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32 Customer Review Sites for Collecting Business & Product Reviews

Published: July 10, 2023

We (and the rest of the internet for the past decade) have already spent some time convincing you of the importance of acquiring online customer reviews for your business. (Did you know that in a recent HubSpot Research survey, 1/3 of respondents said review sites played an important role in their purchasing decision-making process?)

But if you're new to customer reviews or not sure where to find them, let's brush up on some basics and highlight why they're relevant for your business.

In a bit of a time crunch? Use the jump links below to navigate to the exact content you're looking for.

Table of Contents

• Customer Reviews & Their Benefits

Best Customer and Product Review Sites

Customer review sites for b2c companies.

• Customer Review Sites for B2B Companies

Customer Review Sites for Both B2B & B2C Companies

Other places for consumer reviews, customer reviews.

Customer reviews are pieces of feedback given to a business based on a customer's experience with the organization. These reviews can be public or private and are collected by either the company or third-party review sites. By obtaining and analyzing customer reviews, businesses can measure customer satisfaction and improve their customer relations.

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Benefits of Customer Reviews

There are two major reasons why customer reviews are important.

1. Customer reviews are a learning opportunity for your business.

Negative or neutral reviews provide your company with an opportunity to learn and develop. You can see exactly where your business is failing to meet customer needs and remove common roadblocks in the customer journey .

For particularly poor reviews, reps can follow up with these customers and prevent potential churn. They can highlight specific pain points and craft personalized responses geared to specific problems. This makes your customer service team appear more invested in your customers' goals, which results in fewer negative reviews and increased customer retention.

2. Customer reviews are marketing and sales tools for your business.

The other major reason for obtaining reviews is the opportunity to share them with potential customers. Positive reviews can be used as customer testimonials during lead acquisition and can help you add more contacts to your CRM . In fact, 91% of consumers read at least one review before purchasing a product. So, don't just pat yourself on the back the next time you get a five-star review; Make sure everyone knows how good a job your company is doing.

With that in mind, it's not safe to assume we all know where to track down those positive customer reviews. I mean, we might all be able to rattle off one or two sites ("Yelp! And I think you can get them to show up in Google Maps, too?"), but we don't exactly have a laundry list of options at our disposal

Check out our list of the best product review websites for B2B and B2C companies. Keep in mind that every industry has niche sites, too. For instance, those in the restaurant industry may want to be on UrbanSpoon or OpenTable. This blog post won't get into sites that are specific to one industry, but it will provide review sites that apply to businesses in almost any industry.

• Amazon Customer Reviews
• Consumer Reports
• Consumer Affairs
• TripAdvisor
• Google My Business
• Influenster
• HubSpot's App Marketplace
• FinancesOnline
• Compare Camp
• TrustRadius
• Salesforce AppExchange
• Better Business Bureau
• Facebook Ratings and Reviews
• Top Ten Reviews
• Your Own Website

1. Amazon Customer Reviews

Amazon was one of the first online stores to allow consumers to post reviews of products in 1995 , and it remains one of the most important resources for consumers looking to make informed purchase decisions. Even if people can and do buy a product elsewhere, if it's sold on Amazon.com — unless it's gasoline or drug paraphernalia , that is — then many people will look up its Amazon review before they decide to buy.

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What's going to separate your product from one that looks just like it? Those shiny gold stars and good customer reviews. Products are rated on a five-star rating scale, which is broken down by the percentage of reviews per star, followed by most helpful customer reviews and most recent customer reviews.

Benefits of Amazon Customer Reviews:

• Amazon has over 300 million users who can see your review.
• Amazon's rating system is straightforward and easy to understand.
• Amazon offers a product ranking feature that rates your product's popularity.
• Amazon users are loyal — 22% won't look at competitors if they discovered the product on Amazon.

2. Wirecutter

Part of the New York Times, Wirecutter is an excellent resource for customers looking for honest, independent product reviews. All products go through rigorous testing by the Wirecutter team so readers can rest assured that their recommendations are legit.

From a business perspective, there isn't much you can do to influence ratings on this site, but it should encourage your brand to make its products the best they can be.

Benefits of Wirecutter:

• Reviews on Wirecutter are in-depth and highly researched.
• Although Wirecutter earns commission through affiliate links, they do not earn if readers return a product they recommended that they are dissatisfied with — keeping reviewers honest.
• Wirecutter gets about 12 million readers per month and serves as excellent promotion should your brand get chosen as one of its top picks.

3. Angi (Formerly Angie's List)

Geared toward U.S.-based service businesses, Angi is a "higher-end" review site, because users actually have to pay for membership. But you get what you pay for. The reviews, given on an A–F scale, are typically very well-thought-out — not a lot of that ranting and raving that's more common on free review sites. The reviews can't be anonymous, which helps cut down on fake or misrepresentative reviews, and companies are allowed to respond to the reviews posted about them, too.

It's free to set up a page for your company. Once you have yours, encourage your customers who are on Angie's List to leave reviews there — members are the only ones allowed to do it!

Benefits of Angie's List:

• Reviews on Angi are typically of high-quality since users need to pay to use the site and can't post anonymously.
• Even though this is a paid subscription service, it's free to list your company on Angi.
• If a customer has a bad experience with a recommended provider, Angi will work with both the customer and the company to resolve the issue.

Have customers located in Australia? CHOICE is an independent, member-funded consumer advocacy website based in Australia. It independently evaluates products and provides detailed reviews to its members.

The bulk of its work involves consumer rights, exposing shady industry tactics, as well as providing product reviews. In addition, it allow members to rate and discuss specific products and services with other CHOICE members. If you have customers in Australia, we recommend encouraging those who are on CHOICE to leave reviews there.

Benefits of Choice:

• Choice posts over 200,000 reviews each year and serves about 2,400 institutions worldwide.
• Since Choice evaluates products and services independently, its reviews are unbiased.
• Choice has a "Choice Picks" page where you can see the best products that it recommends.

5. Trustpilot

Trustpilot is a fast-growing, community-driven consumer review platform based in Denmark, although it has expanded out of Europe into 65 countries, including the U.S. The platform for businesses helps companies from all over the world proactively collect customer reviews. It's the customers who write both product and seller reviews, keeping it third-party verified.

While there is a basic version for free (this lets you create a profile page and collect customer reviews), the paid versions let you create customizable review invitations, share ratings and reviews on social media, and link review data to your internal business systems.

Benefits of Trustpilot:

• Over 500,000 websites are rated on Trustpilot.
• Trustpilot uses its own review system to rate its website. Based on about 136,000 reviews, Trustpilot is rated four stars out of five.
• Trustpilot has advanced SEO features that help your website rank higher on SERPs when customers leave reviews for your company.
• Trustpilot can be integrated with Shopify, Magento, and MailChimp.

6. TestFreaks

Similar to TrustPilot, the Swedish-based TestFreaks helps companies proactively collect customer reviews and write seller reviews to complement them.

Another cool addition? Its question and answer feature, which lets prospective customers post questions and receive answers directly from your customer service team.

Benefits of TestFreaks:

• TestFreaks has 100 million crawled reviews from over 15,000 sources.
• TestFreaks provides a content moderation team that analyzes content in over 20 languages.
• TestFreaks has an import feature where you can upload external customer reviews into its website.

Which? is an independent consumer review organization that tests and reviews products and then writes about them. Unlike Angie's List, it's the folks at Which? who write the reviews — not the customers. They don't accept submissions for product testing or survey inclusion, but they do encourage people to let them know about their products and services by emailing [email protected] .

While this leaves less room for you to influence whether your products end up on their site, it's still worth knowing about and checking in on this popular site, especially if you have customers in the U.K. The website has product reviews for everything from dishwashers and tablets to cars and credit cards. It tests and reviews all these products, and then writes about both its methodologies and results. It also surveys customers for things like the best and worst firms for customer service .

A lot of its content is free, but customers can become members for £10.75 per month to get access to a "Best Buys" and "Don't Buy" list, the latest reviews of products from its test labs, and access to its consumer legal advice service.

Benefits of Which?:

• Which? offers more than 8,000 free reviews.
• Which? tests and reviews more than 3,600 new products every year.
• To prove that it's impartial, Which? provides a video that shows users how it tests and reviews each product.
• Which? is 100% independent. It doesn't accept freebies from product manufactures or retailers so its reviews remain unbiased.
• Which? offers a "Safety Alert" feature that notifies users when a product is deemed unsafe. There's also a "Brand Alert" feature that lets you know if a brand has a history of creating unsafe products.

8. Consumer Reports

A nonprofit organization, Consumer Reports is an independent product-testing organization that runs unbiased tests to rate and recommend products. It has reviewed over 7.7 million products, accept no advertising, and pay for all products that it tests. (Fun fact: The company buys and tests 80 cars each year! ) This is about as legitimate as it gets. As such, there's not much you can do here "except" if you sell a product, make sure it's really, really good.

If nothing else, you could take this website as a lesson in excellent content creation. For each product it reviews, it provides the review criteria, product overviews, a buying guide, and social sharing buttons. It's all quite comprehensive and, well, helpful. Pretty much the key to great content, am I right?

Benefits of Consumer Reports:

• Consumer Reports has over 63 testing facilities — including its 327-acre auto test center.
• Consumer Reports has spent over $30 million on testing and rating products.
• The company plans to test more than 8,500 new products in 2021.
• There are over eight product categories to choose from — each having several subcategories within them.
• Consumer Reports provides an overall score for each product, so you know exactly how it compares to other products in its category.

9. Consumer Affairs

Consumer Affairs is a for-profit organization that reviews companies using an “overall satisfaction rating." This average is scored on a one to five-star scale that's updated every time a new review is submitted. Each company's page provides a list of all its reviews, which includes the consumer's star rating as well as a short explanation for its score.

Consumer Affairs also allows users to submit review recordings, which are two-minute videos where people talk about their experience with a brand. This makes the review much more compelling because you can actually see the person talk and express their genuine feelings about the company.

Benefits of Consumer Affairs:

• Consumer Affairs offers a "trending" section where you can view its lastest and most popular reviews.
• Consumer Affairs provides a demo for brands looking to buy a subscription to its service.
• The "Review Feed" feature allows you to research all of your customer reviews in one, scrolling feed.
• Consumer Affairs has a "Video Review" option where customers can record themselves giving a review.

10. TripAdvisor

If you're in the travel, hotel, airline, entertainment, or restaurant industries, you'll want to check out the reviews on the popular website, TripAdvisor. As the largest travel site in the world, it has over 225 million reviews, opinions, and photos taken by travelers. It also has some awesome content on low airfares, travel guides, rental listings, and advice forums for pretty much every location in the world you could possibly imagine. A lot of people look there before booking a trip.

The key to a successful profile on TripAdvisor is making it as close to the top of the popularity index as possible, so that people searching for information in a specific place see your listing. According to TripAdvisor , the popularity ranking algorithm is based on three key components: quantity, quality, and recency of reviews. Here's an excerpt of the advice they give businesses looking to improve their ranking:

"Quantity : Ask your guests to write reviews, and use our management center tools to remind them after they check out. Offering incentives for reviews is against the rules, though — take a look at our policy to make sure you understand what is and isn't okay.

Quality : Guests who enjoyed first class hospitality and a memorable experience are more likely to write positive reviews. Monitor what previous reviewers have written to see what worked and did not work best for your property so you can maintain and improve your service.

Recency : Recent reviews factor more strongly on your popularity rankings and older reviews have less impact on a hotel's ranking over time. Once again, encourage guests to write reviews to keep fresh content rolling in."

Benefits of TripAdvisor:

• TripAdvisor has collected over 887 million reviews for eight million companies.
• TripAdvisor Plus gives you access to discount hotel pricing for over 100,000 locations.
• The average TripAdvisor Plus member saves about $350 the first time they use their membership.
• TripAdvisor Business Advantage showcases your company's best reviews so customers see them first when reviewing your profile.

Yelp is a free review site that lets consumers rate businesses on a five-star scale. Any business can set up a profile on Yelp for free, and users can set up their own free profiles to review a business. You're free to respond to reviewers, too, but we recommend taking a balanced and polite approach to any negative reviews you receive, as Yelpers are in a pretty tight-knit community.

Yelp has also come under fire over the past few years for some slightly shady practices, like incentivizing businesses to advertise with them in exchange for gaming the search results for their business ("Pay us money and we'll push bad reviews down!"). Savvier consumers have learned to look at Yelp reviews as a whole and with the reviewer's clout in mind, instead of getting turned off by a business because of one bad listing.

That being said, it's still to your benefit to get a constant stream of positive online reviews coming to your business' Yelp account so happy customers are always at the top of your review feed — especially if you're a location-based business. Yelp profile information contains things like store hours and location information, so your profile will often turn up when people Google your business.

Benefits of Yelp:

• Yelp has roughly 184 million monthly users worldwide.
• Anyone can sign up for Yelp and it's fairly easy for customers to leave a review — making it a good source of customer feedback.
• Yelp users are a tight-knit community. Active users will provide a lot of detailed feedback for your business.
• Research shows an increase of one star in your Yelp rating can increase revenue by 5-9%.

12. Google My Business

You know those reviews that show up when you search Google for a business? Yeah, those things are on this list in a big way.

Google's Pigeon algorithm update uses distance and location ranking parameters to deliver improved local search results. So, in order for your business' website to be properly optimized for search, you'll want to set up verified accounts with local directories — especially Google's, called "Google My Business." Getting reviews, comments, pictures, and so on, especially on Google, can give you a boost in search. Only verified local Google+ pages can respond to reviews.

An added bonus? Google Maps pulls that information and those reviews into the app, so having a lot of content in there will make your business look more reputable.

Benefits of Google My Business:

• Google is the world's largest search engine and controls over 90% of the search engine marketshare.
• Google can localize your review search, meaning it will only show results for businesses located in the area that you searched.
• It's free to create and customize your Google Business Profile. Setting up only takes a few minutes.
• Nearly 10% of Google's search algorithm is influenced by Google Reviews. The more positive reviews that you have, the higher your business will rank on SERPs.

13. Influenster

If you sell consumer products, Influenster is a review site you'll want to make sure you've covered.

Influenster features customer reviews and news about consumer products — primarily skincare, beauty, makeup, hair, and other health and body products. Visitors can search the site by brand name or by a specific product they're looking for, and Influenster links to websites where visitors can buy the products.

The reviews are comprehensive and feature lots of detail and images to accompany them. So if you're in the beauty business, consider directing your shoppers to review your products on Influenster to help attract new customers, too.

Benefits of Influenster:

• There are over six million users who are actively leaving reviews on Influenster.
• Influenster users have left over 50 million organic reviews on the website.
• Influenster sends its users "VoxBoxes" where they can test out new products for free.
• Influenster helps businesses create "sampling campaigns" where you send users a sample of your product then follow up afterwards to sell them the complete version.

Review Websites for B2B Companies

14. hubspot's app marketplace.

HubSpot's App Marketplace is a space where businesses can browse through extensions, tools, and apps that connect to their HubSpot account. Some apps are built by HubSpot, while others were designed by partners and third-party organizations. Offering all of these tools in one place makes it easier for HubSpot users to add new features to their accounts that may not be included with their subscription.

The nice part about this customer review site is that it's categorized based on the product you're looking to install. There's individual sections for Marketing, Sales, and Service tools, as well as other sections like finance, workflow integrations, popular apps, and more.

Reviews are rated on a five-star scale and customers have to answer questions like, "What did you like about this product? What did you dislike about it?" and "What problem did this product solve?" These questions provide more context into the review so you know exactly why a customer rated a business or product the way they did.

Benefits of HubSpot App Marketplace:

• There are more than 500 apps featured in HubSpot's App Marketplace.
• Product pages not only list reviews, but also pricing info, notable features, and account requirements for downloading each tool.
• Customers have the option to upvote reviews that they find helpful.
• The reviews on this site provide "quality ratings" for features like ease of use, functionality, purchase value, and customer support.

15. FinancesOnline

FinancesOnline is one of the fastest-growing platforms for B2B & SaaS software reviews, with more than 2,800,000 visitors every month . It gathers thousands of user reviews every month, with each reviewer authenticated via LinkedIn to ensure only actual users share their experience with the community. User reviews are based on detailed surveys, which offer a really in-depth look at each tool. Algorithmic analysis is also a foundation for quarterly reports in the most popular categories. To balance the user perspectives, each review also includes a detailed analysis prepared by the internal team of B2B software experts, who analyze key usability factors such as features, integrations, mobile support, etc. This evaluation is then combined into the unique SmartScore™ system, which gives readers an easy reference on what the experts' community thinks about each business solution. As an added bonus, the product pages rank high in Google, so getting a few positive user reviews on their site could be beneficial for your brand recognition.

Benefits of FinancesOnline:

• FinancesOnline has roughly three million visitors to its site every month and over ten thousand detailed company reviews.
• The SmartScore system grades products on several factors including functionality, collaboration features, customization, ease of use, and more.
• FinancesOnline uses a customer satisfaction algorithm that calculates an overall score for a business based on reviews, comments, and opinions that are posted on various social media channels.
• The "Verified Quality Seal" let's users know that a business or product is reliable and trustworthy.

16. Compare Camp

Compare Camp is a B2B review site that deals primarily with business software. If you're looking to introduce a new tool or system to your company, Compare Camp can help you pinpoint the exact software that's right for you. Not only does this site show you how other people feel about a specific product, but it also lays out the key benefits of the product as well as any new trends that may be occurring in that particular industry.

When you first navigate to the site, Compare Camp provides you with a list of software categories to choose from. After you select a section, it gives you a description of the category along with a detailed list of product and company options. Compare Camp also explains any varying types of products within that section as well as the top features you should look for when buying that software. It's a very handy guide to have especially when you're considering a product that you haven't purchased before.

Benefits of Compare Camp:

• Over 100,000 companies use Compare Camp every month.
• There are over 25 product categories to choose from, including CRM Software, Sales Software, eCommerce Software, and more.
• Each category provides a "Top 10" list of the best software available in that section.
• If you're not familiar with a product, each category provides a brief description of what the software is and why you might want it.

17. G2 Crowd

If your business sells software, you'll want to be sure you have a presence on G2 Crowd. Every month, more than 5 million people looking to buy software read the 1+ million user reviews on this website so they can make better purchasing decisions.

