TechRadar Reviews

HR teams already have enough to deal with not to need any complex systems, but small and mid-sized organizations lacking in dedicated HR teams risk being left even further behind.

PeopleHR is a cloud-based HR platform designed to meet this challenge by offering businesses scalable tools to handle all of their core requirements, including onboarding, performance management and payroll.

Now part of the Access Group suite of business software solutions, PeopleHR was designed specifically with SMBs in mind by a team from the UK.

Its modular approach allows businesses to select only the features they need while keeping costs predictable, so it’s simple to keep clear of pricier options you don’t need.

More recent developments have included an AI-powered assistant called Evo, which acts as a copilot for HR teams by helping with automation and analytics.

PeopleHR counts more than 7,000 customers on its books from across the UK, and prides itself on being “open and transparent” for all its customers.

• Our guide to the best HR software

PeopleHR: Plans and pricing

Like most HR platforms, PeopleHR has a few different tiers of membership to cater to increasingly demanding needs – in this case, there are four options.

Starter costs £3 per month and includes the AI tools, analytics, absence management and more.

Upgrade to core for £5.50 per month for a more enhanced version of copilot’s GenAI tools as well as expenses management, e-signatures and APIs that support third-party integrations.

These are both available with 14-day trials, but Pro and Elite+ at £8 and £9.50 per month aren’t. They bring features for larger organizations, like employee benefits, rewards and recognition, but they also have important features like time tracking, timesheets, rotating work patterns and performance management.

(Image credit: PeopleHR)PeopleHR: Features

PeopleHR isn’t short on functionality, with all the key features you’d expect covered. Employee records, absence tracking, document management and attendance monitoring are all there.

But it’s much more than a basic system, because performance management features including scheduling reviews, goal setting, feedback collection and analytics help HR professionals keep tabs on their workers’ progress.

It’s also a useful tool for the recruitment process, with job posting, candidate tracking and application management available through an integrated portal.

All in all, PeopleHR distinguishes its platform into five separate areas: HR (for people management, absence and expenses, automated workflows and timesheet management), payroll, talent, learn and engage (for rewards and recognition, employee benefits and wellbeing).

In recognition 83% of companies see using AI in their business strategies as a top priority, PeopleHR also has its own AI tool built-in – called Evo, it takes care of administrative workloads so that HR workers can focus on the people.

The best part is that the copilot generative AI HR Assistant and the Evo dashboard are available across the four subscription tiers.

(Image credit: PeopleHR)PeopleHR: Ease of use

PeopleHR is widely regarded as an easy-to-use platform that’s intuitive and self-explanatory. We found the layouts to be simple and the process to look familiar to others on the market, suggesting there shouldn’t be any major learning curves.

Separate tabs down the left site of the web portal reflect different areas of the site (and functionalities).

The built-in AI also helps HR workers to interact with their data in natural language while surfacing analytics more easily, so there’s no major headaches on that front either.

PeopleHR also has a mobile app that workers can use to find things like colleague details in the company directory, holiday and absence allowances, expenses and other documents.

The app can also be protected with biometrics to keep personal data secure.

(Image credit: PeopleHR)PeopleHR: Support

When you start looking into the pricing of PeopleHR, you’ll notice you can’t just subscribe to a membership and take it from there. You’ll need to chat to an agent and go through an onboarding process, and this training is included as part of the pricing.

Once you’re up and running, though, you may still need support, be it technical or just a query about a feature. Support channels include email, phone and chat, which is really positive, but it’s not necessarily instantaneous. To chat, for example, you’ll still need to book a slot – it’s not a live chat in the sense that many consumers are already familiar with.

There’s also a knowledge base that covers FAQs, webinars, other videos and training opportunities.

(Image credit: PeopleHR)PeopleHR: Final verdict

PeopleHR delivers a well-rounded, cloud-based HR solution that balances performance and usability well. It’s packed with functions and available in your choice of four tiers to maximize affordability, helping to make it a strong fit for a variety of company sizes.

One of the platform’s main strengths is its modular design, which gives organizations the flexibility to start small and add more over time as they expand, without having to change providers.

Another standout feature is PeopleHR’s implementation of generative AI. With tools like Evo, PeopleHR can automate common HR tasks like approval workflows, reporting and analytics, which the company says comes at the benefit of workers who can then free themselves up to focus on their company’s people.

That said, the platform isn’t without its limitations. For example, some features that we’d consider mainstream are reserved for higher-tier subscriptions, so the cheaper options might not be suitable anymore.

Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL review

The Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL is a smart lamp and Bluetooth speaker combo that enables you to switch up the vibe in moments.

Available to purchase directly from the Govee website or at Amazon, the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL has a list price of $179.99 / £169.99. While the price is certainly on the steep side, if you’re already a big Govee fan and want to save space by incorporating a speaker into your smart light setup, this would be a good way to go about it.

Having said that, the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL already been subject to a $20 / £20 discount in the Govee Fall sale, which sweetens the deal a little. That's despite the fact that it has only been available in the US for around 11 weeks, and less than a week in the UK, at the time of writing.

(Image credit: Future)

Being so used to the Govee Table Lamp 2, which I happen to have two of, the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL looks a little on the chonky side. This is understandable, considering it’s packing a speaker and a 5,200mAh rechargeable battery, which can provide up to four and a half hours of playback if the volume and brightness are set to fifty percent.

There’s a notable difference between the US and UK models when it comes to the power cable. The connector is set at a 90-degree angle in both cases, as the power port is located on the bottom of the lamp, but the US uses a small DC connector, and the UK uses USB-C.

More importantly, the cable for the US model is moulded to a US plug, so you can just plug and play; but in the UK, a USB-C cable is all that’s included, so I needed to source an adapter with a minimum of 35W for it to run efficiently. The first adapter I had to hand turned out to be too low-powered, and the lamp was clearly unimpressed.

(Image credit: Future)

Getting the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL synced with the app and with the WiFi networks in the office and at home was a quick and simple process. There are two separate Bluetooth connections, one for the lamp itself and one for the speaker. I found this a little inconvenient at times, as it seemed I needed to reconnect the speaker in my phone’s Bluetooth settings whenever I’d been out of the room. But overall, it makes sense that it’s set up this way, as one may want to listen to music on their headphones while still enjoying the features of the lamp.

(Image credit: Future)

There are two elements of the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL’s design that provide eye-catching lighting effects. These are the main body of the lamp, as you’d expect, but also the base, thanks to its clever reflective design. Both elements can be used independently or together, so you can have your lighting effects as stand-out or as subtle as you’d like.

The control panel on the top of the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL was simple to use, with a push power button and four touch buttons for the speakers' volume controls, playing and pausing, and a button for cycling through nine customizable presets.

(Image credit: Future)

My favorite way to control the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL – and all the Govee products I’ve tested, actually – is by taking advantage of the voice control via my Echo Dot (5th Gen) or hopping onto the feature-packed Govee Home app.

If you’ve already read some of my other product reviews, such as the highly rated Govee Neon Rope Light 2, you’ll already have some idea of how fond I am of the Govee Home app.

Along with the run-of-the-mill power, brightness, and volume controls, it also boasts over 100 preset scenes, with themes ranging from the ocean to the universe. The Govee Home app offers opportunities to get creative with lighting effects, too, with a finger sketch feature that allows you to decorate the canvas with random colors or drawings before choosing a motion setting and speed, as well as an AI effect generator.

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One small niggle I have stems from the preset audio that plays by default when some of the scenes are selected. I found some of them to be somewhat irritating, especially if they caught me by surprise when cycling through the default presets using the onboard controls. Fortunately, they can be disabled in the app, but only one at a time, so I had to go through and turn them off for all of my favorite scenes that were afflicted.

(Image credit: Future)

The audio quality was as I expected from a JBL speaker, by which I mean it was a solid performer. The treble sounds clean, and I could hear a good level of definition in the high-pitched percussion in the background of Sunny Days by Kolter. The bass lacks some impact, but it still has a good weight to it and isn’t bad going, considering the price. Unless you happen to be an audiophile, you’ll probably be perfectly happy with the audio quality on offer here.

The Dynamic Music feature added some fun when listening to music, especially the Gridding and Ripple effects, and was enjoyed by everyone in my office. I did notice they can struggle to hit the right notes if the track has a lot of different elements, but it’s nonetheless a fun dynamic effect, especially when paired with bass-heavy tracks.

(Image credit: Future)

Overall, the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL offers eye-catching and day-brightening lighting effects and a satisfying-sounding speaker for the price. So, if you love the look of the Govee Table Lamp 2 and want a solid speaker to listen to tunes, podcasts, or audiobooks, then you’ll be happy wth the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL.

If you’re in the mood to check out more ambience-altering lighting, then why not take a look at our pick of the best smart lights?

Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL review: Price and specs

Price

$179.99 / £169.99

Model

H6020

Colors

Lamp Body: RGBICWW, Base: RGBIC

Lumens

600

Dimensions

6.1 x 6.1 x 10.1 inches / 18.9 x 18.9 x 34cm

Connectivity

2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

App

Yes

Control methods

Alexa, Google Home, Matter, IFTTT, Apple Watch, Razer

Speaker

Sound by JBL 2.5-inch 500cc full-range speaker

Additional features

Rechargeable battery

Should I buy the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL?Buy it if...

You want a fun and feature-packed smart light
Thanks to its rechargeable battery, voice control, and the many eye-catching preset scenes and customizable lighting effects, there’s a lot to appreciate here.

You want a smart light and Bluetooth speaker in one
The combination of pretty lighting effects and satisfying audio makes this a versatile smart lamp, whether you have it at your bedside or in your living space.

Don't buy it if...

You don’t want to be interrupted by random audio
The default sounds linked to some of the preset scenes may prove a little irritating.

You want a subtle smart lamp
Whether it’s lit up in bright colors or being used as a reading light, the built-in speaker makes this a pretty hefty smart lamp.

Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL review: Also consider

Govee Table Lamp 2
If you’re more interested in the smart lighting effects than the audio element of the Table Lamp 2 Pro, then I recommend checking out the previous model. With most of the same features, including a bucket load of preset scenes, customization, and voice control via smart home hubs, the Govee Table Lamp 2 has a lot to offer. Plus, its list price is $100 / £100 cheaper. For more details, and to learn why I awarded it 4.5 stars, check out my full Govee Table Lamp 2 review.

How I tested the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL

• I tested the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL for a couple of weeks
• I tested the different features and customizable settings
• I observed its performance as a smart light and as a speaker

I used the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL on my desk and next to my bed for a couple of weeks.

I followed the setup process on the Govee Home app and explored its features, testing how different scenes looked, and used the creative features to create my own.

I tested the audio quality by listening to different genres of music and bumping up the volume to assess the output at higher levels.

• First reviewed: September 2025
• Read more about how we test

Specs

Type: thermal label printer

Functions: print only

Connectivity: Bluetooth  

Max print speed: 72 labels/min

Max paper size: 4-inch

Print quality: 203 dpi

Apple AirPrint: no

Consumables included: 20 4x6-inch labels

Dimensions: 7.28 x 3.54 x 3.66 in / 185 x 90 x 93 mm (WxDxH)

Weight: 1.68lb / 766g

If you’re still printing stickers and labels with an inkjet or laser, you really should try a dedicated thermal label printer. Their inkless technology allows them to be smaller, simpler, lower maintenance devices that will never run dry on you. They work by heating special thermal paper, a reliable and efficient process that’s become the first choice for e-commerce, logistics and storage industries.

The good news is, that demand has led to lots of great label printers becoming widely available at competitive prices. The Munbyn RealWriter 403B (also billed as the RW403B) being one of the best examples I could find.

Like all of Munbyn’s best label printers, this one is a desktop labeller and it’s aimed at any small businesses looking to print large volumes of shipping labels, price tags or other professional-looking stickers. I think it’ll also interest home users as it comes with software that makes it fun to produce decorative labels for gift-wrapping and the like.

But first, what is a thermal printer? Follow that link for a full answer, but in a nutshell, its a device that creates imprints by causing a very local reaction between the chemicals contained in thermal paper that turns it black. Thermal media includes rolls of stickers that come in all colors, but you can only print black onto them. I tried a variety of label sizes to assess the The Munbyn RealWriter 403B and on the whole, I’m delighted by the results.

Munbyn RealWriter 403B: Design and buildImage 1 of 2

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(Image credit: Munbyn // Future)

While the Munbyn RealWriter 403B is small enough to be carried around, it’s very much a desktop label printer rather than a portable handheld labeller, like the Brother P-touch CUBE PT-P300BT, for example. It runs on mains power, not battery and it’s reassuringly heavy at 1.6lb.

According to Munbyn, its metal components and robust build give it a lifespan of up to 970,000 labels, which is apparently six times longer than rival printers. I can’t put that to the test, but it certainly feels well made. The hinged body closes with a satisfying clunk to grip your label reel securely. There are only three buttons - eject, paper feed and power - and none them look likely to fail any time soon.

Munbyn RealWriter 403B: Features & specifications Image 1 of 2

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(Image credit: Munbyn // Future)

The Munbyn RealWriter 403B can only make black imprints on thermal paper, but it’s quite flexible about the thermal media it can handle. You can feed large 6 x 4inch labels or little 1.6 x 1.2inch labels and anything in between. These sticky labels come in many shapes and colors too.

The print resolution is 203dpi and print speed is given as 72 labels per minute. Bluetooth connectivity is built in and there’s a USB C port for connecting to a phone or PC via data cable. It’s supported by the Munbyn Print app (iOS/Android) or Munbyn Editor (Chrome), which gives you access to more than 3,500 design elements and 80+ fonts.

You get twenty 4x6inch shipping labels in the box, but if you pay a little more for one of the Munbyn RealWriter 403B kits, you get additional labels and a roll dispenser included.

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(Image credit: Munbyn // Future)

Setting up the Munbyn RealWriter 403B involves nothing more than plugging in, turning on and loading some labels. Download the supporting app to your iOS or Chrome device and the software will help you connect with the printer and start printing.

I found that it joined quickly and I was printing labels within ten minutes of opening the box. The only potential for messing up is when loading your rolls of stickers. Munbyn says that its printer will auto calibrate to avoid misalignment, and it does for the most part, but if you don’t line up your roll of stickers sensibly, they can cause a paper jam, as I found with my first deliberately careless attempt. With no inbuilt roll holder, you need to place the real where it can unroll without getting tangled.

Munbyn’s free software makes it fairly easy to design and print a custom label. With over 2,000 templates and 3,500 graphics to choose from, there’s enough within the app to to complete most labelling jobs. It’s a quick way to create name tags, stickers and personalized labels, once you’ve used the software a couple of times.

Munbyn RealWriter 403B: Performance

(Image credit: Munbyn // Future)

The Munbyn RealWriter 403B printed reliably and quickly and very quietly too. I had no misprints or jams during the test and was pretty pleased overall with the results. I used four types of paper ranging in size, shape and color - this label printer is not fussy about media - and it always applied my design in exactly the right place.

The large 6x4 inch stickers are an ideal size for parcel labels and the print quality is good enough for barcodes and QR codes to be scanned and accurately read. I expect that printing postage labels at home is what this printer will be primarily used for.

It’s worth remembering that, despite the desktop dimensions, this is only a label printer and that the resolution is limited to 203dpi. Try printing more complicated images onto a large sticker, like the London Underground schematic, and the result is unreadable. When printing simple graphics like those provided by the Munbyn print app, and you’re rewarded with pleasingly dark and crisp prints. Look at the name tags I printed as an example of how sharp the graphics can appear.

Munbyn RealWriter 403B: Consumables

(Image credit: Munbyn // Future)

The beauty of thermal printing is the absence of ink or toner, so your only consumables cost is the thermal media. Direct thermal labels use chemically-treated paper that turns black when heated by the printer head and naturally they’re more expensive than regular sticky labels.

A pack of 500 fan-fold shipping labels costs US$27 (currently reduced to US$22.67) on Munbyn’s US website. Shop around and you’ll find cheaper third party labels. Munbyn has included twenty labels in the box to get you started.

Munbyn RealWriter 403B: Maintenance

With no messy printheads and few moving parts, thermal printers are very low maintenance machines that should last a long time. Munbyn reckons its professional-grade engineering means it lasts six times longer than rivals and is good for at least 970,000 labels.

Munbyn RealWriter 403B: Final verdict

As a desktop thermal label printer, the Munbyn RealWriter 403B performed very well in all my tests.

Firstly, it’s easy to set up and operate, provided you feed your reels of stickers in sensibly. You might want to add the optional roll holder accessory to ensure this.

Secondly, it’s good quality. The robust design feels like it’s built to last and the print quality is better than most label printers, although I’d like to see the resolution boosted from 203dpi to 300dpi in the next generation.

Thirdly, it’s pretty good value. After your initial outlay, there’s no ink cost to think about and thermal labels can be bought inexpensively. Compared to using a regular inkjet to print labels, the Munbyn RealWriter 403B is quicker, more reliable and more fun.

For more, I've tested out the best home printers and the best small business printers.

Try Workable today

Workable is an all-in-one hiring platform designed to streamline recruitment for businesses of all sizes. It offers AI-powered candidate sourcing, automated workflows, and collaborative hiring tools. View Deal

Workable started as a dedicated recruitment platform and Applicant Tracking System, so it’s got a focused and well-designed range of features, but its latest iteration has seen it take on HR giants for an additional fee.

It’s not the cheapest recruitment solution around, though, so it’s going to have to impress if businesses are going to find room for Workable in their budgets.

Thankfully, its extensive list of features certain back up its pricing, and the relatively affordable HR addition only adds to its strength.

To date, Workable has supported over 30,000 companies and 400 million people, with major companies like PWC, Starling Bank and Ryanair all customers. Operating in over 100 countries, it’s facilitated 2.1 million hires so far.

It operates out of three offices across the US (Boston) and Europe (UK and Greece), so it’s fair to expect Workable to have a good idea of what goes on in each region.

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Workable: Plans and pricing

Workable is one of the few companies that charges on a per-company basis, rather than per employee, and that’s likely to be able to factor in its recruitment services – which are extensive.

