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Fastest Web Hosting | Who’s the Quickest in 2023? 10 Oct 2023 4:40 PM (2 years ago)

One of the most important things to look at when evaluating a hosting company is speed—are they fast or slow? Are their servers quick and snappy, or slow and outdated? Not all hosts are equal in this way—some take great care of their servers, constantly applying updates and tuning them—while others, well, just don’t, making it difficult to figure out who is the fastest web host.

To make things worse, bad hosting companies typically don’t do much to prevent abuse on their servers—so the bad guys can run wild, hogging resources and bandwidth from everyone else. This means that while they’re spinning up the server to spam people, your site is slowed down (if you’re on a shared hosting plan).

So, how the heck do you figure out who has the fastest web hosting? Well, that’s where we come in! Instructify has taken our top 10 hosting companies and tested them for a period of 6 months to determine:

• Who has the fastest average load time?
• Who has the fastest loading website (in WordPress)?
• Who has the best “worst time?” (i.e., whose slowest load time was the best of the bunch)
• Who has the best uptime rating?

To figure all of this out, we set up website monitoring using Dotcom-Monitor, one of the best companies in the business for testing. We pinged the sites every 5 minutes for 6 months straight, gathering thousands of data points just for you!

Something we wanted to quickly mention—if you do buy hosting from any of the providers tested her using our links, we might receive a small kickback commission. But our tests are straightforward and unbiased, so don’t worry—we just like to be upfront about everything!

Before we get into the nitty-gritty page speed data, let’s answer a few common questions about web hosting and speed…(click here if you want to jump to the data).

Why the Heck Do I Need a Fast Site Anyway?

You might be thinking “who the heck cares whether a hosting company is fast or not, do I really need a site that’s fast anyway?” Yes—yes you do. In fact, even search engines are beginning to demote sites in the search engine result pages when they are slow. There are really 4 main reasons you want to have a fast website:

1) Website Visitors Expect Speed Nowadays

Gone are the old days of 1990’s dial-up Internet, where websites could sit and load for a minute or two and people actually had the patience for that. Nowadays, everyone has a blazing fast smartphone in their pocket with a broadband LTE connection, and they do not have the patience for slow-loading websites. If your site doesn’t load in under 3 seconds, you’re not even measuring up to the general Internet.

2) Search Engines Expect Speed

While it’s true that website visitors expect speed nowadays, search engines expect it too! Almost all search engines place a premium on speed now, which means that if your site is slow you may be demoted below faster websites, which means that people may not be able to find your site. So, it’s no longer just about making the user happy—search engines have realized that what’s good for the user is good for everyone, so they actively look to list websites that are fast and demote websites that are slow.

3) A Faster Website = More Conversions

Think about this scenario—you’ve opened up two browser windows trying to buy something and visited two different sites. Site #1 has a shopping cart and it’s running slow, and it’s difficult to check out and enter your information because the site keeps freezing and running slowly. Site #2 is really speedy, and it’s easy to get everything added to your cart and the site is just waiting for you to check out.

Now, which site are you going to buy from? Obviously Site #2 is the winner here—no one would wait and wait for Site #1 to load just to buy the same thing. A faster website = more conversions over time, every time.

4) People Complain About Slow Websites

In this day and age on the Internet, people complain when they aren’t happy and it’s easy to do. Anyone can open up social media websites like Twitter or Facebook and complain about an experience they had with a bad website—and they often do. There are even websites online that are dedicated to complaining about other websites! So, in order to keep people from complaining about your site, it’s imperative that it loads fast. The last thing you want is a slow website that people don’t like, and to search the web for your brand only to find that people have been complaining about how bad and slow your website is all over the Internet.

5) People Bounce From Slow Websites and Don’t Come Back

The thing about slow websites is that people like to leave them—and never come back. There are just too many options nowadays online for blogs, shopping, and pretty much any type of site that you want—so if your website is slow, chances are that your visitors will leave and not come back.

If you’re trying to build an audience for your blog, or a customer base for your ecommerce website, you have to have a fast loading site—it directly impacts whether or not people want to stay on your site, and whether or not they want to come back. In 2020, there’s really no way around this—if you want to have a good website, it needs to be fast.

Fastest Web Hosting – The Raw Data

If you look at the table below, you can see the hosts that we put to the test and the metrics that we used for evaluation. There are four columns for results: average page load time, worst page load time, best page load time, and uptime percentage. All of these results were gathered in 5-minute intervals over the course of 6 months. Each of these websites was a plain WordPress site with the default theme installed. Let’s look a little closer at the metrics…

Average Page Load Time

Exactly as it sounds, we used this metric to measure the average page load time of the home page over the course of 6 months. We used Dotcom-Monitor to check the sites every 5 minutes, and then we averaged these times over six months to come up with a single value.

Worst Page Load Time

This, as it sounds, was the worst page load time that a site incurred during the 6 month testing period. Some of these values may seem quite large but understand that this was the worst page load time over a long period (6 months). However, some hosts did not have a lengthy page load time.

Best Page Load Time

This was again, as it sounds, the best page load time over the course of 6 months as measured on each site. Some sites had pretty low page load times where others had pretty fast page load times.

Uptime Percentage

This statistic is a figure that calculates the percentage of time the site was found to be online over the course of six months. Some systems, phenomenally, didn’t have an outage and were at 100% uptime, although this is a bit rare as even the best hosts have occasional downtime.

Without further ado, here are the numbers…

Host	Uptime Percentage	Best Page Load Time	Worst Page Load Time	Average Page Load Time
Bluehost	99.89%	1.89	8.92	3.16
SiteGround	99.94%	1.76	7.64	2.77
WP Engine	99.93%	1.88	6.98	2.84
DreamHost	98.88%	2.21	16.14	3.24
HostGator	99.98%	1.79	9.92	2.98
GoDaddy	98.11%	2.21	10.94	3.42
Flywheel	99.12%	1.91	7.75	2.89
Liquidweb	99.16%	1.88	5.94	2.97
Cloudways	98.71%	2.15	10.97	3.94
InMotion	98.89%	2.32	15.52	3.89

So, Who’s the Fastest Web Host?

With an uptime percentage of 99.89%, a fastest page load time of 1.89s, a slowest page load time of 8.92s, and an average page load time of 3.16s, Bluehost wins our vote for the top hosting company in this comparison.

#1 Bluehost

When it comes to our testing and seat of the pants meter, Bluehost is always consistent in our top three, so we’re confident in recommending them. With our exclusive Bluehost coupon, they’re only $2.95/month for some of the best WordPress support and arguably the best value in hosting that you’ll find.

#2 SiteGround

Of all the sites we tested, SiteGround consistently put up some of the fastest numbers. We’re not surprised as they have some great caching features and we’ve never really had trouble with a SiteGround-hosted site being down when we’ve had to work on it. They are consistent, reliable, and have amazing support. For only $3.95/month, it’s really almost impossible to beat SiteGround for the money.

#3 WP Engine

As a premium WordPress host, we’d expect WP Engine to be near the top of any hosting comparison, and that was also the case here. They consistently have excellent performance, numbers, and do a great job with optimizing their servers in order to host some of the best-performing WordPress sites online. We’ve used them for a variety of websites and can seriously recommend them. Yes, they’re a bit more expensive ($35/mo) but they are well worth it if you want one of the best experiences that you can find hosting WordPress.

The post Fastest Web Hosting | Who’s the Quickest in 2023? appeared first on Instructify.

Shopify vs Squarespace (2023): Which E-Commerce Platform Fits Your Business? 9 Oct 2023 6:25 PM (2 years ago)

If you want the easiest, fastest way to start your e-commerce store, look no further than Shopify.  The Canadian tech giant opened a world of possibilities for non-tech-savvy individuals who want to build an e-commerce shop, thanks to its beginner-friendly and streamlined interface and a massive library of apps. However, Shopify’s monthly plans and transaction fees are not exactly the lowest. Thus, some people look to alternative e-commerce platforms such as Squarespace to build their online store. Our comparison of Shopify and Squarespace will help you figure out which e-commerce platform is better for your business and your budget.

Spoiler alert: Squarespace’s limited features cannot compete against Shopify’s, but that doesn’t mean we should completely write it off just yet. Find out below if what Squarespace has to offer is more than enough to address your business needs.

