If you have a PC, picking the best PC power supply for your build is critical, as it will make sure it runs at optimum efficiency. Especially now that the best graphics cards and processors are more expensive than ever, you're going to want to protect your investment by ensuring you have a PSU that's fit for the job.
If you’re building a new PC, remember that PC power supplies can make or break your PC so you shouldn’t scrimp on quality just to save money. Otherwise, it could lead to your components not working the way they should or worse, failing completely, which will cost you even more money.
Luckily, a quality PSU won’t cost you as much as the sexier components. So, go ahead and get one of the best ones 2021 has to offer. Here are our top picks below.
The Corsair AX1000 boasts performance and quiet operation that's worthy of the price.(Image credit: Corsair)
1. Corsair AX1000
The best PC power supply
Form factor: ATX | Capacity: 1000W | Efficiency rating: 80 Plus Titanium | Modularity: Full | Warranty: 10-year
Excellent performance
Extremely quiet
Solid build quality
Cables a bit stiff
Not cheap
The Corsair AX1000 may be among the priciest on this best PC power supply list, but it’s well worth the money for your next build thanks to its performance and quiet operation. It boasts a solid load regulation, super high efficiency levels and excellent benchmark results, an ace for ATX’s specification requirements. It’s fully modular as well, with eight PCIe & two EPS connectors to boot.
An economical power supply like the EVGA 500 B1 may be right up your alley. (Image Credit: EVGA)
2. EVGA 500 B1
Best budget power supply
Form factor: ATX | Capacity: 500W | Efficiency rating: 80 Plus Bronze | Modularity: None | Warranty: 3-year
Low price
6 SATA cables
500w rating
If you’re on the market for an affordable power supply that doesn’t cut too many corners, there aren’t a lot of options right now. So, an economical power supply like the EVGA 500 B1 may be right up your alley. For less than the price of a new game, you’ll get a full 500 watts of power transmitted through several SATA cables and two PCIe cables. This is hands down one of the best power supplies because it covers the bare essentials and nothing more, which is exactly what a budget PC component needs to do. The three year warranty is a nice touch, as well.
This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Corsair RM750x
be quiet! Straight Power 10 runs nice and quiet. (Image Credit: be quiet!)
3. be quiet! Straight Power 10
Best silent power supply
Form factor: ATX | Capacity: 400W – 700W | Efficiency rating: 80 Plus Gold | Modularity: Semi | Warranty: 5-year
Quiet ATX and EPS support
A little pricey across capacities
Even the best PSUs seem to have extremely loud fans, and unlike case fans, it’s not exactly easy to replace them. Luckily, the Straight Power 10 line-up runs nice and quiet. Options range from 400w to 700w, and they’re SLI and Crossfire certified. They’re also modular, meaning you only need to use the cables that are necessary for your build.
Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 1050W Platinum delivers high overall performance.(Image credit: Thermaltake)
4. Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 1050W Platinum
Best PSU with advanced platform
Form factor: ATX | Capacity: 1050W | Efficiency rating: 80 PLUS Platinum, ETA-A (88-91%) | Modularity: Full | Warranty: 10 Years
Efficient
Fully modular
Weird fan profile
No Over Temperature Protection
Thanks to the advanced and reliable platform it uses, the Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 1050W Platinum delivers high overall performance. It also boasts five vivid RGB lighting modes – controllable via a button in the back, a built-in memory function and a Smart Zero Fan that’s ultra quiet.
Silverstone SFX SST SX550 is a compact power supply that fits in plenty of cases. (Image Credit: SilverStone)
5. Silverstone SFX Series SST-SX550
Best compact power supply
Form factor: SFX | Capacity: 550W | Efficiency rating: 80 Plus Gold | Modularity: None | Warranty: 3-year
Compact size
ATX and EPS support
Limited number of connectors
The best PC power supplies unfortunately tend to be giant hunks of metal that don’t fit into smaller PC cases. However, the Silverstone SFX SST SX550 is a compact power supply that fits in plenty of cases. It’s half the size of most of the other PSUs on this list, allowing for more room for better airflow. This makes it an easy pick for anyone building a mini ITX or micro ATX build, and you can even slide it into a mid- or full-tower, if you feel like it. It’s easy to see why the Silverstone SFX is one of the best PC power supplies.
If you’ve got a high-powered mirrored setup, the Thermaltake Toughpower PF1 ARGB 1200W is the best PC power supply for you. (Image credit: Thermaltake)
6. Thermaltake Toughpower PF1 ARGB 1200W
Best built
Form factor: ATX | Capacity: 1200W | Efficiency rating: 80 PLUS Platinum, ETA-A (88-91%) | Modularity: Full | Warranty: 10 Years
Very good transient response
Fully modular
Noisy
Expensive
The Thermaltake Toughpower PF1 ARGB 1200W is braun and beauty rolled in one, delivers high performance with RGB lighting features. If you’ve got a high-powered mirrored setup, this one’s the best PC power supply for you. Better yet, it’s fully modular and built like a tank so it’ll last you a long time. All these high-end features come at premium price, but if you happen to have extra cash lying around, it’s completely worth it.
XPG Core Reactor 750W is a mighty PSU with higher quality parts and high performance.(Image credit: XPG)
7. XPG Core Reactor 750W
Best for new ATX specifications
Form factor: ATX | Capacity: 750W | Efficiency rating: 80 PLUS Gold, ETA-A (88-91%) | Modularity: Full | Warranty: 10 Years
Full power at 47 degrees Celsius
Efficient and silent
Good transient response
Expensive
The XPG Core Reactor 750 may have some pretty tough competition out there, like the Corsair RM750x, for example. It’s high price tag doesn’t help. However, it’s a mighty PSU with higher quality parts and high performance. In addition, it’s also one of the very few power supplies that’s fully-compatible with the new ATX specifications. And, it’s pretty compact, ideal for more compact computer setup.