Standard plans can be paid for monthly (starting at $360), or with an annual commitment (starting at $299) for smaller organizations with 1-20 employees, but pricing goes all the way up to accommodate giants with 1,000+ workers.

The Premier plan is an annual-only subscription, starting at $599 per month – so double the Standard tier.

Texting, video interviews and assessments are covered in Premier, or can be added individually on Standard.

Then, there are the HR platforms. They come in from an extra $50 per month for Standard or $70 per month for Premier, with performance reviews included for higher-tier customers and optional for others.

Apart from those options, which are paid on Standard and included on Premier, the expensive plan also includes SSO login, premium support and custom account onboarding.

Prospective customers can also request a demo or start a free 15-day trial, which is about average. Some offer up to 30 days, but others offer nothing at all.

At the time of writing, no deals beyond annual subscriptions and bundles were available – no limited-time attractions to welcome new customers.

(Image credit: Workable)Workable: Features

Workable has gone from being a fairly basic recruitment platform so a self-proclaimed all-in-one HR system that’s ready for the future.

That core recruitment and application tracking system remains, with support for job posting to more than 200 jobs boards globally.

It features an integrated page builder with jobs widgets for websites and social media campaign tools, because recruiters need to be across so many more platforms than ever before.

Workable also claims to have access to millions of candidates across multiple talent pools, so recruiters can benefit from both passive candidate sourcing and past candidate resurfacing.

This portion of the software integrates with the likes of LinkedIn and Indeed as well as Zoom and Teams for remote interviews, and as you’d expect from any future-first software, there’s a handy sprinkling of AI that helps with candidate screening.

Artificial intelligence also spans personalized emails, interview questions and salary estimations, among other applications.

Workable's Boolean contains plenty of search cheat sheets to boost online sourcing (Image credit: Workable)

Then, there’s the HR portion of the software, which is almost like ‘step two’ after the recruitment stage. It handles all the onboarding and keeps relevant HR information like employee records and profiles.

There are also time-related features built-in, like time off, attendance tracking and work scheduling.

Payroll processing with integration to third-party software like Xero is also covered. It’s not just limited to Xero, with more than 270 partners and integrations available on a growing list.

Workable has far too many features highlighted on its website to begin to list here, but browsing its web page not only shows you which tools you can expect, but how they’ll look. The company’s commitment to a clean and fluid design is highly evident, and we think it could be one of the best-looking options in its class, so if you’re used to working with other modern tech startups, then Workable should join your list.

Workable: Ease of use

Workable promises a rapid system setup with teams up and running at max velocity in days thanks to ongoing support from specialists, but don’t worry if you’re coming from a different platform rather than setting up new.

They’ve got you covered here, too, with options to import and migrate existing data.

Less about the features, though, because ease of use needs to cover the structure of the platform, and credit where credit’s due, Workable has designed an incredibly interactive and modern interface.

Many of the functionalities are built with no-code requirements, so it’s easy for non-tech-savvy HR workers to produce great results.

Rather than having multiple tabs open, the integration with third parties and job hosting platforms means everything is built into Workable’s friendly interface, which uses light typefaces, colors and visuals throughout to distinguish elements easily.

As you’d expect, the mobile app looks just as good. While functionality is more limited than the desktop version, it’s handy to have information available at a glance in your pocket, and the simplicity is very much welcome.

On the whole, existing customers seem to be happy with how easy the learning curve is and how thoughtfully and well-designed the platform is.

(Image credit: Workable)Workable: Support

Workable knows how important simplicity is, which is why is promises a dedicated account manager for personalized assistance and strategic guidance.

That being said, the company claims that 85% of users have never needed to contact its agents, maybe because its software is so easy to work out.

This translates to fast response times across web chat, email or call, which is all handled in-house.

You’ve also got the usual suspects on a self-service learning portal, like guides and articles, video tutorials and courses to strengthen your knowledge, plus virtual training sessions back up everything you need to know.

(Image credit: Workable)Workable: Final verdict

Workable is a straightforward recruitment tool with a good range of features that deliver a well-balanced approach across the entire recruitment process.

We think it’s a great option for all manner of companies, small and large, who need support with recruitment, onboarding and core HCM functionalities.

For that reason, it’s a worthy addition to growing companies and startups who are hugely focused on people.

Ease of use, fast deployment, built-in integrations and collaborations, and strong tracking are all standout features for Workable, which has become far more advanced compared with the core recruitment platform it used to be.

We've also featured the best recruitment platforms, best HR software and best background check services

Deel is an extensive package that combines all of the tools that best payroll software offers. It includes a dazzling array of the features and functions businesses need on a daily basis, but also proves really useful for building up a more efficient bigger picture of how your company ticks.

More than 35,000 companies already use Deel, which is a pretty new company founded in 2019. It now counts over 4,000 team members on its books, with some pretty major customers like Shopify, Nike and Lego signing up.

Deal CEO and co-founder Alex Bouaziz was even on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Finance list in 2020, so you know it’s got some good guidance at the helm.

If you’ve got employees to hire and subsequently manage, as well as pay, then Deel packs a sizeable punch.

Inside the Deel software suite there are tools for fast and efficient onboarding, functionality that facilitates paying employees, even on a global scale where it’s needed and lots of HR features. In fact, Deel boasts HR functionality that makes light work of handling employees, no matter where they happen to be located.

Adding to the overall appeal is a dependable level of compliance, with Deel proving able to stay on top of any relevant regulations, irrespective of where your business operates. Deel is well-known for its quick and easy setup processes and ongoing administration benefits, making it suitable to companies of all shapes and sizes.

• Our guide to the best payroll software

Deel: Plans and pricing

It seems like more companies hide their pricing than display it, so we’re incredibly grateful that Deel is one of the few remaining providers that actually states its pricing. It’s a big green flag for us.

Payroll software is available in a whole range of flavors depending on the nature of your business, so you’re better off checking Deel’s website to see which package is best suited to your individual needs.

As a guide, Deel Global Payroll comes in at $29 per employee per month, and Deel Contractor Management costs $49/contractor/month. You can also pick the Deel Employer of Record or Contractor of Record plans ($599 and $325 per person per month) for full legal support across 150+ countries.

Deel also has a couple of HR platforms, priced between $15 and $20 per person per month, so if you prefer to keep all your affairs under the same roof, it’s worth considering adding these.

Further add-ons are also available, so if you’re finding that what you need isn’t covered, a quick conversation with the Deel sales team could rectify that.

Remote Payroll offers a flexible choice of plans but costing is best done by calling the sales department (Image credit: Deel)Deel: Features

Dip into the suite of Deel features and you’ll find that it is divided into four core areas, with onboarding, payroll and mobility being the main players, conveniently supplemented by Deel HR.

A big part of the appeal with Deel is its Employer of Record or EOR service, which streamlines the hiring process for any kind of company.

An added bonus of this setup is that the system works across a wide variety of countries, with upwards of 150 territories included in that list.

It means companies can hire and pay full-time employees or contractors in many jurisdictions without needing company legal entities in each location, which really shows the value of Deel’s software.

This expansive collection of countries are also setup so that company HR personnel have access to any relevant visa information pertaining to specific locations. If you’re regularly onboarding staff on a global basis this makes Deel particularly noteworthy.

This also means that Deel can handle country-specific taxes as well as meeting compliance regulations. Again, the other bonus here is Deel provides around the clock support for complex operations like this.

(Image credit: Deel)

The same goes for the mobility aspect of Deel, with lots of tools for simplifying things like Visa applications, which can normally be a drain on administrative resources.

Everything gets topped off with the benefit of Deel HR, which combines lots of different everyday needs, including dealing with contractors and freelancers, to complete the formidable line-up of features.

You get an excellent people directory, organizational charts and comprehensive personal profiles from this, allowing HR managers to control every aspect of an employees time at any company.

Just like any other respectable software outfit, Deel has high standards when it comes to security, although this is perhaps best investigated with a demo. However, the company says it is committed to GDPR compliance and uses Okta SSO for single-sign on convenience.

Network traffic runs over SSL/HTTPS and is encrypted, while Deel also uses Amazon Web Services for its data storage. Similarly, Deel underlines that its infrastructure is fully SOC2 compliant.

Deel: Ease of use

The onboarding part of the HR procedure is wonderfully seamless and can be done over the course of a few hours.

With personal details and banking information completed, the process can be wrapped up pretty swiftly and we also like the way there’s plenty of help at hand from Deel support staff en route.

One of the aspects of any fully-featured HR and payroll solution that frequently worries staff is just how useable a package it’ll be. Thankfully, Deel has been cleverly designed so that it provides a host of powerful tools within a user-friendly interface that can be managed without fuss using a sizeable selection of dashboard tools.

In fact, Deel like many other sensible software packages comes with a look and feel that makes you want to use it, rather than walk away for a coffee.

There’s a fresh, modern workspace with straightforward menu options at the side of the screen. The use of dynamic graphics mid-stage makes the presentation of data much more enjoyable too, while there’s no compromise on performance.

It is possible to drill down into sub-menus when that’s needed, but the overall impression the interface leaves is that minimal training would need to be given in order to get someone up to speed with the Deel workspace.

Deel is best suited to larger companies who need the most advanced tools, because some features are desktop first and poorly optimized for smaller screens.

There’s also a bit more of a learning curve for complex/international use, so taking the time to set up properly is a worthwhile investment.

Using Deel is made easier thanks to a great interface (Image credit: Deel)Deel: Support

Support is a key selling point for Deel, which offers 24/7 multilingual support via live chat, email, phone and even video calls. It could just about be as good as it gets, so if having quick access to humans to answer your questions is a must, then Deel deserves high praise.

Deel also recently introduced AI agents for support, with over 50 languages in the bag. Their aim is to reduce response times, which the company has managed to around halve.

The AI agents mostly pull information form the comprehensive knowledge base, which users can access regardless. Here, you’ll find compliance guides, support documentation and tutorials for self-service.

Enterprises and big customers also get their own dedicated customer success and account managers.

You'll get the usual level of support options from Deel (Image credit: Deel)Deel: Final verdict

Anyone who wants a well-rounded HRM suite will immediately warm to Deel. Central to the appeal is its powerful core features, which includes its undeniably potent onboarding, payroll and mobility tools.

The way that the software will work across geographical boundaries makes it very useable for companies of all shapes and sizes.

On the whole, we rank Deel highly for bsuinesses that are hiring globally, with strong compliance offered throughout.

The soldi support infrastructure is noteworthy, as is the user interface which does a good job of taming just how much power this software packs.

While the costs will inevitably escalate as your company does, the ease of its integrations and overall performance marks Deel down as one of the stronger players in the payroll and HR software marketplace. It’s very worthy of a demo at the very least.

Smaller businesses should consider alternatives, because Deel primarily targets multinational businesses, and any companies seeking the best in multi usability should also look elsewhere because Deel is best seen as a desktop-first powerhouse.

• Read our guide to the best payroll software

Acer Predator X32 X: One-minute review

The Acer Predator X32 X is not the first 32-inch 4K gaming monitor we've seen using Samsung's QD-OLED panel technology, but it does pack a particularly strong feature set at an awfully punchy price.

As ever, the central appeal here is a stunning 32-inch QD-OLED panel with full 4K resolution and 240Hz refresh. That means you not only have a large, cinematic viewing experience. You also get great pixel density, and therefore super-sharp visuals with oodles of detail.

This isn't the very latest OLED technology, so there are some limitations that I'll come to shortly, but Acer has upped the ante over some of the similarly priced competition. Retailing for $1,199.99 (about £885 / AU$1,800), the Predator X32 X has really strong supporting features, including USB-C connectivity with 65W power delivery and a KVM switch, the latter allowing you to share this monitor with two PCs or maybe a PC and a console.

Just be sure to note that we're talking here about the Acer Predator X32 X and specifically the model with the Xbmiipphuzx suffix. It's distinct from the mere Acer Predator X32 V2bmiiphx, which is similar, but only runs at 165Hz and doesn't offer the USB-C and KVM switch. Oh, and also don't confuse this with the Acer Predator X32 X3, which seems very similar but is actually based on LG's competing WOLED panel tech.

Yes, it's all a bit confusing, and those alpha-numeric jumbles are a branding disgrace, but none of that prevents this monitor from going toe-to-toe with the best gaming monitors on the market right now.

Acer Predator X32 X: Price & availability

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

• How much does it cost? $1,199 (about £855/AU$1,800)
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US and UK, with Australia availability TBD

While the MSRP on this monitor might be $1,199.99, Acer and other retailers have cut the price of this monitor by 25%, making it an even more attractive value for a 32-inch QD-OLED 4K display. View Deal

At $1,199.99 in the US (about £885/AU$1,800), this isn't the absolute cheapest 32-inch gaming monitor based on Samsung's 4K QD-OLED panel. It's also difficult to find in the UK right now, as some retailers like Amazon and Overclockers will have a listing for the monitor, but list it as unavailable and don't give current pricing. I've reached out to Acer about the stock issues in the UK and will update this review if and when I hear back from the company.

One of the things that makes the UK stock issues frustrating, though, is that the Predator X32 X is one of the most competitive 4K QD-OLED gaming monitors out there.

Few if any comparably priced 32-inch 4K OLEDs include both USB-C with power delivery and full KVM switch capability. If you want to share this monitor across, say, a gaming PC and a laptop, that's just perfect.

Even if you don't, you're paying little to nothing extra for the option to do something like that in the future. That makes this Acer a bit of a no-brainer if you're shopping among the various 32-inch QD-OLED gaming monitor options on the market right now, like the Alienware 32 AW3225QF or MSI MAG 321UPX.

• Value: 4.5 / 5

Acer Predator X32 X: Specs

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)Acer Predator X32 X Specifications

Screen size

31.5-inch diagonal

Resolution

3,840x2,160p

Panel technology

Samsung QD-OLED

Refresh rate

240Hz

Response time

0.03ms

Panel curve

1700R

HDR

HDR Black 400

Brightness

250 nits full screen, 1,000 nits in a 3% window

Features

HDMI 2.1 x2, DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C hub with 4x USB-A and 1x USB-C with 65W power delivery, USB-A hub, KVM switch

Acer Predator X32 X: Features

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

• USB-C with power delivery
• KVM switch

Though I've seen plenty of best 4K monitors implement Samsung's QD-OLED panel tech, the Acer Predator X32 X is unusual in implementing a curved panel surface. It's fairly gentle at 1700R, but curved monitors aren't to absolutely everyone's taste.

For the record, it also comes with a glossy panel coating for maximum contrast. Again, there's a degree of personal preference in the whole glossy-versus-matte thing, so whether this is a plus or a minus will depend on which side of that divide you land.

More universally welcome is the excellent connectivity. As you'd expect, there's both HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 (two of the former, one of the latter). But the extras start with USB-C with 65W power delivery.

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

You can get USB-C interfaces with over 90 watts of power. But a high performance gaming laptop needs plenty more still. Few, if any, monitors can keep a true gaming laptop fully juiced. So, this Acer's USB-C interface still delivers on the premise of single-cable connectivity for a thin-and-light portable.

To that you can add a USB-A hub and KVM switch capability. That suits the broader capabilities of this monitor pretty handily. As a 4K 32-inch monitor, it's ideal for getting serious work done. But the 240Hz refresh and OLED panel tech are also fantastic for gaming.

With the KVM switch, you can attach both a gaming rig and, say, a work laptop, and seamlessly share a keyboard and mouse across both PCs. The Acer Predator X32 X isn't unique in this class to offer those features. But it is one of, if not the cheapest, we've seen to do so, and it's something not many of even the best monitors on the market don't offer.

• Features: 4.5 / 5

Acer Predator X32 X: Design

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

• Narrow bezels
• Good adjustability
• Requires a large power adapter

Design considerations are always subjective. But there's no doubting the Acer Predator X32 X is unambiguously aimed at gamers, what with its sharp lines and RGB mood lighting. Minimalist and sleek it ain't.

That said, the most gamery design flourishes including the RGB lighting are at the rear. The front of the monitor is relatively low key with slim bezels on all four sides of the QD-OLED panel.

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

Likewise, the "Predator" branding on the lower bezel is pretty small. So, it wouldn't actually look that out of place in a work environment.

It's also nicely engineered and has height, tilt and swivel adjustment. Overall, it feels well built and worthy of the relatively elevated price tag. Ergonomically, our only significant complaint is the massive external power brick. Integrated PSUs are just that little bit slicker and neater.

• Design: 3.5 / 5

Acer Predator X32 X: Performance

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

• Perfect per-pixel lighting
• Incredible fluid and responsive gameplay
• Full-screen brightness can be somewhat muted

The Acer Predator X32 X doesn't throw up any huge surprises, performance-wise. For the most part, that's good news. I've seen lots of these 32-inch 4K gaming monitors using Samsung's QD-OLED technology, and they are pretty incredible, and that's just as true here as the rest of them.

The obvious upsides include perfect per-pixel lighting for infinite contrast and the spectacle of both very bright and very dark objects rendered with incredible precision on the screen at the same time. It's a trick that no LCD panel, even with local dimming, can pull off. Once you're used to the stunning HDR sizzle displays like this are capable of, it's hard to go back to even a really good IPS monitor.

To all that, you can add the advantages of full 4K resolution. That brings a fairly high pixel density of over 140DPI and means that the non-standard triangular RGB subpixel arrangement of QD-OLED technology is no longer a problem when it comes to clear text rendering. This thing is crispy.

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

It's also incredibly detailed in games. Combine the aforementioned HDR thrills with 4K image detail and precision, plus the 240Hz refresh and ridiculously fast pixel response performance of all QD-OLED panels, and, well, it's an incredible experience. But not a perfect experience.

This isn't the very latest OLED panel tech, so full-screen brightness is limited to 250 nits. That's not terrible, but it does mean that brighter outdoor gaming scenes can look a little dull. This monitor only looks at its absolute best when it's showing a mix of brighter and darker image elements. Light up the whole screen, and the panel dimming algorithms kick in and reduce overall brightness.