Shopify vs Squarespace Comparison Chart

Name	Shopify	Squarespace
Price	Try Shopify for free	Try Squarespace for free
Special Feature/s	Intuitive and straightforward interface and pricing plans	Stunning themes, lower start-up costs
Pricing Plans (USD/month)	Shopify Lite: $9, Basic: $29, Shopify: $79, Advanced Shopify: $299, Shopify Plus: starting at $2,000   Get 10% discount on a one-year plan and 20%  on a two-year plan	Personal: $16, Business: $26, Basic Commerce: $30, Advanced Commerce: $46   Get up to 13% to  30% discount on a one-year plan
Unlimited Bandwidth	Yes	Yes
SSL Certificate	Yes	Yes
Domain Name	No	Yes, free on the first year
Online Credit Card Rates per Transaction	2.4 to 2.9% + 30¢	3% on the Business plan, 0% on the Commerce plans
In-Person Credit Card Rates per transaction	2.4 to 2.7% + 0¢	Available on Square
Third-party Payment Provider Transaction Fee	.5% to 2.0%	3% on the Business plan, 0% on the Commerce plans
App Store	Yes, 2,200+ reliable apps	No
Abandoned Cart Recovery	Yes	Yes, Available on the Advanced Commerce plan
Staff accounts	Starting at 2 for Basic	2 for Personal plan, Unlimited for the rest

E-Commerce Features

Shopify wins this department by a mile as Squarespace’s extension options are very limited, but Squarespace still offers enough e-commerce features to help you start selling 

As Shopify was designed with building e-commerce stores in mind, it remains one of the best e-commerce platforms for most businesses today. Its e-commerce solutions are unparalleled and, with its app store that offers more than 2,200 plugins, you’re sure to find an app to help you conveniently market, sell, process shipments, and more.

For dropshippers, Shopify is the obvious choice. Squarespace’s platform doesn’t support dropshipping apps, save for Printful. Thus, if you want to dropship through suppliers like AliExpress, Shopify makes it easier to do so through its exclusive Oberlo plugin. Shopify also offers more payment gateways while Squarespace only lets your customers pay through PayPal, Apple Pay, or Stripe (more on this on the Security and Payments section below).

Unlike Shopify’s app store, Squarespace offers very few extensions on its platform. While Squarespace’s limited features cannot compete against Shopify’s, it’s no slouch either. Its Advanced Commerce plan supports abandoned cart recovery, a favorite feature on Shopify. Squarespace’s Business plan lets you sell unlimited products as well, just like Shopify’s Basic Plan. It’s slowly catching up in terms of shipping features as well, but it still has a long way to go as Shopify’s discounted shipping rates alone are the lowest out there.

Between Shopify and Squarespace, which is better for artists?

This is a little tricky to answer as Squarespace and its impeccable designs and tools make it an ideal platform for artists and other creatives. If you need to stick to a certain budget, Squarespace is an excellent option as it gives you the essential e-commerce features at a lower monthly cost. You can start selling digital products on Squarespace right away without having to install a third-party app, unlike with Shopify. In addition, Squarespace supports print-on-demand selling if you want to sell products printed with your work.

Deal Finder

Squarespace

Best for smaller businesses on a tighter budget

Boasting award-winning templates and an intuitive interface, Squarespace provides an affordable way to start blogging and selling online.

Try Squarespace for Free

We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Pricing/Monthly Cost

Shopify’s Basic plan costs $29/month while Squarespace’s popular Business plan costs $18/month if you sign up for an annual plan

 

At a glance, it’s easier to believe that Squarespace is a lot more affordable than Shopify, and that’s true to some extent. If you don’t need essential features like abandoned cart recovery or analysis tools, then Squarespace’s Business plan might just be enough to meet your needs. Abandoned cart recovery is a very important feature, as it provides a way to reach out to specific customers and convert some abandoned carts into sales. On Shopify, abandoned cart recovery is already available on the Shopify Basic plan that costs $29/month.

Another factor to consider in computing your monthly costs is Shopify and Squarespace’s transaction fees. If you’re eligible to use Shopify Payments (it’s limited to certain countries), you’ll save on additional transaction fees. However, if you’re set on using a third-party payment gateway, you’ll get more savings on Squarespace as it doesn’t charge on top of the provider’s rates if you subscribe to the Basic or Advanced Commerce plan.

Signing up for Squarespace’s annual Business plan offers the biggest savings

Every Squarespace plan also comes with a free custom domain in the first year, thus further lowering your start-up costs. With Shopify, you’ll need to secure your own domain name, which can cost around $11 or more, depending on your chosen domain. The most popular monthly plan on Squarespace is the Business plan that lets you start selling unlimited physical and digital products. It costs $26/month, but it gets reduced to $18/month (30% off) if you sign up for a full-year commitment.

Deal Finder

Squarespace

Best for smaller businesses on a tighter budget

Boasting award-winning templates and an intuitive interface, Squarespace provides an affordable way to start blogging and selling online.

Try Squarespace for Free

We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Security, Payments, & Transaction Fees

Both keep your site secure, but Shopify offers significantly more payment options than Squarespace 

 

Both Shopify and Squarespace host your site through their platform and the plans include an SSL certificate, so you won’t have to worry about dealing with security breaches. In terms of payment and transaction fees, Squarespace’s limited options cannot rival Shopify’s. Squarespace only supports PayPal, Stripe, and Apple Pay.

If you’re content with having only three payment gateways, then Squarespace is the more cost-effective choice. As mentioned earlier, you won’t get charged transaction fees on the Basic or Advanced Commerce plans while on the Squarespace Business plan, you’ll only get charged 3% and there’s no flat-rate fee for every transaction.

Meanwhile, Shopify supports over 100 payment methods, including Amazon Pay and Google Pay. Shopify charges 2.4% + ¢30 for every online credit card transaction if you’re on the Advanced Shopify plan, and the rate increases the lower your plan is. For instance, you’ll be charged 2.9% + ¢30 per transaction on the Basic Shopify plan. If you’re not using Shopify Payments as your gateway, Shopify will charge you 2% for every transaction on the Basic plan and it goes down to .5% if you’re on the Advanced Shopify plan.

Deal Finder

Shopify

Best e-commerce platform overall with reasonable fees

From an easy order fulfillment system to discounted shipping rates, Shopify makes building an e-commerce store a more straightforward process.

Try Shopify for Free

We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Design and Interface

Squarespace offers more stylish templates and design, but Shopify’s e-commerce interface is the friendliest for new users

 

It’s hard to beat Squarespace when it comes to beautifully-designed templates. Its templates look modern and elegant, and they’re easy to build, too. Both Shopify and Squarespace let you drag and drop images and other elements to easily achieve the look that you want for your storefront. If you’re after templates with striking designs, Squarespace can offer that. However, its e-commerce features are not as easy as Shopify’s.

Shopify offers around 10 free themes, and if you don’t mind spending extra on templates, you can choose from Shopify’s over 50 paid shop designs. While this may be very limited options, Shopify curated some of the best themes optimized for e-commerce stores. Even when using free themes, your storefront will still look professional on Shopify.

Reddit Reviews

Reddit users are unanimous that Shopify is better than Squarespace when comparing their e-commerce features

The following Reddit comment echoes how the e-commerce side of your site is easier to set-up on Shopify:

Shopify’s advanced e-commerce features make scaling your business a smoother process:

Another point for Shopify is its app store. As Reddit user opqr549 puts it:

Verdict

Shopify’s powerful e-commerce features and a wide array of apps make it worth the slightly higher monthly cost. 

Deal Finder

Squarespace

Best for smaller businesses on a tighter budget

Boasting award-winning templates and an intuitive interface, Squarespace provides an affordable way to start blogging and selling online.

Try Squarespace for Free

We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Deal Finder

Shopify

Best e-commerce platform overall with reasonable fees

From an easy order fulfillment system to discounted shipping rates, Shopify makes building an e-commerce store a more straightforward process.