G2 Crowd operates kind of like Yelp, but in a specific niche. Companies are reviewed on a five-star scale, and reviews cover everything from setup and ease of use to security and support. Reviewers answer questions like "What do you like best?"; "What do you dislike?"'; and "Recommendations to others considered the product." Also, you can upvote and downvote others' reviews.

Benefits of G2 Crowd:

• There are nearly 1.4 million reviews featured on G2 Crowd.
• G2 Crowd offers a video review option where users can record themselves leaving a review.
• When a customer leaves a review, you can see whether the customer is a verified user and how active they are on the platform.
• G2 Crowd allows businesses to request reviews from customers. This helps you build a pool of customer reviews for your company.

18. TrustRadius

Like G2 Crowd, TrustRadius is an online review site for software businesses. Reviewers on the site are authenticated via LinkedIn to make sure they're users (although the reviews themselves can still be anonymous), which allows users to see what their LinkedIn connections are saying about particular pieces of software on TrustRadius. This adds a layer of trust for someone reading the site.

You can use the site to browse reviews of individual companies, or compare two companies side-by-side to compare their five-star ratings, screenshots of their products, pricing details, and user comments from reviewers.

In addition to the company reviews, TrustRadius has put together a whole bunch of buyer guides for categories including talent management software, business intelligence software, core HR software, social media, and A/B testing to help people find the right product for them based on hundreds of reviews and user ratings.

Benefits of TrustRadius:

• There are over 300,000 customer reviews posted on TrustRadius.
• TrustRadius does not sell leads or ad placement. This keeps reviews unbiased and vendors can't skew results.
• TrustRadius reviews are more in-depth. On average, each review has more than 400 words.
• Each customer review is vetted by TrustRadius' research team and is evaluated for quality, depth, and detail.

19. GoodFirms

GoodFirms is a B2B research and review platform that focuses on connecting service seekers with the right software and service providers.

GoodFirms analyzes the top-performing companies and software solutions based on three important pieces of criteria: Quality, Reliability, and Ability. These metrics are further segmented into authentic feedback by customers, a portfolio of the company, its market penetration, years of experience, and serviceability. The companies are then ranked based on their cumulative research scores. GoodFirms offers quick filters to sort the service providers by their hourly rate, location, and number of employees.

Benefits of GoodFirms:

• GoodFirms has over 30,000 customer reviews and 60,000 business profiles on its website.
• GoodFirms offers a discussion platform where customers can form an online community and talk about specific products and brands.
• GoodFirms provides over one thousand unique case studies that outline new trends and technology emerging in your industry.
• When searching for a specific company or product, customer reviews can be filtered by device, location, and industry.

20. Salesforce AppExchange

Have an app on the Salesforce AppExchange? Then you'll want to keep track of your app's ratings and reviews there.

Reviews are based on a five-star rating system, and each app has reviews listed with the most helpful positive review and most helpful negative reviews first, followed by all reviews, from which users can filter by rating, date, and helpfulness. This customer review site has embraced transparency, letting users access thousands of reviews and see the number of downloads with just a few clicks.

Benefits of Salesforce AppExchange:

• There are over five thousand products that are listed in Salesforce AppExchange.
• This site features a live chat option where you can speak with someone if you have questions about a business, product, or review.
• Users in Salesforce AppExchange can comment, like, and report other customer reviews.

21. Better Business Bureau

A nonprofit site, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) evaluates all types of businesses against a set of best practices for how businesses should treat the public. It doesn't directly recommend or endorse any businesses, products, or services; it simply provides the public with information about businesses, and whether they have met the BBB's accreditation standards. It will also review both accredited and non-accredited businesses.

A business' profile listing on the BBB contains general overview information, like a short company bio and the company's accreditation status, a history of any complaints made about the business and whether they were resolved, customer reviews, and the BBB's A - F rating of the business.

Benefits of the Better Business Bureau:

• There are more than 5.4 million business profiles listed on the Better Business Bureau.
• As a government-sponsored organization, you can trust that its reviews are unbiased.
• Attaining your BBB accreditation shows that your business is reliable and trustworthy.
• Last year in the United States, BBB reviews were accessed more than 120 million times.
• 88% of consumers prefer to do business with a company that is BBB accredited.

22. Glassdoor

Glassdoor is an employee review site that helps anyone — from prospective employees to prospective customers to investors — get an idea of what a company is really like from the inside. In other words, it helps measure the more qualitative factors of things like valuation.

Employees can share what it's like to interview and work at their companies, and the site shows visitors which companies are rated highest by their employees. Many employers use it to build their employment brand so they can target and recruit candidates, but you can also use the reviews to share ideas internally for improvement among your management team.

Creating an employer account is free, and it's easy to track and respond to reviews. For example, you can set up alerts so you get an email each time a new review is posted so you can acknowledge and respond to each one.

Benefits of Glassdoor:

• There are about 90 million reviews, salaries, and insights listed on Glassdoor.
• Over 60 million people use Glassdoor every month to research a company or provider.
• Reviews are left by employees who have experience working with that company.
• When a company responds to a review, it shows you the name of the employee as well as their job title.

Similar to Glassdoor, Blind's platform provides a place employees can leave feedback about what it was like to work at a particular company — though it focuses on the tech industry. On the site, professionals can anonymously communicate with other members, ask questions, provide company insights, and get advice.

What sets Blind apart from its competitors is that it feels like you're dropping in on a water cooler conversation in your office rather than a standard review site.

Benefits of Blind:

• Employers can view discussions in real-time from verified employees.
• Get authentic, anonymous, and unfiltered reviews.
• Over 7 million users across 300,000 companies.

Manta is a marketing agency that also functions as a customer review site primarily features small- to medium-sized businesses. Rather than displaying the top customer reviews right away, Manta organizes search results based on the relevance of your keyword. Then it displays the list of companies with their contact information, so users can quickly connect with a business.

Manta is different than most review sites because it focuses more on connecting people than it does on reviewing products and services. To find customer reviews, you need to select a business, go to their individual listing page, and scroll past their features and products before seeing a review. That way, customers use the reviews as one of the final selling points for purchasing a product or service.

On Manta, the goal is to rank your business as high as possible for each relevant keyword that users can search. So long as your company is in the top search results, you'll have a higher chance of connecting with leads using this site.

Benefits of Manta:

• Manta has data on 35 million businesses spanning across 149 countries.
• Every month, Manta adds 14,000 new listings to its website.
• It's easy to leave reviews on Manta. You just fill out a star rating and write a short description justifying your rating.

25. Capterra

If you're a SaaS business, Capterra is a review site that evaluates software sold by B2C and B2B companies. It has an easy-to-use internal search engine which lets users search for software based on industry, company, or software type. Once a search processes, Capterra displays a list of companies relevant to your keyword and a brief summary describing their product(s).

Users can also compare products on the site. Capterra has a "compare to" feature which lets you select up to four companies and displays the benefits of each side-by-side. You can see everything from ease-of-use to the quality of their customer support, all in one comprehensive view. This makes it easy and efficient for users to find software that best fits their needs.

Benefits of Capterra:

• There are over 1.5 million validated customer reviews posted on Capterra.
• Capterra provides 800 categories to choose from as well as reviews for over 50 thousand products.
• Before clicking into a review, Capterra provides a brief overview of the company, its products, and its mission.
• Capterra provides a pros and cons list for each business profile. This gives users a snapshot of the best and worst features for each company.

26. HundredX

HundredX is a review site and a customer service tool . Businesses create an account on the website and ask customers to leave feedback after working with them. HundredX streamlines the process by providing tools that automatically send out surveys and collect feedback on behalf of the business. With this site, customer services teams don't have to manually seek out reviews or scan third-party sites to obtain customer feedback .

The benefit of signing up for HundredX is the reviews are private. If you get a bad review, leads can't see that feedback and be influenced by the negative comments. This gives your company a chance to correct your mistake before losing potential customers.

Benefits of HundredX:

• HundredX provides profiles for over 1,600 businesses spanning across more than 60 unique industries.
• HundredX offers incentives for users to leave reviews. Roughly 90% of its users participate on a regular basis.
• HundredX's tools helps you create an automated system for creating surveys and collecting customer reviews. This provides an ongoing stream of feedback as you continue to grow your customer base.

Online reviews also exist on sites that aren't necessarily built just to publish online reviews. Some businesses use their social presence and website to encourage online reviews ... and some brands just get them unsolicited, for better or for worse.

Here are some sites that, if you choose to (please, choose to) can serve as additional hubs for online reviews. And they're awesome, because they have enormous reach, and you have some — if not entire — control over these properties.

27. Facebook Ratings & Reviews

Did you know there's a place on Facebook for fans to leave ratings and reviews of your business? There sure is ... it's named, aptly, Facebook Ratings & Reviews. It appears on the left-hand side of your Facebook Page, and you can't move or remove it like you can other parts of your Page.

Anyone logged into Facebook can post a rating or review of a business. All they have to do is go to the Reviews section of your Page, click the grey stars to choose a rating, and then write an optional review. They can make that review public, visible to friends, or visible only to them.

Benefits of Facebook Ratings & Reviews:

• There are more than 2.7 billion users who are active on Facebook each month.
• To collect reviews on Facebook, all you need to do is set up a Facebook Business Profile.
• 2/3 of Facebook users visit a local business's Facebook Profile at least once a week.
• Facebook is a platform designed for communication. This increases the chance of having productive conversations with those who leave a review for your business.

28. Twitter

The ridiculously fast-paced nature of Twitter makes it seem like a weird place to try to accumulate reviews. But while users might not always search for reviews directly on Twitter (unless you started some kind of review hashtag, perhaps), tweets are still indexed in search results. That means a user's tweet, whether complimentary or less-than, could pop up in the SERPs when someone's searching for reviews on your business.

Not only that — there are things you can actively do with the positive tweets coming at you. For instance, we tested the element of social proof on conversions here at HubSpot, attaching three tweets that gave positive reviews on an ebook we were promoting at the time. Guess what happened? The CTA with the three tweets converted better than the CTA with no tweets. If you start to "Favorite" tweets that could serve as positive reviews in the future, it'll be easier to find them when you want to use them in your marketing.

Benefits of Twitter:

• There are over 300 million daily active users on Twitter.
• Twitter lets you communicate both publicly and privately with users. This means you can respond to customers on your feed, but also move the conversation to direct messaging if needed.
• Feedback on Twitter is very immediate. When customers want to voice an opinion about your business, they can do it almost instantly on Twitter.
• Twitter reviews are qualitative. You don't have to worry about an overall rating or satisfaction score when customers leave reviews.

29. Foursquare

Yes, people still use Foursquare. In fact, a ton of people are still using it: racking up 55 million monthly active users (MAUs) to be exact.

Not only can you check-in to different locations and businesses using the app, you can also leave reviews on Foursquare — making it another interesting platform where your brand or business could be discovered by potential customers looking for suggestions — and five-star reviews.

If your business depends on walk-in foot traffic — restaurants, coffee shops, shopping boutiques, etc. — make sure your Foursquare business profile is filled out and updated so people can find you when they go to check-in — and then ask your visitors to review you there.

Benefits of Foursquare:

• There are over 55 million monthly active users on Foursquare.
• Over two million businesses are using Foursquare to connect with customers.
• Foursquare provides marketing tools for your business. You can give special promotions and discounts to existing customers as well as provide tips for new users who are visiting your business for the first time.

30. Superpages

Superpages lets you search for businesses based on their distance from you, overall rating, industry subcategory, online videos, and even promotional coupons.

Once you find a company that you like, this site shows you where the business is on the map as well as a review summary outlining all of the reviews left for the organization. Visitors can quickly assess what other users are saying about the business and use the coupon links to get the same deals as other customers.

Benefits of Superpages:

• Customers primarily use the map/location features to search for businesses. This is ideal for small- to medium-sized businesses that many only be located in a few areas.
• Each company profile has a "view services" tab that explains exactly what the organization has to offer.
• Superpages provides a service that evaluates your brand's online reputation for free.
• Superpages is centered around local participation. So, you can trust that reviews left for your business are coming from customers in your area.

31. Top Ten Reviews

It’s hard to resist a good top 10 list. Top Ten Reviews satisfies this craving by giving visitors a list of 10, detailed reviews for every post on the site. These posts have a wide topic range as well, touching on everything from mattresses to landscaping to laptops.

There's also a "trending" bar that shows you categories that are currently popular on the site. As a business owner, this can give you an idea of what consumers are buying more of at that particular moment.

Benefits of Top Ten Reviews:

• Top Ten Reviews has reviews for products ranging everywhere from gas-powered lawnmowers to eyeglasses.
• Each review has an "our verdict" section that summarizes the pros and cons of each product as well as whether or not the website would recommend it.
• For each product, Top Ten Reviews provides the latest deals available and links users to where they can find them.
• Top Ten Reviews are very detailed. They have sections outlining the product's features, its specs, overall performance, user testimonials, and more.

32. Your Own Website

Finally, the one place where you have total and utter control: your website. It's an excellent place to publicize reviews you receive (perhaps embed some of those tweets you favorited?).

You could carve out a section of your website dedicated just to reviews and testimonials , and even include a form so happy customers can submit their unsolicited reviews.

But if you're actively campaigning for positive online reviews and you encounter happy customers who want to leave you a positive review but don't have accounts on sites like Yelp, Angie's List, or Google, it's handy to have a place on your website to publish their kind words. Consider adding testimonials to landing pages and product pages, too.

Benefits of your own website:

• You have complete control over the format and rating system for your reviews.
• You can dictate which reviews you want to publish on your website.
• Having reviews on your website is timely. People browsing your site can read your positive reviews as they're shopping for your products.

Which customer review site is best?

The easy answer is all of them. The right answer is a little more subjective.

The best customer review site for your business will be whichever one(s) your customers are using most. The more reviews you obtain, the more you'll learn about your business and how customers feel about you.

Don't forget to share this post!

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Product testing Australia 2024: Discover 14 legit sites

Savvy Aussies are testing products for free. Discover how it works, with a round-up of the best online product testing Australia sites right here.

Looking for fun and inventive ways to earn a bit of extra income – plus a chance to try something new for free? The digital world has opened up ways to earn money fast, and product testing remains as popular as ever.

And the best bit? Not only could you earn cash for testing out a product, but you’ll often receive fabulous freebies and samples too!

That said, many people don’t know where to get started with product testing in Australia. But here’s the thing: There are plenty of genuine, legitimate product testing opportunities available if you know where to look (and we do!). It’s generally free and easy to get started.

Ready to dive in? Sit tight and read on to learn how product testing works in Australia and discover more than 15 sites you can join right now!

Best product testing Australia sites

First up: what is product testing, how to become a product tester, how does free product testing work, the best product testing websites for australians, beauty product testing in australia, how to find legit product testing sites in australia, types of product testing in australia, how to get freebies (no product testing required), product testing australia: last word, faq – product testing australia.

Pressed for time? To help you out, we’ve summarised our top picks of 100% legitimate and genuine opportunities for Aussie consumers. These are the best product testing sites across each consumer category. Click the site in the table below, or read on for a comprehensive overview of how product testing works.

Ask almost any business owner, and they’ll tell you that launching a new product is one of the most difficult challenges they face. Consumer feedback is one of the most critical steps in developing a new product or service for the market – or even overhauling an existing one.

Product testing feedback is so valuable to brands because it helps improve products right from the concept design stage through to the end item, whilst also ensuring that any quality assurance or user issues are ironed out before an item is released to the market.

TIP: These legitimate sites are free to join. We recommend you sign-up for multiple sites in one go for the best chance to become a product tester.

The good news is that many legit sites and apps offer product testing in Australia.

And usually, it’s free and easy to take part in. For most services, it’s a simple matter of logging onto a website or app and completing a registration form to express interest. Some sites may require you to complete a pre-qualification questionnaire and provide demographic information. This helps ensure you are matched up to test products that interest you. While most sites work with all consumers, a select few are only open to social media influencers or content creators with a digital audience.

In Australia, a product test typically involves being paid in samples, cash, or in-kind for your time. It works like this: Brands and market research companies send you something to review, along with instructions to put it to use and test it out. In return, you’ll need to provide feedback. Honest feedback is important.

You may be asked to report the pros and cons of the product or service, along with your likes and dislikes. You might be asked to try using a product in a certain way, to help determine if there are any issues with the way it functions. Sometimes, product testing requires you to complete a survey, either online or on paper. Occasionally, you may be asked to participate in a focus group with other product testers. These are usually held at central locations around Australia.

Other product testing opportunities may ask you to provide images as well as videos in your reviews. As an example, when trialing food products, it’s likely that you will be required to provide feedback on the flavouring, aroma, and even how packaging feels.

Payment can be in the form of cash, product, or even gift cards. Before you sign up for a product testing opportunity, you should study what is expected of you.

While product testing isn’t for everyone, it can offer plenty of benefits. Of course, it’s important to only work with trusted, reputable sites in Australia – which is where our list of genuine opportunities comes in!

Home Tester Club

What it is: A trusted global product testing site that’s home to thousands of product ratings and reviews. The site offers a wide range of everyday products from major brands, which means there are plenty of opportunities to sample products. It’s free and easy to join the club and get access to exclusive product tests, weekly competitions, and more.

Who can join: Australian consumers (the program is also available in selected other countries).

How to join: It’s an easy process to sign up for Home Testers Club. Once you have completed your application, you will be invited to answer a range of pre-qualifying questions to help build your consumer profile. These are designed to capture your demographics and consumer behaviour. The answers you provide help to match you up with products that might be of interest.

How it works: Browse the product offers to see what you might be interested in and send a request. Home Tester Club will select the consumers they would prefer to work with. Products are mailed straight to your doorstep around 1-3 weeks after you’ve been selected for a product test. Once you receive the product, it’s time to try it out. For some products, you might only need to try them once.

However, for others (such as supplements or skincare) you might want to try for a week or so to see how they do. For products that can be reviewed right away, take the time to review them as soon as possible, so that you can complete your assignment and be considered for the next one.

What you get: Products to try, delivered to your doorstep (no cash or other payment is offered). Once you have completed your trial of the product, you are free to keep what is remaining. Home Tester Club can be a wonderful way to test free products and learn more about different consumer items that are available.

Woolworths Bunch

What it is: Woolworths Bunch is the product testing Australia arm of Woolworths supermarkets, one of Australia’s largest grocery chains stores.

Who can join: Unfortunately, Woolworths Bunch membership is currently at capacity. However, interested consumers can register via this form on the Woolworths website. Once an opening becomes available, you will be contacted.