Of course, that's true of all monitors based on Samsung's QD-OLED technology, as is the slight problem with how the panel performs in bright ambient conditions. Long story short, if you use this monitor in a really bright room, the panel itself can reflect a lot of light, which impacts perceived black levels and contrast.

It won't be a problem for most users. But it is worth bearing in mind, depending on where you're planning to use a monitor like this.

• Performance: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Acer Predator X32 X?

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)Acer Predator X32 X scorecard

Value

This isn't the absolute cheapest 4K 32-inch OLED we've seen. But it does have the best feature set yet at this attractive price point.

4.5 / 5

Design

The Acer Predator X32 X's slightly gamery design vibe won't be to all tastes. The external power brick is clumsy, too. But it's certainly well built.

3.5 / 5

Features

With plenty of ports, downstream USB power delivery, and KVM switching, there are a lot of things to like about this monitor besides the display itself.

4.5 / 5

Performance

This isn't the very latest QD-OLED technology. And some limitations remain. But the combination of HDR sizzle with 4K precision is still very special.

4 / 5

Final score

The very latest OLED tech is slightly superior. But it hasn't hit the 32-inch 4K segment yet and of the currently available options, this Acer might just be the best value.

4.13 / 5

Buy the Acer Predator X32 X if...

You want a 4K OLED experience
Early OLED monitors had disappointing pixel density. But not this 4K beauty. It's sharp and precise with loads of image detail and super crispy font rendering.

You love HDR visuals
When it comes to HDR thrills, you simply cannot beat the perfect per-pixel lighting of OLED technology. No LCD monitor even comes close.

Don't buy it if...

You want maximum full-screen brightness
Full-screen brightness is still a relative OLED weakness, and this Acer is no different, maxing out at a relatively modest 250 nits.

You prefer flat monitor panels
The Acer Predator X32 X is only gently curved with a 1700R radius. But if you prefer absolutely flat, there are lots of alternatives.

Acer Predator X32 X: Also consider

If my Acer Predator X32 X review has you considering other options, here are a few other monitors to consider...

Alienware AW3225QF
This 32-inch 4K QD-OLED is almost identical, right down to its curved panel and USB-C port. But it's just that little bit more expensive.

Read the full Alienware AW3225QF review

MSI MPG 491CQP
If you want to max-out your OLED screen size for similarl money, try this massive 49-inch QD-OLED monster. Just remember the pixel density is much, much lower.

Read the full MSI MPG 491CQP review

How I tested the Acer Predator X32 X

I played all my favourite games on the Acer Predator X32 X. That includes everything from ray-traced graphics fests like Cyberpunk 2077 to online shooters including Counter-Strike 2.

I wanted to get a feel for everything from HDR performance, to pixel speed and responsiveness. Of course, this monitor is also great for getting serious stuff done, so I used it as my daily driver for a week, including work, web browsing and ye olde YouTube.

The QD-OLED panel tech used by Acer is familiar. I've reviewed at least five other 32-inch 4K monitors with the same panel, plus several with LG's competing WOLED tech. The Acer Predator X32 X didn't throw up any surprises. But that's mostly a good thing because it means the competitive pricing is especially appealing when you factor in the excellent connectivity.

• Originally reviewed in September 2025

If you’re a small business that has fewer employees than a large corporation then some of the best payroll software out there might seem a little more than you need.

However, SMEs need to be just as lean and efficient, if not more so, than those larger outfits, so having the right payroll and HR package can still be money well spent. Something our best HR software guide underlines only too well.

Breathe HR has been designed with SMEs firmly in mind, with features and functions that will allow you to save time, get administrative tasks done more efficiently and keep your employees feeling valued.

It’s been successful in attracting over 16,000 UK SMEs and has served them well to date with a cloud-based, GDPR-complaint solution with maximum data security.

It’s also a great package for ensuring your data is kept safe and secure. If you’re not convinced then it’s possible to try Breathe as part of a free 14-day trial.

• Our guide to the best payroll software

Breathe HR: Plans and pricing

The Breathe HR pricing structure is based on a per organisation arrangement, rather than the per person route favourite by some software vendors. This in itself makes Breathe HR a practical and easy-to-fathom solution, which doesn’t have the convoluted structuring that some larger and better known rivals tend to have.

As mentioned above, if you’d like to explore its capabilities then Breathe HR is available, complete with all the features, free for 14 days.

The first step is to choose a plan suited to the size of your business: 1-10 people (Micro), 11-20 (Starter), 21-50 (Regular), 51-100 (Pro), 101-150 (Premium) or 151-200 (Plus).

Pricing for these sits at £22, £39, £89, £159, £369 and £525 per month, and remember, that’s for the business, not per person. This actually makes it pretty cost-effective compared with other options, which either charge a per-person rate or a nominal per-person rate on top of a company subscription.

There are also discounts available for annual commitments, where you’ll pay around 10-11 months’ worth for 12 months’ access.

Four separate add-ons are also available for extra monthly charges: Rota, Time & Attendance (£10), Learn (£12), Recruitment tracking (£21) and Expenses management (£12).

(Image credit: Breathe HR)Breathe HR: Features

Although Breathe HR is aimed more at the small business community, that doesn't mean that it’s lacking in any department. In fact, Breathe HR is literally bursting with lots of features and functions, all within the framework of a simple to use system.

All the essentials are there, like employee records, document and policy management, holiday, leave and absence tracking and analytics-backed reporting.

It lets you tackle all of those everyday HR tasks like rotas and shift planning, with support for clocking in and out, timesheets and the ability to manage staff availability. The built-in overlapping shift detection is also a pretty neat feature, helping to iron out any potential mistkaes.

The software can also be integrated with the Breathe API and Xero Payroll, which broadens both its reach and appeal still further.

Drill down inside those core features and you’ll find that Breathe HR can facilitate quick and easy staff and holiday planning, track employees holidays and monitor absenteeism.

Handling personnel is easy using the simple power of Breathe HR (Image credit: Breathe HR)

There’s scheduling for working out rotas, team management tools and a way of forecasting salaries too. You can also manage payroll, track performance and carry out both location and Covid 19 management as and when it’s needed.

Time is always money in the world of the SMEs, so it’s also good to know that Breathe HR can handle time logging, time tracking and there’s a time clock system for covering all bases during work time and shifts.

Office administrators as well as bosses will also love the HR dashboard alongside the HR database that comes as part of Breathe HR while easy document management extends the appeal.

Of course, you also have all the boring stuff like performance management, setting and tracking objectives, one-to-ones and continuous feedback. Of course, workers hate this, but combining all of these into one slick HR platform makes it easier to get the job done, reducing the amount of time workers and managers have to spend on tedious tasks.

Any company that has employees is duty bound to ensure they have security first in mind when it comes to protecting data. You’ll find that Breathe HR meets all the criteria for ensuring personnel records are handled discreetly and behind a secure curtain.

This includes having a two-factor authentication system in place for all users. Breathe HR also has a dedicated page on its website, where it is possible to drill down and check all of its security credentials.

Breathe HR: Ease of use

If you’re running a business then one of the biggest chores for anyone is getting to grips with a new software package. However, Breathe HR has been designed and engineered specifically for SMEs and as a result of that it is very easy to master.

The overall design and layout is quite minimalist, with a solid use of colour in all the right places.

Getting to grips with menus and other features and functions is surprisingly straightforward. At the same time, Breathe HR never looks or feels like it’s too basic.

Small business owners should find it carries out all of their everyday HR management tasks with aplomb. The software should become even better once the integration with Xero Payroll comes to fruition too.

On the whole, users note solid performance, and that could be from the fact that Breathe uses redundancy in its UK data center strategy to ensure real-time backup and limited downtime in the event of any failure.

Not only is the mobile experience easy to use for employees who want to request time off, but managers can also approve it on the go. By removing some of the layers between request and approval, this makes for an overall slicker operation at the company-level.

However, from the administrative side, some note that reporting and document management features edge more towards the basic end, so if you’re a bigger company in need of a more complex system, Breathe HR might not be the one.

Breathe HR has powerful reporting functionality too (Image credit: Breathe HR)Breathe HR: Support

Breathe HR offers an easy way to get in contact via the chat interface built into the application, as well as email support.

Self-service modes include a knowledge base with help articles and guides, but we also love the video webinars published which help users who prefer to learn visually or those who need guiding through some parts of the platform.

The UK-focused company has UK-based hosting and support, which is really helpful for SMEs who need that extra layer of regulation understanding and data protection.

You'll get the usual level of support options from Breathe HR (Image credit: Breathe HR)Breathe HR: Final verdict

Overall, Breathe HR looks to be an excellent and very cost effective option for anyone running a smaller outfit, with up to 250 employees.

The fact that it now has strengthened intgrations with Xero mean you can run your payroll, bookkeeping and HR systems in tandem without any technical limitations.

Breathe HR is well-suited to UK-based SMBs who would benefit from built-in compliance with local regulations, and it proves HR software doesn’t need to be as complicated as it used to be.

A comparable alternative to Breathe HR is Gusto, which lets you handle HR but has payroll functionality as part of the package too.

• Read our guide to the best payroll software

Zoho can trace its origins back to 1996, when it started under the name AdvanceNet as a private corporation which it remains to this day. Some of its software products were introduced under the Zoho name, such as Zoho CRM in 2005, and the popular office collaboration suite, Zoho Docs in 2007.

By 2009, with over a million customers, and with the online office suite going strong, the company’s name was changed to Zoho. Its headquarters remain in Chennai, India, with a dozen additional global office locations, and growth has been strong withover 60,000 businesses supported worldwide.

Zoho People, their cloud-based HR application, first came to market in 2008. Zoho’s dozens of products are integrated under the Zoho One name to meet the entire spectrum of business needs. There are over 10,000 Zoho employees, they invest in R&D via the Zoho Schools of Learning, and they proudly claim that 15% of its engineers have been from that program.

Zoho’s time in the market has also allowed it to build out more than 1,000 interoperable integrations, which is a real success.

Zoho People: Plans and pricing

A significant plus of Zoho People is that the pricing is quite transparent for the five tiers offered for this software. We love that Zoho is still able to offer well-prices packages without having to create custom quotes that can be time-consuming and sometimes expensive.

Another advantage is the 30-day trial, which does not require a credit card. There is also a free tier, good for up to five users, which is barely matched by any other players in this space. At the other end of the spectrum a custom quote process is needed for organizations with over 500 users.

The lowest tier is the Essential HR one, which has a cost of $1.50 monthly for each user, and drops further to $1.25 monthly per user when paid annually. Even on this starter plan, the basics are covered with time off management, employee onboarding, and employee database management.

Heading up a tier takes us to Professional, at a cost of $2.50 per user monthly ($2 per user when paid annually). It includes all of the features of the lower plan, and adds in attendance marking via web, mobile, and facial recognition, overtime calculations, timesheets, and shift scheduling.

(Image credit: Zoho)

Next up is the Premium tier, at a cost of $3.50 per user monthly, with an available annual discount that lowers it to $3 per user with annual payment. The lower plan’s features are included, and the additional features include performance appraisals, a skill set matrix, self-appraisals, and advanced HR analytics.

Moving another notch up takes us to the Enterprise tier at a cost of $5 per user per month ($4.50 per user per month for paying annually). This tier brings forward all the features of the lower tiers, and adds employee query management, course management, appraisals, and a discussion forum.

At the top of this heap of tiers is the People Plus plan, which is available for $4.50/4 (Premium) or $10/9 (Enterprise). This plan takes Zoho People beyond what HR software should do with the added “Features” as additional Zoho software offerings, including Zoho Vault for password management, Zoho Recruit for talent acquisition and Zoho Expense for expense management.

If you’re a Zoho user, then Zoho One offers exceptional value for money. It starts at $45/month/employee ($37 with an annual commitment), and includes the full Zoho suite of 45+ apps.

Zoho People: Features

Zoho People has plenty of features of value to an HR department. As it is a cloud-based SaaS, there are advantages such as storage of data online, and the software being up to date.

It has one of the broadest feature sets in its class because Zoho is much more than an HR platform – it’s an entire work management platform whose functionalities span security and IT, bookkeeping and billing/invoicing… even secure email and document storage.

Paydays are stressful for an HR department, so Zoho People has an Attendance Tracker. This allows management to set the hours for the organization, and to track employee attendance.

Easily track employee attendance and shifts with Zoho People's Attendance Tracker (Image credit: Zoho)

Leveraging the power of data in the cloud, this allows employees- from wherever they may be, including remote ones- to be able to check in from anywhere with the goal of regularizing attendance.

Reports can then be generated for management, to track working hours, and provide information to make better decisions. Time can also be managed, with real time tracking of employee absences. Pay periods can also be flexibly configured.

Biometric integrations like facial recognition are also supported, as are shift scheduling, overtime, timesheets and client time tracking, so it should be able to handle most business types, both in-person and digitally.

Workers might not be so pleased about goal setting, competency tracking, feedback and performance appraisals, but these are all handled from within the Zoho ecosystem. Maybe they’ll prefer the compensation and salary revision tools, instead.

Zoho People: Ease of use

There is a “structured onboarding process,” to streamline incorporating new recruits into your organization. It starts with a new hire portal, and along the way there are checklists, and customizable workflows.

Through this portal, new hires can receive their offer letter, complete forms including tax forms, and review company policy. Forms can also be electronically signed for convenience. Managers can track the process via status-view reports.

Admins will love the reporting and analytics features – while they’re not quite as glanceable as other tools, they offer a lot more depth, which is far more useful on a business level.

Workers can access the tools they need from a neat mobile app, which includes attendance, leave applications and location tracking for field workers, all in a pretty easy-to-navigate UI.

Zoho has scaled far beyond the products it initially launched with – its success comes from the amount of expertise it gathered building out its first generation of products. As such, the software is generally stable and powerful.

If you’re already in the Zoho ecosystem, then adding Zoho People would be a really smart move. It integrates well with the likes of Zoho Payroll, Zoho Projects and Zoho CRM.

(Image credit: Zoho)Zoho People: Support

The support for Zoho People offers a number of options, which are centered around the help center.

Here, you can check knowledge base articles, online documentation and even virtual classroom training to help you get to grips with Zoho’s extensive software options.

There is also a series of webinars, for example the on-demand offering “Strategic re-engineering of HR through and post Covid.”

Free and lower-tiered planed tend to have access to standard support, like ticket-based reports and contact with humans within business hours.

Premium and enterprise-grade customers get quicker support and dedicated handlers.

Support is generally considered to be effective, though users report varying wait times. Phone and chat support has also been criticized for not being consistent in multiple regions, so check your local options if support is important to you.

(Image credit: Zoho)Zoho People: Final verdict

Zoho People offers plenty of features making it worthy of consideration. These include the upfront pricing with no less than five affordable tiers, not even counting the free tier for a business of under five employees with basic functions, the multiple support resources including webinars, and the flexible functionality, such as the new hire portal.

Some shortcomings do remain, such as the lack of direct support options and the fact that some prospective customers will need to get in touch for a quote.

With Zoho People integrating well with Zoho’s other software offerings, we consider it a strong entry into the HR software segment.

Whether you’re already using Zoho’s other software options or you’re a relatively new business that could benefit from its other offerings later on down the line, Zoho People is worthy of your consideration.

If you’re already using other platforms for things like bookkeeping, then consider other payroll and HR options that could offer better integrations with those.

We've also featured the best HR software, best payroll software and best HR outsourcing services

Try out BambooHR today

BambooHR is an all-in-one HR software designed for small to medium-sized businesses, streamlining hiring, onboarding, payroll, and performance management. With automated workflows, employee self-service, and insightful reporting, it simplifies HR tasks.View Deal

BambooHR has built up a solid reputation in the relatively short space of time the company has been going. The HR business was first launched back in 2008 by Ben Peterson and Ryan Sanders and continues today from its base in Utah.

BambooHR offers a cloud-based HR software solution, rather than outsourcing, that combines a great user interface with lots of practical tools for managing your workforce.

The company set out to build a simplified platform that works for HR teams and employees alike, and we think it’s nailed that brief.

The BambooHR package does a little bit of everything, which includes helping to onboard new employees, analyze people data and manage benefits all while helping to get the job done in a fresh and fun kind of way.

That’s not to detract from the potential of this package though as BambooHR has more than enough capability to help business of all shapes and sizes manage their HR workflow.

The only area we feel it fails to deliver on its promise of simplicity is in its pricing, because you’ll need to set aside a fair chunk of time to walk through the platform with a sales agent instead of being able to compare plan prices.

BambooHR: Plans and pricing

The amount of money you pay to enjoy using BambooHR basically depends on the number of employees you have working in your company.

You’ll therefore need to get in touch with the sales team to get a precise tailored quote to match your requirements as there is no obvious pricing that we could find.

This seems to be the way that many other rival companies are going, and it’s a shame to see this becoming the standard because it’s hard to compare them on surface-level without going deep down the customer acquisition route, which is timely.

At the time of writing, Core, Pro and Elite plans exist, and there are also some add-ons: Payroll, Benefits Administration, Time Tracking and Employer of Record (which is actually provided by Remote, another player in this space).

However, in the meantime it’s possible to try a live demo of the software, which expands to a seven-day trial if you think you want to spend time getting used to the features and functionality. The trial is a full working version and comes complete with sample data, so you don't need to spend time populating the package to see exactly how it works. This is a quick and easy way to see the potential of BambooHR.

The top menu lets you quickly access core functions within BambooHR (Image credit: BambooHR)BambooHR: Features

Bamboo offers a wide set of HRIS and HR features, including all the core essentials like employee records, document storage, custom reports and dashbords.

Once you’ve created an account and logged in to BambooHR all of the main features are clearly set out in the central dashboard area.

There are options that let you control the vital aspects of your workforce data, with the top menu offering instant access to My Info, People, Hiring, Reports and Files, all of which are pretty self-explanatory.

The main work area contains widgets with all of the main feature content, plus there’s direct access to crucial records such as vacation and time off for sickness.

In fact, BambooHR has a whole area for paid time off requests with a dedicated time-off calendar and accrual details.

BambooHR continues to have improvements made to its set of features, with an open API option allowing you to combine the package with other HR software services where needed.