Try Shopify for Free

We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

If you’re looking for a sustainable e-commerce store that you can scale without issues, Shopify is hands-down the better option. Unlike Squarespace, Shopify’s app store gives you a plethora of plugin options to help you with marketing, shipping, abandoned cart recovery, and more. Even with the $29/month Basic Shopify plan, you’ll get essential e-commerce features to help you start selling online.  Shopify offers a free 14-day trial that you can take advantage of to see how much easier it is to build an e-commerce store from scratch in this platform.

While Squarespace’s e-commerce features are not on par with Shopify’s, it remains a great low-cost alternative if you’re only selling a few items. Its discounted annual Business offers the best value for your money if you feel you won’t need Squarespace’s more advanced e-commerce features. Otherwise, you’re probably better off getting Shopify’s Basic plan as it offers comprehensive features that are only available on Squarespace’s Advanced Commerce plan. If you want to get a feel of its platform, you can try Squarespace for free for 14 days first.

FAQs

The post Shopify vs Squarespace (2023): Which E-Commerce Platform Fits Your Business? appeared first on Instructify.

DreamHost vs Bluehost (2023): Choosing the Right Web Hosting Provider 8 Oct 2023 7:03 PM (2 years ago)

DreamHost and Bluehost are two web hosting providers officially recommended by WordPress.org, so you know you’ll be in good hands either way. However, each one offers a different experience, and choosing one is a make-or-break moment for your website.

Right off the bat, DreamHost is our recommendation. It has a rich set of features and the performance to match, and its plans are available for the right price. Bluehost is also a decent pick, and it has a slight advantage when it comes to ease of use. At the end of the day, it’s a close second to DreamHost, and in some cases, it might even cater to your needs better.

DreamHost vs Bluehost Comparison Chart

Name	DreamHost	Bluehost
Price	Check Price at DreamHost.com	Check Price at Bluehost.com
Free Domain for 1 Year	Yes, available on 1- and 3-year terms	Yes
Number of Websites	Unlimited, except Shared Starter (1)	Unlimited, except Basic (1)
Storage Space	Unlimited SSD, except Shared Starter (50 GB)	Unlimited SSD, except Basic (50 GB)
Free SSL Certificate	Yes	Yes
Bandwidth	Unmetered	Unmetered
Uptime Guarantee	Yes	No
Control Panel	Custom dashboard	cPanel
24/7 Support	24/7 DreamHost Help Bot, live chat (5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. PT), ticketing system, phone (paid)	Yes, live chat and phone
Money-Back Guarantee	97 days	30 days

Features

Unlike Bluehost, DreamHost has automated daily backups, even on its cheapest shared hosting plan.

To start things off, both are full-blown web hosting providers. They have managed and shared WordPress hosting and WooCommerce hosting, as well as standard shared, VPS and dedicated hosting. DreamHost even has a cloud hosting option, making it more flexible in a sense. For this comparison, we’re taking a look at their plain shared web hosting plans, which are typically the most affordable way to get a website off the ground. 

DreamHost has two options: Shared Starter and Shared Unlimited. With both, you’ll get a free domain for one year, unlimited traffic, free SSL certificate and automatic daily backups, including WordPress preinstalled, automatic WordPress updates, free WordPress migration and WordPress site builder. Starter only comes with one website and 50 GB of SSD storage, and email is a paid add-on for this plan. Unlimited provides unlimited websites, SSD storage and email domains.

On the other hand, Bluehost has four plans: Basic, Plus, Choice Plus and Pro. All include a free domain for one year, free SSL certificate, free CDN and unmetered bandwidth. Basic is limited to one website and 50 GB of SSD, and upgrading to any of the higher plans gives you unlimited websites and storage. Choice Plus provides free domain privacy and a year of automated backup, while Pro also has free domain privacy, automated backup for the entire term and dedicated IP. There’s the shared WordPress hosting option for automatic WordPress installs and updates, staging and free WordPress migration (if your website meets the criteria, that is).

Considering their prices, DreamHost’s plans give you a lot of value for money (more on that in a few). Speaking of, DreamHost offers automated daily backups, something that’s available starting only on Bluehost’s Choice Plus or as a paid add-on.

Performance

Expect faster loading times on DreamHost.

It’s no secret that fast loading times are a key to success. After all, visitors won’t think twice in leaving your website if your pages load at a snail’s pace.

According to various tests, DreamHost generally offers faster speeds across the board, be it from the United States, Japan, Singapore, Canada, Australia or Germany. What’s more, it’s the only one of the two that has a 100 percent uptime guarantee, meaning you’ll be compensated for any downtime. Bluehost doesn’t have anything similar, but on average, it has an uptime north of 99 percent. In other words, it’s reliable.

Ease of Use

Bluehost is easier to use, thanks to its simple control panel.

DreamHost doesn’t use cPanel, which is the most common control panel that most web hosting providers use. Instead, it uses a custom-built panel. It’s fairly easy to use, providing a simple enough user interface that lays out commands and tasks you can do on it. There’s also a WordPress installer that sets everything up at a tap of a button.

Meanwhile, Bluehost uses cPanel, and its dashboard is arguably more straightforward. In a word, it’s clean and organized. It has a one-click WordPress installer as well, and when it sets up WordPress, it installs its own menu to boot. That’s a huge plus for beginners who might find tinkering with WordPress a bit difficult.

Support

You can get in touch with customer representatives from Bluehost 24/7.

Bluehost has 24/7 live chat and phone support and a sizable knowledge base full of useful articles and other instructions to resolve any issue their users may run into. DreamHost has a 24/7 DreamHost Help Bot and ticketing system, and its live chat is available from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. PT, seven days a week. Its phone support is also a paid service. However, only DreamHost has discussion forums, which comes in real handy when you need the opinion of others or just want to ask a question.

As for the quality of their customer support, it’s hard to tell since users get wildly different experiences in dealing with their representatives. For the most part, they both do a bang-up job, leaving users satisfied with how they handled their requests. But the consensus is DreamHost’s level of assistance is a notch above Bluehost’s.

Price

You’ll pay less for DreamHost’s services.

The two companies’ web hosting plans are easy on the budget, but DreamHost’s are more affordable. For example, the Shared Starter subscription begins at $2.59 a month, while Bluehost’s Basic is at $2.95 a month, which is a promo price that lasts only during the initial term and reverts to its regular price of $7.99 a month after renewal.

Both also have money-back guarantees, but DreamHost’s offer lasts for 97 days, blowing Bluehost’s 30 days.

Verdict

If you can live with its control panel, DreamHost’s offerings go a long way.

DreamHost wins across the board, from performance and features to price and support quality. It delivers faster speeds and offers subscriptions with better price points, and it has a 100 percent uptime guarantee. The exception is ease of use, as Bluehost’s cPanel is arguably simpler.

Again, DreamHost is our pick hands down, but Bluehost is still a viable option if you want something simpler and more “standard” in the sense that cPanel is used by the majority of web hosting providers.

FAQs

The post DreamHost vs Bluehost (2023): Choosing the Right Web Hosting Provider appeared first on Instructify.

Best VPN for Zoom (2023): Comparing the VPNs That Can Protect You Online 7 Oct 2023 8:17 PM (2 years ago)

Zoom quickly became the go-to online chat software for a lot of companies and schools, who use it for video conferencing and online classes, respectively. Families and friends even rely on it to stay in touch with their loved ones. However, it’s riddled with privacy issues, and it doesn’t even use end-to-end encryption. In other words, it’s vulnerable to cyber-criminals and the like. On top of that, it’s not available in certain countries.

A VPN can do the trick here. Not only will it add layers of security and privacy, but it will also let you use Zoom regardless of your location. Thing is, not all VPN providers are the same—one may work better for a specific software than another, for instance.

At that, there are plenty of factors to consider to find the best VPN for Zoom. One you can’t go wrong with is ExpressVPN. It has a solid track record in terms of connection speed and reliability, as well as security. There are other alternatives worth taking a look at, though. CyberGhost VPN is the perfect pick if you’re on a budget, while NordVPN will fit the bill if you want airtight security. Last but not least, Surfshark has the basics down pat and offers extra features such as Whitelister.