How to join: To participate in Bunch and receive free product offers, you will first need to sign up for a Woolworths Everyday Rewards card. Then, complete the registration of interest form linked above.

How it works: Emails are sent out to let you know when offers are available, so be sure to sign up with an email you actually use and check often. When you see a product that you would like to try, you can add it to your card and pick it up at the store without charges. You will test the product and send in your review; it is that simple.

As with all product trial sites, the more active you are, the more opportunities you will receive to participate. The best offers typically go to the people that are most active and meet obligations to leave reviews.

What you get: More active members report receiving a product every 14 days or two weeks. Newbies can expect a product every couple of months until they build up their reputation. Again, this takes some patience in the beginning but pays off in the end.

Kids Business

Kids Business targets mums who make up a billion-dollar industry. Companies are interested in product testing with mums to ensure they are meeting the needs of such a large demographic. While Kids Business is free, you will need to be a mum to join. To sign up, you simply need to put in your email. Questionnaires will follow that will need filled out and sent back.

What it is: Kids Business is an agency that focuses on supporting and connecting brands that market to Mums. With $132bn of household spending decisions made by Mums, connecting with this segment is critical to business success.

Who can join: Australian parents with children can join.

How to join: To sign up, you simply need to enter your email to register . You’ll then need to fill in some email forms that will follow to vet your suitability.

How it works : Kids Business connects brands to Mums via bespoke events, social events, and focus groups to solicit direct brand feedback for its clients.

What you get: You’ll receive free products and access to VIP events for your efforts.

Mouths of Mums

What it is: Mouth of Mums is more of a community than a product testing Australia website, but it does offer free products occasionally for review and competitions to enter. It focuses mainly on food recipes and blog content.

Who can join: Any Australian consumer can join.

How to join : Joining up is as simple as providing your email address . But, a word of note: if you’re not comfortable with sharing your social media then you probably should look at other opportunities.

How it works: To actively test products, you’ll need to join up and be active in the community. You can go to the “reviews” tab and see if there is anything available. When you are testing the product you will be told what is expected of you. This could be publishing the product and review on your social media with certain hashtags.

What you get: You’ll earn MoM Reward points that give you chances to win prizes. The more active you are, the more MoM Reward points you’ll earn.

Tell Me Baby

What it is: Tell Me Baby claims to be Australia’s biggest product testing and review website. It seeks honest, original, and genuine reviews of products. The site is geared towards new Mums looking for larger baby purchases such as strollers. It’s also a valuable site for practicing your review techniques and writing.

Who can join: Anyone can join, but the focus is on those about to have, or with babies.

How to join: Sign up using your Facebook account , or by your email address to create an account. It’s completely free.

How it works: For reviews of baby products that you’ve used, you’ll receive 200 points. Add photos and videos for additional points. With bonus reviews run regularly, you’ll earn up to 600 points per review.

What you get: For every 3,000 points, you’ll receive a $20 Coles, Kmart, or Target voucher.

Coles flybys loyalty program

What it is: Flybys is a leading supermarket loyalty program run by Coles. While this isn’t a product testing program, from time to time, members are provided with opportunities to test products for free – with no review required!

Who can join: All Australians.

How to join: To be eligible to receive free product offers, you’ll simply need to be an active, signed-up member of the Flybuys program .

How it works: As an active Flybuys member, make sure you scan your card each time you shop at Coles. Offers for free products will appear in your app or dashboard when they are available. You simply need to scan a coupon or barcode and pick the item up at the store. While there’s no guarantee you’ll receive regular offers, it’s well worth keeping an eye out in your inbox.

What you get: Offers of free products to pick up at Coles. No review is required.

What it is: Kidspot is a popular website where mums can go to get advice for various situations, including pregnancy, birth, parenting, school, health, lifestyle, recipes, and more. It is not a focused product testing site as such, but often you’ll find products available for testing.

Who can join: Anyone can join, but the site is geared towards those with kids.

How to join: You will need to sign up and then go to the review tab of the site.

How it works: Kidspot will also email you opportunities periodically, so watch out for those and fill in the questionnaires as requested. If you’re the demographic they’re looking for, you’ll be selected. It is that simple.

What you get: You’ll receive the product for review or testing in the mail and receive an email with instructions on how to supply review.

What it is: Black box is a relatively new brand and product testing, research site that bills itself as Australia’s leading ‘In-Home Marketing business’. The premise is simple: consumers register and can enter a draw to win free subscription boxes of full-sized products for testing.

Who can join: Right now, only residents in Victoria, NSW, and Canberra can register to use the service. If you live in one of these areas then you are good to go.

How to join: You can subscribe for a free Black Box membership here . If you’re already a member, you can invite friends and family members to join up here.

How it works: Complete your profile after registration. When a product campaign comes up that matches your profile, you’ll enter into a draw to receive a Black Box. The box will include a number of full-sized, free product samples for you to test out. After you’ve finished testing the product, you’ll need to complete a simple survey to review the products.

What you get: A free subscription box, based on chance. While there’s no guarantee you’ll receive a subscription box, registration is free and easy to do. So, you really have nothing to lose.

Social Soup

What it is: Social Soup is an app-based social influencing platform that operates in Australia and New Zealand. As a brand and product testing site, it connects social influencers in Australia with leading brands for exclusive partnerships and one-off campaigns. No matter the size of your audience, you could get rewarded when you create content and share it, and there are opportunities to partner with some of Australia’s largest brands.

Who can join: Australian influencers and social content creators with a digital audience of any size. While you will need to build an audience via social media before you apply to Social Soup, the service works with four tiers of influencers, based on audience size, below:

How to join: Download the app for iPhone or Android and then follow the steps to register. You will need to complete a profile and also connect your social media accounts.

How it works: Social Soup will match social influencers with products from leading brands, based on audience size and content niche.

What you get: Free products, services, and even experiences to showcase to your audience. Depending on the campaign, influencers with larger audiences may be able to access opportunities to get paid to test products

Influenster

What it is: Influenster is a community of trendsetters, content creators, and brand enthusiasts that gathers feedback for brands and products. The service is available on both app and website, working with Australian digital content creators and influencers with an audience.

Who can join: Influenster welcomes Australian influencers, trendsetters, storytellers, and content creators. And while you need some form of an audience, it doesn’t need to be big!

How to join: Registration is free. You can sign up via the website (via manual registration or linking with Facebook) or in-app. To participate, you will have to connect your social media account(s).

How it works: Influenster provides free products that relate to an influencer’s following. While you might think that you need a huge following to get started on Influenster, this isn’t the case. You’ll simply have to have some following and audience across the digital sphere. You’ll need to answer pre-qualification questions to assist with profiling.

Influenster seems to put quite a bit of weight on your involvement with the app as well as your demographic and niche. They are looking for certain demographics that will fit with the marketing that they are running for certain products. The key is being active and having a little patience. Like with many product trial sites, you will start off slow but as you prove your worth, you’ll receive more opportunities.

What you get: Free products to try out and showcase to your audience. Users with a larger digital footprint are likely to receive more opportunities for free products.

Love cosmetics, skincare, and more? The beauty industry is undergoing rapid growth in Australia, with much of our spending shifting online. And in the online environment, candid product testing and feedback about products is more important than ever. In exchange for honest reviews, many beauty companies offer free product test opportunities for Australian shoppers. Other incentives, such as free credits or cashback , can sometimes also be on offer.

Here are our picks of beauty product testing and review opportunities in Australia:

Beauty Heaven

Beauty Heaven is a makeup brand product testing site. Consumers are encouraged to leave reviews on beauty, makeup and skincare products that they already use to earn points. Once you have earned enough points you can submit for full-sized beauty products a few times throughout the year.

Beauty Heaven also offers free testing of new products. Members have to leave at least 5 reviews to be considered for product review opportunities. If you qualify, you will be sent an email that will have instructions. For products to review, you might need to complete a questionnaire to see if you qualify for the demographic that a specific brand is looking for.

Product reviewing opportunities fill up fast, so you’ll need to be quick. which means you will simply have to check back later. As a beauty site, Beauty Heaven has access to many of the name brands that you have come to know and love.

Beauty Crew – Review Crew

Register at beautycrew.com and start reviews and interacting with the forums. Leave reviews for items that you have in your makeup or skincare bag right now. Each time you write a comment or leave a review you will earn points. These points count towards you receiving free items from the beauty crew. The more you interact the more you earn.

You can also become a member of the Beauty Crew ‘review crew’. These members receive free full-sized products to test and review. From time to time, you may receive products in the mail. You will get an email with instructions on how to complete your review. It is that simple.

Try and Review

Try and Review is another online company that you can request products for review here in Australia. To review for this site, you will need to link your profile to your social media accounts. Once accepted, you can pick the products you are interested in and then follow through with what is asked of you such as reviews, photos, and even videos in some cases.

Many products require you to complete a short survey to see if you meet the demographics of that trial. Once you are selected, you will be informed via email that you have been successful. So, be sure to use an email that is valid upon signing up. New product testing opportunities are announced on Try and Review social media accounts. So, be sure to follow and like their pages to be one of the first to know of new opportunities.

While we put this under our health and beauty area, from time to time Try and Review offers pet products and other products to review. However, they are mostly focused on products around skincare, makeup, and cosmetics.

While it’s natural to get excited about the prospect of testing products for free, it’s important to only use legitimate, trustworthy sites. I really can’t stress this enough.

Choose websites and apps that follow Australian privacy and data handling guidelines, and research any opportunities thoroughly to avoid getting caught up in scams. Here are some tips to help you cut through the noise and focus on genuine sites that won’t waste your time:

Read the fine print: Legitimate product testing websites should list out terms and conditions and privacy and data handling policies at the time they collect your data. Check how your data will be used and whether it will be shared with anyone else. And, ensure that you will not be charged later for something you think you are getting for free.

Avoid entering payment information: Most legitimate free product testing sites do exactly that – offer products for free. Very few require you to input credit card or other payment details. If you are asked to enter payment details, check exactly what you are signing up for, and abandon registration if the site doesn’t look trustworthy.

Check company bona fides: Most legit companies have a broad online presence. If the site looks dodgy, check for the company name and registration details (which are usually listed in the online footer). Is it an Australian company? Is there information about the company and its legitimate dealings listed online? Are there reviews available, such as via Trust Pilot or productreview.com.au?

Be wary of paid subscriptions: Be sure that you are not signing up for a paid subscription as that is another trap that can be easily fallen into.

Research review sites: Take your time to research the company and see what others have to say about their experiences online. After all, they are a review company so shouldn’t they have some reviews of their own?

At the end of the day, read what is expected of you and what you should expect from the company. If it is a sample from the actual company to you, it probably is safe. The sites we have listed here are dedicated to helping those companies find honest reviewers.

There are two types of product testing Australia: Central Location Testing (CLT), and In-Home Usage testing.

In-Home Testing is just as it sounds and allows you to test things from the comfort of your home. In this post, most of the opportunities that we’ve covered involve in-home testing. During CLT you will typically be asked to attend a central location where you will test different things.

A number of the sites listed on this post may want you to look into your social media. While this isn’t always the case, if you are not comfortable with sharing your reviews on your social media then you should look at the other options. There really are so many product testing opportunities in Australia, so you should be able to find something that will work for you.

Sure, many Australians love getting free items as part of product testing arrangements. However, some of us are time-poor and simply don’t have the capacity to leave reviews and feedback. Luckily, there are many other ways to get products for free.

The products on offer can be just about anything from food, beauty products, baby items to even larger items such as home appliances or electronics. While more expensive items are typically reserved for trusted product reviewers that have made a name for themselves, you might be surprised at how fast you can get on the list! The products are usually shipped to you for free and you pay nothing.

Let’s take a look at a few o that we have available to us here in Australia.

Request free samples

They say that the best things in life are free – and free samples can be delivered to your mailbox or inbox with just a few seconds of effort required. We’ve rounded up a comprehensive list of the best free samples available in Australia right here .

Obtaining free samples can be a great way to try something before you buy it.

In our list, you’ll find over 50 freebies on offer. This includes everything from hair care samples to food freebies and eye cream. We’ve listed out many beauty items from major retailers and some smaller brands to know about. Interested in seeing if a product would be better for your baby but don’t want to buy a huge box? No problem. There are baby samples that can assist with this.

You’ll also find vitamin samples, various health care products, beverage samples, pet supplies, and more. Our list is huge and it’s constantly being updated with genuine, working, free sample opportunities for Aussies.

Undertake online surveys

This one is a little harder than filling out your name and address to pick up a sample or two. But, if you want to try your hand at doing online surveys, there are plenty of opportunities to obtain free products in exchange for your time and opinion.

Octopus Group Surveys Review 2024: Hands down winner!

Many legitimate survey sites operate in Australia, and we’ve compiled a comprehensive tried and tested list of them right here .

Just be sure that you take time to research paid survey opportunities to ensure that they are the right fit for you. Along with free products, you can earn yourself gift cards and cash by undertaking research. These sites can be great to check out if you have some free time on your hands and want to make some extra cash.

Respond to market research

Get into market research. In Australia, many companies invest in market research on their products. You simply need to poke around the internet a bit and see what you can find. While we’ve listed a selection of legitimate companies here, individual products might have a review panel that you could join.

Trustworthy options are not always easy to find, so it’s important to carry out research. There are websites and even apps that are all about undertaking paid surveys for market research, which is the key reason that companies give out free products. This is because they want your honest opinion. Market research companies are always looking for new respondents.

Enter competitions and promotions for giveaways

While this might be more of a long shot than some of the other suggestions covered here, entering competitions and promotions can still be worth your time. The premise is simple: Many brands look to give something away for the chance to get your name and address. They do this to get your contact details so that they can advertise to you later, most of the time.

That said, Australia has strict privacy laws and spam guidelines. If you do not want to be bothered with junk mail or emails then you can usually opt-out from further correspondence. Competitions and promotions are constantly on offer, so all you need to do is keep an eye out for them. You can check for the latest opportunities on sites like OzBargain .

Sign up to be a mystery shopper

If you’re a consumer with a keen eye for detail, you know how to be discreet, and you have time on your hands, undertaking mystery shopping should be on your radar. It’s a great way for brands and companies to get feedback on service offerings in Australia.

Some people don’t even know what mystery shopping is or how to go about it. Mystery shopping is you going to get your haircut, have a meal, or shop within a certain store to buy things, while discretely taking note of your experience.

The company will typically reimburse you for what you have to purchase so you might get something for free from it. However, you may be required to fill out a questionnaire about your experience. Typically they have the questions emailed to you before you begin your shop. These questions could be about the person that was assisting you. They may also ask about parking, cleaning standards, how easy the place was to find, and other questions that would interest management.

This is done because the owners or the franchise wants people on the ground giving them feedback on various locations or services. That feedback will help them to improve their service offering and presentation, and ensure that their stores are keeping up with the various decor and such that should be posted.

Mystery shopping in Australia typically requires a very keen eye for detail and a sharp memory. You don’t want to be caught, so taking notes usually isn’t an option. You’ll need to study the questions you are going to have to answer and try to fill out the ones that you can before entering the store.

Get a rewards credit card

Many Australian credit card providers are linked to rewards programs and frequent flyer schemes . From time to time, these cards can deliver you discounts, cashback promotions , and even freebies.

When you take out a new credit card , be sure to opt into promotions. That way, you’ll be the first to know when a new offer is released.

Pros and Cons – Testing Products in Australia

Is product testing for you? Here are some of the things to know about before you take the plunge to sign up.

• Get free products.  Often, you’ll receive full sized products, delivered to your door. Keep them after you’ve finished reviewing them.
• Many legitimate opportunities.  A large number of genuine product testing sites operate in Australia. You can join up to as many, or as few, as you wish.
• Try before everyone else.  Often, product testing allows you to try new products and services before they hit the market, so you’ll get an opportunity to find out about something new before the masses!
• Review at your own pace.  Choose the opportunities you’d like to take part in, and the level of time you’d like to spend.
• May require significant time investment.  Depending on the assignment you have been given, a large amount of time may be needed to complete the product testing process.
• Screen outs are possible.  Some product testing opportunities are only available to people who fit certain consumer demographics or behaviours. You may not qualify for all assignments.

Launching new products and services is a challenging and expensive business. Companies want honest opinions from Australian consumers, and the best way to get them is by sending out items for product testing.

There are plenty of legitimate product testing opportunities in Australia, but you do need to look out for them. You’ll find some of the best options available to consumers in this article. We hope that you have fun with product testing and enjoy the many ways that you can get freebies, and sometimes, a little cash on the side.

Product testing Australia can be a lot of fun and you can get some really great products. However, as we’ve highlighted in this article, it’s important to stick to legitimate opportunities. If a product testing job sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Always read reviews and carry out your own research to determine if the company is legit.

How do I become a product tester in Australia?

Becoming a product tester is free and easy to do. Simply join legitimate product testing websites, complete the registration info and wait for invites to start rolling in.

Which are the best product testing websites for Australia?

In this post, we’ve listed out 14+ legit product testing websites for consumers to get started with.

Is product testing legit?

Yes, there are many legitimate product testing Australia websites for Australian consumers. In this article above, we’ve listed out all the ways you can do your research to ensure that websites are genuine.

Do product testers get paid?

Most product testing opportunities will provide you with free products in exchange for your time. However, more time-intensive assignments may pay cash.

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4 thoughts on “Product testing Australia 2024: Discover 14 legit sites”

Very informative post! I’m always on the lookout for legitimate product testing opportunities in Australia, and this list is super helpful. Thanks for sharing! 😊

Great article! I’ve been looking for legit sites to do product testing and this article has helped me a lot. Thank you!

I would luv to be a product tester for years but what has stopped me if they are legit or not

Hi Carol, we’ve rounded up a number of legitimate sites in this list, along with things to look out for. Best of luck finding opportunities. Cheers, Adele

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The 25 Best Review Platforms

Definition | Benefits of Reviews | Best Platforms |

The most popular review platforms are generally those that aggregate user reviews in a way that makes it easy for consumers to sift through them and understand more about the product or service.

Given that most consumers rely on user reviews to inform their purchase decisions, it’s hard to overestimate the importance of these review platforms for businesses.

What is a review platform?

A review platform is a site which collects user reviews of products and services and then displays them according to various filters such as star rating.

The purpose of the review platform is to highlight the experience of customers who have had hands-on experience with the product or service. Since it’s not always easy to take a company’s word about its products or services at face value, many consumers like to browse through user reviews before they part with their cash.

