Central Time between Monday and Friday. While it’s not unusual for HR solution providers to restrict phone support to working days, not many offer the breadth of hours as Paylocity, so that’s a plus. It’s also possible to email Paylocity for live, responsive support during those hours, too.

The company assigns customers an account manager and support team to help with implementation and ongoing questions.

As with many HR solution providers, Paylocity offers an online knowledge base, an AI assistant to answer product questions, and a selection of live webinars and on-demand training sessions.

Paylocity: The Competition

Paylocity targets its solutions at businesses of all sizes, though it traditionally focuses on SMBs. While that’s a lucrative and popular part of the market, it brings it up against some strong competitors.

There aren’t many solutions that are as effective as Paylocity when it comes to payroll, but if you’d like to explore your options, then RUN Powered by ADP is a strong contender for smaller businesses, and ADP Workforce Now is the company’s offering for larger organizations.

If you’d like more automation in your HR workflows, then Rippling should be on your list of potential options, and BambooHR is an all-rounder that’s worth consideration, too. And if you need an enterprise-level option, add SAP SuccessFactors to your list of contenders.

Paylocity: Final verdict

Paylocity is one of the most feature-rich HR and payroll solutions you’ll find anywhere, and it’s particularly strong when it comes to financial features, automation, and employee engagement – its community tools are excellent, and the app does a good job of collating so much data and sentiment into useful, actionable information.

There are some trade-offs, though: the depth of functionality available here means Paylocity could seem overwhelming, especially for inexperienced users, and we’ve seen reports of lengthy implementation procedures. There’s no transparency on pricing, either.

That said, if you’re a mid-sized business looking for a powerhouse HR and payroll solution, Paylocity is a strong contender.

Six years since the last game (and after a brief trip over to Ancient China in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty), Team Ninja’s premier soulslike series returns with Nioh 3. And my word, was it worth the wait.

Review information

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PS5, PC
Release date: February 6, 2026

Nioh 3 will feel familiar to fans of the other two titles in, but it’s clearly taken inspiration from other Team Ninja games that were released in the interim. Here we have the addition of a semi-open-world akin to Rise of the Ronin, and even a new style shift mechanic that isn’t wholly unlike the moveset variety of Ninja Gaiden 4 or Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.

In short, Nioh 3 feels like a culmination of most things Team Ninja has put out over the past decade. It’s a brilliant evolution of what makes the series so special in the first place, maintaining that lightning-fast combat and dizzying build variety.

Meanwhile, the formula has evolved to bring something entirely fresh to the table. As much as I adore Nioh 2 and think it’s one of the best soulslike games out there, I don’t know if I can go back after the brilliance of Nioh 3.

Though as much as I’ve loved my time with Team Ninja’s latest outing, there are undoubtedly blemishes. Performance on PC is a bit all over the place; graphics options are plentiful, but the game does struggle in denser environments and has a habit of forcing DLSS, at least on my rig.

As for the game itself, Ninja Style - which I love, by the way - does feel a little over-tuned. Few enemies are able to keep up with your high evasion in this style, and the trade-off of not being able to replenish your stamina via a Ki Pulse (an ability that refills a portion of stamina with a carefully-timed R1 press) isn’t much of a downside.

Aspects of Nioh 3 like this, as well as the ability to fast-travel between shrines, freely respec at any time, and the sheer versatility offered by the style switching system, make for a game that feels overall a little easier than prior entries.

While not as much of a cakewalk as Wo Long felt at times (with its immensely generous parry system, especially), there’s a much more lenient difficulty curve in Nioh 3 that should feel more welcoming to newcomers, but could frustrate series diehards who may not feel reasonably challenged until much later sections of the game.

Shifting across time

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

In the original Nioh, players took on the role of a set character - Irish swordsman William. Nioh 2 gave us agency to create our own characters, albeit relegating us to an unnamed protagonist.

Nioh 3, meanwhile, feels like a combination of both. We play as a character known as Tokugawa Takechiyo, though we still have full control over their appearance and gender via the returning character creator.

Best bit

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

Nioh 3’s dual styles are a real breath of fresh air for the series, and a multi-faceted mechanic in its own right. The game rewards strategic use of both Samurai and Ninja styles, but if you prefer one or the other, it’s still perfectly playable from start to finish. You just might find that some areas and bosses give you a bit of a harder time if you stick to just one style.

After a brief tutorial section, Takechiyo is thrust back in time to the Warring States period of Japanese history when their brother, Kunimatsu, enacts a coup brought on by jealousy of Takechiyo being chosen to succeed the seat of the shogun. There, players will side with Tokugawa Ieyasu in an effort to prevent legendary warlord Takeda Shingen - in league with an army of yokai - from claiming the seat for himself.

It all starts off in typical Nioh fashion. You’ll pair up with (or face off against) known figures from the Warring States period, including Hattori Hanzo and Ii Naotora. And roving bandits will be the least of your worries, as once again, Japan has been overrun by yokai - demonic entities that take on several monstrous forms.

The Nioh games usually take place over a number of years, but Nioh 3 has expanded this concept and features events across multiple generations at various periods of time - each one offering a whole new map to explore. I was greatly surprised at the variety of locales on offer, and Team Ninja has done a wonderful job providing a broad range of settings, some of which very much came out of leftfield.

It takes two (styles)

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

So how’s combat, then? Well, Team Ninja has taken a boldly different approach this time around. The core gimmick of Nioh 3’s combat is its dual styles. Samurai Style is, broadly, Nioh as you know it.

You can switch between mid, high, and low stances for a variety of different moves depending on your weapon type of choice. New here, though, are Martial Arts, which you can activate upon filling a gauge by landing attacks or successfully guarding. The style feels a good bit stronger and weightier than what I was used to in Nioh 2.

That provides a noticeable divide between Samurai and Ninja styles. The latter, then, is a much more agile form. You move much quicker in combat, and your dodging ability and attack speed are greatly enhanced. As mentioned, Ninja’s trade-off is that you can’t recover Ki via Ki Pulses, as you can in Samurai Style. However, you recover Ki very quickly while in this form, thus offsetting the drawback a fair bit, at least in the first half of the game before the challenge level really ramps up.

Ninja Style was definitely my preferred way to play much of Nioh 3. And given that Samurai and Ninja have their own unique weapon types and armor sets - of which you can form loadouts for both - you certainly can pick one style and stick with it. But as I progressed through the game, I found plenty of scenarios that played to the strengths of both.

Ninja’s ability to use magic, for example, makes it great for crowd control and dispatching enemies with elemental weaknesses. Samurai is fantastic in one-on-one duels against tougher opponents, though, as proper use of Martial Arts can quickly drain an opponent’s Ki for a quick and easy critical hit.

Get out there

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

Nioh 3’s shift to open field level design brings many, many worthwhile changes with it. You’ll no longer pick missions from a simple map screen. Instead, more detailed levels are baked into a larger, explorable environment.

Each explorable area is divided into smaller parts, each with an exploration level. You’ll passively increase this as you explore, including finding new shrines, treasure chests, or clearing bases overrun by bandits or yokai. Increasing the exploration level of an area will gradually reveal things you can find within.

Getting as much exploration done as possible is certainly worth it, too. You’ll often find textbooks that allow you to learn new skills and Martial Arts, as well as no shortage of Samurai and Ninja’s Locks. These automatically grant you a skill point for their respective style and the weapon types therein. No longer do you have to grind out weapon usage in order to earn these skill points. If you find a new weapon type you’re desperate to try, you can load some points into it with little hassle.

That’s doubly true in Nioh 3, as you can freely reset and reallocate skill points at zero cost. I love this change, as it means you’re more actively encouraged to settle into a build that’s right for you.

Like in Code Vein 2, if you fancy a quick build change in Nioh 3, it’s blissfully easy to do. This also goes for your more general stats, which you level up at shrines. And handily, a diagram on this screen will let you know which stats work best for each weapon type. Super convenient, and means you’ll be spending less time stressing over builds, and more time trying them out.

Thorough exploration also ties into the revamped Titles system, which is now broken down into categories and offers various permanent buffs and stat increases, such as healing item drop rates, stealth effectiveness (yes, you’ll really be racking up the backstabs in Nioh 3), and general melee attack damage against certain foes. Basically, actions like taking over bases or simply dispatching enemies in either Style will earn you points in their respective categories, which you can periodically redeem in the Titles menu.

There’s just a lot of stuff that contributes to your overall power in Nioh 3. To the point where it can make the first couple of chapters a bit of a cakewalk. Bosses, by and large, still present a steep challenge, and you’ll still run into a fair few gatekeepers to your progress. But overall, I’d say Nioh 3 is a touch easier than its direct predecessor.

Feeling the heat

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

That is, of course, until you reach one of several Crucible areas. Crucibles are another addition I really love. Effectively acting as mid and end-of-chapter levels, a Crucible is an enormous yokai realm that comes with various gameplay modifiers - one of which is a reduction to your maximum health upon taking damage.

This makes Crucibles particularly dangerous. However, the rewards for exploring within are very much worth it, as it’s in these areas that you’ll typically find higher-end gear and earn more experience generally upon killing enemies. Crucibles are definitely a step-up in difficulty, and the demonic tone shift within them provides a suitably climactic bookend to each major area.

I didn’t think it was possible for Team Ninja to one-up Nioh 2 in as many ways as it has with Nioh 3, but I’m beyond pleased that it does. It’s a fresh-feeling take on the soulslike formula in general, combining Nioh’s satisfyingly quick action with a richer, more fleshed-out world to explore.

The game could definitely use some work on PC in the performance department, and there are certainly some enemy types I wish the developer had left in the past (the snake-like Nure-Onna is the bane of my existence). But crucially, it’s a game I’ve often been unable to put down, if only to see what kinds of wonderful locations and bosses await around each and every corner.