The Corsair CX750F RGB combines a modular design with a bronze 80 Plus efficiency rating and a relatively low noise fan(Image credit: Corsair)
8. Corsair CX750F RGB
Awesome RGB power supply
Form factor: ATX | Capacity: 750W | Efficiency rating: 80 Plus | Modularity: Fully Modular | Warranty: 7-year
Customizable RGB lighting
Modular
Not enough for top-of-the-line builds
With the Corsair CX750F RGB, the company has come up with a winner. The PSU combines a modular design with a bronze 80 Plus efficiency rating and a relatively low noise fan for a perfect PSU for under a hundred bucks. Add to that, RGB lighting that can be controlled three different ways and you can’t really go wrong with this one. While it won’t power the most muscular of builds, it should handle most just fine.
If less power is needed, you can also take a look at the CX550F RGB White, which delivers 500W power and comes in a pristine white color that simply looks fantastic with the RGB light on.
Corsair AX1500i can power an absolute behemoth of a rig. (Image Credit: Corsair)
9. Corsair AX1500i
Best high capacity power supply
Form factor: EPS | Capacity: 1500W | Efficiency rating: 80 Plus Titanium | Modularity: Fully | Warranty: 10-year
Titanium efficiency rating
Monster capacity
Huge price tag
Enormous size
If you’re a serious builder that plans on building an absolute behemoth of a rig, with multiple graphics cards, cooling systems on top of some healthy overclocking, the Corsair AX1500i is the best PC power supply for you. It has the highest possible 80 Plus Titanium efficiency rating, and is fully modular, so you only need to add the cables your build actually requires.
NZXT E650 is a fully modular power supply. (Image Credit: NZXT)
10. NZXT E650
Best modular power supply
Form factor: ATX | Capacity: 650W | Efficiency rating: 80 Plus Gold | Modularity: Full | Warranty: 10-year
Stylish
10 year warranty
On the expensive side
If you’re really trying to maximise the visual appeal of your build, a modular power supply is almost essential – you can avoid all of those messy looking wires cluttering up your case. The NZXT E650 takes things a step further. Not only is it a fully modular power supply, meaning you only need to connect the wires you actually need, but it’s also extremely attractive itself, begging to be shown off in your case. This is all topped off with an 80 Plus Gold efficiency rating and a 10-year warranty – not only will it look good, but it’ll deliver power efficiently and last forever while it does it.
How do I choose a PC power supply?
When you're looking for a PC power supply, there are really two things to take into consideration: wattage and efficiency rating. For most people, a 500W power supply will be plenty, but if you're using high-end gaming components, you're going to want to get something with a bit more juice – for instance, you'll want at least an 850W PSU if you're getting an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080.
For efficiency, we'd recommend going with a PSU with at least an 80 Plus Bronze rating. And, if you want the most efficient power, going with an 80 Plus Gold or an 80 Plus Platinum PC power supply is going to be the way to go.
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As data and compute are no longer limited to the data center, Dell has updated its Dell EMC PowerEdge range of small business servers to meet the needs of organizations that require adaptive and flexible infrastructure.
With the Austin-based company's new servers, businesses of all sizes can scale effectively, process data quickly and securely and deliver more connected customer experiences both inside and outside of a data center all while optimizing costs and productivity.
These new Dell EMC PowerEdge servers are also flexible enough to address evolving IT needs while delivering real-time business value at the point of data creation wherever that may be.
Dell has introduced three new PowerEdge entry-level rack and tower servers built with Intel Xeon processors that are designed for SMBs and enterprises that need to process information securely with less latency. These new devices have also been designed with office-friendly acoustics and thermals so they won't disrupt business operations and Dell's latest PowerEdge servers can be used inside data centers as well as in edge environments including remote/branch offices, retail, hospitality and logistics operations.
Dell EMC PowerEdge T350, R350 and T550
The Dell EMC PowerEdge T350 and R350 are entry-level rack and tower servers built with the new Intel Xeon E-2300 processors and provide additional compute capabilities, memory and storage to increase productivity. They're also flexible, affordable and can be used for business-critical workloads, cloud infrastructure and point of sale (POS) transactions.
In order to ensure continuous operations of applications and services, both the PowerEdge T350 and R350 have high availability features such as hot-plug boot drive options and customers can take advantage of expanded storage options to meet their growing data management challenges. These new one-socket PowerEdge servers have a smaller footprint and the T350 features an updated design that is 37 percent smaller than the previous generation.
Later this year, Dell also plans to release the PowerEdge T550, which is powered by 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors, and features a flexible two-socket tower design that balances expandability and performance. The device supports technologies for enterprise-class workloads including AI and inferencing, virtualization, medical imaging, data analytics and software-defined storage.
We'll likely hear more about pricing and other details from Dell once we get closer to the release of the Dell EMC PowerEdge T350, R360 and T550.
The best PS5 restock alerts come if you follow our PS5 restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider– follow and turn on notifications – as he sends out Twitter alerts when stores in the US have the PS5 in stock. We're tracking GameStop, Best Buy, Walmart and Target restock dates for all consoles, but so far this week we haven't seen a single retailer offer PS5 for sale. But our tracker has eyes on a dozen stores 24/7, including Sony PlayStation Direct and Antonline.
By following Matt Swider, almost 90,000 people have been able to buy a next-gen console in the US. Here's how:
Besides Walmart, Best Buy, Target and GameStop, we often see the Sony Direct, the official store of the PlayStation brand, as the most consistent at MSRP (GameStop is slightly more consistent if you are fine with bundles) and Antonline is a great option too many people don't consider.
The biggest issue is that whenever we update our PS5 restock news, the console is sold out within minutes, hence the need for Twitter tracker alerts.
How to buy a PS5 restock
► Never buy from other Twitter users – ever. They're all scams. Only buy from the US stores Matt alerts you about. No one will sell a PS5 for just $550.
There's no planned GameStop PS5 restock today, October 7, as so far it's limited to an Xbox Series X restock online at 11am EDT. That means we're back to tracking the PS5 console 24/7 at a dozen other retailers in the US.