The review platform is, as such, an essential tool for both business owners and customers. It can make or break a company’s reputation and credibility, so it’s in the interest of business owners to ensure they provide a five-star service to their clientele.

While reviews aren’t everything, it’s hard to uphold a positive online reputation without them. Even if the reviews for the company aren’t 100% positive, more reviews inevitably leads to more exposure and increased visibility. This usually results in customer interest, which can usually be converted into sales.

What are the benefits of having customer reviews?

Customer reviews should form an integral part of your marketing efforts if you’re a business owner. If you neglect them, they can tear your business down by tarnishing your reputation, but if you nurture them they can skyrocket your sales and propel you to further growth and success.

1. Easier purchasing decision 

If you want to secure more sales, putting more time and effort into your marketing strategy seems like a wise course of action.

Yet, you don’t necessarily need to spend a lot of money or even that much time.

How is that possible?

Well, let’s just say that the user review should be seen as a powerful (and free) marketing tool that you should take advantage of.

The magic phrase here is social proof.

Reviews provide your product or service with a legitimacy that you won’t find anywhere else. That’s because the words come from your customer base.

This social proof can ease a customer’s concerns about the product on offer and perhaps even convince them to make the decision to purchase .

2. Better clickthrough rates 

As a business, you want your customers to not just show interest in what you have to offer but to make purchases.

After all, without sales, all the interest in the world won’t mean anything for your financial goals.

To improve clickthrough rates, star ratings are something you need to pay attention to.

While there are ways of using negative reviews in your favor, it goes without saying that glowing four, and five-star reviews are best.

These four and five star reviews will most likely boost your clickthrough rates, as customers will have a much easier time parting with their cash if they perceive the product as well-rated.

It’s much harder to convince someone to invest in a two-star product than a four-star one, so you should do your best to keep customers happy so you can shoot for the stars.

3. Trustworthiness

Businesses sometimes have a bad reputation.

Due to the amount of misleading marketing out there, and the number of cutthroat entrepreneurs who care about nothing other than sales, it makes sense that the average customer is reluctant to trust a company’s words.

That isn’t to say you can’t have an effect with your words; it just means that your words have more power if your customer base backs them up .

You could claim that your product is the best in its category and even have third-party testing to back up your claims, but if a few hundred people have bad things to say about it, then your sales will likely suffer.

You need to foster customer trust and loyalty by proving that you are sincere and responsive to customer feedback.  

4. Provides Useful Feedback

Without customer feedback, how can you improve upon the products/services you offer?

Reviews are essential for the improvement process, since they give you invaluable information that – if used correctly – can help you increase customer satisfaction going forward.

While it isn’t always easy to hear, negative feedback and criticism from customers are very useful.

Because it shows you if your product has any clear flaws or issues that need to be addressed. It’s very challenging to climb the rankings and get flawless star ratings if a lot of customers have drawn attention to the same problem.

As such, feedback, regardless of whether it is positive or negative, is essential for any business to grow.

What are the best review platforms? 

We’ve gathered together 25 of the best review platforms, so you know exactly where to go for real product feedback whether you’re a customer or a business owner.

These platforms all do a great job at presenting the user reviews in a way that’s easy to understand, and easy for you to browse according to various filters so you can quickly find the information you need to make a purchase decision or find out what customers are saying about your business.

1. Trustindex 

Trustindex is used by more than 20,000 businesses, as a platform to display customer reviews and increase sales.

If you’re having trouble finding the best way to proudly show off your five-star reviews and recommendations, then you needn’t look further. Trustindex offers a wide variety of widgets for popular review platforms such as Google, Amazon, and Yelp to help you boost your SEO ranking and customer trust.

2. TripAdvisor 

TripAdvisor is a review platform that focuses on the travel and leisure industry.

It’s ideal for holidaymakers and businesses in the tourism and hospitality sectors, looking to improve the overall customer experience.

The huge review platform receives an estimated 390 million unique monthly visits across its 49 sites, from customers and business owners from all over the world.

3. Google My Business

Google My Business is a service that allows customers to check out local business ratings, and business owners to manage their online reputation and visibility.

It’s an essential tool for business owners as it allows them to be found online and locally, especially if they focus on boosting their local SEO.

Given that most consumers use Google on a regular basis, it’s a great platform to leverage for visibility and for customers it’s easy to find out information about a business quickly.

4. Facebook

Facebook is first and foremost a social media platform facilitating social connections and conversation, but it is also widely used as a review platform.

If you set up a business page on Facebook, you can reach a lot of potential customers through the ‘shares’ and ‘likes’ you collect.

It’s currently estimated that there are around 2.89 billion active monthly users on Facebook, so this should dispel any doubts about the visibility you can achieve with Facebook reviews.

Amazon is one of the largest online retailers, stocking products from thousands of companies all over the world.

That makes it an excellent review aggregator, and a great website to visit to get an idea about a product or service from the customers themselves.

With an estimated 2.45 billion average monthly visits this year, you can’t argue with the importance of a site like Amazon for customer reviews.

Yelp is all about crowd-sourced business reviews, covering everything from dentists to hair salons.

As such, it’s a great review platform for service-based businesses and for consumers looking for the best price/quality nearby.

Yelp brings in around 178 million unique visitors every month.

7. Better Business Bureau

The Better Business Bureau, or BBB, is all about fostering customer trust by revealing what a business is really like.

This review platform is for discerning customers looking for a reliable company, and for business owners it’s an important platform to come across well on.

The BBB receives around 7 million monthly visitors every month.

8. Foursquare City Guide

Foursquare City Guide, as you might have guessed from the name, provides reviews about businesses locally in your city.

The app will give users personalized recommendations based on their preferences, so as a business owner you want to be one of the first local businesses to pop up for customers.

The platform receives around 3 billion global visits each month.

9. Yellowpages

Yellowpages is perhaps best known as the large catalogue which you turn to whenever you need to find a local business.

Through the review platform’s website, customers can write reviews and browse existing reviews to inform their purchase decisions.

Yellowpages has on average 60 million monthly visitors.

10. Trustpilot

Trustpilot is one of the most trusted online review platforms, with more than 500,000 companies in its database.

It’s a dedicated review platform that covers a variety of niches from health and fitness to clothing and even travel insurance.

As such, it’s a good website to rank well on if you have a niche business.

If you are looking for good Trustpilot alternatives read our article.

Angi, formerly Angie’s List, is an online directory which provides crowd-sourced reviews for contractors and businesses in your area.

As such, it’s a good review platform to perform well on if you’re an independent contractor or if you run a small local business.

The website receives around 10-11 million monthly visits.

12. Glassdoor

Glassdoor is the go-to website for finding information about businesses and what they are like to work for.

As such, it’s an important website for hiring future employees or for job seekers trying to secure their next position.

If you treat your employees well, you can rank highly on Glassdoor and boost your online reputation. There are around 67 million unique monthly viewers.

13. Choice Reviews

Choice Reviews is part of the Association of College and Research Libraries and gives users access to hundreds of thousands of academic reviews.

As such, if you’re in the education niche, supplying academic textbooks and the like, then you’ll want to make sure you rank highly on the website.

Which? is a UK-based website and magazine which is all about promoting consumer choice.

The brand presents various options to its customers based on reviews and ratings as well as in-house testing, so it’s a great website to be featured on.

15. ConsumerReports

Consumer Reports, formerly Consumers Union, is a nonprofit based in the US which serves the consumer through independent product testing.

The review platform conducts its own through research and testing to put products through their paces and provide customers with a detailed assessment.

The website targets every type of product from fridges to exercise bikes, and has an estimated average of 13 million unique monthly visitors.

16. Consumer Affairs

Consumer Affairs is a website built on the idea that ‘knowledge is power’.

As such, it’s a website that promotes transparency and seeks to get to the bottom of company’s claims about their products and services.

Covering an extensive list of business types and services, from insurance to movers, it’s a go-to review platform for many customers. It draws in on average around 4 million unique monthly visitors.

17. Citysearch

Citysearch is an online city guide that can provide holidaymakers and tourists with all the information they need to know about business in various niches in their destination.

For example, if you’re heading to Chicago and you want some pizza restaurant recommendations, you can use Citysearch to see the options along with user reviews and ratings.

It is considered to be one of the most popular local city guides in the US, helping around 11 million customers a month to reach a purchase decision.

18. Yahoo! Local Listings

While Google My Business is one of the most popular local business listing platforms, Yahoo! has its own rival service called Local Listings.

With this service, you can claim your business listing online and manage it to make it possible for customers to find you locally.

It’s a good platform to boost your local visibility, as on average Yahoo! receives 200 million unique monthly visitors.

19. Influenster

A review platform for influencing purchase decisions, Influenster aims to show customers reviews from ‘people just like you’.

The platform relies on modern metrics such as social media analytics to assess a product’s popularity across social media.

As such, it’s a good website for the young, modern consumer. It has around 2.5 million monthly unique visitors.

20. G2 

Not all products are physical, these days there’s a huge demand and market for software.

G2 is one of the best websites to head to for detailed reviews on software options, so if you’re a tech company or startup it’s a good website to rank well on.

There are around 5 million monthly visitors to the website.

21. TrustRadius

TrustRadius is another software reviews platform, so again, if you’re a tech company selling digital property to other businesses then it’s worth checking the site out.

There are around 1 million monthly visitors, which may not seem like much, but considering it’s a specific niche it’s a large audience for software companies.

22. Manta Business Reviews

Manta Business Reviews provides reviews for around 35 million businesses.

You can claim your business listing on the website to boost your visibility, and tap into the pool of customers that regularly use the website.

23. GoodFirms

GoodFirms provides reviews for service-based companies and software products.

If you work for, or run, a B2B (Business to Business) tech company then GoodFirms is a website you’ll want to look into.

The website receives around 700,000 monthly visitors.

24. HubSpot App Marketplace

HubSpot is a popular online marketing company, but it’s the App Marketplace we’re interested in for customer reviews.

Through the website, you can find out what customers have to say about your app or about an app you’re looking to invest in for your business.

It’s a reliable website that can help inform your app purchase decisions.

25. Capterra

Capterra is a well-respected website that brings software reviews to the masses. It refers to itself as the ‘world’s leading software reviews and selection platform’ which means it has a lot of clout in the software industry and it’s an invaluable resource to businesses in the niche.

As such, it’s an excellent review platform to aim for if you sell software to businesses or directly to consumers.

Related posts

17+ Mostly Authentic Product Review Sites For 2024 – Agree/Disagree?

Are you looking for the best product review sites to find a trustworthy source of product feedback? Do you want to list your products on review sites that feature ‘Top 10 review’ type posts? Do you want to find the best review websites on the planet? Do you want to locate a product review website where you can see ratings and reviews for products you are interested in buying?

You’ve arrived at the right place. There are hundreds of review sites that are paid to write reviews and cannot be trusted. In this post, we will provide you with reliable product review websites that you should visit before purchasing any products online.

Product Review Websites

According to a recent report from ReadyCloud, 

Before purchasing, 59% of consumers scout reviews from 2-3 different review sites, and 87% of consumers place as much trust in a product review as they would in word-of-mouth.

The importance of product reviews in the online world is well known. The truth is that every online review site is biassed in some way. However, there are some that are extremely bad with fake reviews and should be avoided. However, it is critical to have a reliable review site to which you can refer when you don’t have a lot of time to spend on Google Search.

Types of Product Review Sites

There are 2 main types of product review websites.

• General product review site and
• Niche product review sites

There are consumer review websites where products are reviewed and rated by other consumers like you, and expert review websites where products are tested and reviewed by experts in their respective fields.

There are multiple product categories on a General review site, and each category may contain hundreds or thousands of products. Let’s start with the general product review websites.

Top Product Review Websites – 2023 (General review sites)

Note: Since we are covering product review sites exclusively, we are not going to include other types of reviews sites such as business review sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, Angie’s List, etc.,

1. Best Products

Best Products is a website that reviews products from various categories such as tech, fashion, beauty, and more. They research, test, and compare products based on market data and consumer feedback.

They also have a YouTube channel where they showcase their product tests. They provide unbiased reviews and top recommendations for each product category.

2. Good Housekeeping

Good Housekeeping is a magazine and a website that reviews household products tested by The Good Housekeeping Institute. They cover products from home appliances, beauty products, electronics, kid’s toys, and more. They help you find the best products for your home and label sponsored content clearly.

Also see: how to create a Product Comparison site

3. Amazon – Product Reviews

Amazon is an ecommerce website that also has customer reviews for its products. You can see the number of reviews and the photos from customers to judge the quality of the products. Amazon tries to make its reviews reliable, but there may be fake or biased ones. So pay attention to the main pros and cons in the reviews.

You can also earn commissions from Amazon by creating an Amazon Affiliate Store.

4. MouthShut

MouthShut is a product review website where users have to log in and share their reviews and ratings. It covers products and categories from home appliances, cars, airlines, and more. It also has a buyer’s guide for many products. It moderates the reviews, but they may still have user bias. So read multiple reviews before buying.

Pro Tip: Tables are important for product review sites. They can show product comparison, pricing, specification, catalog, and more. You can easily create any table in WordPress for free with Tablesome .

5. WireCutter

WireCutter is a product review website that gives you the best items in various categories with their pros and cons. They help you buy the product that suits your needs, not the one that has the most features. They earn from affiliate commissions from the products you buy through them, but they try to be unbiased by asking their employee to be honest in their reviews.

Also see: the best WordPress Review plugin to create best review sites.

Top Niche-Based Product Review Sites

Niche-based product review sites are more focused on niche markets or sub-categories within niches. These top product review sites will be very useful if you are looking for product review sites with expert reviews.

1. CNET – is a news blog website that publishes reviews of cutting-edge technology and customised electronic products. The CNET team provides an expert review and also allows users to rate and review various technology products.

2. Digital Trends – Another technology news website with reviews, guides, and how-to articles on consumer electronics such as smartphones, video games and systems, laptops, PCs and peripherals, televisions, home theatre systems, digital cameras, video cameras, tablets, and more.

3. Gadgets 360 – This is an Indian electronic gadget review website that focuses on smartphones, laptops, and PCs. It also allows users to leave feedback. It offers some great deals that are only available on this website.

4. Tom’s Hardware – This review site includes reviews and how-to guides for various computers, computer parts, accessories, and other items. It’s a one-stop shop for PCs.

5. Capterra – This is a software review website that covers a wide range of software categories. Here, software companies will list their products for review by their customers.

6. Consumer Reports – This is one of the oldest and most reliable product review sites that covers a wide range of products from appliances to cars to electronics. It also offers ratings, buying guides, and advice on various consumer issues.

7. OveReview – This website is a newcomer in the product review space that focuses on providing honest and unbiased reviews on various products such as laptops, cameras, headphones, and more. It also offers comparisons, ratings, and pros and cons of different products.

8. Grills Forever – They go over various grills used in cooking. They also have some instructional content on how to use grills.

9. Get a Coffee Maker –  It’s a coffee grinder and coffee maker product review site. If you enjoy coffee, you should look into it.

10. Instant Grooming –  They review the most recent grooming products such as Electronic Razors, Beard Trimmers, Head Shavers, and more. Men who are interested in self-grooming should definitely look into it.

11. Design My Costume –  As the name implies, this is a website for designing costumes. They provide an overview of various costume design tools.

12. The Soothing Air –  This is a website that reviews air coolers, air purifiers, heaters, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, air conditioners, and many other products.

I hope the list of the best review websites in the world in this article helps you promote your company and products.

Features Image Credit : Business vector created by pikisuperstar

Create a Review Section on a Website:

Leave your thoughts and questions in the comments section.

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20 thoughts on “17+ Mostly Authentic Product Review Sites For 2024 – Agree/Disagree?”

Today’s time is e-commerce time and in such time it is hard to choose a quality product. So review sites are the best to check which product is best. Thanks for the list you have provided here.

We only have one remaining, impartial product review site left in Australia – Productreview.com.au. Other review sites are set up by/for businesses to increase sales. For example, many businesses “steal” good reviews from them to put at the bottom of their own web pages.

i think you are missing a major review site… trustedreviews.com this is my current go to.

No, trustedreviews.com is a site set up by businesses to increase sales and profit.

Amazon is the worst place to go for reviews. Many of the reviews are paid for, Amazon allows sellers to combine reviews for different products so if there is a product with, say, 4000+ reviews, and 4 Star average, you can just about guarantee the reviews are a mish-mash of multiple products and you may even be buying an item based off reviews for an entirely different item than what you are purchasing. There are a long list of problems with Amazon Reviews, they should not be trusted for accuracy at any level.

Can I be cheeky? May I suggest myself myhelpfulhints.co.uk I write honest product reviews (over 400).

The article is very interesting and effective, it really explains everything. Thank you and good luck.

All pages of this site are useful

Thanks for this. if you need an all in one platform for business you can use Vonza – vonza.com

great article, I also see the great product review site amazeguides.com, providing an excellent review about the products, please also include it on your blog too, thank you 😉

Thank you so much for sharing that information.

This is one of the best sites.

You completely blew your credibility with me by actually listing Amazon as a reliable source for consumer reviews. I find that Amazon reviews are completely and totally unreliable.

This is very informative article ever i read

Strike a deal with POULSEN1296 on Instagram I bet you an excellent job, he’s the masterpiece behind all account recoveries, and stuff like this….. He’s indeed the perfect one contact him now and get your account fixed

This is a great list of product review sites! I’m always looking for new places to find reviews and this list will definitely come in handy. Thanks for sharing!

thank you for this article

Thanks for sharing. A1office pdf editor one of best editor in 2022

I appreciate your comment. Though Amazon has many fake reviews, it still is the largest repository for real customer reviews as well.

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• Best Blogging Platforms

The journalists on the editorial team at Forbes Advisor Australia base their research and opinions on objective, independent information-gathering.

When covering investment and personal finance stories, we aim to inform our readers rather than recommend specific financial product or asset classes. While we may highlight certain positives of a financial product or asset class, there is no guarantee that readers will benefit from the product or investment approach and may, in fact, make a loss if they acquire the product or adopt the approach.

To the extent any recommendations or statements of opinion or fact made in a story may constitute financial advice, they constitute general information and not personal financial advice in any form. As such, any recommendations or statements do not take into account the financial circumstances, investment objectives, tax implications, or any specific requirements of readers.