Should I play Nioh 3?Play it if...

You want an awesome open world to get stuck into
Nioh 3’s shift to an open-field format follows in the footsteps of Elden Ring and Code Vein 2, in providing a richly-detailed, explorable world that’s jam-packed with things to see and do. Exploration objectives aren’t overwhelming, either, with a reasonable amount to find in each designated area.

You like changing gameplay styles on the fly
Samurai and Ninja styles add yet another layer of depth to Nioh’s excellent combat. Shifting between the two depending on the situation is a wonderful little puzzle in and of itself, but the game doesn’t discourage sticking with one or the other if you’d prefer.

You were hoping for a smoother difficulty curve
Nioh 3 does an excellent job of easing new players into its brand of challenge. An easier early game compared to its predecessors is great for those who want to get to grips with exploration and testing out new builds. Still, it’s by no means an easy game, with later chapters and Crucible sections making damn sure of that.

Don't play it if...

You’re not keen on loot-heavy games
Unlike most of its peers, Nioh 3 (like the other games in the series) isn’t shy of showering you with loot on a near-constant basis. Enemies erupt into weapons, armor, and trinkets upon death, meaning inventory management can quickly become an issue.

You need to clear your backlog first
Nioh 3 is a massive game. Even after my 50 or so hours with it, I certainly hadn’t seen and done absolutely everything the game has to offer. If you’re the completionist type, I definitely still recommend Nioh 3, but be sure to make room for it before getting stuck in.

Accessibility

Nioh 3 has some basic accessibility options. Full controller assignment and keybinds are supported. Furthermore, subtitle options include size and the ability to display the speaker, and sound effect captions.

Colorblind settings are limited, but there does exist an option to alter the color perception settings of important text and loot rarity color patterns. There is also an option for the game to play a sound effect when you get near an object that you can interact with, such as doors, characters, and items.

How I reviewed Nioh 3

My playthrough of Nioh 3 lasted around 50 hours, including the main campaign and a huge chunk of exploration and side objectives.

I played the game on PC (via Steam) for this review, with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 GPU and primarily using the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 as my controller of choice. I also made use of the Nacon RIG 900 Max HS gaming headset to experience the game’s atmospheric audio design.

First reviewed February 2026

Constant Contact was founded in 1995 by Randy Parker, initially known as Roving Software before switching to its current name in 2004. It's one of the oldest email marketing software tools in existence. Since its inception, it has since expanded from a simple email marketing tool into a full-fledged online marketing platform for different types of campaigns, including social media, web, and SMS. 

Constant Contact has acquired a lot of other companies to expand, such as CardStar, a loyalty rewards app, and Bantam Live, a social CRM startup. In 2015, Constant Contact itself was sold to IT company Endurance International for $1.1 billion. In 2021, private equity firm Clearlake Capital acquired Endurance International and spun off Constant Contact as a standalone business.

(Image credit: Constant Contact)Constant Contact: Plans and pricing

Plan

Starting Rate (paid annually)

Renewal Rate (paid annually)

Lite

$10.20/month

$12/month

Standard

$29.75/month

$35/month

Premium

$68/month

$80/month

Lead Gen & CRM

Contact sales

$449/month

Note: Annual pricing reflects 15% discount for 12-month prepayment. Nonprofit organizations receive 30% discount. SMS add-on available for US customers starting at $10/month for up to 500 messages. Premium plan includes 500 SMS messages monthly.

Constant Contact restructured its pricing in 2025, moving away from Core and Plus plans to three main tiers: Lite, Standard, and Premium. The platform no longer offers a free plan, but provides a generous 60-day free trial that's 2x the industry standard.

The Lite plan starts at $12/month for 500 contacts and includes basic email marketing features, one welcome automation template, drag-and-drop email editor, social posting, AI writing assistance, and 300+ integrations. However, it's limited to one user and allows only 10x your contact count in monthly sends. This plan suits solopreneurs or small businesses with minimal automation needs.

The Standard plan begins at $35/month for 500 contacts and adds subject line A/B testing, three automation templates, email scheduling, resend to non-openers, advanced segmentation, social advertising capabilities, and allows up to three users. Monthly email sends increase to 12x your contact count, making this the most popular choice for growing businesses.

The Premium plan starts at $80/month for 500 contacts and includes everything in Standard plus unlimited automation templates, unlimited custom segments, unlimited users, 500 SMS messages monthly, advanced reporting with heatmaps, SEO recommendations, lookalike ad targeting for social media, and 24x your contact count in monthly sends.

For businesses requiring comprehensive CRM capabilities, Constant Contact offers a separate Lead Gen & CRM plan starting at $449/month, developed in partnership with SharpSpring. This includes advanced marketing automation, lead scoring, sales pipeline management, and centralized analytics.

Pricing scales with contact list size across all tiers. For example, at 2,500 contacts, Lite costs approximately $45/month, Standard costs $80/month, and Premium costs $130/month. Lists exceeding 50,000 contacts require custom pricing quotes. The platform offers a 15% discount for 12-month prepayment and 30% discount for nonprofit organizations. A 30-day money-back guarantee applies to all new subscriptions.

(Image credit: Constant Contact)How does Constant Contact use AI?

Constant Contact introduced its AI Content Generator in 2023 and has continued expanding AI capabilities across the platform. AI features are accessible on all paid plans with no additional credit-based pricing requirements, which is a big relief for budget conscious startups. According to Constant Contact, nearly half of surveyed small businesses now use the AI tools to write emails, subject lines, or social posts.

Their core AI offering is the AI Content Generator, which helps create email copy, subject lines, SMS messages, and social media posts directly within the interface. You simply provide a few keywords, select the desired tone (friendly, professional, informative, urgent, etc.), and the AI generates customized content.

Then, Campaign Builder uses AI to set up multi-channel marketing campaigns with just a few clicks. You select your campaign goals while AI handles the heavy lifting of campaign structure and coordinates messaging across email, social media, and SMS channels.

BrandKit represents another practical AI addition on their part. By simply entering your website URL, you can automatically extract your logo, brand colors, and imagery, creating a library of customizable branded assets that can be reused across emails, social posts, and other marketing materials.

While these AI features provide valuable time-saving benefits, Constant Contact emphasizes that AI-generated content still requires human review and editing. It highlights businesses like like Sky Candle Co. and the Spanish restaurant Lunya, which have successfully integrated these AI tools into their workflows.

Constant Contact: Features

For business owners that are novices at design, Constant Contact has over a hundred customizable templates- already optimized for mobile. Another neat feature will scan your website and auto-generate a template themed for your website’s colors and images.

Editing of these templates is a snap with drag-and-drop layouts or image and text boxes. Users with coding skills will appreciate the feature to create an email template based on a custom code.

To build your contact list, Constant Contact offers the option to enter your contacts one by one, import them from a spreadsheet or file, or import them from Gmail or Microsoft Outlook. 

With your contact list complete, you then create segments, which enables you to target, for example, customers who haven’t opened an email in a while via a special promo or update. 

Constant Contact also integrates with Shopify and WooCommerce, enabling you to create contact list segments based on what customers have purchased. With Constant Contact’s integration with ecommerce, customers can also shop your store directly from their inbox.

We also appreciate the email automation tools. Automation can reduce the workload, with such features as the ability to send an automatic resend of the email to a non-opener.

(Image credit: Constant Contact)Constant Contact: Interface and in use

An ease to set up and get started with, Constant Contact takes just a few minutes to register a new account. With your account created, you’ll be queried with a few questions about your business and any existing contact lists. 

Intuitively simple to set up, the web interface makes it pretty easy to find what you’re looking for, be it campaigns, contacts, or reports.

Constant Contact also has apps available for both iOS and Android. While the app is sleek and the ability to draft emails and organize contacts on the go has its appeal, the usefulness is extremely hindered by the inability to edit draft email campaigns created on desktop. By way of example, users that want to draft a campaign on their work computer, and then edit it from their iPad later will be disappointed.

Constant Contact: Support

Constant Contact offers direct support through email, live chat, and telephone. You can chat with a live support agent from Monday through Friday or contact them via phone from Monday to Saturday (hours and department phone numbers vary depending on your region). There's also an online community where you can interact with other users and exchange solutions to each other's problems. 

This platform also offers many other support resources for users. There's the Knowledge Base, which contains a lot of articles and user guides for all features concerning the platform. You can also find video tutorials to learn about the platform in an interactive way. Likewise, Constant Contact hosts regular webinars for users to interact with marketing experts and ask questions. If you're finding it difficult to run email campaigns, you can hire a marketing professional from Constant Contact's directory.

Constant Contact offers excellent customer support, which is one of its main selling points. 

Constant Contact: The competition

For the budget conscious, Mailchimp is a worthy competitor to Constant Contact. It offers most of the same email marketing basics, such as templates and list segmentation- at a lower price. Even further, Mailchimp offers a free plan if you have under 2,000 contacts, making it ideal for users who are just starting out.

For businesses that have webinars as a core component, it might be worth looking into GetResponse, to allow for easy integration of webinars with your email contact list.

Constant Contact: Final verdict

Constant Contact easily makes the shortlist of names people think of when it comes to email marketing, and there’s plenty of reasons why. Constant Contact is easy to set up and use, offering high levels of support and security.

However, the shortcoming is that there’s nothing really setting Constant Contact apart from its competitors among email marketing services. At least Constant Contact offers a 60-day free trial, so it’s worth checking out. However, temper your enthusiasm as you can’t expect game-changing innovation at these levels.

Constant Contact can stand out with the separately featured and more comprehensive CRM plan, but as with the Constant Contact Website Builder, we'll consider that in its own review.

We've listed the best landing page creators.