We won't promise you a restock that isn't actually going to happen. We've seen other major tech websites inaccurately report PS5 restock 'news' to get your hopes up, but Matt Swider has gained the trust of over 969,000 followers by tracking the console every day since it launched.
This week marks the first full week in October, when we expect finding the console in stock to become much harder from now until Black Friday 2021. Thousands of new consumers will join the search for the PlayStation 5 at MSRP between now and Christmas.
The good news is that the online stock of PS5 has been picking up and we've even seen two major retailers in the US restock in stores. It's not exactly "on store shelves" today like you'd hope, but instead, we've seen massive lines around city blocks on select restock dates. The $499 PS5 console and $399 PS5 Digital Edition console have been in stock in select physical locations twice so far.
PS5 restock news has ramped up in recent weeks with a lot of people finally securing the PlayStation console either online or in stores, more than a year after pre-orders first went live.
GameStop PS5 restock dates
Next GameStop PS5 restock date for 2021: In the coming days (maybe next week)
First in-store GameStop PS5 restock date for 2021: Thursday, September 30 at opening
Last online GameStop PS5 restock date: Tuesday, September 28 at 11am EDT
The next GameStop PS5 restock date is likely to be soon – and a lot of times has a restock on Tuesdays. Why soon? The video game retailer has become the most frequent source of PlayStation 5 console sales in the second half of 2021. Sony Direct still wins when it comes to consoles at MSRP, but GameStop is right there with PS5 bundles in which everything is at face value.
The last GameStop PS5 restock actually happened in stores Thursday, September 30, giving people a chance to buy PS5 consoles bundled with a game and waiting in line on Thursday morning (or even earlier). They had a chance to buy the console after spending $705 (everything is at MSRP if you add up the extras included).
However, this past Tuesday demonstrated that GameStop isn't giving up on online restocks. It sold four PS5 bundles through its website: two PS5 Disc bundles and two PS5 Digital bundles. Again, these included extras and you needed to be a PowerUp Pro Rewards member ($15 a year), but that cuts down on resellers scooping up the PS5 for MSRP and profiting off of the very console you're trying to buy.
We have more sources inside the American retail market telling us about PS5 restock dates and times than any other publication in the US. Target and Best Buy sources give us PS5 restock level updates, while GameStop and Walmart supply chain insiders tip us off as to when the next PS5 stock is due to appear online.
There are also broad patterns: Every three weeks, Target does very early morning restocks, typically on Fridays in recent months (since July), and our sources send us information about stock levels to back up this timing (so we're not just relying on patterns). Best Buy has a restock every week or two and then takes a month off, confusing a lot of American consumers.
The most recent Best Buy restock time of 1:14pm EDT on Friday changed up the big-box US retailer's queue system to prevent PS5 restock bots (designed by resellers) from speeding through the add-to-cart button and go straight to checkout. It's about time. GameStop has a different approach: forcing bundles in the $700 price range for PS5 Disc that resellers and their bots don't touch.
🚨🚨🚨PS5 restock 🏷BEST BUY🏷♻️RT this + follow @mattswider + @techradarPS5 Digital ($399) https://ift.tt/3c4uQ6X Disc ($499) https://t.co/AjQJ37QctF👇October 1, 2021
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Best Buy PS5 restock: pivot between online and in-store
Last Best Buy PS5 restock date: Friday, October 1 at 1:14pm EDT
We did say Best Buy will pivot between online and in-store restocks, and Friday was proof of our reporting. The Best Buy PS5 restock happened online last Friday at 1:14pm EDT, with both PS5 Disc and PS5 Digital Editions in stock.
This was the first time Best Buy used its new verify system for a PS5 restock (it first used the enhanced checkout system earlier this for the Xbox Series X). One week prior, Best Buy had an in-store restock on September 23, 2021 (the first of any major retailer in 2021), after it failed to have the console online for more than a month. It was odd because Best Buy stocked the PlayStation 5 almost weekly before that, so clearly it was changing up its strategy.
What we got right: This doesn't mean the retailer will continue to have in-store restocks of the PS5 from here on out. It may do what it does with the GPU restocks: alternating between online restocks through its website and in-store restocks on select Thursday mornings. In fact, we saw an Xbox Series X restock on Monday, September 27, so there's some precedent for online console restock dates to continue.
Best Buy restock time online: The date is harder to nail down outside of the fact that it's never in stock during the weekends or evenings. But the official restock time always falls between 9:37am EDT and 5:05am EDT, so destined for working hours in the US Eastern time zone. It's a big window, sure, but one we can easily track on Twitter.
Update: So far no Walmart PS5 restock today, but we're staying viglient in check with our sources on when Walmart will restock next.
Will there be a Walmart PS5 restock this week? We're always checking with our sources (we usually know a little bit in advance), but we know two things: it favors Thursdays (every Walmart PS5 restock has been on a Thursday except for one in 2021), and we know for a fact that its severely back-ordered PlayStation 5 shipments are making their way to US consumers sooner than the slated November dates (yes, not everyone has seen their 'order processing' status hasten, but a lot of people have).
Walmart takes a long time to ship, and if it continues to offer the console with dates in November like it did in September (a two-month gap), by the time November rolls around, it's going to have to be promising consoles in 2022, and no one wants to see that on Black Friday. It needed to slow down the pace a bit. That's why we giving Walmart a 50/50 shot every Thursday, and we know it's usually at specific times: 12pm EDT, 3pm EDT or 9pm EDT.
The big news is that the PS5 is starting to show up in stores. No, not on shelves, but sold in stores like GameStop and Best Buy with lines wrapped around the block.
The Best Buy RTX 3080 GPU restock events set the stage for the retailer to do the same for PS5. There have only been two in-store PS5 restocks at major American retailers, so don't expect too many of those. We had exclusive news stories about both the Best Buy in-store PS5 restock and the GameStop PS5 restock in-store event, so we'll send out alerts ahead of time so you can line up. But online PS5 restocks are more frequent.