Readers of our stories should not act on any recommendation without first taking appropriate steps to verify the information in the stories consulting their independent financial adviser in order to ascertain whether the recommendation (if any) is appropriate, having regard to their investment objectives, financial situation and particular needs. Providing access to our stories should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any security or product, or to engage in or refrain from engaging in any transaction by Forbes Advisor Australia. In comparing various financial products and services, we are unable to compare every provider in the market so our rankings do not constitute a comprehensive review of a particular sector. While we do go to great lengths to ensure our ranking criteria matches the concerns of consumers, we cannot guarantee that every relevant feature of a financial product will be reviewed. We make every effort to provide accurate and up-to-date information. However, Forbes Advisor Australia cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of this website. Forbes Advisor Australia accepts no responsibility to update any person regarding any inaccuracy, omission or change in information in our stories or any other information made available to a person, nor any obligation to furnish the person with any further information.

Best Blogging Platforms Of 2024

Published: Aug 17, 2023, 4:23pm

Blogging platforms make it easy for people to share their thoughts and ideas with the world, connect with others who share similar interests, and promote an open dialogue and exchange of ideas. These platforms can also be  useful tools for marketing and branding, as successful blogs can reach a large audience and build a loyal following.

Here is our pick of the best blogging platforms available for Australians today.

Featured Partners

Who Is Forbes Advisor Small Business?

The best blogging platforms of 2024.

Squarespace

Methodology

Frequently asked questions (faqs).

• Best Website Builders
• Best Free Website Builders
• Best Web Hosting
• Best E-Commerce Platforms
• Best POS Systems
• Best Domain Registrars
• Best CRM Software
• Best Antivirus Software
• Best Free Antivirus Software

On Wix’s Secure Website

Starting price

From $15 per month

Drag-and-Drop Editor

Standout Features

Free plan available, 900+ designer-made templates

On Squarespace’s Secure Website

Drag-and-Drop Interface

Free domain and SSL certificate, no transaction fees, award-winning templates

via IONOS’s Secure Website

$US2 ($2.95 AUD) per month

Drag-and-drop editor

E-commerce in entry-level plan

Yes, as an add-on

On GoDaddy’s Website

Starting Price

$US7.95 ($12 AUD) per month

Email included, multiple payment options

The Forbes Advisor Small Business team is committed to bringing you unbiased rankings and information with full editorial independence. We use product data, strategic methodologies and expert insights to inform all of our content and guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.

We reviewed 11 systems to help you find the best blogging platform for your blog or small business. Our ratings looked at factors that included the platform’s starting price (including whether it offered a free trial or free version); useful general features, such as drag-and-drop functionality and search engine optimisation (SEO) tools; unique features; how well the blogging platform fared on third-party review sites and a final review by our experts. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

(Product is free)

WordPress is the best platform for bloggers who want to have complete control over their websites. It’s an open-source platform you can use to create a website or blog for free using WordPress.org, or you can pay for a hosted WordPress.com site. If you want to make money as a traditional blogger, you must have a self-hosted WordPress.org site, as most brands won’t work with a blogger using a platform, such as Wix or Squarespace.

WordPress is also a very popular platform, so there are thousands of resources available online to help you set up and use your blog. With its endless customisation options comes the requirement for some level of coding knowledge, or the ability to follow a technical tutorial. This is because WordPress operates on a codebase that you can manipulate to make your blog look and work the way you want.

If you’re not comfortable editing code or don’t have the time to learn, you can find a developer or designer on Upwork or Fiverr to help you out. Some web hosts provide WordPress help, depending on the plan level you pay for.

Who should use it:

WordPress is best for bloggers who want complete control over their website, want to customise it heavily and are comfortable using code.

• It’s free to use (although you must pay a web host for self-hosted sites)
• Highly customisable
• There are thousands of tutorials and resources for using WordPress
• Drag-and-drop functionality
• Great for search engine optimisation (SEO)
• Not the most beginner-friendly
• Some plugins and themes cost money

No, but offers a free plan

Free; $15 AUD per month

(paid annually)

Wix is a great platform for bloggers who want a simple, easy-to-use platform with drag-and-drop functionality. It’s perfect for beginners, and you can create a website or blog for free with Wix.com. There are also many paid plans available if you want to add more features to your website. It also has a mobile app, so you can easily update your blog on the go.

Its free plan is pretty limited and isn’t well suited for blogging. For example, Wix ads show on every page as well as the favicon in your URL. You can’t have a custom domain, your storage is limited to 500 MB and you can’t have Google Analytics. For bloggers, consider investing in the Unlimited plan or higher.

With the Unlimited plan, pay $179 AUD per month and get a custom domain (free for the first year), no Wix ads, a free SSL certificate and 24/7 customer support.

Wix is best for bloggers who want a simple platform with drag-and-drop functionality and don’t need a lot of customisation options.

Read our full Wix review of the wbsite builder

• Industry-leading drag-and-drop editor
• Over 900 free templates available
• Zero coding required
• Free domain name with paid plans
• Free SSL certificate with paid plans
• Its free option isn’t ideal for professional bloggers
• Free plan has ads and you can’t set up Google Analytics

Free; $7 AUD per month for Personal plan

Weebly is a great platform for bloggers who want to start an online store along with their blogs. It’s powered by Square, is easy to use and has a mobile app. You can create a website or blog for free with Weebly.com, and there are also paid plans available.

For a custom domain, you must use a paid plan. However, all plans—even the free one—include e-commerce features such as a shopping cart, unlimited items, Quick Shop, inventory management, coupons and in-store pickup.

Weebly is best for bloggers who want to start a blog alongside their e-commerce store.

• Its Free plan includes a free SSL certificate
• Sell online with any plan
• Its Professional and Performance plans include a free domain
• No phone support for the Free or Personal plans
• You’ll have Square ads on the Free and Personal plans

Drupal is a content management system that enables you to create and manage your website with endless possibilities; it’s a developer’s playground. It uses open-source software, so it is free to download and use. Drupal is released under the GNU General Public License, which provides individuals and organisations with the freedom to modify and redistribute the software.

It is a community-driven project, and there is a thriving ecosystem of developers who contribute to it. With modules, which are plugins that add new features or functionality to Drupal, you can do just about anything you want with your blog.

Drupal is best for developers who want to create a custom blog or website, want complete control over the functionality and want to use open-source software.

• Free, open-source software
• Clean interface
• Translate your blog into multiple languages seamlessly
• Steep learning curve
• No plug-and-play options—it’ll take time to get started

$16 AUD per month

Squarespace is a website builder and hosting platform that allows users to create and edit websites. Users get a drag-and-drop interface, predesigned templates and 24/7 customer support. It’s known for its sleek designs and easy-to-use platform. Choose from a variety of templates and then customise the design with your own content.

Squarespace also offers e-commerce features, such as an integrated shopping cart, product pages and payment processing. In addition, Squarespace provides users with access to 24/7 customer support. It’s a great option for those looking for an easy-to-use website builder with robust features.

Squarespace is best for users who want an easy-to-use platform with a wide range of features.

Read our full Squarespace review .

• Free 14-day trial
• Award-winning templates for free
• Easy-to-use site builder
• Annual plans include a free domain
• Unlimited bandwidth on all plans
• Built-in marketing tools
• Not the best for SEO
• Not as customisable as other options

$20 AUD per month

CMS Hub is a content management system created by HubSpot. It helps businesses easily create, publish and manage their website content. CMS Hub includes a drag-and-drop editor that makes it easy to create and update web pages, as well as a variety of tools for managing website content.

It also offers integration with other HubSpot products, such as Sales Hub and Service Hub, which can help businesses streamline their sales and customer service processes. Plans start at $20 AUD per month and include additional features, such as dynamic themes, memberships and personalised pages for each visitor.

CMS Hub is best for marketers because of its adaptive testing, where you can create up to five variations of a page before HubSpot will deliver the best-performing page.

• Advanced insights and analytics to help you optimise content
• HubSpot CRM integration
• Offers a free plan
• It’s more expensive than its competitors
• Not the most user-friendly
• No mobile app

Anyone can use Medium to share their stories and ideas with the world. Medium uses an algorithm to surface the most interesting and insightful content from a variety of sources and also allows readers to follow specific topics or writers that they’re interested in.

Medium also provides tools for writers to help them format their articles and get discovered by new readers. Articles on Medium can be any length and can be published anonymously or with a byline. Medium has recently switched from a like-based payment model for writers to one that gives readers money based on total read time for articles.

Medium is best for individuals or businesses that want to share their stories and ideas with a wider audience.

• Beginner-friendly
• Enormous database of readers
• Earn money directly on the platform
• You don’t keep the traffic and authority—Medium does
• There’s a lot of competition

Forbes Advisor’s team of experts has rated and reviewed the best blogging platforms to help you choose the right one for your needs. To compile our pick of the best, we looked at 17 data points that include ease of use, costs, customer support, reviews, features and functionality.

We then assign each platform a score out of five in each category, with five being the highest. In addition, we also took into account the needs of different types of users such as bloggers, businesses and marketers. Here are some of the categories we used to rank the providers that made the top of the list.

For pricing, we considered whether a blogging platform offered a free version or a free trial. For those that charge fees, we looked at what the starting price was, what the range of prices was between the various tiers available and whether each higher tier offered valuable add-ons that benefit users. Pricing totalled 20% of our weighted scoring.

General Features

Features were broken down into two categories: general features and additional features. For general features, we were looking for factors that each platform should have and whether it was available automatically or as a paid add-on. These general features include multimedia support, drag-and-drop functionality, SEO tools, analytics and third-party integrations. We weighted general features at 25% of our total score.

Additional Features

Then we looked for features that we considered to be more unique offerings in the field. Again, we used the same criteria, meaning whether the feature was included automatically with the platform or whether it was necessary to purchase it for an additional price. These unique features included offering free domain names and e-commerce functionality. Additional features accounted for 20% of the total score.

Third-party reviews

We turned to popular third-party review websites, including G2, Capterra and Trustpilot, to find out what real users of these blogging platforms thought about them. To score these, we looked for reviews on each site that scored at least 3.5 out of 5 points and rated the companies on how many reviews were left in that range for each blogging platform. These customer reviews accounted for 5% of the total score.

Expert analysis

Using all of the Australian market research and the categories listed above, we also ranked additional criteria from customer reviews, such as popularity, value for the money, ease of use and stand-out features. This final section accounted for 30% of the total score.

Relevance to Australian Market

Finally our Australian-based team conducted an additional layer of research and due diligence to ensure relevance to local readers.

What is the best blogging platform for beginners?

If you’re just starting out, we recommend using a platform that is intuitive, such as Wix or Squarespace. Neither requires any coding knowledge and each provides a drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to create a website.

How often should I post a blog on my site?

The frequency of blog posts is not as important as the consistency of making the posts. It’s fine to make a post to your blog once a week or every few days as long as you are consistent about how frequently you make your posts. If you start by posting several times per week, then start posting randomly, you will lose your audience quickly and, if you are posting blogs to make money, you will also lose your source of revenue. Before beginning a blog, make sure that you are prepared to post to it consistently.

What are some security measures to take for an online blog?

The most important step you can take to protect your blogging website is to have a secure, unique password―one that is only known to you and those whom you trust. You should also change the password frequently. You also want to site to be backed up frequently, which should be done by your web host. Consider using a domain privacy protection service, which protects your personal information. Another way to protect your personal information is to get a post office box instead of using your home mailing address and get an internet-based phone number instead of using your personal number.

How do I post a blog for free?

You have a few options for posting a blog for free. You can set up a blog under a free subdomain such as those offered in free Wix, Weebly or WordPress.com plans. You can also open an account on a social media platform such as LinkedIn or Medium, set up a profile, then publish your blog post using its publishing tools.

Is there a difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?

Yes, there are several differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. The main difference is that WordPress.com is fully hosted while WordPress.org is self-hosted.

Kathy Haan, MBA is a former financial advisor-turned-writer and business coach. For over a decade, she’s helped small business owners make money online. When she’s not trying out the latest tech or travel blogging with her family, you can find her curling up with a good novel.

Kelly is an SMB Editor specializing in starting and marketing new ventures. Before joining the team, she was a Content Producer at Fit Small Business where she served as an editor and strategist covering small business marketing content. She is a former Google Tech Entrepreneur and she holds an MSc in International Marketing from Edinburgh Napier University. Additionally, she manages a column at Inc. Magazine.

Best in Review Site

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What does sorting by relevance mean? Read more

Sorting by relevance shows all companies that are best in a category, ordered by TrustScore and review count. To be eligible, they must actively ask for reviews and have received 25+ in the last 12 months.

Solar Market

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TrustScore 3.5 | 245 reviews

Puzzleandco

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TrustScore 3.3 | 283 reviews

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Best photo books Australia: Our top picks of 2024

There is no better way to record family memories and preserve precious moments than by creating photo books.

We have a library of them in our house! I use them to mark each year and every holiday. Now my daughters are older, they are so grateful to have their memories recorded, as am I.

In today’s fast-paced digital world, photo books have become a popular trend. With so many options available, choosing the best photo book software that suits your needs can be overwhelming. Plus, prices vary considerably.

For this reason, I decided to compare various photo book services and explore their features, benefits, and drawbacks to help others choose the best option for them.

In this article, I share my experiences and insights into different photo book software to help you create a beautiful and long-lasting record of your family’s special moments.

Further reading: What’s a memory jar and how can it work for my child?

What to look for when choosing photo books in Australia

E ase of use.

Have you ever started to make something online but abandoned the project out of frustration because of the website’s complexity? Me, too. 

It’s a huge turn-off when you log on to a website that promises lots of lovely things but makes the experience too complicated for its users. Requires me to log in (with a credit card!) just to try? Nah. Need to refresh all the time? Count me out. Oh, and I also dislike too many pop-ups.

As a novice in graphic design, I love drag-and-drop builders, so this is the first thing I look for when choosing a photo book software online. Something with simple navigation that makes it easy to upload a bunch of photos and rearrange them across the pages. The great thing is that almost all the recently checked websites are easy to navigate and use.

Prices and special offers for photo books

You’ll be drawn to lower prices if you’re on a budget like me. But we must still ensure the quality of the photo book. Don’t get blinded by the price. There are providers that have low prices yet have high-quality products. Some stores price their products at a premium, but the quality is the same or less. 

It is also worth noting that display prices are for photo books with a certain number of pages. Extra pages cost more, adding considerably to your overall cost.

Here’s a pro tip: Don’t get too excited when you see discounts. Check out previous prices on other blogs and maybe even the Wayback Machine when you see a promo. Some unscrupulous websites will pretend to offer discounts to get unsuspecting potential customers to buy their products. Check if there is a difference between the regular and sale prices.

Choice of book sizes and different papers

Another thing to check is how customisable your photo book will be. I love having the option to choose the size and type of paper I want. I prefer matte paper, so it looks and feels like a physical book, so I look for a provider with this option. You might like a specific binding or a padded cover, so you should look for sellers that can offer that. If you want your photo book printed using soy ink or recycled paper, I’m pretty sure there’s a seller out there that uses more sustainable materials.

D elivery options for photo books Australia

Another crucial consideration when choosing your photo book provider is the delivery options. Before you get hyped about a photo book provider, check the shipping policies. It’s frustrating when after spending a lot of time and effort creating your beautiful photo book, everything will go to waste because the seller doesn’t deliver to your area. So, before you start designing your photo book, take a peek at the shipping policy page or send a message to customer service.

In addition, make sure to check the delivery fees. Does the provider offer a nationwide flat rate? Or is the shipping fee calculated based on the location? Of course, you don’t want the shipping fee to cost even more than the photo book or take a huge chunk off your budget.

Customer support

Customer service is the heart of every good business. Fortunately, customers are always willing to rave or rant about companies’ customer service. Check what users say about the customer service of the seller of your choice. You would want a photo book provider to respond to your queries and update you on your orders.

How long does the company answer messages? Or do they answer messages at all? Is a human behind their customer service? Or are you just directed to a chatbot? You should check these factors to gauge a seller’s customer support.

Customer reviews

Last but not least, read customer reviews before investing your money and effort in a photo book software. It would help to find out what other paying customers say about the product and the company before availing. If you know someone who has used the software, quiz them for the lowdown!

Of course, also try to find authentic reviews. We all know that not all reviews are genuine. Some are paid reviewers. Some are sponsored ads. Some reviews even come from the company itself. So, do your due diligence when looking at reviews. Check the most recent reviews from different review sites before clicking to buy.

Our pick of the best photo books in Australia

Photo book australia.

Photobook Australia is my personal go-to for my printing needs, including photo books. I love the wide variety of templates that make my photo books look like they were made by a total professional. You can also choose the core thickness to add more weight to your memories. And now, they have a new feature called ColorUp, which lets you print seven colours in HD! I’m definitely trying out this one next time!

What I like most about PHOTOBOOK AUSTRALIA:

Aside from photo books, you can make wall and home decor, stationery cards, calendars, prints, and other gifts for weddings, babies and kids, and corporate events. The website also allows you to shop by the type of cover or binding – super easy to navigate!

Shutterfly is another incredible option for photo books and more. It has everything other providers offer to create fully customisable photo books. You can make your albums with metallic accents, rounded corners, and even gilded pages with silver and gold. But I'm most excited about the children's board book! Little boys and girls will surely love receiving a storybook filled with their own photos.

What I like most about SHUTTERFLY:

I love the FREE photo book and album designer! If you want your photo book and album designed by an expert, you have 24 hours to avail of this service. Simply upload your photos, a Shutterfly will lay everything out for you, and you approve the final design.

How can you go wrong with a provider trusted by 2 million Aussies? You get different options for size, cover (softbound, hardbound, linen laminate or leather laminate), and paper (glossy, premium glossy, satin, matte). There are also over 100 pre-made templates to choose from, so can quickly upload your photos and make your beautiful photo book. You can also create your photo book from scratch. Shipping depends on the number of items you’ve ordered.

What I like most about SNAPFISH:

Aside from photo books, you can also make canvas, calendars, home decor, photo tiles, gifts, blankets, mugs, and cards. Plus, the first time you sign up, you get 50 10x15cm prints for free!

Canvaschamp

Unlike the first two sellers in this list, Canvas is the main product of CanvasChamp, as the name implies. But they also create personalised photo books, so they’re an excellent option for you, too. What I like about CanvasChamp is you can easily calculate how much you would most likely spend for your photo book right on the homepage. This way, you don’t need to scour through different pages to find the price of your order. For me, this feature alone makes CanvasChamp stand out.

