Security & Privacy
Encrypted Note Apps Compared: Who Can Read Your Notes, and What Each Plan Costs
Which note apps are end-to-end encrypted, what each paid plan costs, and how you get your notes back out — five apps checked against their own pages.
Tech
Hardware, software and the things they quietly cost you — what the pricing page and spec sheet leave out.
Security & Privacy
Password Managers Compared — Free Limits, Annual Price, and Who Can Read Your Vault
Seven password managers compared on free limits, annual price, zero-knowledge encryption, and export, checked against each vendor's own pages.
Security & Privacy
What a VPN Costs per Device, and Which Providers Publish Proof of No Logs
Seven VPN providers compared on real prices, device limits, logging policies, jurisdiction, and refund windows, checked against each vendor's own pages.
Security & Privacy
Cloud Backup Is Not Sync: What a Real Backup Costs and Who Holds the Keys
Six backup services compared on price, encryption, version history and restore — and why a synced folder is not a backup.
Security & Privacy
Who Holds the Keys to Your Email Inbox
Most email is encrypted in transit, but only some providers cannot read your inbox. Seven services compared on price, storage and who holds the keys.
Security & Privacy
Which 2FA Authenticator App Lets You Leave — and Which Locks You In
Seven 2FA authenticator apps compared on price, platforms, backup, and whether you can export your codes — the real risk is an app that won't let you out.
Security & Privacy
What Cloud Storage Actually Costs per Terabyte, and Who Can Read Your Files
Cloud storage pricing per terabyte: what nine providers charge a year, and which plans encrypt files so the provider cannot read them.
Gadget Reviews
Buying a Webcam for Video Calls: What the Software Actually Sends, and Why Light Comes First
Zoom, Meet and Teams cap what a webcam can send, so 4K rarely reaches anyone. A sourced guide to resolution, sensors, autofocus, mics and lighting.
Tech for the Rest of Us
How to Read a Privacy Policy in Five Minutes
You click 'I agree' on documents nobody reads. Here is the five-minute scan that finds the three sentences that actually matter before you hand over your data.
AI in Practice
Is an AI Subscription Worth It? Compare Workflow and API Costs
Compare AI subscriptions with direct API use using documented Claude, Notion and Otter features, a total-cost example, and an export checklist before paying.
Security & Privacy
Which Messaging Apps Actually Encrypt by Default
Four popular messaging apps compared on default encryption, group chats, backups and metadata, because 'encrypted' means different things from app to app.
Apps & Tools
Free AI Meeting Notetakers: Limits, History and Exports
Compare Otter, Fathom, Fireflies, tl;dv and Granola free plans: transcription caps, summary allowances, history access and export limits before choosing a tool.
Tech for the Rest of Us
What a VPN Protects: HTTPS, Tracking, and Free Plans
Understand what a VPN hides, what HTTPS already protects, and how to check free-plan claims, kill switches, and privacy policies before paying for a service.
Apps & Tools
The Free Tier of Every Video Call App Ends in Forty or Sixty Minutes
Zoom, Meet, Teams and Webex all cut a free group call at forty or sixty minutes, and none records to the cloud. The differences are smaller than you'd think.
Apps & Tools
The Day You Outgrow a Project Tool's Free Tier
Six project tools, one table: where each free plan ends, what the cheapest paid tier costs, and how you get your data out. Every cell links to its vendor page.
Apps & Tools
Scheduling Links Compared: What "Free" Actually Lets You Book, and What a Year Really Costs
Compared the free plans and yearly cost of Calendly, Cal.com, SavvyCal and TidyCal. One caps you at one event type, one is free forever, one has none.
Apps & Tools
Newsletter Platforms: What "Free" Actually Gets You Before You Pay
Mailchimp, Kit, Buttondown, MailerLite and Beehiiv free tiers compared from their pricing pages. Caps run from 100 to 10,000 subscribers, plus hidden limits.
Apps & Tools
Free vs Paid Password Managers: Limits and Annual Costs
Compare Bitwarden, 1Password, Dashlane and NordPass free-plan limits, annual prices and promotional terms, with a worksheet to check costs before subscribing.
Apps & Tools
How Much Cloud Storage Is Actually Free, and What the Next Dollar Buys
Seven cloud services, compared: what the free tier really gives you, what the first paid tier costs a year, and why a 5 GB default is an upsell.
Gadget Reviews
Trackball vs Mouse: What to Check Before Switching
Compare trackball controls, connection options, and desk fit, then use a practical trial checklist to decide whether switching from a mouse makes sense.