We had on-the-ground reporting of both restock events – pretty much the only tech website doing so – and many of the people follow Matt's PS5 restock Twitter account.
(Image credit: Matt Swider / Instagram)
Online PS5 restocks remain more frequent
PS5 restocks in person are still extremely rare, as we continue to see retailers sell the console online. Namely, Walmart, Target and Sam's Club do popular restocks that sell out in minutes.
Thursday is usually the most active day. Walmart usually restocks on a Thursday, though not every Thursday and it's back-ordered right now, while Antonline, a little-known retailer with good customer service and fast shipping, has guaranteed weekly restocks of next-gen consoles (so it could be an Xbox Series X restock on some weeks).
Target prefers Friday restocks, and today proved just that – the fifth Target PS5 restock on a Friday in a row. Target always restocks the PS5 restock in the morning, pretty much between 7am EDT and 8am EDT. In fact, there's been PS5 stock only at that time (except once) in 2021.
There hasn't been much news at club retailers in the United States. Costo hasn't had been good source of PS5 stock in several months and may be holding back until Christmas 2021, which makes sense. Sam's Club did a restock overnight this week, but PS5 availability there has been limited.
We can confirm that some retailers are purposely holding back consoles until closer to the holidays: think early November to meet ongoing demand and tie into early Black Friday deals. So you should find a console soon enough – if you keep up with the PS5 restock news and alerts.
PS5 restock tutorials on YouTube are the best way to figure out how to checkout at each store in the US, and they're all different. We went through the step-by-step instructions on how to buy a PS5 at GameStop with a YouTube live stream.
You can actually see Matt 'cart' (almost checkout with) a PS5 Digital console bundle (he didn't because he doesn't need another PS5 console).
Target PS5 restock last week
Next Target PS5 restock date: Probably three weeks from now
Last Target PS5 restock date: Friday, October 1 at 7:49am EDT
The Target PS5 restock date was last week, October 1 and we knew that the retailer had just enough consoles to do a small restock thanks to Target employees around the country sending us photos. It was enough for a small PS5 drop, with about 20 PS5 Disc consoles per store.
Target PS5 restock time: While the retailer has shifted its PlayStation 5 restock day in the past, the Target PS5 restock time is consistent: in 2021, it's always been 7am EDT to 8am EDT, with one exception: two restocks ago happened a little outside that window at 8:14am EDT. The latest restock for Friday, October 1 was 7:49am EDT.
Target PS5 restock advice: Don't pass up PS5 Disc, which is almost always in-stock first for PS5 Digital, which often goes in stock second. PS5 Digital stock is extremely low every single time – and sometimes PS5 Digital doesn't come in stock at all.
Sony PlayStation Direct is changing things up, with a PS5 restock dates happening more often, both with email invites to select (randomly picked PSN users) and wider virtual queues where anyone with a PSN account has a chance to buy the PS5.
It's still difficult to get beyond 'more than an hour wait' time, but as more and more people get their Sony PS5 console of choice (they're both on sale for MSRP through Sony Direct, thankfully), it'll get easier.
We'll continue to send out PS5 restock alerts from Sony Direct since they've been among the most successful. This Sony company must know someone who makes PS5.
(Image credit: Twitter / Matt Swider)
Antonline PS5 restock – one next-gen bundle a week
Last Antonline PS5 restock date: Thursday, September 16 at 10:12am EDT
Antonline has been consistent with its PS5 restocks, promising – and mostly fulfilling – a next-gen console restock once per week. We say mostly because sometimes it has the Xbox Series S in there, which isn't as difficult to find in stock compared to the PS5. Anyway, because Antonline had a PS5 Digital bundle last week, there's no guarantee it'll pick a Sony console this time, but it's a next-gen console to be sure.
Keep in mind: Antonline PS5 bundles will look pricey at first, but they're at face value for all of the games and accessories included. While consoles still sell out in about three minutes (or less), the bundles slow down resellers, who can't easily profit off of the extras. So it's a benefit to real gamers who want to play the bundled games.
The Amazon PS5 restock dates has become easier to predict not because of sources in this case – Amazon seems to have shut down leaks – but because the online retail giant has been stocking new PS5 consoles around the 21st of every month, give or take a few days.
Specifically, we saw PS5 in stock at Amazon on September 21, August 25, July 21, June 23, May 26 and April 21 this year. That's a pretty consistent restock track record, thought here are instances in which PS5 Digital didn't show up alongside PS5 Disc (there's always less PS5 Digital inventory at stores) or got shoehorned in on a different date (like September 2) without PS5 Disc accompanying it.
The Amazon PS5 restock time was fluctuating between late mornings (10:10am EDT to 11:05am EDT with the one-off Amazon Treasure Truck drop happening at 12pm EDT) and late nights (12:03am EDT to 3:18am EDT). But we haven't seen a middle of the night PS5 drop since Amazon Prime Day, so neither we're overdue for one in October or Amazon is sticking to those late morning restocks.
It hasn't gotten any easier to buy the PS5 on Amazon when a restock happens. This is despite the fact that their latest restock date, September 21 at 11:03am EDT, did give Amazon Prime members priority access to buying the Sony console. We'll see if it gets any easier on or around October 21, 2021.
Free blogging sites have come a long way in recent years, and it’s now easier than ever to create a professional-looking blog to share a hobby with like-minded people, express your opinions, and establish an online presence.
These free blogging sites are aimed at hobbyist bloggers – blogs are created and managed online, and hosted on the blogging platform’s own servers. If you want to create a self-hosted blog, the downloadable version of WordPress is an excellent option, with total flexibility, support for third-party plugins, and as much storage as your hosting plan allows.
If you're interested in making a static website rather than an online journal, take a look at our guide to the best free website builders.
Our advice would be to steer clear of free blogging sites if you can, as it isn't always a good option for the majority. However, should you still want to proceed, we have made a list of the best blogging sites out there.