There is also a BambooHR app marketplace too, that lets users explore other BambooHR-friendly software solutions that help compliment its capabilities. More than 150 partner integrations exist, according to the website.

Furthermore, the HR platform extends right to a worker’s first interaction with a company, with job posting, candidate tracking and offer letters all handled through the system, so you won’t need to setup them up later.

The trial of BambooHR includes sample data to help you gauge its appeal (Image credit: BambooHR)BambooHR: Ease of use

During our trial time using BambooHR we found that the SaaS solution performed impeccably, particularly considering it was quite well packed with plenty of sample data.

Logging in and getting started was fault free, and even the sign up was a doddle. Once into the main work area we found BambooHR to be everything it promised, with great functionality and no issues with managing records and adding, or deleting data either.

Overall, BambooHR really hits the spot with its solid performance.

There’s a really relaxed learning curve involved with picking up BambooHR, with a user interface based around its central dashboard that makes progress both quick and easy.

It's easy to tweak and fine-tune all of the settings within the software (Image credit: BambooHR)

Despite its laid-back layout and menu options, BambooHR actually bristles with plenty of power tools, all designed to let you tackle human resources tools without the stress normally associated with this aspect of business admin.

BambooHR is very customizable too, with a settings area that lets you tweak all of the content tools.

Access levels, employee fields, approvals, apps, benefits, company directory, email alerts, employee satisfaction, hiring and holidays can all be tailored to suit your needs. It's even possible to drop in your own logo and set a colour scheme as needed.

Where the platform is widely recognized as being pretty intuitive, some note it can be harder to uncover some hidden features.

The mobile app is also less feature-rich, but this is a fair expectation from any similar software.

BambooHR: Support

Once you’re logged into the BambooHR system there’s always help at hand thanks to support options over on the top of the program interface. In this region there’s a searchable knowledge base, which can point you towards topics that solve many queries.

Resources and learning materials include webinars, guides, tutorials and other self-service help.

It’s also possible to chat with the support team from here. In the same area is the option to submit a support request.

General support includes chat, email and telephone during business hours, and customer feedback is mostly positive on this front. Responsive and helpful agents walk them through solutions instead of just directing them to articles, so top marks there.

Once you're signed in there are help options accessible from within the dashboard (Image credit: BambooHR)BambooHR: Final verdict

BambooHR is a great option for small to medium-sized business that have to tackle human resources chores and more besides. The way it’s been designed and laid out means that those humdrum everyday tasks associated with HR duties are made rather more palatable than normal.

It’s got oodles of cool tools nestling in amongst the vibrant user interface, with everything from benefits administration through to performance reviews covered and a whole lot more besides.

That appealing user experience is backed up with strong core features, good integrations and a helpful resource base.

The fact that you can test drive the package before committing makes it perfect for business owners who want to make doubly sure it’s going to be right for them before signing up.

You’ll need to contact the BambooHR sales team in order to get pricing, although this is based around the number of workers your business employs. BambooHR is certainly one of the easiest solutions of its type out there, with plenty of capacity to accommodate your business as it grows too.

• We've also highlighted the best accounting software

With the best HR software, managing employees, payrolls, holiday leave, and most other things associated with the human resources sector can be simplified. Advanced software is a must for many companies, as it can save countless hours of manual data entry and planning.

BrightHR is a new company, launched in 2015, which launched with the aim to better serve SMBs, it already counts 100,000 businesses among its customers.

In our BrightHR review, we take a close look at this advanced HR software solution. It comes in various formats for businesses of all sizes, and it’s quite affordable as well.

• Want to try BrightHR? Check out the website here

However, there’s no US version. It’s currently only available to customers in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland.

BrightHR: Plans and pricing

BrightHR used to offer a couple of different tiers, but these days it’s gone down the same route that many other HR and payroll providers have gone down, and we’re not a fan.

You’ll need to get in contact with sales to get a quote, and we’d much rather be able to tell you exactly how much each plan costs to help with comparison.

The company promises to save customers money while providing them with the best value for their investment, with tailored subscriptions based on the number of employees and HR systems required, which suggests further customization could be available beyond basic tiers, hence the requirement for a quote.

Sales teams can also offer potential customers a demo to show them around the suite and point out valuable tools.

The staff management tools are excellent (Image credit: BrightHR)BrightHR: Features

The BrightHR platform is packed full of advanced HR management features. We’ve touched on a few of the most popular below.

BrightHR offers an excellent selection of staff management tools, including a neat holiday planner. This enables employees to request holidays with the click of a button.

Workers manage this from their end so all admins have to do is approve or decline requests. By keeping all of this within the HR platform, it means managers shouldn’t be bugged by email requests.

On top of this, managers can also record absences and sick leave in just a few seconds.

The platform also allows documentation, like medical certificates, contracts and policies, to be uploaded into the system for safekeeping.

You, of course, get all of the business-oriented HR tools, too, like goal setting (including SMART goals), review and appraisal tools, one-to-one performance meeting templates and follow-ups.

The BrightHR dashboard is tidy and easy to navigate (Image credit: BrightHR)

Although it’s primarily a human capital management (HCM) system, it does have some tools to help ease the burden on finance teams too.

The BrightHR system also tracks various metrics to help you with payroll calculations, reducing the time you need to spend on admin processes. This includes overtime tracking, a complete record of paid and unpaid absences, and information about bonuses or other extra payments that you owe employees.

If you need assistance with your staff rosters, BrightHR’s rota planner will be extremely useful. Modifications can be made with the click of a button, and the system will automatically notify employees of any changes to their usual schedule or work location.

Another noteworthy feature is BrightHR’s unlimited cloud storage. This is designed to help businesses go paperless and features a range of tools to help you store, manage, and share digital files. In addition, files can be accessed from anywhere through the neat mobile app, which is available for both Android and iOS devices.

BrightHR also comes with a Certificate of Assurance from Cyber Essentials, to help protect the service from cyber attacks.

BrightHR: Ease of use

To sign up for a new BrightHR account, you need to simply select the package you want, navigate to the checkout page, and input the required information.

The BrightHR software itself is tidy and easy to navigate, presenting a range of HR management tools in one central hub.

We think its user interface is pretty slick compared with most other legacy HR platforms, so if you’re familiar with working in more digital-first ecosystems like Canva and Monday, you should enjoy the graphics and ease of navigation.

Dashboards and other consolidated views of things like leave, sickness and planned shifts present key information in glanceable formats, and users typically report minimal training requirements to get started.

On the end user side, workers can use the mobile apps which support leave requests, clocking in and out, and scheduling monitoring. In a digital-native economy where PCs are often replaced by smartphones, it’s good to see BrightHR recognising this and building what seems to be a pretty powerful app.

BrightHR offers a selection of self-help resources (Image credit: BrightHR)BrightHR: Support

When it comes to customer service and support, BrightHR excels. There’s a great range of self-help resources available via the company’s Support Hub, including FAQs, video tutorials, and detailed user guides.

On top of this, you can sign up to weekly webinars, which cover various aspects of getting started with the platform. There’s a handy blog that’s regularly updated, and you can reach out to the customer service team via phone or online contact form if you need extra assistance.

Qualified experts are on hand by phone for employment law advice, and there’s a good document template library to help companies get set up with policies and so on pretty quickly.

Health and safety support, compliance guidance and common HR questions are also covered.

Phone support, online chats and emails make support pretty accessible, but support is generally easier to reach in the UK & Ireland. BrightHR also operates across Australia and New Zealand, plus Canada, but there’s no tailored package for the US.

(Image credit: BrightHR)BrightHR: Final verdict

All things considered, BrightHR is a great option for those who need an advanced yet competitively priced HR management program. It boasts excellent prices, a great range of advanced tools, and a user-friendly, easy-to-navigate management interface.

While the lack of a US version does narrow its market a little, the markets it does serve are treated to an approachable interface and strong functionality.

The bottom line: if you don’t need a US-specific HR management program, BrightHR could be a perfect choice.

Consider BrightHR if you need HR, compliance, health and safety and employee wellbeing bundled into a neat package, or if you value an intuitive system with good desktop and mobile access.

BrightHR offers excellent service across the board, but there are certainly a few other platforms worth considering.

One of our favorites is Gusto, which covers virtually every aspect of HR management. It includes advanced tools for onboarding, insurance, wages, time-tracking, and more. Ultimately, it’s a great option for businesses looking for advanced all-in-one software.

Another popular choice is BambooHR, a platform that focuses on HR process automation. It also boasts leading security practices, making it a good choice for businesses dealing with sensitive information.

• We've also highlighted the best accounting software

Paycor, a human capital management (HCM) platform that is cloud based, offers payroll, HR, and other services for small and mid-sized businesses.

Paycor was founded in 1990, is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has a worldwide customer base, with notable customers including Wendy’s, Pure Dental Brands, and the Detroit Zoo.

It counts more than three decades’ experience in HCM under its belt, and also boasts that it supports 30,000 businesses in the US alone, spanning 2.3 million users. Another area of the site says the business count stands at more than 50,000.

It sees itself competing with the likes of ADP, Paycom, Paylocity, Zenefits, Gusto and UKG, as well as industry giants Rippling who create one of the most extensive and easy-to-use ecosystems on the market.

• Our guide to the best payroll software

Paycor: Plans and pricing

Although Paycor does provide some visibility into the membership tiers available, pricing details are not explicitly mentioned. This is a red flag from any company, and is unfortunately becoming increasingly normal in this sector.

Core is the most popular tier, but there’s also a more expensive Complete + ASO plan. These are marketed as solutions for companies with fewer than 50 employees.

Although precise costs aren’t mentioned, the company does push limited-time offers on occasion. At the time of writing, a 50% off for six months deal was running, which is more than you get elsewhere, but there doesn’t seem to be a free trial.

Bigger businesses with 50-1,000+ are directed to get in touch with sales instead, but there is mention of an HCM Core tier and one month free trial.

(Image credit: Paycor)Paycor: Features

Paycor is primarily an HR and HCM platform, but it does offer some payroll and other services at the same time.

These include full payroll services with tax filing, but these are mostly a byproduct of Paycor’s incredible workplace management solution.

For example, while the HR functionalities extend to performance reviews, goal tracking, feedback, surveys, career development and further planning, it also serves as a one-stop shop for everything you need to make sure your workers are where they say they are.

This includes mobile punching, geofencing and facial recognition where appropriate to provide HR teams with real-time visibility, helping with things like staffing analytics and predictions, overtime and labor costs.

By using the platform’s surveys, conducting pulse checks, and gathering valuable feedback to identify areas for improvement, Paycor reckons it can help organizations boost engagement while providing actionable insights to drive initiatives that boost employee morale, motivation, and productivity.

(Image credit: Paycor)

Paycor also helps with the recruitment stage as well as the existing workforce, with applicant tracking, recruiting, onboarding and document signing on offer, which means they’ll enter the system from day one, avoiding the need to add workers once they’re successful at interview stage.

There are customizable templates and automations to streamline onboarding even further.

Businesses can access a vast library of templates, guides, and best practices curated to help them navigate complex employment laws and regulations.

Teams can also create custom reports and dashboards to analyze trends and insights, and export data to various formats for further reporting.

Paycor’s software is so rich in functionality that the company promotes consultations across its site for organizations who may be looking to join.

Paycor: Ease of use

On the whole, the interface makes sense and so it should be fairly easy to navigate around the site, but some users have reported minor bugs and glitches that suggest Paycor may have the HR expertise, but many not the tech expertise.

The desktop and web version can feel a bit cumbersome, particularly for reporting or less common workflows.

On the flip side, mobile usability is often praised for giving employees access to schedules, requesting time off and more, which is a surprise because normally mobile experiences lag behind the full desktop version.

(Image credit: Paycor)Paycor: Support

Paycor offers an HR support center equipped with a wealth of resources to help businesses navigate HR complexities confidently, so you’ll get just as much business advice as you will product support.

The searchable database gets divided into sections – a public employee area and a password-protected administrator section. On the employee side, there are the expected topics, such as setup and use of the mobile app, and we appreciate that some of this info is presented via short and easy to understand videos.

Apart from the knowledge center and old-school ticket-based support, you can also use phone and live chat channels to get in touch with a human agent in real time.

Note you’ll only be able to get in touch during office hours, which is pretty standard, but user feedback doesn’t paint a glowing picture. Many note issues with reponse delays, a lack of follow-through on open tickets and inconsistent answers.

Some also noted concerns about hidden fees or unexpected cost increases.

(Image credit: Paycor)Paycor: Final verdict

We think Paycor is best for medium-sized companies who don’t need overly complex demands, but it’s just a shame that pricing is hidden and prospective customers will have to set aside time to talk to the sales department to see if the product is even within budget for them.

By using Paycor's HCM solution, SMBs can streamline their operations, reduce administrative burdens and focus on more important and productive work.

Still, there are some areas for improvement, such as easier and quicker access to support and the interface, which might be acceptable, but trails behind rivals.

• Read our guide to the best payroll software

Samsung S85F review: two minute review

The Samsung S85F, the company’s entry-level OLED TV for 2025, could easily get overshadowed by its step-up siblings and more premium OLED competition. However, the S85F offers a good range of features and great performance at a more affordable price, with the 65-inch model I tested available for $1,499.99 / £1,899.99 / AU$1,999.99 several months after its release.

One thing to note in this review: I tested the 65-inch Samsung S85F, which in the UK, where I am based, uses a W-OLED panel. In the US, the 55- and 65-inch models instead use a QD-OLED panel.

The S85F boasts a feature list that rivals the best TVs, particularly in terms of smart TV and gaming capabilities. That list also includes AI-based picture enhancement tools such as 4K AI Upscaling and Real Depth Enhancer, as well as an improved Tizen 9.0 smart TV platform.

Picture quality on the S85F comes close to rivaling the best OLED TVs. Colors are vibrant, and it delivers strong contrast with deep blacks and refined shadow detail. Textures are realistic with both 4K and HD sources, giving people and objects a 3D-like quality. Motion does require some setup, but once this is done, the picture is smooth and responsive. Brightness is lower than that of flagship OLEDs such as the Samsung S95F and LG G5, and even mid-range OLEDs like the LG C5, but that’s the one area where it falls short.

The S85F’s two 2-channel, 20W speaker array delivers decent bass and clear speech, and it accurately maps sound effects to the action on screen, but is otherwise just average. Some may find the S85F’s sound fine for day-to-day viewing, but I’d recommend adding one of the best soundbars.

The S85F carries a gaming feature set to match the best gaming TVs, and it has the performance to match. Its four HDMI 2.1 ports support 4K 120Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync, ALLM, and HDR10+ gaming. Samsung’s Gaming Hub has access to tons of cloud gaming apps, and an ultra-low 9.4ms input lag time ensures responsive performance, regardless of the game.

Tizen 9.0, the latest version of Samsung’s smart TV platform, is arguably the best one to date. Navigation is smooth, there are AI-based tools for content recommendation, and there are plenty of settings to adjust the picture. Those settings can be a pain to find at times, but that doesn’t make Tizen 9.0 any less of a success.

The S85F is great value for money. It has a comprehensive list of features, strong performance for gaming and movies, and is affordably priced for an OLED TV. While step-up models such as the Samsung S90F and LG C5 can be had for a bit more money, the S85F is still a great value overall.

Samsung S85F review: Prices & release date

(Image credit: Future)

• Release date: May 2025
• 55-inch: $1,399.99 / £1,399.99 / AU$2,499
• 65-inch: $1,999.99 / £2,099.99 / AU$3,299
• 77-inch: $2,799.99 / £2,799.99 / AU$4,999
• 83-inch: $4,499.99 / £3,799.99 / AU$6,999

The Samsung S85F is the entry-level OLED model in Samsung’s 2025 TV lineup, sitting below the mid-range Samsung S90F and flagship Samsung S95F. It is available in sizes ranging from 55 to 83 inches. The 65-inch model I tested launched at $1,999.99 / £2,099.99 / AU$3,299.

All models have dropped in price since launch. At the time of writing, the 65-inch model is selling for as low as $1,499.99 / £1,899.99 / AU$1,999.99, putting it in the same region as its closest rival, the LG B5 (65-inch priced at $1,399.99 / £1,899.99 / AU$2,695). I expect those prices to continue dropping throughout 2025.

Samsung S85F review: Specs

Screen type:

OLED

Refresh rate:

Up to 120Hz

HDR support:

HDR10+, HDR10, HLG

Audio support:

Dolby Atmos

Smart TV:

Tizen

HDMI ports:

4 x HDMI 2.1

Built-in tuner (US):

ATSC 1.0

Samsung S85F review: Benchmark resultsSamsung S85F review: Features

The Samsung Gaming Hub (pictured) is one of the Samsung S85F's strongest features (Image credit: Future)

• NQ4 AI Gen 2 Processor and W-OLED panel
• 4K 120Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync
• Vision AI tools

US models of the S85F use QD-OLED panels exclusively in the 55-inch and 65-inch screen sizes. In every other region, the S85F uses standard W-OLED panels across all sizes. Since I’m in the UK, I tested a 65-inch model with a W-OLED panel.

The S85F features Samsung’s NQ4 AI Gen 2 processor, which has picture enhancements such as 4K AI Upscaling and Real Depth Enhancer. Like all Samsung TVs, there is support for HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG high dynamic range formats, but not Dolby Vision.

A two-channel, 20W speaker array on the S85F supports Dolby Atmos, and there are sound-based AI tools such as Adaptive Sound and Active Voice Amplifier Pro. The S85F also supports Q-Symphony, which enables its speakers to be used in conjunction with compatible Samsung soundbars when connected.

Gaming is well supported on the S85F. The TV’s four HDMI 2.1 ports support 4K 120Hz, ALLM, HDR10+ gaming, and both AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync. The S85F also features the Samsung Gaming Hub, a portal for cloud-based gaming services.

The S85F features Samsung’s Tizen smart TV platform, now on version 9.0. This provides AI tools for picture and sound enhancement, plus other features such as click to search and AI content recommendations. Tizen provides access to pretty much all major streaming apps, such as Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, and, in the UK, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and other major UK-based streaming apps.