HP Laptop 14: Two-minute review

The HP Laptop 14 is a budget laptop that aims to combine a compact form factor with just enough performance for everyday use. Its appearance won’t exactly set the world alight, especially when it’s finished in the anodyne gray colorway. However, it looks smart enough, with the clean lines and unsullied contours lending a subtle elegance.

These aspects are complemented by a thin and light chassis, which makes the HP Laptop 14 easy to ferry around. However, the price paid for this lithesome build is the cheap-feeling construction, which falls short of the best laptop builds.

Having said that, I was pleased to find the lid hinge operated smoothly and provided plenty of stability. It also allows the display to recline quite far, but stops short of 180 degrees.

The HP Laptop 14 has a sparse selection of ports. The two USB-A ports are welcome, but there’s only one USB-C interface, and it doesn’t support power or display signals (there’s an HDMI port for the latter, at least).

(Image credit: Future)

My unit was equipped with an Intel Core i5, which provided adequate performance. It could handle light browsing and productivity, as well as high-quality video streaming — but not much more. With 8GB of RAM on board, the HP Laptop 14 struggled to cope with multiple tabs open, especially when the content involved media, as I experienced frequent stutters and momentary freezes in such instances.

Given the lack of a dedicated GPU, it’s also no surprise that the HP Laptop 14 doesn’t handle games well, either. Cyberpunk 2077 was virtually unplayable, even on the lowest preset. Fortunately, there isn’t much heat or noise when heavy workloads such as this are conducted.

The 1080p display is just about sharp enough for UI elements and the like to appear crisp, but in truth the resolution is starting to feel its age on laptops. Worse, however, is the tendency for shadows or reflections to obscure the visuals if the viewing angle isn’t perfect, which is frustrating.

I was much less frustrated with the keyboard in the HP Laptop 14. The comfortable spacing and light actuation of the keys makes them ideal for quick typing, and although there’s less dampening than I would’ve liked, the resultant harshness wasn’t too detrimental.

The touchpad is also effective, providing a smooth surface and precise inputs. It’s not particularly large, which might hamper navigation somewhat, but for basic use it suffices.

Less effective is the battery life of the HP Laptop 14. It managed just under eight hours in our movie playback test, which puts it on the lower end of the spectrum for laptops of this class. There are many mid-range offerings capable of enduring for a full day and beyond.

The starting price of the HP Laptop 14 might seem very reasonable, but the base spec would struggle with even rudimentary tasks by modern standards. And the more powerful models are still too weak to truly compete with others in the mid-range, which leaves the HP Laptop 14 lagging behind the times.

HP Laptop 14 review: Price & Availability

• Starts from $539.99 / £299 (about AU$585)
• Base spec is cheap
• Expensive higher-spec models

The HP Laptop 14 starts from $539.99 / £299 (about AU$585) and is available now. Interestingly, in the UK, it seems to be marketed under a different name — the HP Pavilion SE — and there doesn’t appear to be an equivalent model in Australia.

The base spec is undeniably cheap for a Windows laptop, especially in the UK, but the Intel Core i3 it’s equipped with is unlikely to offer smooth sailing for modern workloads. The spec I tested isn’t particularly cheap, either, dashing its hopes of being one of the best budget laptops around.

• Value: 3 / 5

HP Laptop 14 review: Specs

Base configuration

Review configuration

Price

$539.99 / £299 (about AU$585)

$629.99 / £599 (about AU$900)

CPU

US: Intel Core 3 100U (up to 4.7GHz, 6 cores) / UK: Intel Core i3-N305 (up to 3.8GHz, 8 cores)

US: Intel Core 5 120U (up to 5.0GHz, 10 cores) / UK: Intel Core i5-1334U (up to 4.6GHz, 10 cores)

GPU

Intel UHD Graphics (integrated)

Intel Iris Xe Graphics (integrated)

RAM

8GB DDR4

8GB DDR4

Storage

US: 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD / UK: 128GB UFS

256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD

Display

US: 14-inch HD (1366 x 768), IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare / UK: 14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare

14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare

Ports and Connectivity

1x USB-C (5Gbps), 2x USB-A (5Gbps), 1x HDMI 1.4b, 1x combo audio; Wi-Fi 6, US: Bluetooth 5.3 / UK: Bluetooth 5.4

1x USB-C (5Gbps), 2x USB-A (5Gbps), 1x HDMI 1.4b, 1x combo audio; Wi-Fi 6, US: Bluetooth 5.3 / UK: Bluetooth 5.4

Battery

41Wh

41Wh

Dimensions

12.7 x 8.5 x 1.3 inches (323.7 x 215 x 32.5mm)

12.7 x 8.5 x 1.3 inches (323.7 x 215 x 32.5mm)

Weight

3.1lbs / 1.41kg

3.1lbs / 1.41kg

HP Laptop 14 review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Minimal looks and weight
• No keyboard backlighting
• Limited USB-C functionality

The HP Laptop 14 has a sensible yet sleek style. It doesn’t inspire much excitement, with the dull gray colorway of my unit hardly helping matters, but the subtle elegance of the body becomes apparent the deeper you look. The clean lines and angles, coupled with the absence of any unnecessary contours, all help to elevate it beyond the utilitarian fare often found in this sector.

In keeping with its minimal appearance is the compact form factor. The base and lid are pleasingly thin, and the overall unit is quite light. The materials don’t feel particularly premium though; the plastics are smooth enough, but they lack solidity. Despite trying to look like some of the best MacBooks, the HP Laptop 14 fails to match their formidable construction.

That said, the hinge for the lid offers reassuring stability, preventing the display from wobbling when hammering away on the keyboard and touchpad. The recline angle is quite generous as well, although unfortunately, it doesn’t extend all the way to 180 degrees.

(Image credit: Future)

The keycaps feature prominently embossed lettering, so you really feel them under your fingertips. I’m not sure whether this is an intended design choice or merely unrefined design; regardless, I like their tactility, even if they don’t feel particularly premium. However, I was decidedly less impressed with the lack of backlighting, which is an egregious omission for any laptop keyboard in my view.

Despite the truncated layout, you get navigation keys on the right, which helps with productivity tasks. But the lack of a number pad, coupled with the shortened up and down arrow keys, are a hindrance for such work.

There aren’t many ports on the HP Laptop 14, but the essential ones are present. There are two USB-A ports, one either side, which is something I welcome. However, there’s only type-C, and it can’t deliver enough power to charge the HP Laptop 14, or support external monitor connections. At least you get an HDMI port for the latter purpose; it’s an interface that’s an increasingly rare sight on modern laptops.

• Design: 3.5 / 5

HP Laptop 14 review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Shoddy multitasking abilities
• Non-existent gaming capability
• Poor display viewing angles

HP Laptop 14 benchmarks

3DMark: Night Raid: 8,971; Fire Strike: 2,132
Geekbench 6.5 (Single Core): 2,230; (Multi Core): 5,468; GPU (Vulkan): 11,161; GPU (OpenCL): 9,169
Geekbench AI (Single Precision): 1,741; (Half Precision): 761; (Quantized): 3,583
Cinebench R23 (Multi Core): 5,580
Cinebench R24 (Single Core): 98; (Multi Core): 358
Crossmark: Overall: 1,295; Productivity: 1,373; Responsiveness: 1,132; Creativity: 1,279
Passmark: Overall: 2,904; CPU: 12,395; 2D Graphics: 509; 3D Graphics: 1,985; Memory: 2,217; Disk: 13,797
BlackMagicDisk: Read: 348MB/s; Write: 2,493MB/s
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 7 hours and 46 minutes

The HP Laptop 14 was a mediocre performer during much of my testing. It can handle light workloads, such as word processing and streaming video. However, it’s prone to slowdowns and momentary freezes when multiple browser tabs are open, so this isn’t the best machine for those seeking multitasking capabilities.

As expected given the modest spec of my unit, high-end gaming is out of the question for the HP Laptop 14. Even with the lowest graphical preset selected, it failed to run Cyberpunk 2077 in any sort of playable state, blighted by copious amounts of stutter and horrendous frame rates as it was. Suffice to say, it’s not going to trouble the best gaming laptop models, but at least there’s little heat or noise generated in the process.

What’s more, the 1080p resolution feels a little outdated on a laptop display this size. The UI elements are crisp enough, and I certainly wouldn’t say it was unpleasant to look at, but when you consider many mid-range laptops now have 2K resolutions and above, the HP Laptop 14 falls behind the competition. The worst aspect of the display, though, is its very limited viewing angles. If it’s not set perfectly, on-screen content will darken to the point of obscurity, or reveal prominent reflections.

(Image credit: Future)

On a more positive note, the keyboard of the HP Laptop 14 is largely pleasant to use. The keys have a very light actuation and react quickly, while at the same time having a generous amount of travel. Altogether, these aspects make for easy and snappy typing. The spacing of the keys is comfortable, too. There’s just about enough dampening to reduce harsh feedback, although I did feel the keyboard enclosure compressing inwards as I typed away – a constant reminder of the HP Laptop 14’s subpar construction. Fortunately, this didn’t negatively affect the typing experience.

The touchpad is sufficient, offering smooth and precise inputs for the most part. There were, however, occasions where stuttering seemed to occur, as the inputs of my swipes failed to register properly, which was mildly frustrating. It’s also a little on the small side, but I didn’t find this compromised basic navigation. And while my right thumb palm frequently made contact with the touchpad while typing, such instances didn’t result in any misplaced taps or cursor swipes.

• Performance: 3 / 5

HP Laptop 14 review: Battery Life

(Image credit: Future)

• Middling battery life
• Not very quick to charge

The battery life of the HP Laptop 14 is mediocre for this class of laptop. It lasted just under eight hours in our movie playback test – a score many of its rivals can beat. This includes other HP models, such as the OmniBook 7 14-inch, which achieved an astonishing 26 hours in the same test, showing just how high the bar is for modern laptop longevity – though, of course, that's a much more expensive laptop.