What I like most about CANVASCHAMP:

CanvasChamp also has templates, but what I love the most is that these are already arranged according to the occasion. Also, it has fewer customisation options, making it a good choice if you’re short on time and must finish designing your photo book ASAP.

Officeworks

Officeworks doesn’t specialise on photo books, too, but it is also an excellent photo book maker that allows you to create personalised photo books in a snap. It doesn’t have as much customisation options compared to other photo book makers mentioned above, but you can create photo books up to 120 pages. The pages are printed on 150gsm laminated paper, so they’re surely sturdy and waterproof, making your photo book a great addition to your coffee table.

What we like most about OFFICEWORKS:

I love that you can shop for your photo book right on the homepage. You can simply click the template of your choice. And you can choose to have your photo book delivered in its own customised presentation box.

Dispatch in two to four days? Check. Up to 300 pages? Check. Highly customisable? Check. Seriously, why did I only discover Journi now? I’m sure you’ll love that you can easily locate the photo book creator anywhere you scroll. And the photo book designer? Honestly, it’s the prettiest and neatest I’ve seen! If you want to change the design, you can do so with a click of a button.

On a serious note, though, I love that Journi features short blog-type content that will walk you through the different options for your photo book. If you don’t know the difference between matte and glossy, for instance, just scroll down the homepage for information that will help you decide on the type of paper you want.

What I like most about JOURNI:

The website? It’s simply so pretty! Compared to the other providers in this list, I love the minimalist design and the rounded edges on the photos and boxes! The design of the website itself tends to increase its trustworthiness, at least to my eyes.

Keep reading

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About the author

Beanstalk single mum team.

Beanstalk is run by a team of single mums who share their expertise about single motherhood to help other women on a similar journey to them. This article was written from experience and with love to help single mothers in Australia and across the world.

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The best Miracast and screen-mirroring devices in 2024

The best Miracast gadgets can mirror your content

You'll want one of the best Miracast or screen-mirroring devices if streaming the contents of your phone, tablet or computer to a TV is your goal. While the best streaming devices can deliver content from popular streaming platforms, a Miracast gadget will allow you to display whatever you want on a TV screen, whether it’s an obscure video app, a selection of photos or an office presentation. The technology is a little dated — and faces some content restrictions (for example, you can't cast football games) — but it’s still arguably quite useful in certain situations. 

Truthfully, though, the best Miracast devices have been a little stagnant over the past few years. The technology hasn’t gotten markedly better, and what worked a few years ago still gets the job done today. Miracast is also no longer the only game in town when it comes to screen-mirroring protocols. If you have an Android device, Google Cast works much better — as does AirPlay, if you prefer Apple gadgets. (Ed note: We also have a guide to the best Google TVs that's worth checking out.)

As such, I’ve made a short list of three different devices that are well-suited for screen mirroring. It includes our best Miracast gadget recommendation, as well as devices you can use for better screen-mirroring experiences on both Android and Apple. (Though note, Miracast is still arguably your best bet for Windows PCs.)

The best Miracast and screen-mirroring devices you can buy today

1. Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter

For Windows Devices

Screen Mirroring Protocol: Miracast | Size: 3.5 x 0.9 x 0.4 inches | Weight: 1.2 oz

Miracast is a technology that allows Android and Windows devices to cast content to TV screens. Most Miracast receivers range from terrible to passable, but the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter actually works the way it's supposed to. The device is a small HDMI stick with nearly perfect wireless mirroring. Whether you need to stream music, videos, photos, lightweight games or productivity apps, the Wireless Display Adapter can do so with no lag. Simply plug it in, connect your PC or Android device, and see your content on the big screen. That's all the device does, and all it needs to do.

Bear in mind that since Miracast works only with Windows PCs and Android devices, this adapter won’t do you any good if you have a Mac OS computer or an iOS phone. There are solutions for those devices further down on this page, however.

2. Google Chromecast

For Android Devices

Screen Mirroring Protocol: Google Cast | Size: 2.0 x 2.0 x 0.5 inches | Weight: 1.4 oz

Android devices can take advantage of Google Cast : Google's proprietary screen-mirroring protocol. This broadcasts whatever's on your phone or tablet's screen onto your TV with very little lag or quality loss. While many devices offer Google Cast functionality, the cheapest and easiest is the Chromecast, which costs very little and uses your existing mobile device or computer as a remote control. Google's standard Chromecast can broadcast content at 1080p, while its more expensive Ultra variant can handle 4K media.

While Google Cast works best with Android phones and tablets, you can use it with computers as well. If you use Google’s Chrome browser, you can “tab cast,” or mirror whatever you have open in a Chrome tab to your television. This feature isn’t as rock solid as Google Cast from phones, but it’s still a convenient option for those who want to get the most out of their Chromecasts.

3. Apple TV

For Apple Users

Screen Mirroring Protocol: AirPlay | Size: 3.9 x 3.9 x 1.4 inches | Weight: 15.0 oz

AirPlay is one of the oldest and most reliable screen-mirroring protocols. Using an iOS mobile device or a Mac computer, users can mirror their displays on an Apple TV. The setup and activation are essentially foolproof, and the streaming quality for music, photos and video is excellent. Apple TV is also a full-featured set-top box that runs apps for most major streaming sites and plays movies, music and podcasts directly from iTunes. In addition, the Apple TV boasts a sophisticated search thanks to its Siri voice assistant and an admirable selection of both core and casual games.

Like many streaming devices, the Apple TV comes in both 1080p and 4K flavors. The 4K variant is quite expensive, so it’s worth considering how often you mirror content at full HD vs. quad HD or UHD resolutions.

What are the best Miracast and screen-mirroring devices?

The best Miracast and screen-mirroring devices don’t make up a very long list. As stated above, Miracast isn’t a perfect streaming protocol at the best of times. The fact that it’s pretty easy to produce Miracast receivers means that there are a lot of second-rate products out there. Lots of devices support Miracast protocols, from Rokus to Amazon Fire TVs, but for my money, I’ve only ever found one that worked as it was supposed to. That’s the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter. You plug the gadget into a TV, where it receives a Miracast signal from your phone or computer. That’s all it does, but it works properly, and that’s more than you can say for many Miracast receivers.

If you’re not committed to Miracast as your screen mirroring protocol, other companies have made better ones. Take Google, for example, with its Google Cast functionality. It works just like Miracast, and you can mirror content from either an Android device or a Chrome browser. You can use the Google Chromecast as a receiver. The regular Chromecast works fine if you intend to mirror at 1080p; higher resolutions will require a Google Chromecast Ultra instead.

On the other hand, if you fall on the Apple side of the spectrum, you can pick up an Apple TV and use the AirPlay mirroring protocol. AirPlay is compatible with Macbooks and iOS devices, and works the same way as any other mirroring service. An Apple TV can be particularly useful for Macbook owners, since Miracast works only with Windows PCs and Android devices.

How to choose the best Miracast or screen-mirroring device for you

The best Miracast or screen-mirroring device depends on the gadgets you already own. Simply put: If you plan to stream from a Windows PC, get the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter. If you plan to stream from an Android device, get the Google Chromecast. If you plan to stream from a Mac OS or iOS device, get an Apple TV. Most screen-mirroring protocols are not cross-compatible, so if you don’t buy the appropriate receiver, you could find yourself staring down a $50 paperweight.

Just bear in mind that when it comes to Google and Apple devices, you have two choices apiece. A regular Google Chromecast or a regular Apple TV can support resolutions of up to 1080p. If you’re mirroring from a very powerful device, you might want a Google Chromecast Ultra or an Apple TV 4K. These streaming devices support resolutions up to 4K. Just bear in mind that you’ll need a pretty strong Internet connection to mirror high-res content reliably.

How we test Miracast and screen-mirroring devices

Testing the best Miracast and screen-mirroring devices is pretty straightforward. We hook up a receiver to a TV, then see how reliably it mirrors content. We test photos, music, videos, office documents and even video games — not necessarily because each one represents a realistic scenario, but to see just how reliable each device is when pushed up against its limits.

We test Miracast devices with Windows PCs and Android phones, Google Cast devices with Android phones and Chrome browsers, and AirPlay devices with Macbooks and iPhones. Each receiver has to prove its worth on both a home network and an office network, since screen mirroring has some productivity applications as well. In home testing cases, we’re particularly interested in how video mirroring stacks up to native apps on streaming devices.

Truthfully, though, testing Miracast and screen-mirroring devices is a pretty simple process, since the receivers don’t have many moving parts. If they work well, you’ll know within half an hour — and if they work poorly, you’ll know much quicker than that.

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Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. After hours, you can find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi. 

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Best web hosting services for 2024

These are the best web hosting services for shared hosting, WordPress hosting, cloud hosting, dedicated, Minecraft hosting, and more.

• Best for beginners
• Best for WordPress
• Best for easy management
• Best managed WordPress
• Best shared hosting
• Best cloud hosting
• Best for managed hosting
• Best for the environment
• Best for Minecraft

There is a best web hosting provider for every type of website and picking the right one can make a big difference. I’ve handpicked the best web hosts for the most popular use cases based on our expert reviews and used industry leaders to compare control panels, try out tools, build a site or two, consult customer support, and run uptime and speed tests. Each review is independent and regularly updated to ensure you always have the most informed and accurate information. We do not sell page rankings.

Maybe you're just looking for the best website builder but keep in mind that using a host like Hostinger can be just as easy to set up but be a fraction of the total cost of running a website.

Top three best web hosting providers in short

1. Best for beginners : Hostinger Hostinger is so easy to use even if you have no technical experience. There are loads of great features that help you set up and monitor your site without the need to have any technical know-how. 

You can use our exclusive discount code " TRDISCOUNT8 " to receive 8% discount at checkout.

2. Best for the tech savvy : inMotion Hosting If you're not new to hosting and you're looking for power, speed, and reliability this is the host for you. With plans that are designed for developers you get a great balance of affordability and features.

3. Best for enterprise : ScalaHosting ScalaHosting's managed VPS plans offer all the benefits of cloud like auto scaling and redundancy so you can focus on growing your business.  

TechRadar Pro readers can use the link above to receive an exclusive 15% off at checkout on top of other discounts.

Best web hosting services of 2024

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

The eleven web hosting services we've selected are the best in their respective categories, and while each web hosting provider offers several different types of hosting, I’ve highlighted each one based the service it excels in the most.

The best web hosting service for beginners

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

✔️ You've not set up a web host before:  Hostinger make setting up web hosting super easy

✔️ You want a website builder:  Hostinger's website builder has great reviews (but the WordPress installer is still the better option)

❌  You want to use the AI website builder & migrate from Hostinger at a later date:  As you cannot migrate a website made with the AI builder to another host, I cannot recommend it from a hosting perspective

❌  You can't accept the renewal price:  The prices will jump so be prepared

Hostinger are a really good host with great and easy to use features

With almost 20 years in the business, Lithuanian provider Hostinger has grown into a giant which offers everything from shared hosting, Minecraft hosting and an easy-to-use ecommerce-friendly website builder, to WordPress hosting, powerful VPS products, and business-oriented email hosting.

Value for money is a big Hostinger plus. Even the cheapest shared hosting plans come with a free domain, free SSL, email, backups, unlimited bandwidth, malware scanning and more.

Upgrading gets you professional extras such as fast NVMe storage, dedicated IPs, a free CDN, and speed-boosting WordPress object caching, amongst others.

There are surprise bonus features everywhere. Some providers can only host your website in North America, reducing speeds if your target audience is elsewhere. Hostinger has data centers in North America, Europe and Asia, and you can choose the site you need when you sign up.

And once you've got your plan, Hostinger doesn't just make it easy to install WordPress and create your first site: it now even has custom AI tools to generate text content (AI-generated images should arrive soon).

My experience

Getting started with Hostinger is easy. There's support for paying by card, PayPal, crypto and others, and the well-designed web dashboard quickly pointed us in the right direction. 

Hostinger doesn't offer the industry-standard cPanel control panel, but its own hPanel (and a simple 1-click installer for WordPress, WooCommerce and other top apps) helps even hosting newbies get their sites up and running.

My tests found Hostinger offered a capable 99.96% uptime over six months; not perfect, but better than its 99.9% uptime guarantee, and very acceptable for many sites.

There's no phone support, but Hostinger has 24/7 live chat, and its ticket system gave us helpful replies with some of the fastest response times I've seen (under two minutes in some cases).

What else you need to know Hostinger doesn't provide high-end dedicated hosting plans, so it's not an ideal candidate for very demanding websites (that's sites with hundreds of thousands of visitors a month). But overall, we found Hostinger to be a top quality web hosting provider which offers an array of capable features for a very fair price. 

Hostinger's own AI website builder is great but I'd recommend not using it because you don't have complete control over your site. If you use the website builder you won't be able to migrate your site to another host. This could happen if you decide you want to go to managed hosting or dedicated hosting in the future because Hostinger don't offer those plans. Instead I recommend that you use Hostinger and install WordPress or another opensource website builder so you're free to migrate your site to any host you please.

Why it's best

Packed with features, the service is great for most users - so long as you don't run demanding, high-traffic sites. If you're unsure which service to choose, or if you're new to web hosting in general, I'd recommend choosing Hostinger as the best overall service - it's easy to use and understand, and it's also really fairly priced considering what you get.

Read our full Hostinger web hosting review

• Back to top ⤴

The best web hosting for WordPress

✔️ You have a WordPress site you want to manage yourself: Bluehost's features make it easy to create and manage WordPress sites by yourself

✔️ You want to create an eCommerce site: Bluehost also has a range of optimizations for eCommerce sites

❌  You can't afford the renewal price: Check how much things cost at renewal

❌  You want the best value for money : While Bluehost's plans are cheaper, they offer less storage compared to plans that are only slightly more expensive

Bluehost's WordPress hosting plans have plenty of features specifically for WordPress and if you end up not liking the service you can move your site to another host.

Bluehost is one of the world's largest web hosting providers, and has almost two decades of experience in helping users build a quality home on the web. 

The company has a strong core set of hosting plans (shared, VPS, WordPress, dedicated) for all budgets. If WordPress isn't your thing, Bluehost have a decent website builder too that operates on top of WordPress so you can use it and then easily migrate your site to another host at the end of your plan.

Bluehost's features specifically for WordPress include an AI website builder that is based on WordPress. Personally, I see nothing wrong with traditional templates that you can install and customize from there but using an AI tool to recommend a template from which you can build on is still useful. More useful, in my opinion is that Bluehost will also automatically update the latest version of WordPress keeping your site more secure and fast.

Essentially there is not that much specifically that makes a hosting provider's web hosting service better for WordPress than say an unmanaged VPS plan but that changes when it comes to support. If you run WordPress yourself you might get yourself into trouble and that's why Bluehost will limit what plugins you can install. You get just enough freedom to do what you want without the risks.

Bluehost scored well for ease of use. WordPress came pre-installed with my shared hosting plan, the dashboard had useful shortcuts to common tasks, and I easily found our way around.

After creating a test WordPress website, I monitored its availability for a year. Uptime was very acceptable at 99.95%, and that was only Bluehost's cheapest shared account: I'd expect even better with the higher plans.

Speed was outstanding, with Bluehost ranking a close second to HostGator out of 15 contenders. 

Bluehost doesn't have ticket support, maybe a concern if you've complex issues which can't be fixed in one session. The live chat agents are knowledgeable and helpful, though, and Bluehost's phone support delivered some of the most expert troubleshooting assistance I've seen.

What else you need to know

Bluehost plans aren't always as configurable as I'd like. There's no choice of data center, for instance, and the VPS and dedicated plans are relatively basic.

I've found the service can be more expensive than average, too, once the introductory deals expire. Check the renewal prices before you sign up, just to avoid any surprises later. 

There's plenty of advanced tools like here - but that doesn't mean it's not great for the basics, too. Given the uptimes with my WordPress test site and the firm's automated WordPress updates, Bluehost is a top pick if that's where you maintain your website. 

Read our full Bluehost review

Best for management

✔️ You want easy management: You can get your hosting and domain name services all through Namecheap

❌  You manage multiple sites: You can get a better deal elsewhere

If you want to keep things simple and have your domain name service and hosting under one provider then Namecheap is the best option. However, if you're tech savvy and need to manage multiple sites there are better options such as using your own VPS.

Namecheap began life more than 20 years ago as a domain registrar, but over the years it's expanded to offer a vast range of hosting, business and other services. If you like the convenience of getting all the web-related products you need from a single provider, then Namecheap could be your perfect partner.

If you're looking to host a WordPress site as a beginner, you have two main options: shared hosting and WordPress hosting. For shared hosting, you get a free domain name and the first year is $1.98/mo (renews at $4.48/mo). This is the most cost effective option but you'll have to manage the site yourself. Meaning, you'll have to keep on top of updates and security yourself. The other option is WordPress hosting which is $2.91 for the first year (renews at $6.88). You'll also have to pay for your own domain name which will add to the cost. Although this is more expensive, Namecheap say that their managed WordPress hosting is 3x faster than traditional hosting and your site will be managed by them. Leaving you to focus on your website rather than the hosting.

Namecheap offers a full range of hosting plans, from budget shared products and a website builder, to managed WordPress, VPS and dedicated hosting for demanding sites, even reseller products if you'd like to set up as a hosting provider.

Prices are temptingly low, and the specs are impressive. All shared plans get a free domain (with domain privacy), at least 3 websites and 30 email accounts, and 1-click WordPress installs and more. But beware: SSL is free only in year one for shared hosting plans.

Namecheap is a capable domain registrar, with wider domain support and way more tools and extras than you'll see with other hosts.

Looking a more trusted SSL certificate? Namecheap sells everything you need (and for some of the lowest prices around).

That's just the start. You can also sign up for business email hosting; speed up your site with premium DNS or Namecheap's own CDN; there are image creation tools, marketing services, Namecheap even has a VPN (no, really).

Namecheap's account control panel confused us at first, with lists, sidebars, menus and icons everywhere I looked. But once I'd spent a few moments exploring and mastering the basics, the dashboard worked very well, giving me quick and easy access to all the most important site management areas.

Although Namecheap deserves credit for its wide range of hosting products, the high-end plans in particular don't give you the choice of the top competition. There are only three VPS plans, for instance, and no Windows hosting.