• Features score: 5 / 5

Samsung S85F review: Picture quality

Colors and textures look great on the Samsung S85F, as shown here with Wicked (Image credit: Universal Pictures / Future)

• Rich colors
• Strong contrast and shadow detail
• Middling brightness compared to other OLEDs

Measuring the S85F’s peak HDR brightness on a 10% white window pattern, it hit 777 nits in Filmmaker Mode and 818 nits in Standard mode. While that result is lower than mid-range OLED TVs such as the Samsung S90F, it was higher than the LG B5 (668 nits in Movie mode and 637 nits in Standard mode), which uses a similar panel.

The S85F’s fullscreen HDR brightness was just average, topping at 147 nits in Filmmaker Mode and 150 nits in Standard mode. This is again in the same region as the B5 (170 nits in Standard and 131 nits in Filmmaker), but much lower than what you’ll get with recent flagship OLEDs, which average around 300-plus nits on this test.

The S85F does an impressive job upscaling HD-quality movies and TV shows. A stream of Fight Club on Disney+ benefited from upscaled textures and showed good contrast. The same can’t be said for standard-definition content from apps like Samsung TV Plus and YouTube, however.

Color was among the S85F’s strong points. Viewed in the Movie picture mode, a scene from the 4K Blu-ray of Wicked, in which Elphaba stands under a pink tree, revealed vibrant pink flowers and a vivid green hue to Elphaba’s skin. Filmmaker Mode looked more natural, but picture highlights had more punch in Movie mode. A 4K stream of Elemental also demonstrated the S85F’s superb color, particularly in a scene where Ember repairs a broken vase.

Measuring the S85F’s HDR color gamut, it covered 98.1% of the DCI-P3 and 71.5% of the BT.2020 color spaces. While the former is a great result, the latter is lacking compared to other recent OLEDs, which have ranged from 74-81% in our tests.

The S85F delivers rich black levels and great contrast (Image credit: Future)

The S85F exhibited excellent contrast and shadow detail. Watching The Batman, specifically the opening crime scene in Mayor Mitchell’s house, there was a powerful balance between the light areas of torches and lamps and the dark floors and walls. Paintings were still visible on the walls in the darkest points of the scene, and so was Batman’s eye as he turned away from the camera. Shadows here were deep and rich throughout, with no signs of black crush.

Due to the S85F’s limited brightness and glossy screen, darker movies like The Batman were harder to watch in brighter viewing conditions, and were best saved for dim or pitch black viewing.

Black and white scenes from Oppenheimer also demonstrated the S85F’s excellent screen uniformity, displaying a good range of black, white and gray tones evenly across the screen.

Motion handling required some setup on the S85F. For sports, I found Standard mode with judder reduction set to 3-5 and blur redirection set to 2 to be the best settings, resulting in a smooth, but not overly smooth, picture. There was still some ghosting of the ball during a soccer game on Prime Video with these settings, but it was minimal. As for movies, a scene in No Time to Die where a camera pans across a hillside required the same motion settings to reduce judder.

Detail was one of the S85F’s other picture quality strengths. Almost everything I watched looked crisp and refined, taking on a realistic look without being too sharp. This gave people and objects a 3D-like quality, something helped along by the TV’s Real Depth Enhancer feature.

• Picture quality score: 4.5 / 5

Samsung S85F review: Sound quality

The S85F features Samsung's Object Tracking Sound (OTS) Lite system for a more spatially accurate sound presentation (Image credit: Future)

• Two-channel, 20W speaker array
• Good accuracy and solid bass
• Narrow soundstage

The S85F has a two-channel, 20W speaker system with Dolby Atmos support. There are two audio presets, Standard and Amplify, along with AI sound tools such as Adaptive Sound and Voice Amplifier Pro, both of which analyze the viewing environment and content on screen to adapt the sound.

Despite having a limited two-channel sound system, the S85F demonstrated solid bass. In the Batmobile/Penguin car chase from The Batman, it delivered the rumble of the Batmobile’s engine and the crunch of collisions with good impact and weight. The Object Tracking Sound (OTS) Lite system also did a great job of connecting sound with the action on screen, accurately mapping swerving tires, bullet sprays and blaring car horns. Speech was generally clear throughout my testing.

The S85F’s soundstage felt very narrow, however, with sound effects never really extending beyond the screen. While the S85F’s sound will be fine for day-to-day viewing, it deserves a soundbar to match its picture quality.

• Sound quality score: 3.5 / 5

Samsung S85F review: Design

The S85F's support feet can be installed in two positions: wide or narrow (Image credit: Future)

• Sleek design with trim frame
• Wide and narrow support feet options
• SolarCell remote

Like many Samsung TVs, the S85F has an appealing design, with its extra-slim build and bezel-less screen giving it a sleek, modern look. Its rear panel even has a navy/gray color that helps differentiate it from other TVs on the market.

There are wide and narrow installation options for the TV’s support feet. Wide is perfect for accommodating a soundbar, and the narrow position is for those who have a particularly small TV stand.

The S85F comes with Samsung’s SolarCell remote, which features both a USB-C port and a solar cell on the rear as charging options. A new addition is the AI button, which provides access to Vision AI settings, such as click to search when pressed. If you’re in the UK, you’ll get Samsung’s older remote with a numeric keypad as well.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Samsung S85F review: Smart TV & menus

Tizen 9.0, the latest version of Samsung's smart TV platform, is the best one to date (Image credit: Future)

• Tizen 9.0 platform
• Responsive performance and clean layout
• Some settings are buried in menus

Samsung’s Tizen smart TV platform has gone through several big changes over the last few years, and the new Tizen 9.0 is the best version to date. A quick menu provides easy access to settings such as picture mode, brightness, and sound output. There are also four useful hubs: Home, for streaming apps and content recommendations; Game, for gaming apps and settings; Daily+, for lifestyle apps such as office and health; and Ambient, which gives access to artwork, photos and videos that can be displayed in a low power mode.

Tizen 9.0 offers AI content recommendations based on your watch history, and its Samsung TV Plus app houses hundreds of free channels. For UK users, Samsung TV Plus serves as an alternative to Freeview. There is the option to create custom profiles for different users as well.

Tizen 9.0 may be a marked improvement over previous versions, but it’s still not perfect. While there are plenty of settings to adjust the picture, these can be tough to navigate. For instance, I was frustrated to find that settings I regularly use, such as Motion, were buried deep in sub-menus.

Tizen doesn’t quite beat LG’s webOS as the best smart TV platform, but it comes in a very close second.

• Smart TV & menus score: 4.5 / 5

Samsung S85F review: Gaming

The S85F has a stacked list of gaming features and delivers great performance. (Image credit: Future)

• Four HDMI 2.1 ports
• 4K 120Hz, FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync
• 9.4ms input lag time

The S85F carries a near-full stock of gaming features across its four HDMI 2.1 ports. These include support for 4K 120Hz, VRR including AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync (the latter a first for Samsung TVs), HDR10+ gaming and ALLM.

Samsung’s Gaming Hub offers cloud-based gaming services such as Xbox, Nvidia GeForce Now, and Luna, along with gaming-related content. It also allows for quick access to connected gaming devices such as consoles.

With an ultra-low 9.4ms measured input lag, gaming performance on the S85F is smooth and responsive. In even the most chaotic battle sequences in Battlefield V, I found it was snappy and responded to my inputs quickly with no signs of stutter or screen tearing.

• Gaming score: 5 / 5

Samsung S85F review: Value

The S85F comes with Samsung's SolarCell remote (Image credit: Future)

• Competitively priced for an entry-level OLED
• Strong features and performance for price
• Better value in US due to QD-OLED panel

I’ve seen the 65-inch S85F I tested selling for $1,499.99 / £1,899.99 / AU$1,999.99. While this is good value for an OLED TV of this size in the UK and Australia, it’s even better value in the US, since that size uses a QD-OLED panel that can potentially provide even better performance.

The S85F is competitively priced with its main rival, the LG B5, which costs $1,399.99 / £1,899.99 / AU$2,695 for the 65-inch model. I expect these two will compete on price for the remainder of the year, particularly during Black Friday.

The step-up Samsung S90F (which also uses a QD-OLED panel in the 65-inch size in both the US and the UK) is available for $1,699.99 / £2,099.99 / AU$4,295, meaning it’s a good value. And at $1,699.99 / £2,099.99 / AU$4,295, the LG C5, LG’s mid-range OLED, is priced the same as the S90F. For a bit more money, both these models offer better performance, with higher picture brightness.

• Value score: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Samsung S85F?

(Image credit: Future)Samsung S85F

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

A strong array of features for both gaming and smart TV

5/5

Picture quality

Excellent color and contrast plus realistic textures, but lacks brightness of more premium OLEDs

4.5/5

Sound quality

Solid bass performance and accurate mapping, but a narrow soundstage

3.5/5

Design

Slim, sleek design with two-position stand gives TV a more premium look than its price would suggest

4.5/5

Smart TV and menus

Best iteration of Tizen to date, with useful menus and settings and smooth performance, but some settings are buried in menus

4.5/5

Gaming

4K 120Hz and full VRR support plus ultra-responsive performance and Samsung Gaming Hub

5/5

Value

A great value TV that has all the features and performance most people will want

4.5/5

Buy it if...

You want a great OLED picture for less
The S85F delivers bold colors, crisp textures and strong contrast for a cheaper price than most other 2025 OLED TVs.

You want a great TV for gaming
The S85F has four HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K 120Hz, FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync, and it delivers ultra-smooth performance.

You want value for money
An impressive picture, a full list of gaming features and plenty of smart tools and features make the S85F great value for money.

Don't buy it if…

You want to watch in a bright room
The S85F doesn't have the high brightness of premium OLEDs, and its screen is reflective in brighter viewing conditions.

You want Dolby Vision support
Samsung TVs don't support Dolby Vision for movies or gaming, and the S85F is no exception. It does support HDR10+, however.

You want the best built-in sound
While fine for day-to-day viewing, the S85F's built-in sound can't compare with a soundbar, with even affordable models beating it.

Also consider

Samsung S85F

LG B5

LG C5

Samsung S90F

Price (65-inch)

$1,999.99 / £2,099.99 / AU$3,299

$1,999.99 / £2,499 / AU$3,299

$2,699 / £2,699 / AU$4,299

$2,499 / £2,699 / AU$4,299

Screen type

OLED (QD-OLED on 55- and 65-inch models in the US)

OLED

OLED

QD-OLED (65-inch only)

Refresh rate

120Hz

120Hz

144Hz

144Hz

HDR support

HDR10+/HDR10/HLG

Dolby Vision/HDR10/HLG

Dolby Vision/HDR10/HLG

HDR10+/HDR10/HLG

Smart TV

Tizen

webOS 25

webOS25

Tizen

HDMI ports

4 x HDMI 2.1

4 x HDMI 2.1

4 x HDMI 2.1

4 x HDMI 2.1

LG B5
The Samsung S85F's closest rival, the LG B5 offers similar brightness, features, performance, and even price. The B5 does support Dolby Vision HDR, but not the HDR10+ format.

Read our full LG B5 review

LG C5
The LG C5 is brighter than the S85F, so it's better suited to watching in well-lit rooms. It also has better processing speed and built-in sound. It is, however, a step-up in price, and the S85F carries many of the same gaming features and performance.

Read our full LG C5 review

Samsung 65-inch S90F
The step-up model over the S85F, the Samsung S90F uses a QD-OLED panel in its 65-inch model, and that gives higher brightness, along with better contrast and color detail. It also supports a 144Hz refresh rate for gaming.

Read our full 65-inch Samsung S90F review

How I tested the Samsung S85F

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested in our testing room in varying lighting conditions
• Tested using HDR and SDR sources
• Measurements taken using Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software

Before conducting my testing, I spent some time casually viewing the S85F to establish its best picture modes, settling on a mix of Filmmaker Mode and Movie mode, with Standard for sports.

I conducted subjective testing by watching reference SDR (DVD, Blu-ray) and HDR (4K Blu-ray and streaming) sources to test the S85F's picture quality, focusing on color, contrast, textures, upscaling, shadow detail and motion handling.

For 4K Blu-rays and other discs, I used a Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player, and I also used an Xbox Series X to analyze gaming performance.

I next conducted objective testing, taking measurements using specialized equipment: a Klein K-10 A colorimeter, with a Jeti Spectraval 1501 used to profile it and a Murideo 8K Six G Metal test pattern generator, with Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software to record the results.

I measured the S85F's HDR and SDR brightness on 1-100% white window patterns, focusing on 10% (peak) and 100% (fullscreen) brightness.

Next, I measured the S85F's color and grayscale accuracy, looking for a Delta-E (the margin for error between the test pattern and what's displayed on screen) average below 3. I also measured the S85F's DCI-P3 and BT.2020 HDR color gamut coverage.

Finally, I measured the S85F's input lag using a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI Input Lag tester.

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

Paychex is one of the best payroll software platforms available for small and medium-sized businesses. With this platform, you can easily manage payroll for dozens of employees and integrate benefits like healthcare and retirement into your payroll process. Plus, all Paychex plans include tax documentation and accounting software integration. The biggest downside is that the software is surprisingly expensive.

In our Paychex review, we’ll help you decide whether this payroll software is right for your business.

• Our guide to the best payroll software

Paychex: Plans and pricing

Paychex used to operate on a three-tier system: Go, Flex Select and Flex Enterprise. As a guide, Paychex Go started at $59 per month plus $4 per employee, with higher plans coming at an undisclosed cost via a customized quote.

Unfortunately, Paychex has decided to apply this method across the whole platform now, so exact pricing is illusive.

On the website, it describes four different sizes of business: self-employed (1), 1-19, 20-49 and 50-100+, suggesting four tiers of membership may be available.

Pricing options for Paychex (Image credit: Paychex)Paychex: Features

Because Paychex comes with a couple of different subscription levels, what you get depends on how much you pay, but as a guide you can expect full payroll processing with W-2 and 1099 support, tax calculations and filing, and new hire reporting.

To pay your employees, Paychex enables you to make direct deposits or print your own paper checks. You have some flexibility, as you can set up multiple payment accounts for each employee.

You can also request prepaid debit cards for each employee and set up Paychex so that payments are automatically transferred onto these cards.

Onboarding tools are also available to help reduce the burden on HR teams, with workers gaining access via their own portal.

Employees can track their hours through Paychex’s dashboard (Image credit: Paychex)

Employee dashboards have a built-in time tracker, which enables commenting, making it easy to see what your employees were spending time on throughout the pay period. They can also check their scheduling from here, too.

Importantly, Paychex can also integrate with most popular accounting software, including QuickBooks and Xero, to make calculating quarterly and annual tax payments much simpler.

One of our favorite things about Paychex is that the software also enables you to keep track of healthcare, retirement, along with other key benefits right alongside payroll.

You can set up a 401(k) for your business through Paychex Retirement Services or enroll employees in an HSA or FSA. When you enter payroll, Paychex will automatically calculate your employer contributions to these accounts and transfer the funds at the same time that checks go out to employees.

Beyond basic payroll and human capital management tools, Paychex also helps HR teams monitor performance and job costing/labor distribution, supporting growth strategies and summarizing figures to help predict the impact of growth.

Paychex: Ease of use

Paychex offers a simple online dashboard that’s fairly easy to navigate. You can see at a glance how much cash you need to have on hand to cover your last payroll period, as well as on what date the current period’s payroll needs to be approved.

To enter employee hours, Paychex uses a simple grid layout that saves a significant amount of time compared to the series of drop-down menus that some other payroll platforms use.

Another nice thing about Paychex is that it includes detailed analytics about your payroll. You can generate reports sorted by employee, office location, position, or any number of custom filters. In all, Paychex has more than 160 built-in standard reports for Go and Flex Select customers - and Flex Enterprise customers can set up even more.

On the whole, the interface is fairly intuitive for core tasks, but there does appear to be somewhat of a learning curve for some features and modules, which users occasionally report to be overwhelming.

We were happy to see that Paychex offers a mobile app, although we wish it were available to subscribers on the Go plan. The mobile app is particularly nice for employees, since they can use it to check their pay stubs, change their payment account details, or manage their 401(k) plan and health benefits.

Paychex uses a grid layout to make entering employee hours and pay faster (Image credit: Paychex)Paychex: Support

Paychex provides multiple support channels including phone, email and online help, with employers getting 24/7 phone support and employees also able to access 24/7 support (but chat, not phone).

Employees can still phone Paychex, but they’ll only be granted support within office hours (from one of the 100+ US-based offices).

Support broadly feels better for higher-tier plans, which is often the case, but it would be nice to see companies offer strong support across all tiers.

There’s also a large library of HR and legal documentation as well as policy templates that can be useful for compliance, but some users note varying availability for other resources like tech support for integrations or less common modules.

For these, you’re probably better off getting in touch with a human, rather than using self-service options.

Paychex offers 24/7 phone support and walk-ins at over 100 US offices (Image credit: Paychex)Paychex: Final verdict

Paychex is a feature-rich payroll software with a lot to like. If you want to integrate healthcare, retirement, or other benefits into your payroll, there are few better options for your business.

However, if you don’t need these integrations, it can be hard to justify Paychex’s price tag. The platform is very capable, but its main features are matched by Gusto at a more accessible price.

Paychex has a lot of features, but this platform can be prohibitively expensive for some small businesses. For a cheaper option, consider SurePayroll.

Regardless, we think Paychex offers a strong comprehensive solution with support spanning payroll, HR, compliance and other benefits. It has good regulatory compliance, particularly for US customers, and isn’t as hard as some other systems to use.

• Read our guide to the best payroll software

Try Patriot today

Patriot offers easy-to-use accounting and payroll software designed for small businesses. It provides automated payroll processing, tax calculations, expense tracking, and invoice management—all in one platform. View Deal

Patriot is an online solution for handling both accounting and payroll tasks. It’s ideally suited to small business owners thanks in particular to its highly praised support, which can help provide ongoing help and also assist your business in configuring the system to work in the first place.