Although free blogging sites have their limitations, Wix lets you create a blog for free, as well as offering paid packages. Plans start from as little as $8.50 per month for the Combo plan, which gets you 3GB of storage space, a free domain and free SSL certificate.
Whether you want to share your ideas, start a business, or run a store, you can do it all on WordPress.com. You can try for free or try the paid packages. Plans start from as little as £3 per month, which includes best-in-class hosting and a free domain for a year.
Create a unique and beautiful blog for free withBlogger
Start your blog today with the American online content management system (CMS) which enables multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. Whether you'd like to share your knowledge, experiences or the latest news, create a unique and beautiful blog for free with Blogger.
Get powerful blog building functionality, and much more to boot
Highly intuitive editor
Flexibility in spades
You get lots more than blog building
Wix has a range of paid-for subscription plans, but also a free offering, although it’s best to note upfront that this has some caveats. With the free product, your site will have Wix branding, and you’ll be limited to 500MB of data transfer per month, so it’s not for heavily-trafficked sites. You also only get 500MB storage, too, so bear that in mind.
Those limits aside, you are free to build a blog with an unlimited number of pages, and where Wix really distinguishes itself is with its powerful blog functionality. The editor may be simple, but you get access to all the stuff you need – from image galleries through to videos and music – and there are a ton of ways to customize a post.
There’s also a lot of flexibility in the way you can schedule posts, and neat touches like being able to set up things so that posts are automatically pushed to Facebook when they’re published. For instance, there's a feature called Wix Bookings that allows customers to schedule appointments and classes right on your website.
And what makes Wix truly compelling is that on top of this, you get the run of the rest of what this website builder offers aside from blog support. That includes using Wix’s ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) editor, which will ask for some basic info regarding the kind of site you wish to create, and features you want, and will swiftly produce something along those lines for you. That’s an impressive feature for novices, of course.
There’s also commendably diverse support for various different types of media, and quality customer support to boot (yes, even on the free plan). The Wix Turbo feature is also on hand, and this increases the speed and performance of websites considerably.
When you consider what you’re getting for nothing, the bandwidth and data limits don’t seem like such a heavy set of shackles. And you can always upgrade at a later date if you want to break free of them in the longer run.
Advanced features, plugins and a generous storage allowance
Powerful customization options
Useful analytics
Active support community
Some ads
Powerful and highly customizable, WordPress is a brilliant platform for blogs of any size, and bloggers of all levels of experience.
Creating your first blog is very straightforward, with a simple wizard that guides you through the process of choosing a name and suitable theme. You can leave it there and begin writing posts immediately, but the real fun lies in the more advanced editor, which lets you customize virtually every aspect of your blog’s appearance.
Unlike some blogging sites, WordPress isn’t a drag-and-drop affair, and you’ll have to familiarize yourself with its system of menus. Doing so is well worth the effort, though, and enables you to create something truly personal. The editor also allows you to create static pages – like a writer’s biography, for example.
The post-writing interface is much like an ordinary desktop word processor (though some options are presented in a toolbar at the top, while others are in a menu at the side, which can be a little confusing at first). Again, time spent getting to know the interface is rewarded with advanced features like customizable social media sharing buttons, geotagging, and the ability to pick a custom style for individual posts.
Sometimes you might want to create a photo gallery, for example, and other times a more text-focused style would be more appropriate. You can also view and edit the HTML source.
As your blog grows, WordPress lets you track its stats, including page views, visitors, likes and comments over time. You can also see how readers reach your site, which content they viewed, and where they are in the world, all of which is very useful in terms of being able to tailor your content accordingly.
Your site is hosted on WordPress servers, with an address in the format yoursite.wordpress.com. Users of the free service don’t get email or live chat support, but the WordPress community forums are very active and questions are usually answered within a few minutes. Additionally, privacy protection for domains that are registered at WordPress.com is free.
WordPress displays ads on free blogs, but provided you can live with that, it’s a top-notch solution for a free blogging site.
Boasts mobile-friendly features and Google app integration
Very accessible for newbies
Impressive selection of templates
Not as powerful as WordPress
Blogger is another superb blogging platform. It’s not quite as powerful as WordPress, but on the other hand, it is more accessible for new users, which comes as no surprise when you learn that it’s owned by Google.
Blogger offers an excellent selection of templates, all of which include mobile versions optimized for smaller screens – a very sensible addition with so many people accessing online content through smartphones these days. Blogger is also web responsive.
Blogger’s post-editing tool is much like WordPress, but offers fewer options. As a result, its toolbars are less confusing – a trade-off between power and usability.
One of Blogger’s best features is its integration with other Google apps and services. For example, it uses your Google Drive account to store images and other files for your blog. Google Drive gives you 15GB of space free, so Blogger is a good choice if you’re planning to share a lot of high-res photos.
Spam comments are a big problem on blogs, so Blogger’s automatic spam filter can help save your sanity. You can monitor comments via Blogger’s dashboard, which also lets you see visitor stats. There are some handy visualizations here, including a world map to show the global distribution of your readers.
Your blog will have an address in the format yoursite.blogger.com, and, like all Google services, will include ads. Support is available through the Blogger user forum, which is very active but has a strange layout that can be a little off-putting.
In all other respects, Blogger is brilliant – in short, it is one of the best free blogging sites if you prioritize ease of use over flexibility, particularly if you are a fan of the Google ecosystem too.
Weebly takes a modular approach to blog building, with a drag-and-drop editor that lets you choose which elements to add to your site, and where.
Pick a basic template, then plonk various types of content onto the page, including social media links, text, images, maps, and sections of code. It’s a refreshingly simple way to build a blog that feels unique to you, but doesn’t require any messing about with menus.
It’s worth noting, however, that certain content blocks can only be positioned in certain areas; it isn’t a total free-for-all. This makes sense – forcing you to stick within the confines of your chosen template stops the page looking messy – but you might find it limiting.