Best VPN for Zoom Comparison Chart

Name	ExpressVPN	NordVPN	CyberGhost VPN	Surfshark
Price	Check Price on ExpressVPN	Check Price on NordVPN	Check Price on CyberGhost	Check Price on Surfshark
Server Numbers	3,000+	5,200+	6,400+	1,700+
Server Locations	94 Countries	59 Countries	90 Countries	63 Countries
Simultaneous Connections	5	6	7	Unlimited
Ad Blocking	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Free Version	No	No	No	No
Money-Back Guarantee	30 Days	30 Days	45 Days	30 Days

Connection

All four VPN providers offer a lot of connection options because of their high number of servers and locations.

It isn’t a stretch to say that ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Zoom. For starters, it has more than 3,000 servers in 94 countries, meaning there’s no shortage of connection choices. It provides excellent speeds that’s more or less at the same rate as your normal connection in short distances. It doesn’t fall behind in long distances either, as speeds in this case are only slightly slower.

Both CyberGhost VPN and NordVPN have comparable performance to ExpressVPN. They even boast more servers to boot. Surfshark kind of lags behind in numbers (but not in speed, mind you). One thing that it offers that the others don’t is unlimited simultaneous connections, which is a huge plus.

In summary, there’s a good chance you won’t experience any stuttering or hiccups during a Zoom call on these VPNs.

Ease of Use

An intuitive interface goes a long way for beginners.

Providing tutorials and guides and 24/7 live chat support are par for the course for VPN services. None of the four fall short in that regard. However, CyberGhost VPN stands out from the pack because of how simple its client is to use. This is especially important if you’ve only ever heard about VPNs because of Zoom’s security issues.

In short, you can always get a helping hand from these VPN providers’ customer support. It’s just more likely that you won’t need to on CyberGhost VPN.

Security

When it comes to security protocols, all four VPNs have the staples covered.

If you’re paranoid about online safety, NordVPN is probably your best bet. It has a history of providing top-notch security and privacy. To top it all off, it even has Double VPN that encrypts your connection twice. Surfshark has something similar called MultiHop that lets you connect to two separate servers at the same time.

It goes without saying that all four VPN services use the usual security protocols. The list includes 256-AES encryption, IKEv2, and OpenVPN, to name three. Each one also maintains a “no-logs” policy, meaning they don’t collect or monitor info like traffic data and browsing activity. That’s a standard for reputable providers, in case that wasn’t clear.

At any rate, you’re going to need these if you want to stay secure on Zoom.

Streaming Services

A bit of binge-watching here and there won’t hurt.

Sure, this comparison is to figure out which is the best VPN for Zoom, but that doesn’t mean you should eschew VPNs’ ability to unblock geolocked content. All work and no play can make anyone dull, after all.

That said, all of them can unlock Netflix, Hulu, and a variety of other streaming services. However, Surfshark has the upper hand here—if you’re primarily a Netflix user, that is. That’s because it can open up the most Netflix libraries out of the four.

Still, your viewing options will increase regardless of which one you subscribe to.

Verdict

ExpressVPN offers a well-rounded experience on all fronts, while NordVPN ups the ante on security.

It wasn’t an easy decision, but we’ll have to go with ExpressVPN. It can just get the job done and compensates for what Zoom lacks in terms of security. Speaking of, NordVPN is the second best pick here. Considering its security features, you won’t have to worry too much about Zoom’s privacy issues on it (but don’t get too complacent).

Meanwhile, CyberGhost VPN and Surfshark are just the thing if you’re on a tight budget. The two are some of the most affordable VPN services around. Not to mention that CyberGhost VPN even offers a 45-day money-back guarantee. Also, just because they’re among the cheapest doesn’t mean they aren’t secure or anything like that. In other words, you can also have peace of mind using Zoom on either of the two.

FAQs

The post Best VPN for Zoom (2023): Comparing the VPNs That Can Protect You Online appeared first on Instructify.

Top 3 GoDaddy Alternatives for Hosting, Email & Domains in 2023 2 Oct 2023 11:49 PM (2 years ago)

Trying to find good GoDaddy alternatives? Fed up with GoDaddy and their slow servers, bad support, and high prices? We honestly can’t blame you…

There once was a time when GoDaddy ruled the Internet—they had the cheapest domains, and best deals out there, with cutting-edge technology and a great interface. Sadly, that time has long passed, and while they’re still a big name in the business, they have really gone downhill (in our opinion). Luckily, there are some amazing alternatives to GoDaddy available today. We’ve taken the time and broken these options down into three main categories: 1) hosting 2) email and 3) domains (since these are the three main services that GoDaddy provides.

One last thing before we go on: if you decide to buy hosting or services from any of the companies on this page, we may receive a modest payment in the form of a commission for referring you. Just know that this doesn’t impact our recommendations at all. Alright, let’s see who beats GoDaddy!

The Top 3 GoDaddy Alternatives (Hosting):

1. Bluehost
2. SiteGround
3. WP Engine

The Absolute Top Alternative to GoDaddy Domain Names:

1. NameCheap

The #1 GoDaddy alternative for email and email hosting:

1. Bluehost

Now that you’ve seen the top GoDaddy alternatives in each category, keep reading to see a detailed breakdown of exactly why each company is much superior to GoDaddy.

GoDaddy Alternatives with Shared Web Hosting: Top 3 Best Options

#1 Bluehost

If anyone deserves to be listed as the best alternative to GoDaddy for web hosting, it’s Bluehost. They’re one of the most solid shared hosting companies around, and while there are many reasons that Bluehost is a better option that GoDaddy, there are really two that top the list: support and security.

Support

Honestly, GoDaddy’s hosting support sucks pretty bad. For domains, GoDaddy has good support—but for everything else (especially hosting), not so much. Any time we’ve ever used their hosting support we’ve been stuck on a chat with someone who can’t communicate and takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r to respond in a simple conversation—not cool GoDaddy, not cool. There’s also (at the time of writing) no telephone support for GoDaddy hosting products. Guess you can see how much they care about their hosting, right?

In contrast, Bluehost has absolutely killer support. They have 24/7/365 phone, chat and email (ticket) options. They are also the only shared hosting company that we know of that has US-based telephone support for all account levels. What does this mean? Well, if you buy a cheap shared hosting account, you still get phone support from someone on the US. Now, that is awesome!

Security

There have been a lot of high profile breaches and leaks at GoDaddy. For example, they’ve been accused of negligently allowing domain hijacking, as well as issuing flawed SSL certificates and also having problems with e-commerce sites getting hacked.

We can say from our own experience with WordPress sites, that we’ve had more sites hacked on GoDaddy than almost any other platform (except for iPage). In our opinion, they just aren’t as security conscious as other hosts.

Sign up with Bluehost, and drop GoDaddy…the only thing you’ll regret is that you didn’t ditch GoDaddy sooner!

#2 SiteGround

SiteGround is literally so awesome, it’s hard for us to think of anything bad to say about them. They are a great company to use and definitely a top choice (if you don’t believe us, look and see where this site is hosted). They provide premium hosting and support at a fraction of a premium price. There are two main reasons why SiteGround is a much better choice than GoDaddy:

Speed & Performance

With respect to the speed and performance of SiteGround, it’s hard to beat them with anything less than a managed WordPress hosting account or a VPS/dedicated server. They are one of (if not the) snappiest web hosts that we’ve used. They manage their system resources extremely well to keep bad actors from hogging bandwidth and they also have their own caching plugin for WordPress to make things extremely fast. Honestly, they blow GoDaddy away in the speed department, and it’s not even close.

Reliability

In our experience, GoDaddy servers are simply slow and unreliable. Our theory for this is that GoDaddy still does most of their business (and makes most of their money) off of domains, so the hosting they have is just something it seems they randomly added after the fact, but not something they really care about. Again, this is just our opinion, but think about it—why do they have such good support for domains and almost nothing for hosting? We think it’s probably because they don’t care about it that much (at least in comparison to their domain business).

That said, we’ve found their servers to be slow, laggy, buggy, and unreliable in general. This is something that we haven’t seen improve despite complaints, so it’s not something we expect them to improve any time soon. This makes SiteGround a blazing fast alternative to GoDaddy!