My tests found Namecheap achieved 100% uptime over the period: great news. Speeds weren't quite as impressive, with my site (on a shared hosting plan) managing slightly below average load times. They were still very acceptable for a budget host, though, and overall Namecheap offers good value for what you get.

There's no phone support, but we had helpful and reasonably quick responses via both live chat and ticket, and there's a huge web knowledgebase if you're happy to search for solutions yourself.

There are big differences between unlimited vs metered vs unmetered bandwidth hosting . If you're tired of strict storage limits on hosting accounts, good news: Namecheap has unmetered storage (no fixed limits) on some plans. While plenty of other web hosting services offer unlimited bandwidths, I found Namecheap's prices to be fair value for money considering what's on offer.

Read the full Namecheap review

InMotion Hosting

✔️ You have an established business:  InMotion Hosting have experience hosting a range of medium-sized businesses 

✔️ You want dedicated or managed plans:  InMotion Hosting have a strong reputation in this area too

❌  You don't want to pay for a control panel: InMotion Hosting's control panel is only $5/mo but lacks the features of the more expensive plans

InMotion Hosting have well balanced plans and plenty of security features to make their VPS offerings some of the best on the market.

Since 2001 InMotion Hosting has grown to have over 170,000 customers providing a range of hosting services including shared, WordPress hosting, VPS, reseller, and dedicated. Their selection of VPNS plans is impressive and starts with a package featuring 4 vCPU cores, 4GB of RAM, 90GB of storage, and 2TB of bandwidth. The plan costs $14.99 per month for a three-year term which is very reasonable. 

Building on the base plan, InMotion Hosting provide six other plans. At the top end of the spectrum, you get unlimited bandwidth, 32 cores, 32GB of RAM, and a generous 540GB NVMe SSD storage, costing $74.99 per month.

One of the best features from InMotion Hosting is their Launch Assist. If you get stuck, InMotion Hosting provide you with up to two hours of assistance free of charge. They help can be with adjusting domain settings, migrating WordPress, configuring cPanel, or managing database files.

InMotion Hosting provide DDoS protection and VPS servers come with redundancy in place. If one server has a serious issue, traffic will automatically get routed to an identical server. This makes InMotion Hosting also one of the most reliable hosts along with having great support.

InMotion Hosting's data centers are in locked vaults protected by hand scanners and armed guards. They don't only protect your servers though. They also do their bit for protecting the environment. InMotion Hosting has invested heavily in green cooling technology to not only make servers more efficient but also reduce costs and save the planet.

InMotion hosting beat Digital Ocean when it comes to value for money on their plans but prices can still add up a bit. cPanel is an extra $20/mo and the most cost effective option, CWP panel ($5/mo), doesn't seem good enough to be a viable alternative

For more information about dedicated hosting see our full best dedicated hosting guide

While most hosts offer only a 30-day money-back guarantee, InMotion Hosting gives you an amazing 90 days for most plans (including reseller): a very major plus. 

For companies like web design and marketing agencies, and even freelancers, the ability to sell domains and plans to clients is a must - and in my experience, the reselling packages are where InMotion Hosting really excels. 

Read our full InMotion Hosting review

The best managed WordPress hosting

✔️ You're using WordPress:  WP Engine are optimized for WordPress

✔️ You want someone to manage your server: If you don't have the time or knowledge to manage your server it's all done for you

❌  You're on a budget:  WP Engine are one of the more expensive options

❌  You're not using WordPress:  Yes, this just an opposite of the buy if but it should be stressed. If you're not using WordPress there really isn't any point using this provider

One of the best hosts for WordPress and support

WP Engine is a professional web host which focuses entirely on delivering the best managed WordPress hosting around (although it does have some great WooCommerce plans, too). Managed hosting can be more expensive, but if you don't want to be dealing with potential hassles at 3am on a Saturday morning then it can be worth while.

Unlike some web hosts, WP Engine's plans aren't just the regular shared range with WordPress preinstalled. They're build for WordPress from the bottom up, with customized server and caching setups, extra security features, easier setup and genuinely valuable extras.

The difference is obvious. Lesser providers may give you free themes, but they're often basic offerings you'll never want to use. WP Engine throws in 10 gorgeous StudioPress themes, premium products with real value.

Staging is another WP Engine benefit. Whether I changed themes, adding site features or just making a few updates, the Staging area allowed us to safely test these on a copy of my site, before we put them live.

I found valuable extras everywhere we looked. WordPress has a vast library of free plugins, for instance, and most hosts allow you to install whatever you like. But WP Engine maintains a list of dubious plugins which bring performance or security problems, and warns you about anything dodgy, potentially saving you a lot of pain later.

The WP Engine dashboard isn't for beginners, and regular use of terms like Git, CNAME and redirect rules might confuse the not-so-technical. But it only took me a few minutes to begin to find my way around, and if you need more help, there's a truly outstanding support site. (Some of WP Engine's guides deliver more than I'd expect from a paid WordPress training course).

My performance tests saw WP Engine trample all over the conventional shared hosting competition, with only Liquid Web's own managed WordPress plan delivering better. Yes, WP Engine is more expensive than many, but it spends that cash wisely on quality servers, a fast network and its pile of premium features.

Support is vital when you're running a business-critical site. WP Engine only provides chat support with its cheapest plan, but the agents delivered speedy and expert responses to my test questions, and upgrading to a higher product gets you phone support, too.

WP Engine may look expensive, but it's also very confident you'll be happy with the service: sign up and you're protected by a very generous 60-day money-back guarantee. 

With its laser-focus on WordPress, and its useful list of plugins that may cause issues with your site, I recommend checking out WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting.

Read our full WP Engine review For more information about WordPress hosting see our full best WordPress hosting guide

The best shared web hosting provider

✔️ You're looking for speed:  HostGator had some great speeds in my test

✔️ You're running a small business:  HostGator's tools make running a business easier

❌  You don't look at the renewal price:  make sure the renewal price is within your budget

❌  The latest reviews are a sign of the future : Slow support and some PHP issues are being reported 

Great host with great reviews and features

HostGator is a hugely popular Texas-based web host that has been helping its customers get online since 2002. The company has a very full range of hosting products (shared, website builder, WordPress, VPS, dedicated, reseller), and there are appealing business-friendly extras everywhere we looked.

HostGator offers a decent feature set on all its products. Even its cheapest Hatchling plan includes unmetered bandwidth, unlimited email addresses, a free domain, free SSL, with a website builder thrown in.

The company piles on the business extras as you upgrade, though, including some we rarely see elsewhere. Even spending just a few dollars more on its Business shared plan adds a professional website migration service, a dedicated IP, a Positive SSL upgrade, SEO Tools, and $500 Google and $100 Microsoft ad credits.

All hosts offer their own add-on services, but can they be trusted with your business-critical site? HostGator gives you easy integration with some of the biggest names around, including CodeGuard for backups, SiteLock Security for malware scanning, and Google WorkSpace for team collaboration.

HostGator even offers various professional services to help improve online results, including web design, PPC and SEO consultations.

HostGator's web dashboard isn't the best designed I've seen, and I found it spent a little too much time trying to persuade us to buy more products.

Fortunately, the company makes up for all of that with its use of the industry-standard cPanel and its powerful site management tools. I think that's particularly good news for businesses, because there's no custom control panel to learn: if you've any previous web hosting experience, chances are you'll feel at home right away.

HostGator no longer offers an uptime guarantee, which is disappointing: but don't give up on the service because of that. I monitored a test HostGator site for 18 months and found even the cheapest shared account gave us a respectable 99.9% uptime. I expect HostGator's VPS and dedicated plans would be even better.

The real HostGator highlight was its speed, though: benchmarking tool GTmetrix found my test site delivered the fastest load times out of 15 top contenders.

Although HostGator doesn't have a specialist WooCommerce product, its Website Builder has some powerful ecommerce plans which support unlimited products, selling on Facebook and Instagram, secure payments, advanced shipping and more. If you run into trouble, HostGator's 24/7 phone and live chat support is on hand, and in my experience, the support team resolves most issues within minutes. 

If you're running multiple websites and need them stored on the same web server, I recommend checking out HostGator as it offers a specific shared hosting product. Jump to our web hosting FAQs to find out more about how shared hosting works.

Read our full HostGator review For more information about shared hosting see our full best shared hosting guide

The best cloud web hosting

ScalaHosting

✔️ You want scalability:  ScalaHosting's architecture make the provisioning of resources speedy and easy

✔️ You have a growing site: New businesses often don't know how many resources are needed. This is where cloud hosting shines  

❌  You have a low volume of steady and stable traffic:  The features provided will be wasted

Too many host use the word cloud without having any cloud benefits. ScalaHosting are cloud through-and-through

ScalaHosting is an experienced Dallas-based provider with 15 years experience in the web hosting business.

The company has plenty of budget hosting plans for simple sites and projects, but it's made my list for its strong VPS range, which is still very affordable but has the power to handle very demanding business and other websites.

ScalaHosting has eye-catching features right across its range. Signing up for shared hosting gets you unlimited emails and daily offsite backups, often premium extras elsewhere. Even the cheapest plan uses fast NVMe storage, while many competitors only use slower standard SSD.

The VPS range stands out for its extreme configurability. Other hosts might force you to choose from 3 or 4 basic products, but ScalaHosting allows you to build your own plan, using anything from 2 to 24 cores, 4 to 64GB RAM, and 50 to 2000GB storage (vastly more powerful than I've seen elsewhere).

Then there are the free site migrations. Some providers promise this, then give you a plugin to do it yourself; ScalaHosting carefully migrates all your sites for you, and will even migrate them elsewhere if you're not happy and cancel your account.

Once you're up and running, your site benefits from free SSL, speed-boosting CDN integration, real-time malware protection, and experts can choose their preferred web server (Apache, Apache with NGINX, OpenLiteSpeed and more).

ScalaHosting allows customers to manage their web space via its own custom control panel, SPanel. I usually prefer the industry-standard cPanel, but SPanel is a powerful, easy-to-use alternative, and a great web home for newbies and experts alike.

I tested ScalaHosting performance by using top benchmarking tool GTmetrix to measure download speeds. The results were fractionally below average, but far ahead of the budget competition, and well within reach of big names such as GoDaddy,

I went on to monitor my test site availability for a year, and ScalaHosting scored a very reasonable 99.94% (and that's with the cheapest shared plan: VPS hosting should be even better).

Sign up with ScalaHosting and (with most products) you're protected by its generous Anytime Money-Back Guarantee. Not only does this give you 100% of your money back if you cancel within 30 days, but you can also get prorated refunds after that (pay for a year, you can cancel after 6 months and still be refunded for the 50% you haven't used).

Cloud hosting is a service where a website or application is hosted on a network of interconnected servers, rather than a single physical server. I've looked in depth at this in our guide What is cloud hosting and how do you use it? As resources are allocated to a virtual server, you only pay for what you need as you need them. if you're looking for a cloud hosting service that scales with your business, ScalaHosting should be on your list.

Read our full Scala Hosting review For more information about the best cloud hosting see our full best cloud hosting guide

The best managed web hosting

✔️ Stability is a necessity: Liquid web have a reputation for fast and reliable servers that come with an SLA

❌  You're on a budget: Some of the plans are not the cheapest

Liquid Web will be there when you need them to

Founded in 1997, Liquid Web is an expert provider of top-quality managed hosting solutions for everything from email to WordPress, WooCommerce, VPS, dedicated and assorted other cloud products.

The service isn't aimed at consumers - it doesn't even have a shared hosting range - but if your priority is less on price, more on speed, reliability and features, then Liquid Web has a lot to offer.

Liquid Web's VPS range looks expensive, with prices starting at $20 a month, but check the features and it's a different story.

Some budget hosts might start their VPS range with a tiny $1 or $2 a month plan, but look at the small print and it'll be underpowered and almost unusable. Liquid Web starts a capable 2 CPU, 2GB RAM setup which will handle most tasks at a decent speed.

Liquid Web offers access to an amazing 10Gbps network connection, 10-30x the speed I see with most hosts.

There's no messing around by promising 'unmetered' bandwidth, which typically means 'there's a limit but I won't tell you what it is.' Instead, even the cheapest VPS plans include a massive 10TB bandwidth allowance.

Your host promises 99.9% uptime? Liquid Web not only offers 99.999% uptime, it has a strict Service Level Guarantee explaining how you'll get credits if that doesn't happen.

So, yes, Liquid Web prices may seem high, but it's a top quality service, and I think it offers decent value for what you get.

If you haven't got the resources or knowledge to undertake key maintenance tasks, then a managed hosting service is essential. These can be carried out by your web hosting provider - and in my experience, Liquid Web made it really easy to monitor and manage my test website. Head to our FAQs section for more information on what managed hosting is and why it matters.

Liquid Web's dashboard design is clean and straightforward, and I found it easy to locate everything necessary to monitor and manage my website.

After installing my standard test WordPress website, in-depth monitoring throughout the review found excellent load times and 100% uptime.

What you need to know

If you run into trouble, Liquid Web has a vast knowledgebase covering everything from detailed text manuals to more user-friendly YouTube explainer videos.

Liquid Web's highlight is its customer support team, though, who you can reach 24/7 via telephone, live chat or email. Whatever route I tried, responses were fast (the company actually guarantees a first reply within 59 minutes via email, 59 seconds via live chat or phone), and I've always found the agents to be friendly, expert, and happy to go the extra mile to resolve my issues.

Read our full Liquid Web review For more information about managed hosting see our full best managed hosting guide

The best green web host

✔️ You want to host a WordPress site:  Optimised WordPress plans from $2.95/mo

✔️ You expect your business to grow:  Simple scaling to meet increasing demands

❌  You don't want to pay above average prices: This isn't the cheapest host

Loads of hosting providers are green these days. GreenGeeks are definitely the most green but they're not far in front of InMotion Hosting and SiteGround.

GreenGeeks has an excellent range of shared and VPS hosting services that are good for the environment. Plans start at just $2.95 a month (rising to $11.95 a month after the second year). The entry level plan comes with 50GB web space, a free domain name for one year, unlimited databases and free nightly backups. 

GreenGeeks are particularly good for those wanting a green hosting solution for a WordPress site as they offer managed WordPress hosting plans which can take a lot of the hassle out of running a website. All servers provided by the company  respectable in terms of performance with even the lowest plans providing free caching and CDN, and unmetered bandwidth.

GreenGeeks don't provide dedicated servers or any cloud options so for more powerful plans you might want to check out SiteGround or InMotion Hosting which also have really impressive green credentials. If you try GreenGeeks but find out they're not powerful enough GreenGeeks offers free website migration and a 30 day money back guarantee so there is nothing to lose.

GreenGeeks might not have the top end plans demanded by the most energy and resource consuming sites but what they do provide performs really well at that level. If you genuinely care about the environment and don't have such a demanding website then you'd be hard pressed to find another hosting provider that aligns with your goals

They care about the environment, they care about their customers, and they care about their products.

Read the full GreenGeeks review For more information about the best green hosting see our full best green hosting guide

Best Web hosting for Minecraft

✔️ You want a host dedicated to gaming: You can get your own server and set it up for Minecraft but why bother when it's done for you.

❌  You want a server that can be used for multiple games: Some providers allow you to change the game you play on a server, this host does not

Minecraft hosting doesn't get easier or better

Shockbyte provides specialist servers and support for popular games like Minecraft, Ark: Survival Evolved, Rust, Arma 3, and others. As a hosting provider dedicated to gaming, it's no surprise that they're one of the most popular hosts for Minecraft enthusiasts.

You name it, Shockbyte provide it: BungeeCord support, MCPC & MCPE compatibility, Java version switchover, 100% uptime, full FTP access, all modpacks, custom jar support, instant setup, simple server customisation, free subdomain, zero server lag, free MySQL databases, DDoS protection, automatic backups, unlimited slots, 1Ggbps port, Unlimited SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, MC snapshot support, and the list goes on...

This top Minecraft server host seems to deliver across the board on these features too as they have an Excellent rating on Trustpilot.

We used the Dirt plan which provides 1GB of RAM and 8+ player slots. We found the server to be easy to use and we maintained a ping of 30-35ms when adding more players to the server. Adding and removing mods was easy and in general provided a very smooth gaming experience. What else you need to know

There are some pretty scathing comments about Shockbyte's customer support but to their credit they address one-star reviews head-on in Trustpilot and the vast majority of reviews are highly positive. 

Australia-based Shockbyte is one of the biggest names in Minecraft hosting and have a presence in Europe (the UK, Germany, France, and Poland), Asia (Singapore), and North America (the USA and Canada). As a dedicated gaming server provider with great reviews and a global network, they don't come much better than this.

Read our full Best Minecraft server hosting providers buying guide

What is web hosting?

Hosting a website basically means making it accessible to the world. You can host a website from your own home but it will be a pretty bad idea. First of all, you'll be inviting the entire world into your home router, which doesn't seem very safe. You'll also need to keep your PC on all the time, which won't be energy efficient. Then, if your website gets busy its unlikely your hardware will be able to cope.

The most sensible thing to do is outsource the task of hosting a site. This is where web hosts come in. They store your website on server and it's secure, always on, and has the most up to date hardware to ensure site performance when its busy. 

You can share a server, rent your own resources, or even rent a space and put your own hardware in it. There are options for everything and based on your business requirements the right type of hosting will make a big difference to cost and performance. 

If you have a small site, shared hosting is fine. Anything else will be a waste of money. If you have a larger eCommerce store then a virtual private server is a better option. If your business is ultra sensitive to any downtime then cloud hosting is perfect as multiple copies of your site are stored in different locations so if a disaster occurs your site will always be online. Then, there are more specific options like the best WordPress hosting , or best Minecraft server . These hosting options have optimizations for these specific uses to give you the best performance and value for money.

DreamHost - Best for email hosting Some web hosts target the consumer market, others go for businesses, but  DreamHost  is a little more ambitious: its range of plans are designed to appeal to just about everybody. DreamHost's email package goes beyond the basics with a spacious 25GB Inbox.

Domain.com - Best for value shared plans Domain.com 's shared hosting is fair value and comes with free SSL and unlimited storage. Your web space is managed via a very limited dashboard, not even close to matching cPanel, but it covers the basics and you should have your site up and running fairly quickly.

How we test the best web hosting services

Our reviewers  test each web hosting service by signing up and purchasing a plan to check out what each web hosting provider offers new users, as well as how easy it is to navigate around each brand’s dashboard. We pay a great deal of attention to the support that is offered to you.