The company itself has been around for over three decades, so it clearly has plenty of experience on both the accounting and payroll fronts.

Patriot now counts 65,000+ customers on its books, having facilitated over $19 billion in payroll processing. It also boasts of an average time for customers to run payroll of less than three minutes – a testament to its ease of use.

• Want to try Patriot? Check out the website here

The real bonus with Patriot, however, is that it seems to have retained its original roots feel, with a keenness on providing a great level of customer service and support.

Adding to that ongoing appeal is Patriot’s easy-to-use design and a user interface that aims to provide business owners with an affordable accounting solution that’s reasonably stress-free too.

Patriot Accounting and Payroll: Plans and pricing

Patriot continues to offer consistent pricing across its product portfolio, which allows business owners to choose from the package that suits their needs the best.

Currently, there are two routes you can take – accounting or payroll software. Each has two different tiers.

Accounting Basic ($20/month) offers unlimited customers, invoices, vendors and payments, as well as income and expense tracking and more.

Accounting Premium ($30/month) adds support for estimates, recurring invoices, invoice reminders and receipt management, so it’s a much more rounded option for not a lot more.

(Image credit: Patriot Software)

The payroll service also offers affordable plans, starting with Basic Payroll ($17/month plus $4/worker), with unlimited payrolls, a free employee portal and other features.

Full Service Payroll ($37/month plus $5/worker) adds federal, state and local tax filing and some more filing tools.

If you want to add Time & Attendance tracking to either of these, it’s $6 per month plus $2 per employee on top of your bill. HR Software costs $6/month plus $6 per worker.

Although it could be perceived as a pain to have multiple add-ons, we’d much rather have the option of picking and choosing the exact parameters we need rather than paying through the roof for unrequired features.

Better still, Patriot regularly runs deals and has 30-day free trials. At the time of writing, there’s a 50% off for three months promotion.

Patriot Accounting and Payroll: Features

Despite its value appeal Patriot still comes armed with plenty of features, with some of the key options outlined below.

In terms of payroll processing, Patriot can handle both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, with support for unlimited payroll runs per month. It’ll also help with federal, state and local tax filings.

When it comes to time and attendance, Patriot’s got you covered with an optional add-on for tracking hours, overtime etc and so on. HR teams can also add on compliance, employee files and permissions so that they can integrate a bit better with the finance department.

On the employee side, there’s a portal for accessing pay checks and updating personal information.

The online accounting aspect of Patriot is similarly user friendly (Image credit: Patriot Software)

Integrations are pretty thin on the ground, but you can sync with QuickBooks for exporting payroll entries. This is probably because Patriot prefers you to use its own tools across the board rather than piecing together different software.

The whole system is mobile-friendly too, which makes it convenient for people on the go.

Users report that Patriot runs like a dream, which is hardly surprising given that the company has been plying its wares for so long. Given that the service handles a lot of data, particularly when it comes to employee details, Patriot also goes to great pains to remind us that security is its number one priority.

Data is encrypted, audited annually and the company also adheres to all federal privacy, anti-fraud and security laws.

Users tend to rate Patriot highly for its tax calculating tools, but note that while automatic updates to tax tables help reduce the chance of an error, multistate work could add further cost and complexity.

Patriot Accounting and Payroll: Ease of use

Setting up any accounting or payroll product for the first time can be daunting, so Patriot gains praise for its ability to get you started and keep things ticking over further down the line.

The company has done a great job in making improvements to the usability of the software, especially now that it has implemented a beefy setup wizard that can help new users get up and running faster.

If you’ve got employees to think about and want to be sure that information input into the system is correct and where it should be then this wizard is a real bonus.

Of course, setting things up is always going to be the hardest part of the process due to the need for adding employee data for the first time. However, Patriot has really come up trumps with the latest incarnation of its package.

Once you’re in, the dashboard feels easy to navigate as are the employee and contractor portals, which encourage some degree of self-service to take some of the pressure off HR teams.

There's even a mobile edition of the Patriot experience for users on the move (Image credit: Patriot Software)

There’s also a mobile app for employees to handle certain features, but naturally, it’s nowhere near as feature-packed as the desktop version, so admins are best off accessing Patriot in a more conventional manner.

Because the platform focuses on the essentials rather than a whole plethora of finance and HR-related tools, it’s pretty easy to get your head around. That, of course, comes as the cost of some lost functionality, but you’ll only really notice this if your business has pretty demanding needs.

Patriot Accounting and Payroll: Support

The level of support that comes with the Patriot experience is what seems to drive many of its customers to keep using the online accounting and payroll service.

Knowing that you’ve got people who can talk you through the various processes, features and functions is a valuable asset and Patriot consistently secures positive results on this front.

It’s pretty easy to get in contact with the US-based team by phone, email or live chat, which is generally more than can be said about most of its rivals.

Many companies operate a ticket-based system, where users must file tickets and then wait for support, which is frustrating to say the least.

Free setup help is provided via the onboarding process, and there’s also plenty of documentation and tutorials on the knowledge base side of things.

It’s worth mentioning that, since Patriot is US-centered, customers operating outside of the US may struggle with support.

(Image credit: Patriot Software)Patriot Accounting and Payroll: Final verdict

Patriot is an excellent software option for business users searching for a duo of solutions on the accounting and payroll front.

The company has had a long time to perfect its formula, and while it continues to make improvements including within the user interface, the core tools inside this package come very recommended.

We found the pricing to be very competitive, especially for small businesses, and for those customers it does most of the basics very well.

In addition, having team members on hand to smooth the transition into using it makes Patriot very appealing.

Overall then, this is an accounting and payroll package that should be investigated, especially if you're looking for the extra benefit of that hands-on, real-time support.

If you need multistate support, things get pricier, and international customers are poorly catered-for, so in these cases, it could be worth considering a different HR platform.

• We've also highlighted the best accounting software

Business owners are always on the lookout for better, more efficient ways to do things. When it comes to accounting, payroll and all of those other daily admin tasks, a solution like the high-profile QuickBooks makes a lot of sense.

However, it’s now possible to supplement this with Intuit Online Payroll. The two can work in unison to make one of the best payroll software options currently on the market.

The combination allows you to do a little bit of everything, which is exactly what business owners are looking for in these challenging times.

Intuit is a big corporation and its software is all-encompassing, meaning that business owners can carry out a lot of their workflow within one integrated package.

Using QuickBooks and Intuit Online Payroll as one entity can therefore allow your company and its employees to enjoy much more simplified processes.

This review aims to drill down into just how well the software integrates and discover if it provides all of the value that Intuit’s high-profile marketing suggests.

• Our guide to the best payroll software

Intuit Quickbooks Payroll: Plans and pricing

Intuit is always running money-off deals across its entire portfolio of business-focused software, with a current 50% off for 3 months being fairly typical.

There’s a free trial too, which might help seal the deal. Meanwhile, plans are plentiful and varied, depending on your needs.

While Payroll Core and QuickBooks Simple Start used to kick off the range, Payroll Core + Simple Start is the latest iteration – a combination of the two, at $88 per month plus $6.50 per employee per month.

Payroll Core + Essentials only adds a few more features for $125 per month, while Payroll Premium + Plus is a much fuller package, but for a $203/month premium.

Thankfully, that $6.50 per person monthly fee is the same across all packages. Some companies think it’s okay to charge more when paired with higher tiers, so we appreciate Intuit’s standardized pricing here.

Three separate Payroll-only plans – Core, Premium and Elite – are available for $50, $88 and $134 per month, but they lack bookkeeping. QuickBooks Online users can also add payroll at any time from their accounts.

(Image credit: Intuit)Intuit Quickbooks Payroll: Features

What you get in terms of the pairing of QuickBooks and Payroll will obviously depend on which of the packages you head for.

Before, there were Core and Simple Start plans – now, the two have merged into Payroll Core + Simple Start. This plan comes with full-service payroll, 1099 E-File and Pay, next-day direct deposit and plenty more.

All plans can also track income and expenses, organize receipts, invoice and accept payments, track business miles, send estimates and manage 1099 contractors.

Despite being primarily a payroll suite, there are also some HR functionalities, like team management, health benefits and an employee portal.

Higher-tier plans add support for more users, sales channels and even inventory tracking.

(Image credit: Intuit)

In essence then, all plans come with unlimited payroll run capability, the power to calculate paychecks and all applicable taxes, as well as offering ease and convenience thanks to automated processing for taxes and their associated forms.

Companies with employees to consider will find the workforce portal very practical, while the coverage of the software extends to all 50 US states.

Similarly, there is extensive reporting on offer while the ability to manage garnishments and any or all deductions offers the final icing on the cake.

So important is security to Intuit that it actually has an entire security center, dedicated to keeping the entire product suite and its customers safe and secure. Intuit invests lots of money in ensuring its systems have multiple layers of security.

Using the software on a daily basis, you also soon realise just how well it has been engineered, with lots of potential obstacles in place that could foil the likes of scams and phishing attacks.

Intuit Quickbooks Payroll: Ease of use

One of the most appealing things about QuickBooks and the Payroll packages Intuit offers is the ease of use that comes with it all.

There’s no doubt that Intuit’s UX teams and engineers have worked long and hard to create products that just work.

The interface experience is invariably a good one no matter where you happen to be inside the suite of software, with a clever use of fonts, colour (mostly green) and graphics.

If you already use Intuit software, you’ll know how easy it is to use, and you should have no learning curve adopting its Payroll software.

Using Intuit Quickbooks Payroll is made easier thanks to a great interface (Image credit: Intuit)

If you’re moving from a different provider or new to payroll altogether, Intuit’s software strikes a good balance of surfacing just the right amount of control while maintaining a pretty simple interface. Others in this space might look cleaner and slicker, but that comes at the cost of reduced one-step functionality (fewer of Intuit’s features are buried beneath multi-step processes).

Dealing with normally stressful matters such as payroll is nowhere near as complicated as it used to be, but Intuit makes the job even simpler. Expect lots of automated tasks, plenty of one-click solutions and a healthy supply of practical benefits such as the ability to carry out powerful reporting without become broken in the process.

What you also get with this software is the ability to use it anywhere, with cloud convenience and plenty of mobile or tablet-focused tools that mean you don't have to lug the office laptop everywhere.

Intuit Quickbooks Payroll: Support

As you’d expect from a company the size of Intuit, if you’re looking for support then there is plenty on offer.

Certain plans, like Payroll Premium and Elite, offer 24/7 expert support for an upgrade, which is better than having to wait for office hours if you run around the clock.

Customers can use the support hub as their first port of call for everyday questions. There’s a chunky selection of toolbar options to choose from, such as getting started and dedicated topic sections covering core tasks including banking, invoices, taxes and more, plus a healthy training area too.

Intuit also has a healthy community, which is great for networking with likeminded business people who can often supply answers to any kind of question.

Naturally, you can also get directly in touch with support staff, but what is also of added value is the way the Intuit site can hook you up with a QuickBooks Certified Pro Advisor, which is a real boon if you’re ever feeling bogged down by the weight of office administration. There’s even a live chat function to do that immediately if matters are pressing.

You'll get the usual level of support options from Intuit Quickbooks Payroll (Image credit: Intuit)Intuit Quickbooks Payroll: Final verdict

It’s really easy to see why Intuit still manages to rule the roost with so many businesses opting to use its suite of products.

If you’re looking for value then pairing QuickBooks with the Payroll package can solve a lot of headaches. This is a streamlined solution with plenty of potent features and functions that enable quick and easy management of office tasks.

We see it best suited to SMEs and businesses with relatively standard payroll needs, where its relatively affordable pricing and advanced options offer a good breadth of functionality.

Support is generally good and performance is great, plus it forms part of a much wider QuickBooks ecosystem. That means if you’re already using some of the company’s software, you’ll be able to share data between apps.

If you’re not entirely smitten with QuickBooks Payroll, although there’s a trial that lets you see its potential before committing, there are also plenty of alternatives like Gusto.

Anyone needing a muscular HR and payroll solution will find it hard to miss the appeal of Sage Business Cloud Payroll, which comes with the same sort of features as those found in Intuit’s suite of products.

• Read our guide to the best payroll software

Business and larger corporations have flocked to Remote Payroll, simply because it has a very powerful feature set, albeit at a higher cost than many rivals. And, while there’s no shortage of best payroll software providers on the market, sometimes you need a little more potency to get the job done. If you’re running a larger organisation then Remote Payroll makes an awful lot of sense.

Remote Payroll comes with an extensive list of features, which can help business owners tackle every facet of their onboarding needs. The functionality within Remote Payroll means workflow is pretty much seamless too. It can also be tweaked to suit different country requirements, with functionality that can be similarly adapted to meet local laws.

• Our guide to the best payroll software

Remote Payroll: Plans and pricing

One thing to remember with Remote Payroll is that it’s a product aimed at companies with more comprehensive requirements. While this means you get tools that allow your business to handle payroll, tax and human resources, as well as compliance, the price tag is higher as a result.

It can also be a little confusing to work out costs with the likes of Employer of Record and Contractor Management options adding in additional prices.

Remember that Remote Payroll isn’t a simple, off-the-shelf software solution compared to some payroll package rivals. Indeed, you’ll really want to converse with Remote sales staff in order to get a tailored quote, especially if you need to tap into the powerful features provided by its Global Payroll and Remote Enterprise features.

There’s the basic plan for simpler needs, but the whole point of Remote Payroll is being able to exploit its more potent features.

As a guide, the Payroll package can come in at just $29 per employee per month, with additional features relating to HR like Contractor Management ($29/contractor/month) and Contractor Management Plus ($99/contractor/month) also available.

Employer of Record costs $699 per employee per month, and includes the whole package – hiring, onboarding, local payroll, benefit management, HR and more.

(Image credit: Remote Software)Remote Payroll: Features

One of the most impressive and convenient aspects of Remote Payroll is its truly global appeal. If you’re running a large operation Remote Payroll can handle payroll calculations, handle local tax deductions and reporting, social security needs, benefit deductions, expenses and time-off requests.

It means if you’re running a larger organization across borders, Remote Payroll instantly becomes an option when many others struggle to go international.

Remote Payroll is able to generate payslips, calculate bonuses, produce reports and meet any localised compliance needs.

In order to do all of this safely and securely there’s also secure document storage, which effectively turns Remote Payroll into a complete software solution.

You’ll pay a premium for the more advanced features, but Remote Payroll is ideally suited to business and corporations that have more of a global focus and which are represented in different countries around the world.

It comes as no surprise to see that Remote Payroll has been purchased by many well-known business names across the globe. That alone is always a good indication that Remote Payroll meets every requirement when it comes to security. The other big appeal with Remote Payroll is that it can work in any location around the globe.

(Image credit: Remote Software)

As a result, the software is tailored to suit its region, meeting all compliance and local law requirements. In addition, considering one of its main features is handling payroll, employees can also expect dependable handling of their wages, tax and benefit considerations.

On top of its payroll functionalities, Remote has also gone into offering HR management features including worker benefit management, as well as launching its own recruitment platform with candidate sourcing and a jobs board.

These are all recent additions, so it should come as no surprise that Remote has integrated AI into workflows too.

Recruit, for example, uses AI to help with sourcing, candidate matching and screening, and integrating other data points.

In mid-2025, Remote built AI-driven payroll engines from scratch to offer instant processing and adapt to local requirements. The company said this would help eliminate common delays and errors caused by legacy systems.

Changes were also made to how the Payroll platform integrates with other Remote software for an easier overall experience.

On a more technical side, Remote localized its infrastructure in order to ensure it had compliance expertise in different markets to avoid tax blunders and so on – ensuring it can look after you while you just input the right data.

Remote Payroll: Ease of use

Despite its powerful array of features and functions you’ll find that the Remote Payroll interface is a visual treat. There’s a cool use of colour, which is minimalist but effective, especially when it comes to highlighting the menu bar on the right-hand side of the interface.

You co-ordinate tasks using a core dashboard, which then allows quick and easy access to functions, with easy to decipher icons supported by text and linking to the likes of Team, Onboarding and Time Off under the ‘People’ option or Run Payroll, Payroll History and Pay Contractors under ‘Payments’.

There is also access to wider company details, vital documents and an app marketplace too, for anyone wanting to add in extra functionality. That means it’s possible to integrate Remote Payroll with the likes of BambooHR and Greenhouse as a couple of examples.

(Image credit: Remote Software)

A Settings tab also lets you carry out tweaks and personalisation requests depending on things like location, number of employees and so on.

Employees should find the self-service platform smooth to use with plenty of guided tools – payslips, document access and time off requests can all be found here, simplifying many processes by reducing the number of channels needed – no more shooting off an email to request time off.

In some complex jurisdictions, some users noted some delays or more manual steps, but that’s not a criticism of the platform itself. It’s more that Remote Payroll has to handle so many different procedures globally, and we think it’s done a good job of simplifying most of these.

Remote Payroll: Support

With anyone using Remote Payroll likely to be running a more complex operation there’s every possibility support will be needed from time to time. In that respect, Remote Payroll does the decent thing and has a help center and support hub.

However, some users report that it would be more beneficial to have a wider range of contact options. You can email the company, but it doesn’t seem particularly easy to speak to a human agent in real-time.

Getting through to support staff via email is all well and good, but sometimes an easier direct approach can be more effective, especially if it’s in relation to a pressing payroll or HR matter.

Some users also noted how support can sometimes feel a bit scripted – or not personalized – which might seem frustrating at times.

Nevertheless, Remote Payroll is on a par with many rivals in this sector.

(Image credit: Remote Software)Remote Payroll: Final verdict

Business owners with more complex needs should bypass some of the players at the lower end of the payroll software spectrum and head further up the chart.

This means considering the likes of Remote Payroll, SurePayroll and ADP Run.

With its premium price tag, Remote Payroll isn't at all suited to small business users, with many more affordable options out there. Where it does excel though is catering for global operations, which need to have customised payroll and HR tools at their disposal while meeting the needs of local legislation.

There are countless tools within the interface, all of which look and feel like they’ve been designed with usability at their core. Considering it’s potency, Remote Payroll is easy to manage and works no matter what the level of employee requirement is.