#3 WP Engine

Some people think that GoDaddy is a high-end option for personal business web hosting—the thing is, they’re not at all. Yes, they offer managed WordPress hosting, but it doesn’t hold a candle to an actual premium WordPress host like WP Engine. Yes, WP Engine is a little more expensive, but you truly get what you pay for in this situation. Here are two ways that WP Engine great alternative to GoDaddy:

Amazing WordPress Hosting

WP Engine is pretty much the best WordPress host in existence. If you’re hosting WordPress, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better host. From amazing support to all of their WordPress-specific features, they are really the top of the heap when it comes to dealing with WordPress. If you’re hosting a high-quality personal site or a business website, you should seriously consider WP Engine.

Awesome Backups

The backups that WP Engine does are pretty awesome—and this is all included in the plan. They’re also able to easily restore sites from a backup with just the click of a button. GoDaddy doesn’t have anything like this and in our opinion, their managed WordPress hosting can’t even come close to WP Engine

The Best Alternative to GoDaddy Domain Names

#1 NameCheap

It’s really hard to beat NameCheap, and that’s why they’re our top choice for an alternative to GoDaddy as a domain registrar. They have super cheap prices, amazing support, and are simply one of the best out there. Don’t believe us? Check and see where Instructify.com is registered…

Although GoDaddy does a heck of a large amount of marketing and has some great super bowl commercials, they kind of suck as a registrar. They’re more expensive than a lot of other companies and don’t offer anything more for the money. Here are two of the main reasons why:

They’re Way Too Expensive

This isn’t 1995 where there are only one or two registrars to choose from. It’s really easy to find registrars that are far superior to GoDaddy.

One problem with GoDaddy is that they try to hook people into their system by offering $0.99 domains, but then charge $20+ for renewals with $9 for privacy. This is absurd, and stupidly expensive. You can register a domain on NameCheap for less than $10 with free privacy, and they don’t upcharge to at renewal. This is definitely the way to go!

They’re Constantly Trying to Upsell You

GoDaddy is always trying to sell you some extra garbage that you don’t need. So called premium features and other nonsense that’s always annoyingly popping up in your admin panel. It’s stupid that they try to drum up additional business this way, but they can’t seem to resist. NameCheap doesn’t do any of this nonsense and their interface is plain and easy to use like it’s supposed to be.

The Best GoDaddy Alternatives for Hosted Email

#1 Bluehost

GoDaddy’s hosted email is about as bad as their web hosting…it’s (in our opinon), unreliable and lacks good support. Our favorite choice for hosted email this year is Bluehost, without a doubt!

If you’ve seen our email hosting recommendations before, you might be wondering “why did you stop recommending Amazon WorkMail?” That’s a great question! There are really two reasons: pricing, and support. Let’s take a look at both!

1) Bluehost is far less expensive than WorkMail as an alternative to GoDaddy if you need more than one inbox.
Because WorkMail charges per inbox, these charges can add up fast and can be more costly if you have multiple users. Yes, it’s true that you can use multiple forwarders/aliases with WorkMail and even GoDaddy for free, but that doesn’t help if you have users who need inboxes.

Even if you’re paying the standard renewal rate for Bluehost, it’s still much cheaper than WorkMail for multiple email accounts, especially as those accounts start to add up! To save on Bluehost, to save on Bluehost, you can click any of our links and get a lower price.

2) Bluehost support is far better and cheaper than WorkMail.

The problem with AWS is that unless you pay extra, there is literally no tech support. There’s basic billing support, and forum support (which can be iffy), but there is no actual ticket-based support.

This really sucks because if you need help, you’re stuck waiting on the forum. They do technically offer support, but it’s $29/month at the time of writing for the next best tier—that’s insane!

There are some more in-depth details to be covered on a separate hosted email review, such as Microsoft Exchange support (which Bluehost does happen to offer), G Suite for Gmail (for when you want to use Gmail with a custom domain), and some other alternatives. But that’s coming this year on Instructify, so stay tuned!

FAQs

The post Top 3 GoDaddy Alternatives for Hosting, Email & Domains in 2023 appeared first on Instructify.

Best VPN With Lifetime Subscription (2023): Unlimited VPN Deals 2 Oct 2023 5:55 PM (2 years ago)

Are VPNs with lifetime subscriptions too good to be true? While there are definitely some bad apples in the bunch, some VPN providers offer lifetime plans to market their services to a wider audience. These VPN deals are usually only available for a limited time or for a maximum number of subscribers. Check out our list of the best VPNs with lifetime subscriptions below, where we discuss the features and lifetime offers of KeepSolid VPN Unlimited, Ivacy, Windscribe, FastestVPN, and VPNSecure.

Best VPN With Lifetime Subscription Comparison Chart

Name	KeepSolid VPN	Ivacy	Windscribe	FastestVPN	VPNSecure
Price	Check Price on VPNUnlimited App	Check Price on Ivacy	Check Price on Windscribe	Check Price FastestVPN	Check Price on VPNSecure
Free Trial	7 days	7 days	Free	15-day guarantee	30 days
No. of Servers	400+	1,000+	300+	200+	80+
No. of Locations	80+	100+	110+	27+	48+
Bandwidth	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Data Cap	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Max Devices	5 or 10	5	Unlimited	2, 5 or 10	5
Available Apps	Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Browsers, Routers	Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Raspberry Pi, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, PlayStation, Xbox, Browsers, Smart TVs	Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Nvidia Shield, Browsers, Smart TVs, Routers	Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Raspberry Pi, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, PlayStation, Xbox, Browsers, Routers	Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Raspberry Pi, Routers
Block Malware	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Block Ads	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
24/7 Support	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
No Logs Policy	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

KeepSolid VPN Unlimited

Secure VPN with official lifetime subscription plan

Based in Ukraine, KeepSolid VPN Unlimited is one of the few VPN service providers that include a lifetime plan among their standard subscriptions. They have more than 400 servers in over 80 locations around the world, letting you get around geo-restrictions with ease. You can install apps for a wide array of platforms, including PCs, routers, smartphones, and within browsers. Connection speeds are fast and you get unlimited bandwidth, so no worries about throttling while streaming. Best of all, your devices are protected from malware and annoying ads with their DNS firewall.

Key features and benefits:

• Encrypted personal data
• Blocks malware and malicious sites
• OpenVPN, Wireguard, IKEv2 protocols
• Different pricing tiers for 5 or 10 devices
• Set up a personal server or personal IP

Ivacy

Affordable and high-speed VPN 

It’s not a true lifetime subscription, but Ivacy’s special lifetime VPN membership is as good as you can get considering its price and quality. Ivacy lets you enjoy its full VPN speeds and features for around a dollar a month with its 5-year subscription. It comes with numerous security features such as advanced IPsec and IKEV protocols, 256-bit encryption, malware protection, and IPv6 leak protection. They have a large network of more than 1,000 servers in over a hundred locations, so you can unblock streaming services such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Hulu.

Key features and benefits:

• High speed downloading with unlimited bandwidth
• Kill switch and P2P support
• DDoS and IPv6 leak protection
• Dedicated IP and split tunneling available
• Smart server selection based on activity
• Unblocks region-based streaming services

Windscribe

User-friendly apps with custom blocking tool

Unlike most VPNs that only offer free trials, Windscribe lets you create a totally free account with a 10GB monthly data transfer limit. It’ll only let you connect to 10 servers but you’ll be able to get the full experience Windscribe offers without spending anything. Once you feel its Pro plans are worth it, you get access to 100 more server locations with fun names such as Biscuits and Crumpets (UK servers). Aside from strong encryption, config generation, and firewall features, Windscribe has a unique tool called ROBERT, which lets you customize sites and IP addresses to block. In addition, Windscribe lets you connect any number of devices simultaneously and you can even build your own plan to choose exactly how much you’ll be spending.

Key features and benefits:

• Available free plan with 10GB monthly allocation
• Custom IP and domain blocking tool (ROBERT)
• Strong encryption and config generator
• Split tunneling and port forwarding options
• Additional browser extension features

FastestVPN

Powerful VPN with active customer support

Sadly, FastestVPN doesn’t really live up to its namesake as there are faster VPN services out there with larger networks. It’s still mighty fast, however, so you can still stream unblocked Netflix content in 4K to your heart’s content. There are P2P optimized servers among FastestVPN’s list, and malware protection, 256-bit encryption, and ad blocking are standard features. You can install its apps on more than 20 kinds of devices including gaming consoles, routers, and more. FastestVPN has a robust support center complete with 24-hour live chat support.