We weigh up the details of what you get, (as well as what you don't) and rank each web hosting provider based on the quality of its features that many customers will use, and how clear the web hosting company is on what the customer is getting in every product.

Because we know it’s important to pick a web hosting company you can trust, we focus on whether each web hosting provider presents its products in an honest, clear and transparent way. In our tests, this is easy to pick up on as we compare the list of features each company claims it offers, to what we actually have access to once we begin using their service.

Lastly, our web host speed tests are generally based on the cheapest shared hosting plan available from a provider.

We then upload a basic static site to our web space, including HTML and CSS files and some images, and configure Uptime.com to check the availability and server response time of our site at five-minute intervals. This gives us a general indication of the speed and uptime you are likely going to experience when you finally make a decision on the best web hosting provider for you.

Each web hosting provider below has been selected based on it being at the top of its game for one aspect of web hosting service or another. From shared hosting to reseller hosting, we have put together the best of the best for you to find a web hosting company that suits your individual needs.

Should you need more tips on buying a web hosting service, what the different types of hosting services are, or how to choose the best web hosting service for you, scroll down to the bottom of this page for all this and more.

How to choose a web host

Everyone has their own individual hosting priorities, and we can't tell you exactly what you'll need and what you won't. But we can give you some general rules that will point you in the right direction.

Unlimited (or unmetered) disk space and bandwidth sounds great, and all that really matters is you've enough for your site, and that may be much less than you think. Web host  Kinsta reported  that its clients' WordPress sites averaged only around 1GB in size, for instance. If that's you, paying for 'unlimited' space won't bring any benefits at all.

Your website almost certainly needs an SSL certificate to enable secure encrypted connections with visitors, and avoid the worrying 'insecure' warnings they'll get if you're SSL-free. Most plans offer free SSL, but check the small print: occasionally SSL comes free for the first year only, and you'll have to pay after that.

Many web hosting plans include a free domain name, a tempting sweetener if you don't have one already. But beware, it's typically only free for a year, and then you'll pay the provider's standard renewal fees. Dot com domain renewals don't vary much (an average $10-$20 a year), but it's a different story with others. If you need a domain, check renewal prices to find out the real long-term cost.

Websites can break for all kinds of reasons, and if you want to keep downtime to a minimum, backups are an absolute must. Look for a plan that includes a backup service, and pay attention to frequency: weekly backups might be just about acceptable for sites that never change, but daily backups are much better.

No matter how experienced you are in the web hosting world, you're sure to need support occasionally. Check out your prospective hosts' support site: does it have content on the topics you'd expect, and is this helpful and easy to read? A host should at least have 24/7 live chat support, but telephone, ticket, and email helps, too: there can't be too many ways to get in touch.

Web hosting frequently asked questions

What is shared hosting.

Shared hosting is a simple scheme where multiple websites are stored on the same web server (a type of computer).

One benefit of shared hosting is its simplicity. You don't have to spend any time maintaining the server, because your provider does that. All you need to do is work on your own site.

Sharing a web server means sharing the costs, too, and with sometimes hundreds of websites on the same server, that usually means rock-bottom prices.

The big problem with shared hosting is you’re also sharing your server's system resources: CPU time, RAM, storage and network connection. There's only so much to go around, and the more sites on your server, the slower and less dependable your own website is likely to be.

Shared hosting is still the best choice in many situations. If you're creating a simple blog, a site for family, a local club, anything with very light traffic where no-one will care much if the site is a little slow occasionally, the shared option is ideal. It's very easy to use, and you can get decent plans from many providers for around $2 to $4 a month.

But if this is something more important, a web store, maybe a business site, then a slow or unreliable website will drive visitors away. It’s well worth upgrading to something more powerful.

What is VPS hosting?

VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting is a clever technology which divides a single physical server into multiple server environments.

Log onto a VPS and you'll have access to what looks like the full server. This is far more complex than shared hosting, but it also gives you much more control. You can install any apps, tweak any server settings, even replace the entire operating system if you like.

There will be other VPS environments on the same physical server (though not as many other accounts as with shared hosting), reducing your performance a little. But you'll have your own allocation of network bandwidth, RAM, storage and CPU time. These won't be shared with other customers, which means your site should see higher and more consistent speeds than you'll get with shared hosting.

Upgrading is often very easy, too. If website traffic grows and you need additional resources - more CPU time, extra RAM, a higher bandwidth allowance - then you can typically add them to your plan in a click or two, and they'll be available almost immediately.

This extra power comes at a price, but it might be much less than you think. Hostinger's cheapest shared hosting plan is $1.99 a month on the four-year plan; its cheapest VPS plan is just $2.99, again over four years. It's a very basic plan, but at $8.99 for a one-off month, it's not expensive to see if a VPS could work for you.

What is dedicated hosting?

As the name suggests, dedicated hosting is a plan where a physical server is dedicated to a single client. That means no more speed issues because you're sharing bandwidth, RAM or CPU time with other accounts: the entire system is yours alone.

As you're renting the entire physical server, most providers allow you to build it with whatever hardware you need. You can typically choose your CPU, storage drives and type (cheap and high capacity HDDs, smaller but faster SSDs), operating system, bandwidth allowance and more.

This can be expensive. Even budget providers like Namecheap charge a monthly $50-$60 for their most basic dedicated servers, and Liquid Web's top-of-the-range enterprise models might cost $500 or more (although they're aimed at huge sites which might have a million page views a month).

There's more work involved in managing a dedicated server, too. With shared hosting, if your server crashes, the provider support team should notice and fix or reboot it. But if you're running the server, all that is up to you, unless you pay even more to the provider to handle it for you.

If you absolutely need top performance and complete control of your server, though, a dedicated plan is probably the way to go.

What is WordPress hosting?

WordPress is a popular free platform which makes it easy to build all kinds of websites, from a simple one-page offering, to a blog, a professional business site, even a full web store.

Many web hosting providers offer WordPress plans which simplify the process of setting up your site, and often include tools to boost speeds and keep the site running more smoothly.

Buy a plan and WordPress usually comes pre-installed, for example, so you won't have to set it up yourself. WP Engine throws in some stylish WordPress themes, allowing you to create a gorgeous-looking site even if you've zero design skills. And most plans make at least some effort to automatically update WordPress with new patches as they arrive, reducing your site maintenance hassles.

If your WordPress needs are very simple, you may not need a specialist WordPress hosting plan. Most shared hosting plans have easy WordPress installation and a handful of other relevant features, and Hostinger's all-in-one shared hosting product gives you all kinds of valuable extras - automated updates, a WordPress site-building wizards, performance accelerators, more - from as little as $2.99 a month.

Does server location matter?

Yes. You can host your website anywhere and still get fast loading times on the other side of the world by using a CDN but it's still best to host the actual site as close to your customers as possible. A CDN can speed up website access on pages that are frequently accessed but if your site is not in constant use in a region, you will see less benefit. Plus, a CDN is often an added cost. If you simply purchased a server close to your customers, you wouldn't need a CDN. If you have an audience in a specific region it's worth searching for the best web hosting services in that area. For example, the best UK web hosting .

What is managed hosting?

Shared hosting accounts are generally very simple to operate, but higher end products - WordPress, VPS hosting, dedicated servers - often require running all kinds of maintenance tasks. You might need to test and update WordPress plugins, install operating system patches, spot and troubleshoot server errors, maybe reboot a server if it locks up or crashes.

Buy a managed web hosting plan and some or all of these tasks will be carried out by your hosting provider's regular support team. You'll potentially save real time and hassle, and if problems do crop up, they'll be speedily addressed by the people best qualified to fix them.

Sounds great-- so why would anyone do anything else? Cost, mostly. Hostwinds' 4-core 8GB RAM VPS costs $59.99 fully managed, for instance, but only $38.99 for the unmanaged DIY version, a big drop in price.

One key message here is to keep this in mind when comparing WordPress, VPS or dedicated plans between hosting providers. Host A may look seriously cheap, but are you comparing a managed with an unmanaged plan? Be sure to check the small print.

There's no precise definition of 'managed', either, so don't simply assume a managed plan means you'll have absolutely no maintenance to do. Every provider has its own definition of what's covered and what isn't, so check it out, make sure you understand exactly what's covered before you buy.

What is email hosting?

One of the big advantages of registering a domain is you can have your own custom email address ([email protected] is far more impressive and business-like than [email protected]). 

You probably won't get email when you register a domain, for instance. Most hosting plans include some email support, but it may not be as powerful as you need, especially for business use. You'll often see strict limits on Inbox size, the number of accounts you can create, even the number of emails you can send a day.

Email hosting is a service which allows you to send and receive emails via a custom domain. You don't have to buy email hosting from the same provider as your web hosting, and in fact you don't need web hosting at all: just register a domain, buy an email hosting plan and you're ready to start creating and using all those [email protected] email accounts.

Signing up for email hosting may get you a better service. The top providers give you plenty of Inbox space, support large attachments, don't hold you back with annoying usage limits and provide built-in spam, phishing and malware filters to keep you safe.

This could be a feature well worth adding to your hosting line-up, and it's generally inexpensive; many email hosting plans cost around $1-$2.50 a month. But if you currently have a budget shared hosting plan, keep in mind that upgrading might get you better email features and a bunch of other goodies, too. Check your provider's hosting feature lists to find out exactly what you get.

What else should I consider when picking a web host?

Three or four-year hosting plans can have appealingly low prices, but they don't always work out. If you're unhappy with a host, or your site grows and the old plan can't handle the increased traffic, you may have to buy something else early. It's safer to sign up for a year (or even less), at least initially, and perhaps choose a VPS or similar plan where it's easy to add more resources as required.

Uptime (the percentage of the day that your website is available) is a key stat for any serious website. If a potential customer can't find or use your website, at best they'll think you're unprofessional, at worst they'll give up on you entirely and go elsewhere.

Web hosting providers often quote uptime figures such as '99.9%', but these don't always cover the issues you might expect. Check the small print carefully for any hidden catches.

Look for a Service Level Agreement (SLA), too, especially for dedicated and other high-end hosting plans. These go beyond vague website promises to guarantee uptime, support response times and other elements of the service, and describe the compensation you'll get if the target is missed.

And if you're looking for more specific advice on one type of hosting in particular, chances are we've an article that can help. Get started with our guides to the best free web hosting , best WordPress hosting , best VPS hosting , best managed hosting and best Minecraft server hosting . Each article has links to other guides and reviews where you'll find out more.

Web hosting features explained

If you’re new to web hosting, some of the terms and features may sound confusing. To help you understand them, we’ve come up with a quick explainer for the most common elements in web hosting services:

Domain name . It’s the address people type in their browsers to visit your website, like techradar.com. Many hosting plans include one domain name for free for the first year of registration. Choose a .com domain to establish your credibility or .online for an affordable alternative.

SSL certificate . This feature encrypts the connection between your website and your visitors’ browsers, preventing hackers from accessing it. Hosting providers usually provide one for free from Let’s Encrypt . Some also offer a premium version as an add-on, which can provide a better warranty and level of verification. 

Unmetered bandwidth . This means the hosting provider won’t monitor or cap the amount of data transferred, so there’s no need to worry about extra bandwidth usage fees once the website’s traffic grows. Each company has a different policy on unmetered resources, so make sure to read their terms and conditions beforehand.

SSD disk space . Compared to HDDs, SSDs are a much more reliable storage solution. They’re less prone to disk failures and can serve data twenty times faster, speeding up your website’s performance.

cPanel . With this control panel, new users can manage their hosting via an intuitive interface – no technical skills required. You can access different features, check out your resource usage, and configure the domain’s settings within a few clicks.

WordPress auto-installer . This feature lets you set up WordPress in a few clicks from the hosting’s control panel. That way, there’s no need to download and upload the CMS files yourself. 

Website migration . Most hosting providers allow transferring an existing site from another host to their servers. Typically, you have to insert some information about the website, submit a ticket to their customer support team, and wait a few hours for the migration to initiate.

Custom HTML and CSS . The control panel should provide access to your website’s files, including HTML and CSS, via the file manager or an FTP client. Feel free to edit them to customize the site’s front end to your liking. 

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James is a tech journalist deeply interested in interconnectivity and digital infrastructure. After graduating with a degree in English language & journalism he worked editing technical documentation for tech giants including Alibaba Cloud, Tencent, and Bytedance. James stays up to date with the latest web and internet trends by attending datacenter summits, WordPress conferences, and mingling with software and web developers. At TechRadar Pro, James is responsible for ensuring web hosting pages are as relevant and as helpful to readers as possible and is also leading the way in creating genuinely useful content on large language models. 

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What we're doing about mental health

Almost half of all Australian adults will face mental ill-health at some point in their lives. Making sure people can access care when they need it is critical. Find out how we’re building a strong mental health system for Australia.

Get help now

In an emergency, call 000.

Help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, anywhere in Australia. If you need help now, call:

• Lifeline   – 13 11 14
• Kids Helpline   – 1800 55 1800
• Mental Health Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team in your state/territory
• Beyond Blue – 1300 224 636.

Find a list of services that can help you right now  at Head to Health.

If you need urgent care, go to the emergency department at your local hospital. If you have private hospital insurance cover, you can upgrade your cover to access in-hospital psychiatric care and receive inpatient mental health care once, before the waiting period is completed.

Policies and plans

National policies and plans helping to guide government action on mental health issues include:

• the Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan – commits all governments to integrated mental health and suicide prevention action from 2017 to 2022
• the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement – sets out the shared intention of all governments to work in partnership to improve the mental health of all Australians (reduce the rate of suicide towards zero, ensure the sustainability of the Australian mental health and suicide prevention system and enhance their services)
• Vision 2030 – shapes a national direction for a successful, connected mental health and suicide prevention system to meet the needs of all Australians
• National Mental Health Policy – is our commitment that we will always seek to improve Australia's mental health system
• the National Mental Health and Wellbeing Pandemic Response Plan – supports the mental health of Australians during and after the COVID-19 pandemic
• the COVID-19 National Health Plan – supports the health of Australians through the COVID-19 pandemic
• the  National Mental Health Workforce Strategy 2022–2032  – provides a high-level vision and roadmap to build a sustainabile workforce to deliver mental health treatment, care and support that meets our population's needs.

The Productivity Commission has handed down its final inquiry report on mental health, following a major inquiry into Australia’s mental health systems, policies and programs.

It makes several recommendations to better coordinate our mental health system and make sure people are seeking help when they need it.

The Australian Government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations in consultation with stakeholders. Read the full Productivity Commission report and the Prime Minister’s statement .

Legislation

Each state and territory also has its own mental health legislation:

• New South Wales
• South Australia
• Western Australia
• Australian Capital Territory
• Northern Territory .

Regulation and compliance

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care develops the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards .

These standards ensure that mental health services in hospitals and community services are of high quality.

Resources specific to mental health to support the standards include:

• National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards user guide for health services providing care for people with mental health issues  
• Map of the second edition of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards with the National Standards for Mental Health Services .

Online mental health services have become an integral part of mental health support.

We have asked the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care to develop the National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health Standards , which will help make sure online services are accurate, safe and of high quality.

Initiatives and programs

We have initiatives and programs to improve the lives of people living with mental ill-health, their families, carers and communities.

These include:

• the Head to Health website – information, advice, and free or low-cost phone and online mental health services and supports to help yourself or someone you know who needs support
• COVID-19 mental health support – to help Australians through the pandemic 
• digital mental health support – funding for phone and online mental health services
• Primary Health Networks – face-to-face support and referrals to local support
• the Better Access initiative – Medicare rebates for mental health support for Australians who have mental health care plans
• healthdirect – easy access to trusted, quality health information and advice online and over the phone
• the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Transition Support Project – which works with Primary Health Networks and community mental health providers to streamline their NDIS processes and support clients as they move to the NDIS
• psychosocial support programs – support for people with severe mental illness
• Program of Assistance for Survivors of Torture and Trauma – specialised support services to permanently resettled humanitarian entrants and those on substantive temporary visas
• Interpreting services for PHN mental health services – Information for PHNs and their mental health service providers on how to access interpreting services

Some of these initiatives are based on the 2015 review of mental health programs and services . The review highlighted the complexity, inefficiency and fragmentation of the mental health system. It made 25 recommendations to improve the way we deal with mental health.

Read the Australian Government’s response to the review , and the  summary fact sheet .

Suicide is a tragedy, and often the result of mental ill-health. Read what we’re doing to prevent suicide in our community .

Making sure we provide safe environments, where mental health is understood and free from stigma is critical.   

We fund education and resources for organisations and professionals to help them support people with mental ill-health. These include:

• Be You – resources for educators and schools to support their students’ mental health
• Australian Child and Adolescent Trauma, Loss and Grief Network – evidence-based resources and research for people working with young people affected by trauma
• National Eating Disorders Collaboration – works to prevent and manage eating disorders
• Mental Health Professionals Network – works to improve interdisciplinary mental health practice and collaborative care
• Mindframe  – guides the media on reporting sensitively about suicide, mental ill-health, alcohol and other drugs
• National Communications Charter: a unified approach to mental health and suicide prevention – guides the way organisations talk about mental health, mental ill-health and suicide to reduce stigma and promote help-seeking behaviour
• E-Mental Health in Practice – raises health practitioner awareness and knowledge of digital mental health.

Research gives us an insight into mental health and what works or doesn’t work in tackling mental health issues.

We fund research into mental health, to help us develop effective policies and programs. This includes:

• Medical Research Future Fund’s Million Minds Mental Health Research Mission – supports Australians who are experiencing mental ill-health to access new approaches to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and recovery
• The Prevention Hub – a collaborative research partnership between Black Dog Institute and Everymind which implements and evaluates preventative mental health interventions in different settings
• Young Minds Matter – the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
• The National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, which is part of the Intergenerational Health and Mental Health Study
• the  Intergenerational Health and Mental Health Study  – will provide the most complete picture ever collected of Australia's physical and mental health
• Project Synergy – trials the effectiveness of an online system to support mental health care
• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – provides important statistics and analysis of Australia's mental health, mental health services and interventions at national and regional levels.

Who we work with

We work with many other organisations, including:

• the National Mental Health Commission – which reports and advises on what is working and what is not in mental health and suicide prevention
• Primary Health Networks – which provide direct mental health services or can connect patients with local services
• Life in Mind – which has developed the National Communications Charter to promote common language in mental health, mental ill-health and suicide.
• Mental health and suicide prevention

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