Software

Speedify is amazingly fast, but gives you only 5GB of free data monthly.

Provided its evolving apps keep you educated and entertained, this unique musical instrument will let you play and record music no matter your ability.

H&R Block uses thoughtful, efficient design and fair pricing to deliver a superior tax-preparation product.

A review of the KeepSolid VPN service, which boasts impressive speeds, and affordable plans, including a lifetime option.

The latest version of this free video editor for enthusiasts integrates visual effects and motion graphics.

Adobe Premiere Elements continues its long reign as the overall best consumer video-editing app, with new automated features and simplified workflows for quick video editing.

Panda Free Antivirus looks good and is easy to use, but its malware protection is unreliable.

Avira Free Antivirus has a heavy system load while providing only so-so malware protection.

Corel PaintShop Pro is an excellent photo-editing and graphics program that's far more accessible than Photoshop and more comprehensive than Photoshop Elements.

Avira Phantom VPN's free tier is speedy and easy to use, but its 1GB of monthly data won't get you far.

SurfEasy's free VPN offering is very slow and very limited. We can't recommend using it.

Professional photographers often consider Blurb.com's photo book service and its sophistacted tools. It's tempting to consider Bookify, Blurb's consumer-level product. But something gets lost in the adaptation of Blurb's tools into a consumer product.

The interface may take some getting used to, but VSDC is a solid, reliable app for basic editing tasks.

Corel VideoStudio Ultimate 2018 offers a deep and complete set of video-editing tools that are easy enough for beginners to master.

Adobe Premiere Elements leads the pack in consumer video editing by continuing to inspire personal memoirists with pro-level output and social-media savvy in an easy-to-use package.

This smart light has Alexa built in, but you have to really like its circular design to pay this much.

Pixelmator's new photo-editing app for Macs uses machine learning to speed up some editing tasks.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2018 remains the best choice for beginners and experienced users, but some of its new features could use refinement.

PowerDirector 16 makes it easy to edit 360-degree videos, but there are a lot of other great features in this program, too.

PSafe DFNDR is feature-rich and easy to use, but its malware protection is inconsistent and the free version has too many ads.

While simple and free, FaxZero lacks the depth of more full-featured faxing services and doesn't compare well to other free options.

If you're absolutely determined not to pay for your online faxing service, GotFreeFax is the best choice, but be prepared for lots of limitations.

Net Nanny offers the best web-filtering features of any parental control program.

This solid program handles the basics of monitoring a child’s mobile phone, but rival services offer more extensive features.

Avira may not charge for its Mac protection, but other free options provide better malware detection, system impact and design.

The best robot kit for younger kids, Lego Boost turns programming into a game your child will want to play.

This powerful video editing suite could benefit from a more unified interface.

CyberLink PowerDirector 15 Ultra makes the challenge of video editing fun with a colorful, well-designed and inviting interface.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 15 remains a solid option for consumers, especially novices, who want an easy-to-use image-editing product that can grow with you as you learn.

Although its learning curve is too steep for novices, GIMP is free and has a nice set of photo editing tools.