Key features and benefits:

• Different pricing tiers for 2, 5 or 10 devices
• Smart tunneling and DNS leak protection
• Ad blocker and anti-malware features
• Internet kill switch and NAT firewall
• P2P servers for high-speed torrenting
• 15-day money-back guarantee

VPNSecure

Smaller VPN with numerous payment methods

Those who wish to avoid what might be crowded VPN services can look into VPNSecure, an Australian-based provider with roughly 80 servers in 50 countries. The ‘strategic’ locations are fairly spread out throughout the globe, letting you circumvent Internet censorship and geo-blocks. You’ll be able to choose how much security you want in your connections, and there’s also a Meta Search feature that proxies search results for privacy. You can choose to pay for your VPN your way with the wide variety of payment methods that VPNSecure accepts. These include Bitcoin, PayPal, Cashu, Perfect Money, etc., in addition to credit cards.

Key features and benefits:

• Quick customer support
• Kill switch and auto reconnect
• DNS leak protection
• Includes HTTP Proxy and Smart DNS solutions
• 30-day free trial and money-back guarantee

Verdict

Ivacy and Windscribe are our top recommendations for lifetime VPN subscriptions.

Though they don’t technically offer a true lifetime subscription, Ivacy‘s 5-year plan lasts long enough so you can adapt when new features, faster connections, and more attractive pricing become available later on. Currently, Ivacy’s exclusive lifetime VPN offer is tough to beat considering the number of servers you can connect to and the overall spread of their locations. You can expect fast connections with rock-solid security, and they’re able to keep up with streaming services that block most VPNs from accessing country-specific catalogs.

Trying out Windscribe is very enticing, since you can activate an actual free account. You can only use up 10GB per month, though that’s a fairly solid deal considering what you’re paying for it. Moreover, it lets you try out Windscribe’s connection speeds, security features, and the custom blocking tool which can further enhance your overall browsing experience. You can also connect an unlimited number of devices, which is a fair bit more than most VPNs allow.

Note that you need to be a lot more careful when looking at other VPN providers that offer lifetime subscriptions. Since they get your money upfront, they have little incentive to deliver on excellent speeds and customer support the longer your subscription goes on. We’ve done our best to only list those with good track records on their lifetime plans and, more importantly, those who uphold their no logs policies for total customer security and privacy.

The post Best VPN With Lifetime Subscription (2023): Unlimited VPN Deals appeared first on Instructify.

Omnisend vs Privy (2023): Which Ecommerce Marketing Tool Should You Use? 2 Oct 2023 1:22 AM (2 years ago)

The key to growing an ecommerce business is effective marketing. Tools such as Omnisend and Privy offer a suite of features that help online enterprises welcome visitors, build relationships, and convert them into customers. Here’s an in-depth look at what each of these ecommerce marketing tools provide, including how their services and pricing work, to help you decide which one will work better for you.

Omnisend vs Privy Email Marketing Tool Comparison Chart

Name	Omnisend	Privy
Price	Check Price at Omnisend.com	Check Price at Privy.com
Email Sends per Month	Free: 15,000 Standard: 12x List Pro: 15x List Enterprise: 60x List	Free: n/a Growth: n/a
Contacts	Free: Up to 200,000 Standard: Up to 200,000 Pro: Up to 200,000 Enterprise: 200,000+	Free: 0 Growth: Scalable per 1,000
Drag and Drop Builder	Yes	Yes
A/B Testing	Yes	Yes
Segmentation	Limited	Unlimited
Behavioral Targeting	Yes	Yes
Automation Features	Complex	Limited
Popup Forms	Yes	Yes
SMS Marketing	Yes	Yes
Push Notifications	Yes	No
Facebook Messenger	Yes	No
24/7 Support	Yes	No
Mobile App	No	No
Integrations	10+	70+

Email Campaigns

Omnisend lets you send more emails per month than Privy.

There’s a crucial difference between Omnisend and Privy that needs to be mentioned. Omnisend focuses on email marketing and automation heavily while Privy specializes in on-site displays and building email lists. You’ll see this reflected in their pricing structures. Omnisend has clear pricing tiers that vary on available features, sending limits, and contact counts. On the other hand, Privy offers three separate pricing plans for onsite displays, email marketing, and text messaging that scale based on different factors.

As such, you get specific monthly email sends on Omnisend, which will scale up with the number of subscribers you have. In comparison, Privy doesn’t list any monthly limits on emails you send out, even on the Free plan. That’s because a big part of Privy’s email marketing features revolve around autoresponders and automated emails that trigger based on visitor actions while on your website. Moreover, Privy offers syncing and integrations with other popular email service providers, including Omnisend itself.

Email Builder and List Growth

Because Privy lets you use other email tools with it, you can tell that email marketing isn’t really its focus. Building email lists is. It offers numerous popup formats, embedded forms, and landing pages to make the most out of the traffic your website is getting. In fact, its onsite display pricing scales based on monthly page views. You’ll also be able to set up email autoresponders even without paying for their email marketing plan.

Privy’s email builder is just as easy to use as Omnisend’s, though it’s a bit more limited in themes and templates. You’ll still be able to design fantastic looking emails, though they’ll be on the simpler side and you have to use your own assets to really highlight your messages. Both let you pull products from your ecommerce store and offer discount codes, special offers, etc.

Marketing Channels

Omnisend covers more marketing channels than Privy.

Email and SMS are the top two marketing channels for both Omnisend and Privy. However, that’s about it for Privy actually. As its primary goal is improving your website’s conversion and increasing sales, it doesn’t venture further unlike Omnisend.

Previously called Soundest, Omnisend was rebranded to reflect its omnichannel marketing services. They’ve added web push notifications, Facebook and Google retargeting, and Messenger automation to their platform. These provide additional avenues to explore to retarget your current customers, recover abandoned carts, and reach lookalike audiences.

Browser notifications can be more effective at reminding visitors about checking out their carts or promoting sales and new products. List segments you create in Omnisend can by synced with Facebook Custom Audiences as well as Google Customer Match to re-engage these audiences across Facebook, Instagram, Google and YouTube.

Marketing Automation

Omnisend lets you build more complex workflows than Privy.

When it comes to automating workflows, Omnisend is simply more powerful than Privy. Privy lets you set up automatic responses when a visitor signs up on one of its forms, and you can create automated emails including welcome series, cart reminders, follow ups, etc. However, each workflow is kept distinct, in that onsite displays, email marketing, and text messaging have their own automation interfaces. Moreover, you’ll use lists and drop-down selections to create each workflow.

Omnisend instead provides a single visual automation tool that encompasses all of its available marketing channels. This means you can design workflows with a drag-and-drop builder and combine emails, SMS, push notifications, and Messenger conversations. You can drive sales on autopilot with complex customer lifecycles and further narrow down targeting using its conditional splits.

By bringing several marketing channels into one platform, Omnisend delivers on its promise of omnichannel marketing. Enterprises looking to widen their horizons will be able to make effective use of Omnisend’s powerful automation features, but smaller online stores might not be able to fully utilize these.

Integrations, Support and Pricing

Privy has more app integrations while Omnisend has 24/7 customer support.

If you’re after a lightweight ecommerce marketing tool that plays well with the other marketing tools you already use, Privy is more likely to blend in with its impressive number of app integrations available. Because its pricing is separate for its three major feature sets, you can sign up for just the onsite displays, for example, and utilize other tools for email marketing, etc. This works well for both ecommerce beginners and more established businesses.

In contrast, Omnisend wants to be your all-in-one platform for ecommerce marketing. They only have a dozen or so integrations for other apps but they’ve partnered with popular platforms such as Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce. Its three pricing plans unlock certain features, so getting the Pro and Enterprise plans are a must if you want to fully take advantage of what Omnisend offers.

24/7 customer support is available on Omnisend, and higher tiers will get you priority support as well as an account manager. Meanwhile, Privy only offers online support during business hours (9 am to 5 pm EST) on weekdays. They currently don’t have any phone support even if your plan is scaled quite a bit.