Blog posts are made in the same way: drag text boxes, picture frames, buttons and page breaks into position, then click to edit them. One particularly nice feature is the ‘secret draft link’, which lets you preview your unpublished post, and even share it with others via email before releasing it into the wild.
Weebly has some other interesting tricks up its sleeve, including an area for pasting in Google Analytics tracking code (though it doesn’t offer analytics itself).
You’re only given 500MB for uploaded content, so photographers might want to look elsewhere. Weebly puts an ad in your site’s footer, but it doesn’t obscure any of your content.
Whereas the other free blogging sites we've looked at here are designed to get as many eyeballs on your posts as possible, Penzu takes the opposite philosophy, and is the equivalent of a locked diary stashed in a safe.
Penzu is a journal platform that makes your posts private by default and locks them down with at least one password (even after you’re logged in, you need a second one to read or edit your posts). That’s because it’s designed for private thoughts and personal reflection. There are free apps for iOS and Android that enable you to update your Penzu diary anywhere, but the contents are for your eyes only.
Penzu isn’t a tool for self-promotion, so although it’s far from ugly, it understandably focuses on function rather than looks. Custom colors and backgrounds come at a price – currently $20 per year.
It’s a shame that 128-bit AES encryption is also limited to the paid-for version, and there’s a fair amount of pressure to upgrade applied by Penzu. Extra options are often dangled under your nose then yanked away, but the core offering is a good one, and if you simply want a place to record your thoughts and practice writing, Penzu could be just the ticket.
Looking for the best cloud storage provider around right now? Well, we've got you covered with the most extensive, thoroughly-researched and complete buyers guide with as little jargon as possible.
Most importantly, nobody has tested and reviewed more of the best cloud storage services online than us in 2021. We have researched nearly 50 services, from personal cloud storage to enterprise grade secure cloud storage, that store files in the cloud - and so much more - in a bid to provide you with our curated list, ranking on aspects such as capacity, price, file size, security and ease of use.
What is a cloud storage service?
To understand what cloud storage means, you need to grasp what the cloud is. In one line, that's a resource (usually computing power or storage) that you can access remotely online either for free or for a fee.
Think of it as the self-storage services - cherished by home movers and renters - but instead of filling them up with boxes, you fill cloud storage accounts with your own files.
There are dozens of services that fall under that umbrella term (cloud storage) and many users interchangeably call them cloud backup, online storage, online drives, online backup, file hosting, file storage and so on.
At its simplest, it is a secure virtual space that you will usually access via your browser or a desktop application (or mobile app). The actual location of your files is usually in a data center somewhere, in a server, on a hard drive or solid-state drive.
Our experts have worked on a list that represents our top picks for the best secure cloud storage: most offer a free tier allowing you to see if they're right for you before handing over any hard-earned cash. Just make sure you read the terms and conditions. Whether you need to store a couple of files, an operating system, or entire collections of pictures, images or videos, we have something for everyone.
Top Best Cloud Storage Services of 2021
1.IDrive is the best cloud storage provider IDrive, the secure cloud storage veteran, delivers tons of storage online for an incredibly small outlay. 5TB for $3.98 for the first year is unmatched, and so is the support for unlimited devices and the extensive file versioning system available.
2.pCloud provides a lifetime cloud storage subscription The Swiss-based company is more expensive than the competition, but the one-off payment means that you won't have to worry about renewal fees which can be horrendously expensive. $350 for 10 years is less than $3 per month.
3.Get BackBlaze Cloud Backup FREE BackBlaze is our #2 rated cloud backup service, offering unlimited bandwith, storage capacity and file size. It usually costs $6 per month. However if you sign up for the #1 rated VPN provider - ExpressVPN,- for $6.67 per month, you get your first year of BackBlaze completely free.
Free tier: 5GB | Storage size: 5TB | Number of devices: Unlimited
Fast and capacious
Easy to use
Good Security
No two-factor authentication
IDrive offers continuous syncing of your files, even those on network drives. The web interface supports sharing files by email, Facebook and Twitter. Cautious or click-happy users will be pleased to hear that files deleted from your computer are not automatically deleted from the server, so there's less danger of removing something important by accident.
Up to 30 previous versions of all files backed to your account are retained. Another thing to note is that IT admins have access to the IDrive Thin Client application, which allows them to backup/restore, manage settings, and more for all their connected computers via a centralized dashboard.
For photos, you have a neat facial recognition feature that helps you to automatically organize them, as well as syncing them across all your linked devices. IDrive also offers IDrive Express which sends you a physical hard disk drive if you lose all your data, allowing for the swift restoration of all your backed up files.
An enhanced version - aptly named IDrive Business - exists and offers priority support, single sign-on, as well as unlimited users and server backup. While IDrive Personal offers 5TB or 10TB per user, the professional counterparts get between 250GB and 50TB of online storage.
IDrive 5TB cloud storage -$95.99$3.98 for 1-year IDrive, the secure cloud storage veteran, delivers tons of storage online for an incredibly small outlay. 5TB for $3.98 for the first year is unmatched, and so is the support for unlimited devices and the extensive file versioning system available.
Free tier: 10GB | Storage size: 2TB | Number of devices: 5
Affordable
Elegant, intuitive interface
Simple to use
No collaboration tools
pCloud is one of the very few cloud services that offer lifetime subscriptions; you essentially get a virtual, permanent cloud drive. It describes itself as a "personal cloud space where you can store all your files and folders [with] a user-friendly interface that clearly shows where everything is located and what it does."
pCloud comes with a 30-day trash history and unlimited remote upload traffic (you only need the URL of the file); you are - as expected - limited on the download link traffic: 500GB for the Premium package and 2TB for the Premium Plus package every month.
While some bandwidth limits apply, there seems to be no limit to the size of files you can upload, so feel free to sync large media files. The service is available for all desktop and mobile platforms – users can also log in via the website.