Charging isn’t as fast as other laptops, either. It took over three hours to fully recharge from empty; many of its rivals can achieve the same at least an hour quicker.

• Battery Life: 3 / 5

Should I buy the HP Laptop 14?HP Laptop 14 Scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

The base model is cheap, but I wouldn't recommend it. Higher spec models are too expensive.

3.5 / 5

Design

The compact form and tidy looks are commendable, but the cheap-feeling materials and limited connectivity options are drawbacks.

3.5 / 5

Performance

Disappointing for the price. The display is also poor at keeping reflections and shadows at bay.

3 / 5

Battery life

Not great; many rivals can outlast it by a long way.

3 / 5

Total Score

The small footprint and minimalist design of the HP Laptop 14 are strengths, but it's too expensive given the mediocre performance. Many rivals offer better value for money.

3 / 5

Buy it if...

You’ll be doing a lot of typing
The generous spacing, light actuation, and relatively deep travel of the keys make for an easy-going typing experience.

You want a sleek design
It won’t melt your heart, but the subtle elegance and compact form factor are sufficiently appealing.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best performance
Even light multitasking can cause the HP Laptop 14 to come unstuck, and any form of gaming is pretty much out of the question.

You want the best display
Many other laptop displays in this class have higher resolutions and don’t suffer from the same viewing angle problems.

HP Laptop 14 review: Also consider

HP OmniBook 7 14-inch (2025)
It might have a higher starting price than the HP Laptop 14, but we’ve seen some serious discounts on this excellent laptop. It beats the HP Laptop 14 hands down in just about every category, making it one of the best mid-range laptops you can buy right now.

HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch
If you’re looking for high-performance but don’t mind forgoing the Windows environment, then a Chromebook Plus model, such as this HP Chromebook Plus, might be ideal for you. It’s a great performer across many areas and has a decent display offering much better viewing angles than the HP Laptop 14. All these attributes make it not just one of the best Chromebooks, but also one of the best student laptop picks. Read our full HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch review.

How I tested the HP Laptop 14

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for several days
• Used for a variety of tasks
• Ran numerous benchmarks

I tested the HP Laptop 14 for several days, during which time I used it for general browsing, light productivity, and streaming videos.

I also put it through TechRadar’s series of benchmark tests, designed to assess every aspect of a laptop’s performance. I tested the battery life by running a movie on a continuous loop until it shut down.

I have reviewed a large number of laptops across a wide range, from small budget-friendly models to large gaming-oriented behemoths. I’ve also reviewed other computing devices, including tablets, Chromebooks, and desktop PCs.

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

To many, Highguard promised to be the anticipated spiritual successor to hit battle royale Apex Legends. After all the developer, Wildcard Entertainment, is made up of Respawn Entertainment veterans, and links to Apex and Titanfall were mentioned in the new title's marketing.

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PS5, PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Release date: January 26, 2026

At first glance, the comparison holds: it’s a squad-based 3v3 shooter with fantastic-feeling gunplay, a similar weapon progression system, a comparable art style, and, perhaps most importantly, the same shadow-drop release strategy (well – until an early The Game Awards reveal gave away the secret). But I’ve spent 15 hours in Highguard in its first week, and I’m not convinced that it can hold people’s attention as long as Apex has. It still feels a few major and minor tweaks away from being a Legendary hit – but a few months’ wait could see it transform into a gem.

Highguard is set in a fantasy-meets-guns world, and sees you loot and shoot in matches lasting between six and 30 minutes. Rounds take place in medium-sized maps, and they see each squad scavenging for supplies and gear, before trying to carry a spawning Shieldbreaker artifact to the opponents’ base and, if successful, embark on a raid wherein they must plant and defend explosives to lower a base’s health.

That’s a thoroughly truncated version of how the rounds work. Highguard can be a little complicated at times, and the game does little to clear up what various limited-respawn rounds or overtime timers actually mean. I’d played at least 10 matches before it all became clear: this is just Capture the Flag and Search and Destroy, with extra frills.

(Image credit: Wildcard Entertainment)

As of launch, these Raid battles are all that's available: no single-player, no other round styles.

The heart of the action

At its core, Highguard is a fantastic shooter. It feels crisp, frenetic, responsive; firing guns, traversing the environment and juggling hero powers all feels amazing. The tense and tactical squad combat ported over from Apex feels even more heart-pounding when you’ve got an objective to destroy or enemy carrying a Shieldbearer to fell. But that nourishing main course is surrounded by a few lukewarm entrees.

Take Wardens: the game launched with eight, but they’re not all equal. You’ll scarcely play a match without someone picking Kai, whose instant ice walls dictate the movement of battles, or Una and their summonable grenade-lobbing wisps. But other heroes barely get used, with powers that are too situational to be worth picking.

(Image credit: Wildcard Entertainment)

Similarly, the guns aren’t balanced at launch. Assault rifles, the revolver, and sniper rifles are all solid, but close-quarters guns like shotguns and SMGs don't justify inventory space, either for their slow time-to-kill, lack of function over distance, or simply being outclassed by a similar weapon. You can only carry two guns, after all (plus a raid weapon, like a sledgehammer or rocket launcher), so it pays to choose wisely.

Possibly the most damning part of the game, and the thing that stops it from matching Apex, is that it can grow repetitive. Matches feel similar: you’re always spawning in the same spots, picking the same wardens, using the same guns, playing on the same small maps, and opening chests to find the same restricted pool of loot.

This latter is the problem that needs fixing the most. There are no health pick-ups, since it refills on its own. There are no ammo pick-ups, since you spawn with all you’ll need. Attachments don’t exist. There's little need to hunt for the perfect weapon, since you spawn with whichever guns you'd like. And since gear rarity is tied to progression, with better weapons and shields spawning in each subsequent round, there’s no need to keep opening chests in the hopes of a rare game-changer until you're on the last round, when every chest has them.

(Image credit: Wildcard Entertainment)

I found myself longing for the battle royale title, where the rhythm of the match would be dictated by randomness: where the drop ship began, and what gear and power-ups I found.

Repetitive gameplay can suit some shooters like Call of Duty, where you’re always seconds from a gunfight. But in Highguard, you’ve got minutes of downtime spent mining for resources or waiting for the Shieldbreaker to spawn, in which to ponder “could I be doing something better with my time?”.

At launch, there are five maps, chosen at random. They all consist of some main areas: your enemy’s base and your team’s base, which you choose from a limited pool before the match begins. The number of loot chests feels inconsistent between them, but generally predictable in each: the red gun chests and blue support chests are largely in those three central points.

(Image credit: Wildcard Entertainment)

Despite what some online commenters say, I never found the maps were too big; you’re always told where the Shieldbreaker will spawn next, and where air support crates will drop, so it’s easy to make an informed decision as to where the enemy will be – and they're quick to traverse, with ziplines and a mount-summoning system that feels ripped straight out of Elden Ring.

Taking the High(guard) road

It’s a little hard to review Highguard, given that the game will change in the short and long term. Wildcard has promised at least a year of season - sorry, Episodes, coming every other month.

These promise new wardens, weapons, matches, bases, and cosmetics, and I see the game only getting better as the year goes on. They come alongside numerous patches and tweaks, with two coming in the first week of release.

A 5v5 mode was released due to negative first-impression response from gamers, but it plays far worse than 3v3, given how the game is clearly optimized for six players. And a few changes to raid rounds, including reduced attacker lives and a longer respawn timer, mean you spend more time twiddling your thumbs and less time fighting.

(Image credit: Wildcard Entertainment)

Both, in my eyes, make the game worse, but they show the developers’ eagerness to experiment and make changes. I’m hopeful that many of the issues other players and I have had with Highguard can be fixed in the near future.

The in-game store updates every few days, with daily and weekly challenges too, so there are still reasons to come back in the short term. And, thankfully, there are plenty of cosmetics to buy via earned-in-game currencies (though you can spend money on premium ones, if you like).

One other thing I hope to see more of in the future? Some story, other than a few brief lines heroes exchange at the beginning of matches, and what can be inferred from the maps, the fantasy-meets-guns world is a total mystery. Something about a new continent? About some kind of academy? Factories? Your guess is as good as mine, but I'm eager to learn more. Apex basically told its entire story through character introduction trailers, and I suppose Highguard will be the same.

Should you play Highguard?Play it if...

You love tense, tactical, crisp gunplay
Apex's tight and crisp gunplay is back here in force, and it'll particularly appeal to gamers who love objective-based styles of online shooter.

You're playing long after release
Wildcard’s long road map for Highguard ensures it’s only going to get better, so the older the publish date of this review is, the more it’s worth recommending… hopefully.

You're curious
Highguard is free to play, and even its microtransactions feel unobtrusive. If you're even the least bit curious, there's no harm in trying it out.

Don't play it if...

You want long-range or close-quarters firefights
The long-distance Battlefield-style large-map play, and close-quarters Call of Duty-style firefights, exist together in Highguard. Don't play if you only like one or the other.

You're expecting a battle royale
Due to the Apex link, many people were likely hoping Highguard would be more of the same. It plays similarly, but scratches a very different kind of itch.

Accessibility

Highguard has a small handful of accessibility features: subtitles and support for ten languages (including English, Spanish, and French).

That's not the biggest list I've ever seen, but just like the in-game content, it's possible that Wildcard will improve this over time.

Visually, many of its features can be turned off to improve performance or cater to visual accessibility. You can remove chromatic aberration and motion blur, toggle the FOV slider, and tweak the quality of effects, shading, foliage, and more.

How I reviewed Highguard

At the time of writing this review, my play time for Highguard on Steam stands at 15 hours. A small handful of those will be from opening day issues: failing to get into the tutorial, games crashing, and loading issues. But I’d estimate at least 12 of those are playing various raid matches. I made sure to play multiple rounds with each character, although there are some I found myself favoring more.