Omnisend vs Privy Pricing

Note that in addition to the monthly fees per tier, Omnisend calculates your final monthly costs based on contact count. This makes Omnisend more expensive on average than Privy, especially when you’re signed up on the higher tiers. However, its SMS marketing costs come out to be lower per SMS sent, especially for the higher tiers where you get free SMS credits based on your monthly plan costs.

Because you can get Privy’s three major services piecemeal, each is priced and scales differently. For onsite displays, monthly fees are computed based on your ecommerce site’s average monthly page views. New stores and growing businesses will likely find Privy to be an affordable solution to building email lists, but it can get quite expensive as your site attracts more visitors. You can choose whether to get Privy’s email marketing tools or rely on another service. This and text messaging counts mailable and textable contacts for price computations.

Verdict

Omnisend provides more ecommerce marketing tools than Privy.

Omnisend positions itself as an all-in-one ecommerce platform to market your products online. It lets you create detailed workflows that combine multiple channels to fully automate your marketing and retargeting efforts. While smaller enterprises can grow using its plethora of tools and features, larger ones will particularly benefit more from the wide range of channels and automations that Omnisend provides.

New ecommerce sites will love Privy for its proven ability to help small stores build their email lists and increase sales. Its onsite displays are effective at maximizing web traffic, driving visitors back to the site and converting them into customers. Because of its modular pricing and feature sets, you can choose which ones you need and continue using other tools and services as you go.

The post Omnisend vs Privy (2023): Which Ecommerce Marketing Tool Should You Use? appeared first on Instructify.

ExpressVPN Review: Reddit Raves And Rants (2023) 1 Oct 2023 12:38 AM (2 years ago)

ExpressVPN is one of the most oft-mentioned names when it comes to VPN services, thanks to their extensive marketing efforts and positive online reviews. You’ll often see ExpressVPN included in top VPN lists due to its large global reach, strong security, and strict no-logs policy, which it proved via a third-party audit. We’ve compiled several comments from Reddit users who’ve signed up for their plans to show what they think of their service. Here’s an ExpressVPN review, Reddit style.

ExpressVPN Pros

To start with, ExpressVPN seems to deliver on its promises of fast servers to access any content no matter your location. More importantly, it can guarantee online anonymity and security from prying eyes. Here are the top plus factors of ExpressVPN.

Connection speed

Speed is perhaps the most important performance indicator for VPNs. You won’t feel satisfied with any VPN service no matter how secure if it doesn’t let you utilize your high-speed connections. Because of its thousands of servers in numerous countries, ExpressVPN can deliver on the speed front.

Security

You won’t need to worry about DNS leaks as ExpressVPN’s apps are already configured to prevent them.

Unblock Netflix

ExpressVPN remains one of the few providers to dodge Netflix’s crusade against VPNs unblocking region-locked content. Asked whether it works for Netflix, these users quickly confirmed:

Here’s a more recent comment on ExpressVPN enabling Netflix on different devices:

Gaming latency

For competitive online gaming, low ping is king. ExpressVPN can tunnel you to a server closer to where your game’s servers are for better latency and smooth connections.

P2P servers and torrenting

If you want a fast VPN for torrenting, ExpressVPN does a pretty good job according to these users:

Customer support

While the COVID-19 crisis has impacted ExpressVPN’s 24/7 live chat support, you can still get reliable help from their team.

ExpressVPN Cons

No VPN is without unhappy customers. Most are simply posting about problems connecting or experiencing slow speeds, which can often be solved with customer support or choosing different servers. However, there are important considerations below if you’re interested in signing up for an ExpressVPN plan.

Expensive pricing

ExpressVPN is easily one of the most costly VPN services today. It’s perhaps the biggest wall you’ll be facing before committing to one of their plans.

Indeed, there are a lot of users commenting on how good ExpressVPN is but the pricing is just not in their budget.

Simultaneous devices

One of the most common complaints users had with ExpressVPN is the number of devices you can connect at a time. They have only recently increased this from 3 to 5, but it might still feel insufficient if you need more considering other VPN providers allow up to 10 or more.

Overall

All in all, Reddit users posted strong positive feedback to the quality of ExpressVPN’s services. Here’s a brief rundown of its pros and cons from u/srinips18 who was comparing ExpressVPN with two other VPNs they tried:

User u/technomancer87t posted a much longer overview of their experience and personal opinion on ExpressVPN that’s just a bit too long to post here, so you can go check it out for yourself here: ExpressVPN Review [Reddit Review].

FAQs

The post ExpressVPN Review: Reddit Raves And Rants (2023) appeared first on Instructify.

VPN vs Remote Desktop (RDP) (2023): What’s the Difference? 30 Sep 2023 7:09 PM (2 years ago)

Comparing virtual private networks or VPN to remote desktop software or RDP could get confusing at times. After all, there are two different types of VPN that a lot of people use nowadays. The first one is intranet VPN (think Cisco VPN). The second one is commercial VPN, such as ExpressVPN and NordVPN.

As their names suggest, both of them let you connect to a virtual network, but the former is more comparable to RDP. That’s because these two solutions let you access files and use certain functions on a remote machine. In contrast, the latter involves a service provider passing your connection through to one of its servers and forwarding it from its location.

In layman’s terms, a corporate VPN will allow computers from different places to connect to a network and make them think they’re in the same network. In that setup, you can download files from your company’s server or use such peripheral devices as a printer.

Meanwhile, RDP will let you use a remote computer as if you were sitting right in front of it. That’s particularly useful for IT technicians who need to troubleshoot or maintain remote machines.

Last but not least, a consumer-targeted VPN will let you connect to the internet as if you were in a different location depending on which country the server used is.

A first-party remote desktop tool for Windows users is Microsoft’s Windows RDP, which is where the term RDP came from. There are third-party options as well, and one of the most popular picks is TeamViewer. As mentioned earlier, ExpressVPN and NordVPN are commercial VPNs, and they’re two of the biggest names in the game.

VPN vs Remote Desktop (RDP) Comparison Chart​​

Name	ExpressVPN	NordVPN	TeamViewer	Windows RDP
Price	Check Price at Website	Check Price at Website	Check Price at Website Free for Personal Use	Free
Encrypts Connection	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Masks IP Address	Yes	Yes	No	No
Allows Remote Access to Resources	No	No	Yes	Yes
Allows Remote Use of Peripherals	No	No	Yes	Yes
Allows Remote Use of Machine	No	No	Yes	Yes
Unblocks Streaming Services	Yes	Yes	No	No

VPN vs TeamViewer

TeamViewer has a built-in VPN.

When it comes to third-party RDPs, a lot of users turn to TeamViewer. Typically, this kind of software is considered to be vulnerable to cyberattacks and the like. After all, a hacker could intercept the connection, meaning sensitive information is at risk here. This is otherwise known as an MITM or man-in-the-middle attack.

However, TeamViewer takes some extra steps to prevent things like that from happening. For starters, it has a built-in VPN that establishes a connection between a host and client via a secure tunnel. It even uses end-to-end 256-bit AES encryption and two-factor authentication, among other security measures.

To top it all off, it transmits only screen images. In other words, sensitive data is technically not transferred. Not to mention that this makes connections fast since screen imaging needs only little bandwidth.

VPN vs Windows RDP

You can’t connect to Windows Home editions using RDP.

Windows RDP is pretty straightforward. It’s a remote desktop tool that’s simply native to the Windows platform. It uses an encrypted channel in establishing a connection between the host and client. However, earlier versions of the software were vulnerable to MITM attacks. This illustrates how this type of software usually isn’t the most secure. It does have a Network Level Authentication set to on by default, though. It should only be set to off when you need connections from unsupported platforms.

One drawback of Windows RDP is it can connect only to the Pro and Enterprise editions of Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 8, and so on. In short, RDP can’t connect to Home editions, such as Windows 10 Home.

VPN vs Remote Desktop Speed

RDP on a localized setting provides fast speeds, but connections over long distances can be slow.

In simple terms, speed depends on the setup when it comes to RDPs. Connections are fast when they’re localized, which means they’re all connected in the same building. However, things can get sluggish over long distances. In TeamViewer’s case, it uses screen imaging, so speed isn’t much of an issue. On the other hand, traditional VPNs are slow since they need to transmit huge amounts of data.