Note that as of August 2020, pCloud now allows its users to choose where they want their data to be stored, either in the EU or US. The company itself is registered in Switzerland which has strong privacy laws, and you can also pay a premium of $4.99 a month for pCloud Crypto to lock (and unlock) individual files with passwords.
There's also a family option that allows you to share your space with up to four other family members and a superior option - pCloud Business - that offers 1TB per user with pCloud Crypto included.
pCloud 2TB lifetime cloud storage - $350 At face value, you might think pCloud's offering is a little on the expensive side. However, a one-off payment will be cheaper in the long run, because you won't have to worry about outrageous renewal fees. Plus, you can rest easy in the knowledge your data is secured by strong encryption and extensive redundancies.
A superb storage service, made better with our exclusive deal
Free tier: N/A | Storage size: Unlimited | Number of devices: 1 (Personal Plan)
Unlimited storage
Fantastic value when purchased with ExpressVPN
Dead easy to use
No features beyond backups
One PC per account only
Backblaze is a cloud storage giant, an industry veteran that caters for personal and large-scale business backup needs. The key word is ‘backup’ here, because there are no file syncing or fancy collaboration features here – as the name suggests, Backblaze backs things up, and that’s it. It is the only one in this list that offers true unlimited cloud storage, no strings attached.
The subscription price for personal backups – which can be paid monthly, yearly, or on a 2-year deal – is good value ($60 for a year), particularly considering that you’re getting unrestricted storage.
But that gets only better still when you know that you can currently get Backblaze completely free for a year when you sign up to award-winning VPN provider ExpressVPN. Not only is Express our #1 favorite service out there for protecting your privacy online, reinforcing your anonymity and letting you geo-spoof your location, you also get 15 months for the price of 12 - and now that free year of Backblaze, too!
But if all you need is a backup system, then Backblaze is a seriously tempting proposition on a number of fronts. For starters, Backblaze makes the whole process of keeping your files backed up and safe extremely easy; trivial, even.
Simply install the app, and it continuously backs up all important data (basically grabbing everything that isn’t a system file or similar), with no need for any intervention from the user. You can forget it’s installed and simply not worry about your files.
The caveat is that one account only covers one computer, so while there are no data allowance worries, you’ll have to pay for a fresh account for each PC you want backing up.
Backup speeds are fast, your data is encrypted for security, and you have the option – for a fee – of having a physical hard drive or flash drive sent over in the event that a restoration process is required.
Whether or not you go for Backblaze will depend on your exact needs when it comes to secure cloud storage, but those who just need a pure backup system, with no extra features or trimmings, will find it a great service for sure – and an impressive value proposition given the unlimited data support. Also of note is a 15-day free trial (no credit card details required) to try before you buy.
EXCLUSIVE Backblaze + ExpressVPN | $159.99$99.99 for 1 year Looking for a great VPN and in need of secure cloud storage space? then this is the perfect deal. Those who want a VPN, too, will certainly be interested to get on board with our #1 rated VPN provider, ExpressVPN, while benefiting from a free year of Backblaze with unlimited cloud storage.
Cleverly implemented secure cloud storage locker which is great value
Free tier: 10GB | Storage capacity: 5TB | Number of devices: Unlimited
Top-notch security
Easy-to-use interface
Impressive value, particularly lifetime options
Lacks any collaboration features
IceDrive may only have been in the cloud storage business for a couple of years, but the firm offers a compelling solution, and one that’s rather different to the traditional cloud locker.
The key difference is that IceDrive’s online storage can be presented as a standard drive on your (Windows) system, just like your hard drive, with the idea being that it makes this storage easier and more intuitive to use. It’s just the same as accessing a local drive, and you can use functions like opening or editing files with close to the same speed you’d get with a local operation – as we observed in our review, there’s almost no slowdown evident.
That’s a Windows-only feature, although there is a nifty app for other platforms – Windows, Mac or Linux, and a web app for that matter – with a streamlined and well thought out interface.
Security is also a strong suit here, with IceDrive employing super-safe twofish encryption on its servers, with the data leaving your machine encrypted client-side as well, to keep things even safer. The major weak point with IceDrive is the lack of any of the collaboration features and tricks you can pull off with the likes of OneDrive, for example.
IceDrive subscription plans are nicely priced, and you can get the Lite tier which offers 150GB of storage for as little as $20 for a year ($1.67 per month). A Pro+ plan with 5TB capacity comes out at $15 per month, and lifetime plan options could work out as superb value, running from $99 to $599.
IceDrive 1TB lifetime cloud storage - $149 One of the top options from IceDrive is the lifetime Pro deal, which gets you 1TB of storage – and 2TB of monthly bandwidth – on a permanent basis. Normally, it runs to $224, but you can pick up this plan for $149 now, which is a third off. If you prefer an annual Pro subscription, it’ll set you back $4.17 per month (meaning that in three years, you’ll pay the same as the lifetime cost).
Secure cloud storage that majors in security and ease of use
Free tier: 3GB | Storage capacity: 500GB | Number of devices: Unlimited
Slick and user-friendly app
Good on the security front
‘Zero knowledge’ policy
You only get 3GB with free product
NordLocker app required for file sharing participants
NordLocker might sound familiar, mainly because it’s from the makers of NordVPN, one of our best VPN services. It’s a relatively simple but effective service which gives you a cloud storage locker, or alternatively can be used to create a local file vault on your device for secure storage, protecting your data with encryption in both cases.
To use on your own machine locally, NordLocker is free, and with that free version you also get a small amount of online storage – 3GB to be precise. If you want a workable amount of secure cloud storage, however, you’ll need to pay for a subscription, with two available plans that provide 500GB and 2TB of space, respectively. That comes at a reasonable $3.99 per month on the annual subscription or $9.99 per month for the latter.
NordLocker allows you to sync all those files in the cloud between all your devices, and using the app is an absolute breeze – just drag-and-drop your files in, and they’re automatically encrypted and uploaded. File sharing with others can be achieved, but they must also have signed up for a NordLocker account and be using the app.