I also briefly tested 5v5 mode when it came out, and checked back in for each patch during the first week.

I played on my custom-built PC, which uses an RTX 3060 Ti, Asrock Z590 Phantom Gaming, and 16GB RAM. I played both on Wi-Fi (22Mbps average speed) and Ethernet (70Mbps average speed). My monitor is the Eve Spectrum 4K 144Hz, and I alternated audio between the Creative Pebble Nova speakers and AKG N9 headphones. For controls, I used the Clutch GM41 Lightweight mouse and the Logitech G213 Prodigy keyboard.

First reviewed February 2026

JBL Boombox 4: two-minute review

The JBL Boombox 4 is the latest high-end option in JBL’s popular consumer Bluetooth speaker lineup, and so has some pretty big shoes to fill. Its predecessor, the JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi has become a mainstay recommendation for anyone searching for one of the best Bluetooth speakers on audio forums or social media thanks to its durable design, impressive sound, and decent level of portability.

All of these qualities remain true in this slightly more expensive follow-up, so the biggest question is whether the JBL Boombox 4 is actually an upgrade. For my money, the answer is yes.

Where the Boombox 3 offered a three-way system with a dedicated subwoofer, the Boombox 4 relies on a two-way system that replaces the subwoofer with a passive radiator. On paper this might seem like a bit of a downgrade, but in the real world the Boombox 4 sounds just as clear as the 3 Wi-Fi, though actually enhanced by noticeably richer bass.

It’s also significantly louder, capable of reaching up to an eardrum decimating 105dB – that’s about as loud as your average car horn and more than enough to ensure it can be heard across even large outdoor venues. Just be warned that the sound starts to hollow out the closer you get to these absurd volumes, though that’s to be expected in a speaker of this relatively modest 20 x 10 x 8inch / 51 x 26 x 21cm size.

(Image credit: Future)

I’m sure some audiophiles will argue the Boombox 4 reproduces sound less faithfully than the Boombox 3 Wi-Fi overall and that some of the mid-range is sacrificed for this loud and booming tuning. To that I would say go buy a Bose Soundlink Max, and steer clear of a product line that’s explicitly designed for party settings where loudness and bass are king.

Unlike the Boombox 3 Wi-Fi, there’s also no audible difference in performance when the Boombox 4 is unplugged (on paper you do lose about 5W of power in each of the two woofers, though I would challenge anyone to notice without a spectrogram) which makes it a more practical pick for events.

Adding to that practically is the fact that the JBL Boombox 4 is also more futureproof than any older model to date. It features a user replaceable battery (make sure you buy the JBL Battery 600, as there are a few similar looking models on the official website) so you don’t need to worry about your expensive speaker becoming e-waste after a few years thanks to battery degradation.

JBL even now sells battery charging cradles that allow you to keep a topped up cell on hand as a useful spare. You’re also getting Auracast support, letting you pair it up easily with any compatible models, such as the recently released JBL Grip or JBL Flip 7.

Are all these changes enough for existing Boombox 3 Wi-Fi owners to justify running out to drop $549.95 / £449.99 /AU$699.95 on a new speaker? I don’t think so given the lofty price tag, but if you’re buying for the first time, then this new version is a clear, and forward-thinking, choice.

JBL Boombox 4 review: price and release date

• Costs $549.95 / £449.99 /AU$699.95
• Launched in September 2025
• Has already dropped by almost $100 / £100

The JBL Boombox 4 launched in September 2025 and retails for $549.95 / £449.99 /AU$699.95 officially. That’s about $100 / £100 more than you can find the older JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi right now, though you should note that the Boombox 4 has already received some significant discounts at times.

Indeed, at the time of writing it can be yours for $449.95 / £355.99 via the official JBL website, with the potential for even better deals at retailers like Amazon – this goes great way towards close the gap between the two models.

At similar prices, the JBL Boombox 4 is the best bet as it boasts newer features like the Auracast support, plus louder sound, richer bass, and that user replaceable battery for longevity.

The JBL Boombox 4 is available in three colorways: the green camo inspired Squad, a cheerful Blue, and rather basic Black

JBL Boombox 4 review: specs

Weight

13lbs / 5.89kg

Dimensions

20 x 10 x 8inch / 51 x 26 x 21cm

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C (lossless)

Battery life

Up to 28 hours

Speaker drivers

2 x 65W RMS Woofer, 2 x 40W RMS Tweeter (on battery power) / 2 x 60W RMS Woofer, 2 x 40W RMS Tweeter (on AC power)

Waterproofing

IP68

(Image credit: Future)JBL Boombox 4 review: features

• Two bass boost modes with basic lighting
• Playtime boost for extended battery life
• Auracast support and robust companion app

The JBL Boombox 4 is loaded with all the bells and whistles that you would expect from a modern JBL speaker. There’s Bluetooth 5.4 support, plus the option to use a USB-C cable for lossless audio playback (or even charge your phone in a pinch).

It’s got Auracast with a pairing button to activate the feature, which allows you to easily pair (nearly) countless compatible speakers together. There are also two optional bass boost modes, Deep and Punch, toggled via a dedicated button or in the JBL Portable app.

Although Punchy is definitely my preference of the two, I tended to stay away from either, because while they do increase bass noticeably, they tend to overpower the sound leading to a much less pleasant listening experience.

With Deep bass activated, the JBL logos on the two massive passive radiators on each end of the speaker illuminate in a bright pulsing orange which then turns white when Deep is enabled. It’s a lovely effect, but I do wish there was a way to turn it on independently of these bass modes, or even just the option to customize the colors of either. You can at least disable it entirely if you wish.

Aside from your usual power, Bluetooth pairing, play, pause, and volume controls, the rest of the major features are accessible via the excellent JBL Portable app. This includes a range of equalizer settings plus a screen to create your own using a seven-band EQ.

If battery life is a concern, you can turn on Playtime Boost – a feature also found in other JBL speakers, and that my colleague Harry Padoan strongly recommends in other models. It enables you to squeeze out an extra few hours of playtime, but in this case it leaves the Boombox 4 sounding incredibly hollow, with little bass and a totally obliterated mid and high range. It's good to have just in case, but you’re probably not going to want to use this unless you’re really desperate.

This is especially true given the already superb battery performance of the speaker. JBL quotes a battery life of up to 28 hours, though I was able to push it above the 35 hour mark on lower (but still very listenable) volume,s which is impressive.

If you slap the volume up on max and enable a bass boost mode, you can expect a figure around the five to 10-hour range depending on your choice of music – enough to last for the bulk of a party and trigger a few noise complaints.

• Features score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future)JBL Boombox 4 review: sound quality

• Clear sound with booming bass
• Sweet spot below 70% volume
• Prone to distortion in certain instances

For the most part, the JBL Boombox 4 delivers sublime sound – especially if you keep it below around 70% volume (that’s still plenty loud enough for a party unless you particularly loathe your neighbors, mind you).

The energetic percussion of Readymade by Ado packs a serious punch without diminishing the quality of the dramatic vocals, which come clearly with an impressive amount of detail, or the treble. The hectic Mirror Tune by Zutomayo demonstrates strong instrument separation in spite of the bold bass, with a rich and full sound that is a delight to listen to on repeat. Japanese hip-hop anthem Harenchi by Chanmina produced a delightfully rich sub-bass while simultaneously maintaining plenty of low-end detail.

I initially feared that more gentle tracks like Cö Shu Nie’s undress me and Artificial Vampire would be spoiled by overemphasized bass, but thankfully found them to be delightfully bouncy and detailed throughout.

As you start taking it louder, the sound does begin to strain, as the drivers reach their limits. It’s most noticeable above the 70% mark, where the mid-range becomes thin in the mix, and the treble relatively tinny, but this is a reasonable compromise when you’re pushing a speaker of this size this loud.

Importantly, the bass remains strong regardless of your chosen volume level, meaning that this is going to be a crowd-pleaser if you need to crank it up to fill a large space.

Unfortunately, the experience is not completely perfect. One track I tested, the recently released Butterfly by Wednesday Campanella, was noticeably distorted in the lower treble, leading to an unpleasant sibilant sound that grated on the ears.

There is some sibilance present in the original track, but the JBL Boombox 4 definitely brings it to the fore more than any other audio device that I’ve tested – even other Bluetooth speaker models by JBL.

The cause of this is unclear and, hopping online, I soon was able to find a few users complaining of a similar effect in a handful of other songs by a range of artists. To be clear, this is not a widespread issue across my music, and I only noticed it occurring in one song out of the hundreds that I tested, so I’m not docking too many points for it, but it is unfortunate that the listening experience falls just short of flawless across the board.

Hopefully it’s the result of some kind of software issue, and will be remedied in a future update.

• Sound quality score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)JBL Boombox 4 review: design

• Hefty look and feel
• Classic rugged JBL design
• Easy to use controls

It’s impossible to fault the JBL Boombox 4 on an aesthetic front if, like me, you’re already a big fan of the brand’s now iconic rugged designs.

This speaker is a behemoth, with an overall shape reminiscent of a handheld battering ram. It’s clad in a thick fabric that’s remarkably resistant to cuts and grazes, with a massive handle on top. Despite being constructed primarily from plastic, with just a small strip of metal on top, the handle feels very solid with some pleasant textures that make the speaker a little easier to haul around.

Although lighter than the Boombox 3 Wi-Fi, which weighed a hefty 14.7lbs / 6.7kg, the Boombox 4 is still quite heavy at 13lbs / 5.89kg, so it’s not one that you’re going to want to carry around too frequently even resting on your shoulder in classic boombox fashion. Still, it’s portable enough to bring to a party or out to the park.