AI in Practice
Rolling Out an AI Meeting Notetaker to a Team: Retention, Export and Seat Questions
A sourced checklist for putting Otter, Fathom, tl;dv or Granola in front of a team: history limits, export formats, per-seat prices and recording consent.
Apps & Tools
The Annual Discount Is a Loan You Make to Your Vendor
Twenty percent off for paying yearly sounds like free money. Priced as an interest-free loan with a cancellation penalty, it is a much narrower deal.
Apps & Tools
Cloudflare Pages vs Netlify: Free Limits, Redirects, Caching
Compare Cloudflare Pages and Netlify for a static marketing site using documented limits, 500 builds versus 300 credits, redirect rules, caching and analytics.
Apps & Tools
Which Software Can You Cancel? A Dependency Test for Small Teams
Before cancelling team software, check exports, shared access and fallback workflows. Use a dependency worksheet to separate real savings from hidden work.
Apps & Tools
Overlapping Software: When to Drop a Tool That Still Works
A sourced method for deciding whether to keep a tool another product now duplicates, using Figma, Filestage and Ziflow documentation and a blank worksheet.
Gadget Reviews
Headphones for Work: Fit, Calls and Battery Checks
Compare Sony WH-1000XM5 and Sennheiser Momentum 4 battery claims, then use a practical checklist to test fit, device switching and calls before keeping a pair.
Security & Privacy
1Password for a Three-Person Team: What the Plans, Recovery Rules and Logs Actually Document
A documentation-based guide to 1Password for a very small team: Starter Pack vs Business cost, who can recover a locked account, and what to check on the trial.
Security & Privacy
Shadow IT Audit for Small Teams: Find Unlisted Apps and Review Access
Find unlisted team software by matching bills, signups and account permissions. A sourced Google and GitHub checklist with a reusable inventory worksheet.
Security & Privacy
Fastmail vs Proton Mail for a Business Inbox: Search, Encryption, Export and Price
Fastmail vs Proton Mail for a small business address: how search, encryption, custom domains, export and per-user pricing actually differ, with sources.
Apps & Tools
Notion vs Separate Tools: A Job-by-Job Consolidation Test
Before moving a wiki, docs, task tracker and client portal onto Notion, price each job and test exports, speed and publishing limits. Worksheet included.
Apps & Tools
Team Tool Migration Checklist: Data, Integrations, Links, and Cutover
Plan a team tool migration with export checks, an integration inventory, link mapping, a cutover checklist, and a worked example of switching costs.
Gadget Reviews
Monitor Arm or New Monitor? Check the Screen Position First
OSHA and CCOHS placement guidance, stock-stand ranges from Dell spec sheets, and two arm spec sheets compared, with a compatibility checklist before you buy.
Apps & Tools
SaaS Pricing Audit: Seats, Tiers, Meters and Exit Terms
A five-step SaaS pricing audit that rebuilds the real annual cost before a trial, using published Slack, Asana, monday.com, Zapier, Atlassian and Adobe terms.
Security & Privacy
SaaS Data Export Checklist: Can You Rebuild the Work?
Check SaaS exports for missing files, relationships and access limits. Notion and Slack documentation anchors a practical worksheet for testing your exit.
Apps & Tools
Figma vs Penpot: Costs, File Portability, and a Trial Checklist
Compare Figma and Penpot using official pricing and export documentation, then test components, client handoff, and migration costs with a practical worksheet.
Apps & Tools
Quarterly Stack Audit: A Four-Column Worksheet and Where to Check Seat Activity
A quarterly software audit for small teams: build the sheet from payment records, check seat activity in Slack, Workspace and Microsoft 365, decide every line.
Apps & Tools
Per-Seat Pricing: Calculate Minimums, Guests and Renewal Costs
Calculate software seat costs with documented Slack, Notion and monday.com billing rules, a headcount worksheet, and examples of annual renewal commitments.
AI in Practice
Does AI Actually Save You Time? What Four Studies Measured, and How to Check Your Own
Four controlled studies on AI and work speed, side by side: where the gains were real, where people got slower, and a ten-second log to test your own use.
Gadget Reviews
The Keyboard You Stop Noticing: Why First-Fortnight Reviews Pick the Wrong One
Keyboard reviews measure what you feel in the first fortnight. The properties that decide whether you keep one show up later. How to buy for those.
Apps & Tools
Linear for a Small Team: Cycles, Search, Pricing and an Exit Test
Evaluate Linear with sourced details on optional cycles, search, annual pricing and exports, plus practical checks for your team before switching tools.