As you might expect, security is super-tight, with NordLocker using Argon2, AES256, and ECC encryption protocols, with a ‘zero knowledge’ policy in place, meaning that your files can only be decrypted by yourself (and not the company, even if it wanted to).
NordLocker may not deliver enough in the way of features for experts or more demanding users, but it’s a solid basic service, highly user-friendly, and if that’s what you need, it’s a robust value proposition.
NordLocker Premium 500GB cloud storage - $3.99 per month
NordLocker only has one paid plan, which gives you 500GB of online storage. The good news is that it’s currently being offered at 50% off for the first year, so instead of forking out $7.99, you’ll pay $3.99 per month. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with the service initially.
Best for those who are invested with Microsoft Office
Free tier: 5GB | Storage capacity: 6TB | Number of devices: 30
Comes with Microsoft 365
Can edit files online without downloading them
No advanced features
Like Google Drive's appeal to Google users, OneDrive will be a good fit for anyone who is committed to using Microsoft's services, offering neat integration with Outlook.com, the company's popular email platform, for instance.
OneDrive also ties in nicely with Windows 10 and there is a selection of reasonable mobile apps to facilitate access on the move. It's also integrated with non-Microsoft services like design behemoth AutoCAD.
It's possible to share files with other people even if they aren't OneDrive users (complete with customizable permissions), and the ability to edit files online without downloading them is a welcome touch.
Coming from Microsoft – a company with plenty of money to throw at the cloud – it's a little disappointing to find that OneDrive doesn’t include more space free of charge. Free users get a mere 5GB of storage, although it's relatively inexpensive to increase this to 100GB.
If you have Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365) either through your work, educational institution or private purchase, you'll automatically get 1TB of space per user for free with an option to boost it up. Just bear in mind that this is secure cloud storage at it simplest with barely any advanced features here.
The Pro version has a dark mode and tighter integration with Microsoft Teams. Note that Microsoft upped the upload file size limit on OneDrive from 100GB to 250GB.
Microsoft 365 Family |$99.99 for 1-year This is the best value for money offer from Microsoft. 365 Family costs only $99.99 per year and provides you with 6TB of secure cloud storage in all, spread across six separate users. Other than the apps included (Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, OneNote and PowerPoint), you get AI-powered creative tools and 60 minutes of Skype calling per month.
Free tier: 15GB | Storage capacity: 2TB | Number of devices: Unlimited
Generous amount of free storage
Integrated with Android devices
Web interface isn’t the best
Google Drive is a natural choice for owners of Android devices as it's already integrated, but users of other platforms may appreciate the generous free storage too.
You can also store unlimited high definition photos on your mobile phone with companion app Google Photos, and make use of Google's own office suite (now known as G Workspace). Also, individuals upgrading to paid Google Drive plans will join Google One.
The array of features delivered by Google Drive via One - which ties into Google's Cloud platform - is bewildering and evolves continuously. At the time of writing, Google engineers were rolling out the ability to request approvals for Drive items and lock approved versions.
The 2TB tier - which offers 10% back in Google Store credits - allows the main account holder to invite up to five other additional members and costs $99.99 per year.
Downsides include the fact that the web interface isn't very easy-to-use, although Windows and Mac users can download a desktop app to drag-and-drop files easily. Drive also integrates Google's powerful AI and search technology, probably one of the best in the world.
Google One (2TB) |$99 for 1-year Google offers One as a membership, a quasi-lifetime commitment that's not unlike Amazon Prime. Although you get unlimited storage for your photos (terms and conditions apply), you "only" get 2TB to play with via Google Drive. You can share it among up to six members, and Google Experts are only a phone call away should you need them.
Free cloud storage vs paid cloud storage, which one is best?
Most of us have access to free cloud storage. Google gives up to 15GB for free, Amazon Prime users have some as part of their Prime subscription (so technically not free), Apple customers have 5GB iCloud cloud storage and the same goes for Microsoft OneDrive. Altogether these four companies have billions of customers that sits on Petabytes of free cloud storage.
What paid cloud storage gives you though is usually (a) independence from the big guns (b) far more storage capacity, often in the Terabytes and (c) extra additional features.
How does cloud storage work?
Believe it or not, the concept of cloud storage has been around for a long, long time. Amazon popularized the concept with its S3 (Simple Storage Service) launched in 2006 but the ability to upload and save files remotely on a service provider's disk drive can be traced back to 1983's Compuserve offer.
At the end of the day, you are simply using someone else's resources (part of whole of a hard drive, a solid state drive or even tape) to store your information.
That resource is usually located in a server housed in a data center (but not always) alongside potentially hundreds of others. The process is done over the internet over a secure connection via a dedicated app or via a web browser.
Almost everyone who has a smartphone or an email address has a cloud storage account of some sort. One might even consider Facebook to offer a limited version of cloud storage to its members as videos and photos can be uploaded free of charge to its servers.
What's happening in cloud storage in 2021?
There's something fishy happening in the cloud at the moment when it comes to storage. Remember this: Google has said it will cut back on its previously unlimited Google Photos, and it has also confirmed that it will start deleting files in Google Drive after only 30 days, plus only recently it has stated that it will erase dormant Google accounts in the near future.
The common thread of these three announcements is secure cloud storage and given that there's probably more than three billion Android accounts, each with at least 15GB of data, that is an awful lot of bits and bytes.
In February 2021, research company Trendfocus disclosed that the number of hard disk drives being shipped was free falling with year-on-year shipments seeing an 18% drop, most notably in the consumer market.
Enterprise saw a rise of 2% on the other hand which may indicate that cloud storage providers and hyperscalers like Google are buying as many hard drives as they possibly can.
3.5-inch enterprise hard drives - the bread and butter of cloud storage providers - accounted for 62% of all capacity shipped, and only 23% of units, while registering a staggering 12% growth. In other words, it looks like Seagate, WDC and Toshiba, the three remaining hard drive manufacturers, are shipping as many large capacity enterprise hard drives as they possibly can.
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