Each end of the Boombox 4 features a massive passive radiator surrounded by inches of thick rubber. I haven’t consciously dropped my review model from a great height, but this seems like it would be enough to provide some decent protection if the worst was to happen. Each radiator features a JBL exclamation mark logo, which illuminates with LED lighting when the speaker’s bass boost modes are enabled.

On the bottom there’s a flat rubber base flanked by two grippy strips. Look closely and you’ll see the screws necessary for removing the battery – a slightly fiddly affair, though this shouldn’t be too surprising given the speaker’s IP68 waterproof and dustproof rating, meaning it can take a full dunking in a pool.

On the rear of the speaker is a small rubber flap that hides the charging port to use with the included power adapter and a USB-C port for lossless audio. You can’t charge the speaker via USB-C, though you can use it as a power bank for your other devices if you need to.

In terms of controls, you get the usual JBL affair of play/pause, volume up and down, plus power, Bluetooth pairing, and Auracast. This is in addition to a button with a ‘B’ icon that toggles the bass boost modes. It’s all very intuitive and easy to use, and the most important buttons are illuminated to help you see them at night.

• Design score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future)JBL Boombox 4 review: value

• A high-end party speaker
• You’re paying for the design
• Still, good value if you have the budget

There’s no getting around the fact that the JBL Boombox 4 is expensive. At $549.95 / £449.99 / AU$699.95, it’s significantly pricier than more budget-oriented competitors such as the Tribit Stormbox Blast 2 and even JBL’s own previous generation model, the JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi.

Of course, you are paying a premium for the quality of the design and construction, not to mention the excellent software, so those on a strict budget are better saving their cash and settling for something else.

If you are willing to splash out that much, or manage to find the speaker at one of its many attractive discounts, you’re going to be very happy with what you’re getting for your cash.

• Value score: 4/5

Should you buy the JBL Boombox 4?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Everything you could want in a modern party speaker, with smart additions like a removable battery and Auracast.

5/5

Sound quality

Almost perfect party sound with booming bass and excellent clarity. It’s a shame a small number of songs suffer from distortion, though.

4.5/5

Design

Rugged, durable, and good looking. It’s impossible to fault the JBL Boombox 4 here.

5/5

Value

This is a premium speaker for those with a big budget. There are cheaper alternatives out there, but the build quality is worth it.

4/5

Buy it if...

You crave a high-end party speaker
The JBL Boombox 4 is a brilliant party speaker, with booming bass and loud sound that’s going to be more than enough to fill even large outdoor venues.

You want a future proof buy
While the JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi is often cheaper, the Boombox 4 benefits from forward thinking features like the addition of Auracast and a user replaceable battery.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a tight budget
This is a premium product aimed at those with a hefty budget. You can still find great sounding party speakers for much less, so if you want to save some cash you could be better served with alternatives like those below.

JBL Boombox 4 review: also consider

JBL Boombox 4

Tribit Stormbox Blast

JBL Xtreme 4

Price

$549.95 / £449.99 / AU$699.95

$199.99 / £162 (about AU$300)

$379.95 / £329.99 / AU$499.95

Weight

13lbs / 5.89kg

11.6lbs / 5.3kg

4.63 lbs / 2.1kg

Dimensions

20 x 10 x 8inch / 51 x 26 x 21cm

14.4 x 4.1 x 3.1 inches (366 x 104 x 79 mm)

11.69 x 5.87 x 5.55 inches / 297 x 149 x 141mm

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C (lossless)

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C

Battery life

Up to 28 hours

30 hours

24 hours

Speaker drivers

2 x 65W RMS Woofer, 2 x 40W RMS Tweeter (on battery power) / 2 x 60W RMS Woofer, 2 x 40W RMS Tweeter (on AC power)

2x 30W woofer, 2 x 15W tweeters

2 x 30W woofers, 2 x 20W tweeters

Waterproofing

IP68

IPX7

IP67

Tribit Stormbox Blast
The Tribit Stormbox Blast doesn’t look anywhere near as nice as the Boombox 4, but it still delivers meaty, room-filling sound at a fraction of the price. It’s the party speaker to go for if you want the most possible bang for your buck.

Read our full Tribit Stormbox Blast review

JBL Xtreme 4
The Boombox 4’s little sibling could also be a good pick if you want something a bit more portable. It offers talented sound, strong battery life, and a useful shoulder strap for hauling it around.

Read our full JBL Xtreme 4 review

JBL Boombox 4 review: how I tested

• Tested for over three months
• Used at home and outside
• Tried in group settings

I spent more than three months with the JBL Boombox 4, much to my neighbors' chagrin. During that time I endeavoured to put it through its paces by testing its audio capabilities with a wide range of music. I mostly relied on my personal Apple Music library, but also tried tracks from YouTube Music and Tidal.

I used the speaker at home, outside, and brought it with me to a variety of social events over the Christmas period. I tested its battery life by setting the volume level to roughly a fifth and playing a looping playlist over multiple days, recording the hours taken for it to gradually trickle down to zero.

I compared it against my hands-on use of not only the Boombox 3 Wi-Fi, but also other JBL speakers that I own including the JBL Flip 7, JBL Grip, JBL Go 4, and more.

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

Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A: two-minute review

Several camera brands are riding the wave of sudden popularity in compact digital models that we’ve seen over the past couple of years. I suppose we should have seen an uptick in interest coming, once photographers started using smartphone cameras for ‘serious’ work, and while the format has never truly vanished completely, the humble compact seems to be returning to the mainstream.

The Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A (known as the Ixus 285 HS A outside the US) is indistinguishable from its predecessor, the ‘A’ in the name being the only external feature that can be used to tell them apart. The biggest internal differences are the replacement of a full SD card slot with a microSD type, which is either an advantage or a nuisance, depending on how you look at it. Apart from some minor changes to Wifi security, that’s about it when looking for ‘new’ features. So, in short, if you didn’t like the 2016 version, which went viral because of TikTok and that fact Kendall Jenner has one, the 2025 edition is unlikely to be for you.

Image quality is perfectly acceptable for point-and-shoot uses which, let’s face it, is the main reason you’d buy a compact camera in the first place. It isn’t going to win awards for critical sharpness or low light performance like it’s big brother the Canon EOS R6 Mark III, nor is it going to become a Netflix filmmakers tool, like the Nikon ZR, but it provides maximum portability and a practical solution for casual travel photography.

The Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A/ Ixus 285 HS A compact camera is incredibly small and fits into a pocket (Image credit: Peter Fenech)

Its 20.2MP 1/2.3-inch sensor is back-illuminated, which goes some way to improving signal-noise ratio in reasonable lighting, but it falls short once the ambient lighting levels drop. Images are fairly mushy under interior lights, where the ISO must be raised above 400.

I’m glad Canon didn’t feel tempted to squeeze on more pixels, which is something many smartphone manufacturers do to grab the headlines, as any more would have been a step too far in my opinion. The flash doesn’t help much as it’s small and not very powerful, plus it tends to bleach detail, creating an ugly exposure fall-off inherent to direct flash photography in darker environments.

However, you’ll probably find this flash effect is one of the reasons for people to buy the camera. It’s an incomprehensible reversal of consumer aspirations for image quality, but the ‘disposable camera look’ of the 80s, 90s and 2000s is to Gen-Z what honey is to ants. Images from cameras such as this are edgy and original to this age group, while to mine (millennials and others with more grey hairs than they’d like generally known) they bring a wash of nostalgia.

The zoom is very handy, supported by a surprisingly effective image stabilization (IS) system that keeps shots steady as low as 1/25sec at the long end of the focal range in my tests. The screen, meanwhile, isn’t super-detailed but matches the baseline quality of the files the sensor is capable of turning out.

All-in-all, the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A / Ixus 285 HS A is a fun, trendy, and highly usable compact camera that, as long as you buy it with realistic expectations, is sure to bring you joy and great memories.

Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A specsCanon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A specs:

Type:

Digital compact

Sensor:

1/2.3 type back-illuminated CMOS

Sensitivity:

ISO 80-3200

Shutter speeds:

5 – 1/2000sec

LCD:

7.5 cm (3.0”) LCD (TFT), Approx. 461,000 dots

Memory:

MicroSD

Lens:

4.5 – 54.0 mm (25 – 300 mm Efl) f/3.6 – f/7.0

Video:

Full HD (1080p)

Photo:

20.2MP

Burst rate

2.5fps / 7.2fps (5MP)

Dimensions:

99.6 x 58.0 x 22.8 mm

Weight:

5.15oz / 146g

(Image credit: Peter Fenech)Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A: Price and availability

• Released September 9 2025
• Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A costs $379.99 / £369.99 / AU$549
• The camera is currently sold out in most markets due to high demand

The Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A is available for $379.99 in the USA. The camera is sold as the Canon Ixus 285 HS A in the UK and Australian markets and can be found for £369.99 / AU$549 depending on the retailer.

Due to the incredible demand for the camera, many resellers are currently out of stock in most markets, with back-ordering often available.

• Price score: 4/5

Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A: Design

• Small and compact body which is easy to carry in a coat pocket
• There is no touchscreen LCD, which seems and odd omission
• Telescopic 12x zoom lens closes to a flat profile when the camera is off

On picking up the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A you realise you’d forgotten how impressively small compact cameras could be, despite their sometimes exceptional zoom ranges. Compared to an interchangeable lens camera, or even the average smartphone, this Powershot camera is positively tiny. It comfortably fits in a coat or trouser pocket and, unlike a smartphone, the lens is conveniently folded away behind a protective shutter, reducing the possibility of scratches.

Despite its diminutive proportions, the camera is easy to handle. All of the buttons are within easy reach of the thumb and can be pressed comfortably. Most of these are recessed into the camera body, making it less likely to press them by accident - always a potential issue on a device that lives in your pocket, but without the protection of a locked touchscreen.