The only thing that might put some off is the price point allowing you to do so.

Still, for businesses that have expanded internationally, and on quite a decent scale, Remote offers a compelling and rather mature solution. If initial budget remains tight, look elsewhere.

• Read our guide to the best payroll software

Gusto is payroll software that covers everything a business needs to maintain a happy workforce. This includes organizing payments, insurance, support and initial onboarding.

It’s a comprehensive approach that sees Gusto rank among the best payroll software providers on the market. And, in this Gusto review, we help you decide whether it would be right for your business as we examine its pricing, features, support and overall ease of use.

Gusto is best suited to medium-sized businesses in the US, with smaller companies priced out with recent price rises and larger organizations uncatered-for in terms of some features and more advanced support.

• Our guide to the best payroll software

Gusto: Plans and pricing

Prices for Gusto have risen quite significantly in recent years. Back in 2023, we noted it had a $19/month base price, which has now climbed to $49.

That’s for the Simple package, which each person commanding a $6 monthly fee (something that hasn’t changed in those two years).

Plus ($80/month) and Premium ($180/month) unsurprisingly pack bigger punches, but unfortunately, you’ll be paying more per person as well as for the core functionalities.

Instead of $6/head, it’s $12 or $22 per person per month.

The Contractor Only packge, for companies who don’t have W-2 hires, is $35/month with a $6 monthly fee per person. At the time of writing in September 2025, this is free, so keep an eye out for discounts because Gusto clearly isn’t averse to them.

Solopreneurs can also use the platform for $49/month plus the $6 person fee, but that becomes a rather expensive way for filings returns.

(Image credit: Gusto)Gusto: Features

More than just payroll software, Gusto gives you a full set of tools for effectively managing your workforce. These include full-service payroll, employee benefits, time tracking as well as HR tools for hiring and onboarding.

Think of it as an all-in-one solution for anything to do with people – be that time or money.

Gusto’s features include full-service payroll, like calculating taxes, filing federal/state/local returns and handling W-2s/1099s.

Really crucial to Gusto’s success is the fact that you can perform unlimited payroll runs (including off-cycle runs) without extra fees. Payment methods include direct debit, paper checks, payroll cards, the ability to split pay checks or deposit into multiple accounts, so most scenarios an HR team will ever encounter are covered.

Where its real strengths are, though, is in its combination of finance and human capital management solutions.

With Gusto, you can set up your payroll to run with just a few clicks; it can even be set to run automatically on the schedule you choose. The software can handle employees and contractors, multiple rates of pay along with payments in multiple states.

(Image credit: Gusto)

Gusto has a number of benefits features, including the Gusto Wallet app, which employees can use to manage their pay checks and access emergency cash.

Then there is workers’ compensation, health reimbursement (QSEHRA) - an alternative to traditional health insurance - and commuter benefits. Health insurance administration is also built into the platform at no extra cost (apart from the actual insurance premiums).

With Gusto, employees track their time for you to review and approve. You can also customize paid time off (PTO) policies with all liabilities automatically calculated. And accounting integrations exist for mainstream platforms like Quickbooks Online and Xero.

These tools from Gusto are designed to help you save time when introducing new team members. You’ll be able to send offer letters, work through an onboarding checklist, have all your documents signed and stored online, and set up your new hires with online tools like G Suite and Microsoft 365 with a single click.

Gusto has several measures in place to protect its customers’ data. It has its own on-site security team, actively tests its software, and all data is AES-256 encrypted between your browser and AWS servers.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO) options are also available.

The Gusto application is kept secure with internal and third-party penetration testing, vulnerability scanning and a bug bounty program. Better still, all Gusto employees have specific security training.

Gusto: Ease of use

When you first log in to Gusto, you’ll begin the process of setting up all your company information, including your accountant, benefits, state and federal taxes, employees, pay schedule and workers’ compensation.

When you add an employee, they’ll be sent a welcome email, which will enable them to create their own account.

The onboarding process is simple and workers can self-onboard to free up some valuable time for HR teams.

Once setup is complete, you’ll be able to view all of your company’s employees, including ones who have been dismissed, and invite new hires to join the system.

Gusto’s platform has been praised for its intuitive and user-friendly interface, so it should be relatively easy to get your head around even if all of this comes new to you.

The dashboard design is clean, and things like tasks and to-do lists are highlighted easy to see, but there’s no real deep customization if you want to configure it to show precise metrics.

(Image credit: Gusto)Gusto: Support

If you want to speak to Gusto sales, their website lists a number. But to get access to Gusto support, you need to be signed in to your account.

Once logged in, you’ll see a different phone number to call for support; or you can visit your account dashboard’s support page, where there is a multi-stage form that eventually provides a recommended resource.

If that doesn’t help, you can fill in another form to send Gusto an email.

Premium plans get more premium support, which includes a dedicated advisor, faster response time and more HR expert access – lower plans can add some of this at a cost.

While this might not be a huge problem for most companies, support is not around-the-clock – phone and email are only there during working hours.

(Image credit: Gusto)Gusto: Final verdict

If you’re a small business owner who’s new to payroll, you’ll love Gusto because it’s so easy to use; you can finish important tasks with just a few clicks.

Once praised for its attractive pricing, costs have risen in recent years so it may be out of reach for more businesses. Its lack of some advanced features also means it may not be the perfect solution for the biggest businesses, so its appeal has tightened somewhat.

An alternative for larger businesses is OnPay, which has a very similar feature set, combining payroll and HR, but a simpler pricing structure.

Gusto is primarily a payroll platform with HR add-ons. Another alternative is Zenefits, which is the opposite: a complete HR solution with features like org charts and performance reviews and a payroll add-on.

If your workforce is small enough and the pricing is not an issue, Gusto provides first-class solutions for most of the important administrative areas of running a business.

• Read our guide to the best payroll software

Meze Audio Alba review

In Romanian, the word ‘Alba’ translates to ‘first light’. Instantly, this makes me think of new beginnings; of fresh experiences. And so, in come the Meze Audio Alba – an affordable pair of in-ear monitors aiming to be the first light for entry-level audiophiles, everywhere.

And I’m not going to beat around the bush here, Meze Audio absolutely nailed it with this model. These IEMs have a list price of $159 / £139 / AU$239, meaning they’re easily on the budget side of things. But very little about these in-ears feels or sounds budget to me.

First of all, these deliver fantastic sound quality – the most important quality needed to compete with the best wired earbuds around. If you’re new to the world of audiophile sound, you’ll be wowed with awesome attention to detail right across the frequency range, as well as clear, surprisingly expansive audio output.

Meze itself describes the Alba as having “a neutral sound profile with an added touch of warmth” – and that’s a largely accurate description in my view. Mids never sound recessed, treble is expressive, and bass is impressively weighty given these IEMs' small size. I certainly sensed that slight preference towards low-frequency sounds when listening to Overflow by Kolter, where the meaty, spacey bass hit with serious impact.

When tuning into Where Do We Go From Here by Jamiroquai, lead vocals were pleasingly clear in the overall mix, while rhythm guitar was effortlessly separated and afforded plenty of room to breathe. Groovy bass and percussion was also excellently defined, helping the track’s funk-infused character to flow, without compromise.

You’ll get a dynamic, detailed listen from the Alba too. I tried playing Rains again by Solji, and every breath came through clearly, while delicate vocals remained controlled and emotive throughout.

In fact, my only slight issue with these IEMs sonically speaking, is that higher-pitched treble sounds can get a little harsh at higher volumes. For instance, I listened to Straight From The Underground by Riordan, and snappy percussion sounded a little edgy as I ventured into the upper echelons of loudness. Again, though, these offer a great listen overall.

(Image credit: Future)

Beyond sound, these IEMs continue to plate up serious quality. They’re made up of zinc alloy and anodized aluminium parts, and the outer casing is intended to represent the appearance of a pearl. In hand, the Alba feel far more luxurious than their price would suggest. As much as I love the Sennheiser IE 200, their plastic casing doesn’t come close to the Alba’s more durable, flashy design.

In addition, the braided cable is elegant and even felt nice to run through my fingers. It is a little prone to tangling, especially after taking out of the satisfyingly compact carry case (included in the box). And if you want a volume controller for on-the-go use, you’re out of luck here – you’ll need to consider a third-party option.

Back to the good stuff: there are a couple of connectivity options here. You can either use the standard 3.5mm connector, or make use of the included custom-made USB-C adapter. This has a built-in DAC and AMP, ensuring you can access hi-res audio on the go, even with your smartphone. It also has an LED light that shines if you’re connected up properly – nice touch! It's worth noting, though, that there’s no 4.4mm adapter in the box.

I was also very pleased with the comfort and fit of the Meze Audio Alba. I typically use the Sony WH-1000XM6 to listen to my music, as I can often find in-ear options to feel a little tiresome after an hour or two. But not these. They fit snugly for me, and are lightweight enough to feel non-invasive. There are a range of different-sized eartips in the box, too, so you can find the perfect seal.

Of course, you don’t get the benefits of active noise cancellation with wired IEMs – something you’d expect from the best wireless earbuds. But that firm seal was all I needed to unearth the full benefits of the Alba’s passive noise isolation abilities. Even when listening at middling volumes, chatter around the office and passing by vehicles were dulled significantly, helping me to remain immersed in my music.

So, all in all, I think it’s clear. The Meze Audio Alba are a brilliant option for anyone looking to enter the audiophile world, with a low price, stunning looks, and detailed sound. They’ll help you see your favorite songs in a new light. And for that alone, they’re well deserving of my recommendation.

(Image credit: Future)Meze Audio Alba review: price and release date

• $159 / £139 / AU$239
• Launched in June 2024

The Meze Audio Alba are a highly affordable pair of IEMs, coming in with a list price of $159 / £139 / AU$239. Interestingly, they appear to be regularly priced a little higher than this in both the UK and Australia, but only by a small margin. They were released in June 2024, and are available in a single colorway.

Meze Audio Alba review: specs

Drivers

10.8mm dynamic

Weight

14g

Frequency range

15Hz-25kHz

Connectivity

3.5mm; USB-C

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Meze Audio Alba?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Brilliant USB-C adapter, great passive noise isolation, detachable cable, no in-line controller or mic.

4.5/5

Sound quality

Well separated, defined sound with impressive bass and attention to detail.

4.5/5

Design

Gorgeous outer casing, beautiful braided cable, a little prone to tangling.

4.5/5

Value

Phenomenally priced for the luxurious sound and looks on offer.

5/5

Buy them if...

You want audiophile-grade audio on a budget
The Meze Audio Alba plate up high-standard audio at a pretty low price, making them an incredible option for anyone looking for an entry point into the audiophile world.

You want to stand out from the crowd
One of the things I like most about these IEMs is their gorgeous looks. Their zinc alloy and anodized aluminium parts make for a premium look, while the neatly braided cable and silver details top off a gorgeous set of in-ears.

Don't buy them if...

You want in-line controls or a mic for casual listening
If you’re buying these purely for casual listening, the lack of an in-line controller could be frustrating, particularly when you’re on the go. Having said that, these do feature a detachable cable, so you may be able to identify a suitable third-party replacement if you want a controller and a mic.

You want the best tangle-resistant cable
I had a great time with the Alba, but I did find that its cable was a touch prone to tangling. The tangle resistant nature of the Sennheiser IE 200 cable may be preferable if you don’t want to spend time unfurling your buds on almost every use.

Meze Audio Alba: also consider

Meze Audio Alba

Sennheiser IE 200

Activo Volcano

Price

$159 / £139 / AU$239

$149.95 / £129.99 / AU$239.95

$80 / £99 (about AU$120)

Drivers

10.8mm dynamic

7mm dynamic

1x 8mm, 2x 6mm dynamic triple-driver

Weight

14g

4g (per bud)

5g (per bud)

Frequency range

15Hz-25kHz

6Hz-20kHz

20Hz-20kHz

Connectivity

3.5mm; USB-C

3.5mm

3.5mm; 4.4mm; USB-C

Sennheiser IE 200
I love the Sennheiser IE 200 and they really do feel like the natural competitor to the Meze Alba. With an entry-level price-point, attractive braided cable, and small-sized outer casing, the likeness is there for all to see. The IE 200 offer pleasing low-end weight, fantastic instrument separation, and a beautifully lightweight feel. They aren’t as premium-looking as the Alba, but they’re still a top-tier pair of affordable IEMs. Read our full Sennheiser IE 200 review.

Activo Volcano
The Activo Volcano are an exceptionally low-priced set of IEMs for anyone interested in entering the audiophile world. They supply prominent bass, multiple connectivity options, a secure fit, and a detachable cable. They are a little large for my liking, and they won’t offer the most neutral sound on the market, but they’re still a solid budget option. Read our full Activo Volcano review.

How I tested the Meze Audio Alba

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for two weeks
• Used in the office and while out and about
• Predominantly tested using Tidal

I tested the Meze Audio Alba in-ear monitors across the course of two weeks, after a thorough run-in. I predominantly used their 3.5mm connectivity option, while hooked up to my laptop – but I also tried the USB-C dongle with my phone when listening on the go.

Most of the time, I used the Alba while playing tracks via Tidal, in order to access higher-res music files. On Tidal, I ran through the TechRadar testing playlist, which features tracks from a wide range of genres. However, I also played a number of tracks from my own personal library, including some go-to tunes I use for testing audio gear.

Where appropriate, I compared the Meze Audio Alba side-by-side with the Sennheiser IE 200 on aspects such as sound quality, design, and features.

More generally, I’ve tested tons of products here at TechRadar, where I largely focus on the audio-visual segment. I’ve reviewed everything from all-action party speakers, such as the LG xboom Stage 301, through to premium IEMs, like the Sennheiser IE 600. As a result, I have a strong understanding of what is required for audio gear to stand out in a highly competitive market, and what makes a product great, rather than good.

• First reviewed: September 2025
• Read more about how we test

Whoop MG: One minute review

I really didn’t know what to make of the Whoop MG; I loved it and disliked it in equal measure. On the one hand, it’s a brilliant fitness tool, with a simple-yet-deep interface boasting comprehensive metrics. It’s got an in-app workout builder worthy of any of the best fitness apps, and an intuitive journaling mechanism. The journal entries you record feed into your recovery and strain information in a simple, clever way.

It’s really easy to use; being screenless, you hardly interact with it at all beyond taking the occasional ECG scan or switching off its haptic alarm with a few taps. Instead, all the interaction is done via the app, with the app sending through push notifications when it’s time for bed, or when the app needs a piece of information clarified with a quick journal entry.

Despite its limited interface, it’s a sophisticated tool, packing a host of heart health features including ECG to test for atrial fibrillation (the MG in its name stands for Medical Grade) and estimated blood pressure, which requires calibration with a cuff. Its new Healthspan tool gives you the Whoop Age metric, which is similar to Fitness Age on one of the best Garmin watches, or Metabolic Age on continuous glucose monitors like Abbott’s Lingo.

On the other hand, certain aspects of the tracker stop me short from recommending it for everyone. For one thing, the price for the Whoop MG – it’s only available on its premium Life subscription, with the medical-grade heart-screening features – is extortionate.

The lower-tier wearable, the Whoop 5.0, starts at a much more reasonable £169 / $199 / AU$299 per year. For this price, you can get a Whoop One subscription, which gives you the Whoop 5.0 device but locks metrics like Stress and Whoop Age behind a paywall. Instead, you get those (along with a nicer band and the wireless charger) with a Whoop Peak membership, which costs £229 / $239 / AU$419 per year. Then at the top end you get the Whoop Life subscription plan at £349 / $359 / AU$629 per year for life, which comes with the premium Whoop MG device with heart screening and ECG features. Stop paying at any tier level, and your Whoop reverts to an inert hunk of plastic at the end of your membership.

I tested the top-tier, super-premium Whoop MG, but the hardware is fiddly at times. Unbuckling the strap causes the metal clasp to come completely detached more often than not, the alarm is hard to turn off at times, while taking ECGs failed as often as it succeeded. Looking around the web, these aren’t isolated incidents.

It’s an impressive, sophisticated fitness tracker that some people will love, but I came away disliking it. While I appreciate that some people will see the subscription-based model as a monthly health investment, at this premium tier I don’t think the value is there, unless you’re very wealthy and extremely athletic or concerned about monitoring your health. Essentially, that makes it Batman’s ideal fitness tracker.

Whoop MG: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Whoop Life (MG): £349 / $359 / AU$629 per year
• Whoop Peak (5.0): £229 / $239 / AU$419 per year
• Whoop One (5.0): £169 / $199 / AU$299 per year

The Whoop MG’s value score, from the outset, is hampered by the membership scheme, especially as Whoop promised existing members free upgrades to the 5.0, turned back on that promise, then doubled back again after user outcry.

The Whoop MG device I’m testing is only available with the Whoop Life subscription, the most expensive tier.

The Whoop 5.0, without an ECG, blood pressure or Heart Screener features and more accurate, starts at the basic Whoop One tier (£169 / $199 / AU$299 per year), which offers Strain, Recovery, Sleep, VO2 Max, heart rate zones, steps, Strength Trainer, menstrual cycle insights and journal features. However, you don’t get the Whoop MG’s premium band and wireless charger, and software features Whoop Age, Stress and Health Monitor, which are locked behind a paywall.

For an extra $40 / £60 / AU$120 per year you can get Whoop Peak, which adds those hardware and software features back in. Now, all that you’re missing are the heart health features and improved accuracy for stats like menstrual cycle insights with the improved sensor array, which you get by spending another $120 / £120 / AU$210 per year on top of the Whoop Peak price for Whoop Life (£349 / $359 / AU$629 per year).

As we’re reviewing the Whoop MG, I’ll be focusing on this most expensive price tier, and to spend this sort of money on a wearable is far from unheard of – as a one-off payment, that is. To spend it annually is mad to me. Even though the app is terrific, it would have to do everything, pack GPS for better running insights, and make my coffee in the morning for me to consider this a good deal.

