Software

Google Photos is great at organizing and consolidating all your photos from your various devices.

Apple Photos is a free, fun and very-easy-to-use app for accessing, organizing and sharing your photos and videos.

Affinity Photo is our pick for the best budget photo editor for pros.

A great all-around photo editor for novices and hobbyists alike.

BullGuard Antivirus is fairly easy to use and offers lots of customization options, but its malware protection is only so-so.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus has a clean, easy-to-use interface and a light system load. Too bad its malware protection is average at best.

F-Secure Anti-Virus offers excellent malware protection at a bargain price, but it has a heavy system load and a high false-positive rate.

We wish Sony Movie Studio 13 were faster and more intuitive, which would make it easier to take advantage of its flexible features.

Pinnacle Studio 19 caters to a more pro-level video editor, but it doesn't support 4K, and its performance was glitchy.

Extensive controls – particularly for app management, text monitoring, and location tracking – make this a great choice for parents who want some control over their child’s mobile activity.

The iOS version of Norton's monitoring service is a robust, easy-to-set-up tool that keeps parents informed about what their kids are doing with their iPhones.

Qustodio has added more features to its iOS parental control app, but you’re still pretty limited as to what you can monitor.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus combines fast scans with safeguards against ransomware, but its protection isn't perfect and it can be hard to navigate.

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus has tough malware scans, little system impact, ransomware protection, a password manager and a file shredder.

Bitdefender Internet Security 2016 has nearly perfect malware protection, a strong feature set and a remarkably light system impact.

ESET Smart Security 9 includes some unique features, like a stolen laptop tracker, but its malware protection isn't good enough.

Kaspersky Internet Security is a solid antivirus package, but is weaker at finding sophisticated malware on Windows 7 than some competitors.

Trend Micro Internet Security 10 has a perfect record of stopping malware, but it has a somewhat heavy system impact during scans.

McAfee Internet Security is a solid, if not stellar, antivirus suite that protects an unlimited number of devices across multiple platforms.

Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security Plus has a decent stack of extra features, but is difficult to use and doesn't stop enough malware.

AVG Ultimate is a bargain for those with many devices to protect, but its malware protection isn't as good as it could be.

Trend Micro Premium Security is a great deal for premium antivirus software -- if you can get it at the sale price.

Bitdefender Total Security offers excellent malware protection and a very useful quick scan, but it doesn't have every feature we want.

TextNow Wireless is an affordable way to get a phone line and use that number across many devices, but poor call quality holds it back.

Despite detailed activity logs, Mobile Spy lacks the extensive controls to make it an effective program for managing how your child uses their phone.

AVG AntiVirus Pro has excellent Android anti-theft and privacy tools, but be ready to download a few more apps to unlock its full potential.

PaintShop Pro X7 is good for families with varying skill levels; though less versatile and powerful as Photoshop Elements, it’s far cheaper.

Elements 13 delivers easy guided photo-editing, fun projects, a creative learning experience and accessible power for more-experienced users.

Picasa is a convenient, effective editing program for users who want to quickly prep their pictures for sharing — especially on Google+.

Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus will protect your PC with minimal impact, but there are better options.