For someone with larger hands such as myself, it can be a challenge to hit the right button on the first attempt without knocking its neighbours, since they are all so close together. I didn’t encounter too many occasions where I was required to work quickly with the PowerShot though, so it didn’t prove too inconvenient.

(Image credit: Peter Fenech)

The mode switch on the top right of the body, next to the shutter button, makes it simple to flick between Automatic and custom shooting modes, although there aren’t too many of those. The Auto mode is the basic point-and-shoot mode for stills and video, but by navigating through the menu system, it’s possible to switch the camera into Program mode for more manual control.

Just as on higher-end cameras, Program mode looks after the shutter speed and f-stop, but enables the user to select the ISO along with color profiles and other more custom settings. There is no Tv or Av modes like you might find on the main dial of a Canon EOS R8, or even the entry level mirrorless Canon EOS R100, however, so you are reliant on the internal light meter to do its job well.

The middle position is the Creative Shot mode, which curiously shoots five additional frames each time you fire the shutter, each one having a different effect applied. I guess this is a quick way to capture unique shots for social media, but the effects themselves are questionable.

Finally, Hybrid Auto captures a short video ahead of the final still photo, creating a sort of behind-the-scenes style clip that could be used to accompany an image in an Instagram Reel or on TikTok. You can tell it’s this user demographic the Elph 360 HS A is aimed squarely towards.

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The main LCD isn’t especially mind-blowing, not least because it isn’t touch-sensitive. I understand this keeps the cost down, but in the smartphone age it seems a strange omission. I guess it really leans into the ‘blast from the past’ theme and while I was unhappy at first, I quickly grew accustomed to going without. In fact, I ended up enjoying the neo-vintage effect this created and suddenly, I was back in High School again. Technology-wise, the 2000s were literally simpler times.

The resolution can’t keep up with many of the most recent smartphones and tablets, at approximately 461,000 dots, and images do look a little washed out. Even magnifying the preview image doesn’t reveal much about the sharpness and contrast of the saved file. However, shots from this camera aren’t meant to be seen up close or in-print, so the screen is good enough for checking the basics of composition and exposure, in anticipation of sending your images to the web.

The new microSD memory card format might bug some users, especially if you have a collection of full-size SD cards in your collection. However, since many potential buyers will be coming from a smartphone anyway, it shouldn’t be too unfamiliar. If you buy a microSD card with an SD adaptor, you can enjoy the best of both worlds should you need to re-use it in a larger format camera.

• Design score:4.5/5

Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A: Performance

• Relatively limited 180-shot battery life
• Integrated optical IS system is very effective in low light
• Rapid autofocus with subject tracking
• No RAW file shooting capability

Despite having a smaller sensor and often lower resolution than interchangeable lens cameras, compacts also regularly suffer from reduced processing power, caused by the use of a derated version of a processing engine found in higher-end models. This keeps costs and size down, but negatively impacts performance, including startup times. Thankfully, the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A doesn’t lag too much, and takes only a couple of seconds to be shot-ready from pressing the power button. There weren’t any instances where I felt I had missed a shot because the camera wasn’t ready. It’s impressive for a model in this price bracket.

Similarly, there isn’t excessive buffering after each shot, perhaps helped by the fact you can only shoot JPEGs, with no RAW mode available. This limits maximum file size, but the result is still a sporty camera with respectable reflexes. There’s more of a delay after a burst of images, namely in the Creative Shot mode where a sequence of six shots is created in one go, putting the DIGIC 4+ processor under more strain.

The iSAPS (Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) technology is said to improve the performance of the white balance, autofocus, and auto exposure systems – the camera put in a reasonable performance on all fronts.

The AF system isn’t up to the standards of the Dual Pixel CMOS AF system seen in cameras like the Canon EOS R5 Mark II or EOS R10 or even the PowerShot V1. These models not only provide full phase-detection AF capability, but also have far more latitude for customization of subject sensitivity and tracking behavior. That said, the PowerShot Elph 360 HS A isn’t slow to focus, especially in good light.

It was able to pick out details in the landscape, at both wide and long focal lengths with minimal hunting, and rarely did I find it had back or front-focused. It struggled more at close focusing distances, using the Macro shooting mode. I couldn’t get the camera to find the area of the subject I wanted it focus on, and so it took several attempts to guide it in the right direction. I didn’t expect much else since even dedicated macro lenses can show their AF weaknesses at minimum focus distance. Moreover, the 1cm working distance is praiseworthy.

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(Image credit: Peter Fenech)

The Creative Shot mode captures a sequence of five additional images, each with creative effects applied. Some are more attractive than others

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The zoom range is a reason alone to buy the camera over using a phone. It offers a full-frame equivalent of a 25-300mm lens – a 12x optical zoom. This covers both standard-wide and telephoto lengths. The zoom travel is rapid and smooth, making in-clip zooming possible during video shooting, although the internal mic does pick up the noise of moving components. Within about five seconds from hitting the power button, I was racked out at the longest focal length and focused on my subject.

AF tracking isn’t the camera’s strong point, especially at these telephoto settings. But once again, it’s good enough for the types of scenarios you’d be using such a camera. The AF points aren’t as thoughtfully spaced and positioned as on an enthusiast-level camera, and they rely on a contrast detection-based system, which is always going to be slower and more prone to hunting. This is particularly noticeable in low light, and on a couple of occasions the camera failed to focus entirely.

• Performance score: 4/5

Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A: image quality

• The sensor is smaller than on smartphones such as the iPhone 17 Pro
• Low-light images feature quite heavy detail loss through noise reduction
• The lens is sharp and can reveal good detail at lower ISO settings

That 1/2.3-inch sensor is significantly smaller than the unit found on the latest iPhone, which is of the 1/1.28-inch format. It’s hard to imagine that phones have overtaken compact cameras in this way, but it’s also important to remember that the iPhone starts at around $1,100 while the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A retails for about $379. That’s a pretty big price gap. Yes, the iPhone isn’t a dedicated photographic tool, but it’s a technology powerhouse and one of Apple’s flagship products. The PowerShot is a proverbial drop in the ocean in the percentage it contributes to Canon’s yearly turnover.

Even with a 20-megapixel resolution, the pixels are fairly small, with an approximate pixel pitch of 1.19 micrometers. This limits their light-gathering capacity, which you can see in the signal-noise ratio from ISO400 and above. At the lowest sensitivities the situation is much better, and outdoors the resolution is rather good. It’s under these conditions that you get to see what the lens is capable of, and it impresses in its sharpness. I was especially enamored by its micro contrast, which lends a great deal of texture to stone walls, tree bark and other granular materials.

In flatter tones like the sky, or smooth areas of berries and other glossy surfaces like car paintwork, noise is far more noticeable – it isn’t as effectively hidden amongst subject texture. By ISO800 the mushiness starts being hard to ignore, and at around ISO1600 colors take on a washed-out, insipid character.

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Auto White Balance is fairly accurate, although it is readily confused by saturated color in the frame. Under mixed lighting it will tend to favor one end of the kelvin scale or the other. However, it will then cope unexpectedly well under interior lighting. Exploring the corridors of a 14th-Century castle-turned-hotel, there wasn’t a lot of external light penetrating the small windows in the three foot thick stone walls, so the low illumination and warm artificial light posed a great challenge – true for any camera.

The PowerShot Elph 360 HS A managed to figure out the fluorescent lamps and warm-toned walls, preventing over saturation without unpleasantly neutralizing everything by adding too much blue. A fantastic result for a point-and-shoot camera with limited color control.

Dynamic range, meanwhile, suffers quite a lot from the pixel size, and it doesn’t take much before the photosites are saturated and clipping of the highlights starts to occur. This is even more of a problem in the absence of RAW capture although, while you can actually retrieve a decent amount of shadow detail, once the highlights are blown there’s nothing to bring back.

Video is limited to FHD, although I was surprised once again by the quality in difficult lighting. Grain is definitely visible, but footage can look fantastic. For the TikTok generation, whose buying habits are responsible for bringing the camera back in the first place, it could be genuinely useful.

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The wide end of the zoom (Image credit: Peter Fenech)

The 12x optical zoom is far more powerful than what is available on most smartphones

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And the telephoto end (Image credit: Peter Fenech)

I must also give a special shoutout to the IS system, which demonstrated it could be remarkably effective at reducing camera shake. There were multiple cases where I tapped the shutter release, audibly heard the length of the exposure duration and instinctively went to delete the resulting shot, confident it would be unusably blurry. But to my surprise, there was very little.

In summary, the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A is a fun little camera to use, that keeps the compact camera flame burning. It’s limited in its capabilities, but it does what it is designed to do very well: taking the joy of an ultra-portable camera and de-coupling it from your phone’s myriad other functions.

• Image quality score: 3.5/5

Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A: testing scorecard Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A:

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

If you want a separate camera that isn't buried amongst the other features of your phone, getting it for up to $700 less than the latest top-line handsets is good value

4/5

Design

The button layout is logical and makes good use of the body real estate. It's not that robust, but is fine for everyday usage

4.5/5

Performance

The fast start up and processing times are impressive, while the autofocus puts in a respectable performance for the camera type

4/5

Image quality

It wouldn't be fair to give the camera top marks for image quality. It struggles in all but the best light. However, auto WB is great and the sensor turn in images with a nostalgic feel

3.5/5

Should I buy the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A?Buy it if...

You want a simple point and shoot

If you don't want too many bells and whistles, which even smartphones can overdo these days, this compact will make shooting images easy and fuss-free.View Deal

You're travelling light

Where absolute portability is your priority, the Elph 360 HS A won't take up much space in your bag or pocket. It is also discreet, so won't draw too much attention on the street or in the bar.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You want the best images

The quality of the files from the camera are fine, but the small sensor and lack of RAW mode are always going to limit what can be achieved in terms of detail and color capture.View Deal

You want to take creative control

This isn't a camera for professional use. There is no manual, aperture or shutter priority modes, so high-end or experienced shooters may feel cut off from taking control over their images. Once again, there is no RAW mode so this lack of input extends to the digital darkroom.View Deal

Also consider

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VII

It's a bit long in the tooth in digital terms, plus it is far more expensive, but if you want a camera with professional features that still minimizes size and weight, this is a great choice. The sensor is a little bigger, too, so expect better image quality, while you can also enjoy 4K video recording and a burst rate of 20fps.