Things get a little better as you go down the tiers, as once you break down the cost by month, a subscription that aids your health and fitness in the way Whoop does starts to sound more reasonable. But even the best smartwatches, many of which offer excellent fitness credentials of their own, are a one-time payment – meaning Whoop will eventually out-cost them.

• Value score: 2/5

Whoop MG: Design

(Image credit: Max Delaney / TechRadar)

• Excellent app user experience
• Totally screenless
• Poor clasp

First things first: anyone who’s seen a Whoop device before will know it’s not a smartwatch. It’s a completely screenless plastic fitness tracker with its sensor array on the underside, wrapped using a Superknit or Coreknit polyester-fabric wristband over the top of the device. A bicep Coreknit band is also available. I like the screenless design – it’s distraction-free, and very easy to wear day-to-day.

Holding it all together is a stainless-steel buckle with a crossbar on one end to hook the fabric band, and two short pins to attach to the tracking device on the other end. This was one of my main hardware frustrations: I get that you’re not supposed to take the band off that often, but when I unclipped the band the buckle came off completely maybe one out of every three times. I had to forcibly bent the metal a couple of times to get it to stay put.

The design of the app, however, is very good – it’s one of the most user-friendly fitness apps I’ve tried in a long time. It’s easy to navigate, using color and circular graphs to provide clear context for your reams of data. The workout builder and journal functionality are intuitive and feed into other metrics. The only issue I had is that when viewing detailed heart rate graphs, the app inexplicably shifts to landscape mode.

• Design score: 3.5/5

Whoop MG: Features

(Image credit: Max Delaney / TechRadar)

• Automatic workout detection
• Very detailed, comprehensive metrics
• Workout builder

Whoop’s screenless ‘set-and-forget’ tracker is possible thanks to its advanced activity detection functionalities. Once the software learns what kind of workouts you take part in most often, it’s very good at anticipating your movements, tracking and logging them as the correct workouts. Towards the end of my testing, it successfully logged running and weightlifting workouts separately, without prompting.

Speaking of weightlifting, the workout builder is intuitive and fantastic to use, both as a diary of your strength-training progress and a way for the app to better pinpoint the amount of strain the workout placed on your body. I was able to create routines in advance and assign them to workout instances, and I was able to create and edit them on the fly if I had to go up or down a weight during a lift, for example.

Only a few very specific movements were missing, such as resistance band-assisted pull-ups, but for the most part its workout library was vast and comprehensive.

The Whoop Coach AI chatbot was also surprisingly useful, putting my personal statistics into context with its library of science-based advice.

The Whoop MG has an ECG feature, automatically exporting an ECG report that you can share with a doctor. Its blood pressure detection requires prior calibration with a blood pressure cuff for it to work, then estimates your blood pressure fluctuations based on other metrics. Otherwise, your step count, calorie burn, heart rate, sleep duration and more are folded into a trio of metrics, each scored out of 100: sleep, a measure of your overall sleep quality; recovery, the percentage of which your body has recovered from exertion or stress; and strain, which is how much stress you’re putting on your body during the day.

A ‘strain threshold’ is calculated based on your recovery and activity levels, indicating how strenuous your day should and can be before it veers into detrimental territory. Detailed graphs plot your stress, relation between strain and recovery, daily heart rate and more. With such a mass of information, it would be so easy for this to become confusing, but Whoop does a great job of packing a lot of information into the app without it feeling impenetrable.

• Features score: 4/5

Whoop MG: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Battery life is excellent
• Accurate heart rate and sleep tracking
• Geared for optimization

I found the Whoop matched up closely during testing with other wrist-based devices such as the Apple Watch Ultra 2 when it comes to heart rate tracking: in other words, it’s as good as it gets on your wrist. The sleep tracking was also accurate, recording without fail each time I woke up in the middle of the night.

Battery life was excellent. I averaged about nine days with the Whoop MG before I needed to use the attached charger, and even then I just clipped it on while I worked at my desk, and charged the device up without taking it off.

Generally, it was a terrific device, and I enjoyed my time with the Whoop. Its metrics aren’t just detailed, they’re actionable, offering plenty of context rather than spewing forth useless numbers in a vacuum. It doesn’t just tell you your sleep score, but also how to improve it.

However, I don’t think I’m necessarily the target audience for this device – I know it’s optimal, but I do not want to go to bed at 9pm, no matter what Whoop thinks my sleep need is. As it was telling me to wind down for the night, I was ramping up: I’d worked late, cooked late, and then had to do the dishes and sort some paperwork I’d been putting off. Only changing my goals in the app from “reach my sleep need” to “improve my sleep” stopped the Whoop MG from nagging me with push notifications at 8:30pm.

Well, almost. When I did take the device off, inside of 15 minutes, and without fail, I got a push notification telling me to reattach it, which irked me to no end. This is one of the most comprehensive fitness trackers I’ve ever tried, and certainly the best option for workout and recovery tracking if you don’t care about detailed running metrics; but it’s for the optimization-obsessed, and those who can afford its exorbitant annual fees.

• Performance: 4/5

Scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

The super-premium Whoop Life subscription is not great value.

2/5

Design

Wonderful app UX, so-so construction.

3.5/5

Features

Varied and comprehensive.

4/5

Performance

Detailed and usable metrics produce actionable advice

4/5

Whoop MG: Should I buy?Buy it if...

You’re obsessed with performing better

Whoop is for the truly dedicated, who want every part of their lives dialled in for elite performance.

You want distraction-free fitness

No screen? No problem. Whoop’s sleek tracker is unobtrusive and light.

Money is no object

The Whoop MG’s top-end subscription tier is very expensive.

Don't buy it if...

You’re an endurance athlete

Without GPS, Whoop can’t give you the speed and distance information you need, only the stress a run or other activity places on your body.

You’re on a budget

Obviously.

Also consider

We're currently testing the Polar Loop and Amazfit Helio Strap, both screenless fitness trackers new for 2025 pitched as Whoop competitors. Check back soon for our full reviews on both devices.

How I tested

I wore the Whoop MG for 21 days, testing its medical ECG feature, building workouts, wearing it almost constantly, asking questions of its chatbot, and exploring the app in detail. I compared it against the Apple Watch Ultra 2 on a hike, wearing one device on each wrist.

First reviewed: September 2025

Sony Bravia Projector 7 : One minute review

The Sony Bravia Projector 7 (VPL-XW5100ES) joins Sony’s projector lineup following the Bravia Projector 9 and Bravia Projector 8. It’s the cheapest of the three but still comes in at a staggering $9,999 / £6,999 / AU$13,999. Compared to popular consumer projectors like the $2,999 Hisense C2 Ultra, that is a huge leap. But the Bravia Projector 7 is specialty hardware designed for die-hard cinema fans with plans for a robust home theater, and in that context, it’s fairly priced.

Like other higher-end examples of the best projectors, the Bravia Projector 7 is somewhat simple – it’s just a projector. There’s no Google TV or other streaming platform built in, and there’s no sound system or even audio output ports. The few ports the Bravia Projector 7 does have are a pair of 4K 120Hz-capable HDMI 2.1 inputs plus a smattering of ports used for custom installation.

Though it’s just a projector, it’s a truly excellent one. It has flexible optics with a wide zoom range as well as vertical and horizontal lens shift, making it easy to align the projection. The picture you’ll get on your screen is also stunning: bright, colorful, and with the deepest black levels I can recall seeing from a projector.

While I’d love to see a wider color gamut and support for more HDR formats, these never felt like more than minor shortcomings during my time with the Bravia Projector 7, which never failed to impress. If you’re considering a projector for a dedicated, high-end home theater, it should be on your list.

Sony Bravia Projector 7 review: Price & release date

The Bravia Projector 7 features manual focus and zoom adjustments on its lens (Image credit: Future)

• Release date: June 2025
• Price: $9,999 / £6,999 / AU$13,999

The Bravia Projector 7 launch trailed behind the Projector 8 and 9, and though its price also trails behind those models, it is decidedly a luxury home theater product. The Bravia Projector 7 comes in at $9,999 / £6,999 / AU$13,999.

Sony Bravia Projector 7 review: Specs

Screen sizes supported:

90-130 inches

Brightness (specified):

2,200 Lumens

HDR support:

HDR10, HLG

Optical technology:

Laser SXRD (Silicon Crystal Reflective Display)

Smart TV:

N/A

Connections:

2x HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, USB-A, RS-232C, D-Sub 9-pin, 3.5mm (12V trigger)

Dimensions (H x W x D):

18.3 x 18.59 x 7.88 inches

Weight:

15.4 pounds (7kg)

Dials on the projector's top provide 71% vertical and 25% horizontal lens shift adjustments (Image credit: Future)Sony Bravia Projector 7 review: Design & features

The projector's connections include two HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz and ALLM support (Image credit: Future)

• Large footprint
• No audio capabilities or smart TV
• Flexible optics

The Bravia Projector 7 is a sizable home theater projector on the scale of the Epson LS12000 and BenQ W5800. This isn’t one of those compact lifestyle projectors, and it’s even larger than some of the ultra short throw projectors I’ve tested. The upside to this size is that the Bravia Projector 7 runs quietly, and it can still fit onto a (sizable) mantle or shelf at the back of a room, but it is better suited to ceiling mounting.

Thankfully, the Bravia Projector 7 is flexible about placement. The lens has a 1.6x zoom range, letting it shift from a modest throw ratio of 1.38 to a longer 2.21. It also has vertical and horizontal lens shift, offering 71% shifting vertically and 25% horizontally in either direction. You manually adjust focus and zoom using rings around the lens, and lens shift with a set of dials hidden under a small panel on the projector’s top.

In addition to these optical adjustments, the Bravia Projector 7 supports digital keystone, though for a projector of this caliber, it’s worth just ensuring proper alignment.

On one side, the Bravia Projector 7 includes several controls in case you misplace the remote control. There is also a series of ports, though most of these are for professional features, like networking and special triggers. Two HDMI 2.1 ports will accept a 4K 120Hz input, but these are for video input only. Neither offers eARC to pass on an audio signal. And with no other form of audio output, the projector doesn’t play well with streaming sticks or even some home theater PCs if they lack a quality audio output of their own.

The Bravia Projector 7 includes a large remote control with a fully backlit keypad. It includes buttons to access preset picture profiles, along with sharpness, brightness, and contrast. A large directional control is also built into the remote and includes a toggle to let the projector display a test pattern to help line up and focus the picture.

• Design & features score: 4/5

Sony Bravia Projector 7 review: Picture quality Image 1 of 3

The Bravia Projector 7's picture is characterized by crisp 4K detail and deep blacks (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Future)

• Bright and sharp picture
• Deep blacks
• Support for 4K 120Hz

Inside, the Bravia Projector 7 is built around a laser diode light source and features a native 4K SXRD optical system. While it’s still not quite on the level of triple-laser projectors for color gamut coverage, the picture is still simply stunning. As much as I’d love to see that extra bit of color, the quality is otherwise the best I've ever seen.

Blacks on the Bravia Projector 7 are simply exceptional. I can’t recall another projector I’ve seen that so thoroughly sank into darkness when displaying shadows. Letterbox bars presented by the Bravia Projector 7 looked so dim as to be indistinguishable from the surrounding walls, which were only illuminated by the light bouncing around the room from the projector itself during my evaluation. The Bravia Projector 7 has such good black levels that you will really want to invest in some light-absorbing materials or dark paint to reduce reflected room light’s impact on the picture.

The projector also gets bright enough for various uses in the daytime, even with daylight coming in through multiple windows. Cartoons, bright video games, and even web-browsing were all possible. You won’t want to watch darker content in this environment, though. But given this is a projector intended for a specialized viewing setup, I don’t think a few blackout curtains would be a tall order.

Basic adjustments and menu nav controls are located on the side (Image credit: Future)

The Projector 7 uses Sony’s XR Processor for projector, and the resulting image is fantastically crisp, with the optics making even fine text appear clear from edge to edge. And that includes objects in motion. Panning shots looked fluid, avoiding stuttering and judder but also artifacts such as the soap opera effect that plagues many systems trying to smooth motion. The Bravia Projector 7 was also happy to game at 4K 120Hz, with smooth visuals and only faint ghosting, and its ALLM feature ensured any input lag was negligible.

Even though the HDR support doesn’t go beyond HDR10, the Projector 7’s XR Dynamic Tone Mapping provides features to enhance the look of HDR content, including three selectable tone mapping modes. An XR Deep Black feature also contributes by ensuring blacks look deep and highlights get maximum brightness punch. For example, when the earth ships decelerate as they approach Pandora in Avatar: The Way of Water, the picture looked simply stunning with the deep black of space contrasted with brilliant flames.

• Picture quality score: 4.5/5

Sony Bravia Projector 7 review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

• High price tag
• Price is still competitive for category
• Performance equivalent to competition

The Bravia Projector 7 is expensive, and you are only getting a display for the money with no speakers (or a way to output audio to speakers), and no smart platform for streaming. That may be a tough pill to swallow for some, but the Bravia Projector 7 isn’t meant for someone who wants anything less than a masterful home theater setup. And the display that you’re getting is a truly exceptional one.

There’s no getting past this being a big investment, both for the projector and for all the other elements you’ll need to make the most of the Sony Bravia Projector 7. And there are plenty of projectors that won’t look half bad next to the Bravia Projector 7 while being way less expensive.

So while it’s tough to say the Bravia Projector 7 is a great value, that still can’t undercut its greatness. And the truth is, the Bravia Projector 7 is still a bargain next to some, like the Epson QL7000, and it’s a comparably priced and worthy rival to the JVC DLA-NZ700.

• Value score: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Sony Bravia Projector 7?

(Image credit: Future)Sony Bravia Projector 7

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design and features

Fairly huge, but it's smartly designed, and the adjustable optics allow for positioning flexibility

4/5

Picture quality

The picture quality is absolutely brilliant, and I haven’t seen such a deep black from a projector before. Its ability to run at 4K 120Hz for gaming also adds to the experience

4.5/5

Value

It’s not cheap, but the picture is great and the price is comparable to some of the other dedicated home theater projector options out there

3.5/5

Buy it if...

You want a truly gorgeous picture
The Bravia Projector 7 can provide a sharp, clean image with powerful contrast, great color, and impressive motion handling. View Deal

You have the rest of your home theater sorted
This projector requires more elements to make a complete home theater. If you’ve already got the sound, the seating, the light mitigation, and video sources in place, this is a great drop-in solution, especially with its flexible optics.View Deal

You know you’re going big with the picture
The value of a projector really soars as you move to bigger and bigger pictures. And the Bravia Projector 7 is happy to go even bigger than 100 inches while still maintaining a brilliant image.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You just want to plunk it down in your living room
Tapping this projector’s full capabilities takes some effort. Just about any stray light or reflective surface in the room is going to degrade picture quality, and then you won’t be getting all of what you’ve paid for.View Deal

You like a simple setup
The Bravia Projector 7 is meant for complete home theater setups with an A/V receiver routing video and audio signals, and cables and wires running all over the room. If that doesn’t sound appealing, you would probably be better suited by a different projector.View Deal

You don’t like watching in a dark room
This projector’s extremely deep black levels are probably its greatest aspect, but you won’t appreciate them unless you black out your room almost completely. If you prefer watching with some lights on, look instead for a brighter model designed to work in a range of lighting conditions. View Deal

Also considerComparison: projectors

Sony Bravia Projector 7

Epson Pro Cinema LS12000

Hisense C2 Ultra

JVC DLA-NZ700

Price:

$9,999

$5,000

$2,999

$8.999

Screen sizes supported:

90 to 130 inches

50 to 130 inches

65-300 inches

30 to 150 inches

Brightness (specified):

2,400 lumens

2,500 lumens

3,000 lumens

2,300 lumens

HDR support

HDR10, HLG

HDR10, HDR10+, HLG

Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG

HDR10, HDR10+, HLG

Optical technology:

Laser SXRD

Laser 3LCD

RGB Laser DLP

Laser D-ILA

Smart TV:

n/a

n/a

Vidaa OS

n/a

Connections:

2x HDMI 2.1

2x HDMI 2.1 (1 with eARC)

2x HDMI 2.1 (1 with eARC)

2x HDMI 2.0

Epson LS12000

The Epson LS12000 falls into a similar category as the Bravia Projector 7. It’s similarly large, but it’s significantly less expensive. It also supports eARC, potentially simplifying setup for users who won’t opt for an A/V receiver. Its picture is also stunning, though less colorful. It also features similar optical adjustments, helping with setup simplicity.

Read our Epson LS12000 review View Deal

Hisense C2 Ultra

If you’re wondering what you can get for a fraction of the price, the Hisense C2 Ultra is the perfect example. It’s incredibly bright, almost obscenely colorful (even more so than the Bravia), thanks to its triple-laser light source, and quite versatile. It supports a beautiful 4K image, but can also switch over to 1080p/240Hz visuals for gaming. And it has built-in speakers and Google TV for all-in-one capabilities. It may not be as pixel-perfect a projector as the Bravia Projector 7, but it’s a stunning projector nonetheless.

Read our Hisense C2 Ultra reviewView Deal

JVC DLA-NZ700

For $1,000 less, this projector gives you a very similar machine with excellent imagery, deep blacks, potent HDR capabilities, and a competitive color gamut. You’ll miss out on 4K 120Hz capabilities, though, and getting this projector’s 97% DCI-P3 color gamut requires enabling a filter that reduces brightness.

Read our JVC DLA-NZ700 reviewView Deal

How I tested the Sony Bravia Projector 7

• Tested at home in multiple, real-world viewing conditions
• Presented the display with a variety of media and formats
• I have tested numerous projectors and displays over the last half-decade

I tested the Sony Bravia Projector 7 at home, in real-world conditions. This saw it faced with ambient light coming in from numerous windows, and in-room lighting,. The projector was tested both against a bare, white wall and an Akia Screens CineWhite screen. It was presented with streamed content, HDR and non-HDR, and PC gameplay.

My testing evaluates the projector’s performance with respect to its price and competition from other models I and colleagues at TechRadar have tested.

I have been testing projectors since 2021 and displays for even longer.

• First reviewed: September 2025
• Read TechRadar's review guarantee