Commercial VPN speeds are generally slower than your usual rates. They really depend on distance and the service provider. That means you’ll need to pick a reliable one here. For instance, ExpressVPN and NordVPN provide decent speeds even over long distances and fast rates on shorter hops.

VPN vs Remote Desktop Security

RDP connections require a high-level encryption to be secure.

Usually, VPN and RDP connections are now encrypted. However, RDPs are considered to be more risky because it leaves the host machine vulnerable to attacks. Intranet VPNs are more secure in that regard, but they don’t have the flexibility and usability that RDPs offer.

Meanwhile, consumer-targeted VPNs’ main purpose is adding an extra layer of security, masking your IP and encrypting your connection. As a bonus, they can even unblock geolocked content, such as Netflix’s U.S. library.

Best VPN for Remote Desktop

Using RDP with a VPN gives you the best of both worlds.

Since commercial VPNs can make your connections more secure, combining it with RDP tools just makes sense. That way, you can gain remote access to a computer that uses major security protocols that these VPNs uphold. The list includes 256-bit AES encryption and IKEv2, to name a few.

Again, ExpressVPN and NordVPN are good options to consider because of their speed and security. The only downside to this method is it could get expensive.

Verdict

An RDP with a VPN is your best bet.

There’s no clear winner here since choosing between VPN—the two kinds—and RDP depends on what your needs are (surprise, surprise).

To sum things up, use a commercial VPN such as ExpressVPN or NordVPN for personal use. Not only will you be more secure online, but you’ll also get to unblock streaming services.

Use an RDP such as TeamViewer if you need remote access to PCs in a corporate setting. For instance, IT technicians have to remotely maintain and troubleshoot machines.

Lastly, use an RDP with a VPN to reap all the benefits of functionality and security that these two solutions have to offer.

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SEMrush vs Yoast SEO (2023): Which is the Better WordPress SEO Plugin? 30 Sep 2023 7:01 PM (2 years ago)

SEMrush is undoubtedly one of the most valuable tools that SEO consultants and agencies can have in their digital marketing arsenal. When talking about SEO optimization on WordPress, however, Yoast SEO is the most commonly used by new and advanced bloggers alike. SEMrush SEO Writing Assistant and Yoast SEO can easily complement each other, as each offers certain features that the other doesn’t. However, if you need to choose just one between SEMrush and Yoast, our detailed comparison below will help you identify which WordPress SEO plugin better suits your needs.

SEMrush vs Yoast SEO WordPress Plugin Comparison Chart

Name	SEMrush SEO Writing Assistant	Yoast SEO Premium
Price	Check Price at SEMrush.com	Check Price at Yoast.com
Keyword Optimization	Yes	Yes
SEO Score	Yes	Yes
Readability Check	Yes	Yes
Keyword Suggestions	Yes	No
Plagiarism Check	Yes	No
Page Preview	No	Google, Facebook, Twitter
XML Sitemap Creation	No	Automatic
Link Recommendations	Yes	Yes
Redirect Manager	No	Yes
Tone of Voice Check	Yes	No
24/7 Customer Support	No	Yes, 1 year

SEO Score

Both the SEMrush and Yoast SEO WordPress plugins help you craft SEO-optimized content for your website

Those who are new to SEO will find SEMrush and Yoast SEO great starting points for optimizing their content to become more SEO-friendly, thus increasing the chance of ranking. It’s hard to choose between the two as it ultimately depends on where you feel you need an SEO WordPress Plugin to hold your hand while writing your SEO-friendly content. Having said that, Yoast made SEO less intimidating for complete beginners in the field.

Yoast SEO and SEMrush break down the different factors you need to work on (or where you’re doing well) to optimize your content on WordPress. It advises you when your title, permalink, and meta description are too long, or whether you used the keywords enough in your content. Yoast gives you an overview of the SEO basics and gives links to resources explaining its recommendations for every element you may need to work on, thus making it easier for you to understand the logic behind each suggestion. Even if you’ve never written SEO-optimized content before, Yoast helps keep you from blindly publishing content that search engines might not find.

Just like Yoast SEO, SEMrush also lets you know your SEO score, which reflects how SEO-friendly your content is. However, SEMrush’s on-page SEO optimization features and recommendations are not as comprehensive and intuitive as Yoast’s. Where SEMrush SEO Writing Assistant outshines Yoast SEO is in its keyword research tools.

Readability Score

Both WordPress plugins give you insight into how readable your content is, but only SEMrush analyzes your tone and checks for plagiarism

Publishing readable content involves thinking about what will make your written work more digestible for your audience. Both SEMrush and Yoast SEO alert you when your sentences are too long or the vocabulary may be too difficult for your target readers. At times, what you think is readable for you may not be as readable to your target audience, thus SEMrush and Yoast’s readability score helps keep you in check. Their algorithm identifies the reading difficulty levels based on the Flesch Reading Ease formula.

SEMrush takes it up a notch by checking your tone of voice and checking for plagiarism by scanning the web of any pages with similar content. This alleviates the need for installing another plugin that may end up slowing down your site loading speed. Yoast SEO lacks these features. It is worth noting that SEMrush’s more comprehensive plagiarism check is accessible if you’re also subscribed to the SEMrush Guru plan.

Deal Finder

Yoast SEO

Best SEO plugin overall for WordPress.org

With more than 5 million active installations on WordPress, Yoast is a solid choice for users who want basic search engine optimization.

Check Price at Yoast.com

We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Keyword Research Tools

SEMrush’s WordPress plugin shows you the keywords from the top 10 ranking Google results

Part of increasing traffic and visibility to your website is analyzing your competitors, replicating what’s working for them, and avoiding what’s not. SEMrush makes it easier to find your rival domains and without having to use a separate SEO tool. SEMrush shows you the top 10 Google results that pop up for your target keywords. If you want to implement the Skyscraper Technique, this SEMrush feature will come in handy. Of course, it’s not as comprehensive as actually using SEMrush Pro, but it’s a quick and easy way to spy on your competitors.

Yoast SEO Premium doesn’t offer this look into other high-ranking pages. Instead, it provides you with relevant keywords to your target keywords. For instance, if your target keyword is “link building,”  it shows relevant keywords such as “backlinks” or “getting high-quality links” so you can optimize your content for that as well. However, if you want to stay laser-focused on your target keywords, you may find the relevant keywords distracting.

Additional Features

Yoast SEO Premium creates an XML map, displays a preview of your article for social media sharing and offers 24/7 customer support for one year 

If you want search engines to be able to crawl your site smoothly and improve your ranking, an XML map is a must. Yoast SEO automatically updates your site’s XML map to make it easier for search engines to crawl your website. It also gives you a preview of how your article will look like on Google, Facebook, or Twitter so you can optimize the images you use for sharing in your social media platforms. Another factor that makes Yoast SEO even more attractive for beginners is its one-year 24/7 support access if you subscribe to Yoast SEO premium. No more rummaging through forums if you encounter an issue with your WordPress plugin.

SEMrush may not have the abovementioned Yoast services on WordPress, but its main SEMrush SEO platform is as extensive as it gets in terms of search engine optimization and digital marketing tools. Keep in mind, however, that you need your own SEMrush account to be able to take advantage of the SEMrush SEO Writing Assistant plugin. You can still use them for free, but its features will be limited compared to when you’re subscribed to the paid SEMrush Pro.

Verdict

SEMrush’s WordPress plugin provides better keyword research tools, but for complete beginners, Yoast SEO is the better plugin 

As mentioned earlier, SEMrush and Yoast SEO shouldn’t even compete with each other, as they each have their own strengths as a WordPress plugin. Having said that, if you already use the main SEMrush platform for monitoring and analyzing your ranking, the SEMrush WordPress plugin can work seamlessly with that. Doing so helps better streamline your SEO tools for both off-page and on-page optimization. SEMrush further gives you a better picture of your competitor domain’s SEO strategies by showing the top-ranking pages for your target keywords.

Yoast SEO, on the other hand, is best if you want to focus on on-page optimization and want a plugin to automatically generate your site’s XML map. It’s a must-have WordPress plugin if you’re not yet completely confident in how well you can optimize your content on your own. Ultimately, you should keep your target readers in mind, but having SEO plugins like SEMrush or Yoast SEO will help optimize your content for you as you do so.

FAQs

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