Read our in-depth Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VII review

Panasonic Lumix TZ99

Offering a 30x zoom, this compact is genuinely useful for telephoto imagery, such as wildlife and sports. It certainly makes it a great travel companion. You also benefit from a touchscreen and full PASM modes, accessed from a dial on the top plate. The low light performance isn't the best, considering the price, but it will be an upgrade from the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A 

Read our in-depth Panasonic Lumix TZ99 review

How I tested the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A

• I tested a full production model over the course of a week
• I tried the camera in a range of lighting conditions, including low light
• Images were viewed at 100% on-screen and processing applied to assess detail extraction possibilities.

I ensured the camera was tested in some of the harshest lighting conditions it could be presented with, to see how it coped at the extremes of its design. I took it into the dark interior of a castle, which relied heavily on fluorescent lights, creating pools of contrast. I used the camera at every ISO setting and, although I could not alter the aperture, I used every focus length to test the sharpness continuity.

I shot in Auto Mode, Creative Shot Mode, and Program Mode to explore how these impacted the user experience. I used the Low light Mode and compared the images to those where I had applied more manual control over the exposure settings.

I then processed some sample images to see how much detail could be recovered from the shadows, although the shots that appear here are unedited out-of-camera Jpeg.

• First reviewed January 2026

I'm not just a Muppet Show fan; I've idolized Jim Henson for most of my life. Few shared his creative gifts. He was prolific and smart and used puppetry to tell stories in new and novel ways that we'd never seen before, and have scarcely seen since his untimely death in 1990.

Henson's Muppets helped make Sesame Street possible, a show I grew up watching in the 1960s and early 1970s. The original The Muppets Show, which aired from 1976 to 1981, expanded the Muppets' world and reach, introducing a new cast of characters to work with the original leader and (adult in the room) Kermit the Frog (voiced by Jim Henson).

Aimed at a more mixed audience consisting of families, The Muppet Show, set in the vaudevillian-style Muppet Theatre, offered a blend of cornball jokes and winks at the more adult audience. From the start, the mayhem revolved around a line of starry celebrity guests. Half the fun was seeing how these sometimes button-downed stars would act among the all-puppet cast.

The Muppet Show special event will stream on Disney+ soon. (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

Their apparent acceptance of these fabric creations as real helped the audience accept them and their antics as well. There were few shows I looked forward to more each week than The Muppet Show. It was appointment viewing for my family. I know I laughed and watched with fascination at all of Henson's incredible creations and how they extended the state of puppet art and artistry.

By the time the show went off the air, I was in high school and perhaps a little less interested in the Muppets (or perhaps I was just feeling the natural peer pressure to be less interested). Also, the Muppets had graduated to films, first with the incredible The Muppet Movie, the 1979 breakthrough film, which finally merged the Muppet Show and Sesame Street puppet casts, and it's just about perfect.

No other subsequent Muppet film quite reached those heights, though The Muppets Take Manhattan was at least memorable and I have a fondness for 2011's Muppet Movie revival.

The Muppets returned to television briefly in 2015 with the poorly received The Muppets. which tried, without success, to do for the Muppets what The Office did for corporate life. It failed.

By contrast, the new The Muppet Show is a largely faithful recreation of the original show. It is, at times, a charming and nostalgic trip back. Seeing each character, like Scooter, Fozzie the Bear, Gonzo, Beeker, and others, feels like reuniting with old friends.

Kermit remains a strong central presence, and his interplay with the self-involved Miss Piggy is as dysfunctional as ever.

For devoted Henson fans, it's not always easy to listen to the slightly different voice characterizations of Kermit over the years. Steve Whitmire did it for decades after Henson unexpectedly died. In recent years, it's been Matt Vogel. Like Whitmire before him, Vogel does his best to sound like Henson. It's close, but also distracting if you know the original. New fans will not have this problem.

Don't call it a reboot

Kermit the Frog was originally voiced by Jim Henson. (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

While the structure of this 'Special Event' largely follows a format set up during the second season of the original show, there is a nod here that this is, on some level, a sentimental return after a long hiatus.

As the camera pans over Muppet Theatre's backstage lighting, The Rainbow Connection plays gently on a piano in the background. We see Kermit walking past black and white photos of the original show's iconic celebrity guests. The scene shifts to a close-up of Kermits' coffee cup, and then the camera pulls back to reveal Rowlf playing the piano beside him.

"Rowlf, have you been playing this whole time?" Kermit asks before Rowlf responds: "Well, what did you think it was, some kind of sentimental montage in your head?" That forth-wall-breaking and quick shift of tone from sentiment to humor is classic Muppet Show.

The Muppets Show special event is almost the same as the original series. (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

The rest of the format is a virtual duplicate of the original show. There's a short bit between the celebrity guest – in this case, Sabrina Carpenter – and one or more of the Muppets, this time Miss Piggy. It, like most of the bits, is more likely to elicit a groan than outright laughs. After the iconic, giant yellow The Muppet Show curtain drops down, Kermit pops out of "O" in "Show" and enthusiastically announces: "It's the Muppet Show!"

While the show is mostly bits and musical performances, there is a storyline running through the episode in which Kermit, in an effort to please everyone, has wildly overbooked the show. Everyone is so excited to be back that they all want to participate. That returns later to inspire the show's most inspired bit.

The Studio star Seth Rogen executive produces the show, and while his brand of sharp adult humor is in short supply here, Kermit's opening monologue does sound like it might have Rogen's fingerprints on it: "We are so excited to be back on the very stage where it all started, and then ended, and then is maybe starting again, depending on how tonight goes."

The old Peanut Gallery

Waldorf and Statler are back in the peanut gallery. (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

Statler and Waldorf sit in their usual box and make cranky commentary that sounds right at home in a vaudeville show. The joke about the Muppets being broke might be funnier if we didn't know that Disney now owns the Muppets franchise.

Carpenter's performance of Manchild in an old-west saloon populated by Muppets is affecting mainly because of Carpenter's talents and considerable charm. The physical humor is vintage Muppets, though some parents might wonder at the violence (she hits one puppet over the head with a bottle).

There's a live audience populated with humans and Muppets who provide live applause. However, I can't tell whether the laughter is also real, a laugh track, or being prompted by the audience handlers, compelling people to laugh.

Rogen makes a brief appearance in The Muppet Show. (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

Rogen does appear, though he's cut from the show and is ultimately relegated to the audience.

Gonzo also appears but feels underused in his daredevil bits.

There's a Bridgerton-inspired "Pigs in Wigs" segment that falls flat. Piggy's cutting comments just sound mean, and the banter falls somewhere between confusing and uncomfortable. The recasting of Pepe the Prawn as Missy Piggy's lover is a funny sight gag, but as is often the case, the writers seem unsure what to do with Pepe beyond the initial gag.

At one point, Miss Piggy asks, "What is happening here?" and I kind of had the same question.

The less said about the all-rat performance of The Weekend's Blinding Lights, the better. it reminding me a bit of one of those Kids' Bop renditions of popular songs and not in a good way.

Saved in the end

Pepe the Prawn and Miss Piggy during the Bridgerton-inspired "Pigs in Wigs" act. (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

As the show starts to come apart at the seams, Kermit apologetically tells Carpenter that they're "still working out a few kinks," to which Carpenter replies: "That's alright, I love a kink." It's one of a handful of nods to the adult audience that I think it's safe to assume will sail over most kids' heads.

Maya Rudolph also appears as an audience member who falls in love with a large blue Muppet. She's also at one point declared dead. Don't worry, it's all played for laughs, though I do wonder if kids watching will be momentarily concerned as their parents are horrified.

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker during the Muppet Labs segment. (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

I enjoyed the Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker Muppet Labs segment, but again, Beaker's eyes popping out might frighten younger children.

The Kemit-Sabrina Carpenter Islands in the Stream duet is particularly affecting, until Miss Piggy shows up, sabotages it, but ultimately completes the performance. This is in keeping with a show where everything goes wrong.

Scooter and Gonzo (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

By and large, this Muppets special event felt like a show trying desperately to find its footing, that is, until the finale, which I found surprisingly touching.

Kermit can't put on every promised act and leaves the Muppet crew feeling frustrated. Then he stands on stage and says, "I can't say the show has gone exactly as we planned....maybe we're a little rusty...I hope you at least enjoyed some of it." It sounds almost too honest, too real.

Kermit doesn't announce another act. Instead, he starts singing acapella Queen's Don't Stop Me Now. Rawlf joins in on piano and then the entire Muppets cast joins in. It becomes the most joyous number of the entire show, and, if I'm being honest, it was the first thing in the new The Muppets show that left me wanting more.

Verdict

Miss Piggy, Lew Zealand, Kermit (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

The Muppets Show revival is not the best version of the show that's ever existed. It's far from the worst, either. The cornball vaudeville vibe was part of its original charm, but I just don't know if it's smoothly translated into 2026.

I think the writing might need to be updated a bit as Rogen and company figure out where the show and its audience live. This is an audience raised on social video and with humor that's much smarter than what was presented in 1976, or this show 50 years later.

As Carpenter proved, celebrity star power will still help carry the day, but the core of the show remains the puppets. If jokes and performances aren't as sharp and knowing, or just as charismatic as Carpenter's, we may not see future episodes.

Disney+'s The Muppet Show special event streams to subscribers globally on February 4, 2026.