2 Best VPN Services in 2020: SurfShark vs NordVPN

If you are on the internet, you are very much vulnerable to security attacks, hackers, and threats no matter what. The Internet is filled with all sorts of people, and to make sure you are safe on the internet and your information remains with you only, you need to take specific steps. A very prominent step in one of them is getting a reliable VPN service.

What is a VPN?

A VPN or a Virtual Private Network is an encrypted connection built over the internet from a device to an entire network. In simple terms, VPN adds an extra layer of security via encryption to an insecure or less secure public network. This means that your web browsing and surfing experience is more secure and safe.

Just saying “an extra layer of security” is only a fraction of what VPN is capable of. If you are a frequent user of a public network like a coffee shop or a co-working space, a reliable VPN service can protect you from many security problems and data leaking possibilities. On top of this, since a VPN is a private network hosted elsewhere, it can also help you in the viewing country, or area restricted content quickly.

How Does VPN Work?

When you browse the internet, a query is generated and sent to the resources you are requesting. This query travels through numerous servers, physically spread over the world. The thing with these servers is that you cannot rely on them when it comes to security and protection of your data. If somebody wants to hack into what you are entering, they can tap into your network and gain access to all your data. Hackers and even government can easily tap into what you are sending and receiving and can easily exploit that data to harm you or your business. A VPN creates a private network that works as a middleman and acts as a point to point network connection between you and the VPN server.  When a Virtual Private Network is in place, your search request is encrypted and then gets sent to the VPN server. Then the VPN server requests the data from the source website or address and encrypts it before sending it back to your device. This way, your internet connection remains secure and far away from hackers, malware, your internet service provider, and even the government.

Why WordPress Users Require a VPN service?

So, we now know what VPNs are used for and how they can help you in maintaining a secure network over the internet. Let’s take a look at why you need a VPN service. Why don’t we look at this with the help of an example? Let’s say you are working on your website or your client’s website from a coffee shop and minding your own business. Since you are on a public network like a coffee shop, you are vulnerable to attacks and data breaches since literally anybody can get access to the wifi network quickly. I mean, how hard it is to ask the barista for the wifi password?

Once a hacker gets the wifi access, they can tap into what you are sending and requesting from your system. For example, you enter the details of your WordPress admin dashboard, your details and credentials can be stolen. If you are accessing through an HTTPS, you are much more secure. This is because the traffic is already encrypted, but this is not always the case. For example, if you are working on a client website without SSL certification, your only reliable way to deal with this is by using a virtual private network or VPN.So, if you, too, are a WordPress user, you can log into any website and from any network, private or public, without worrying about data theft or any hacking attack. With a VPN, you can also boost the security for your website. For example, if you have a VPN service that comes with a dedicated IP Address, you can create a VPN with static IP, that way, you will be able to safely access your website no matter where you are in the world. You can restrict some sensitive parts of your website to only accessible from a specific IP address with this, making your data more secure.

How to Choose the Best VPN as a WordPress User?

There are quite a few good VPNs out there, and if you are going to buy one of those, you need to make sure that you know the things you should be looking for. If you are not aware of what VPNs are, I would strongly recommend that you go through these points before making a purchase. If you do not want to do that, you can go through our list of top 3 VPNs for WordPress users and can choose the one you like. But before we get there, let’s discuss what features make a VPN service worth going for.

Here are the things that you must look at before selecting a VPN service.

Easy Setting Up

Nothing is worth going after if it only complicates things, and this applies to VPN service providers as well. You need to go with a provider, which makes your jobs more effortless and secure. Ideally, you can select a provider with an easy setup and getting started guide and can be set up without any technical assistance requirement.

Performance & Bandwidth

You do not want a slow bandwidth VPN. It can be pretty annoying in your daily usage and can kill your productivity as well. If the VPNs do not have the infrastructure to support faster connections, it will reflect in your daily productivity. This is something you do not want.

Dedicated IP

Not all, but some VPNs allow you to pay a little more, and for that extra amount, you get a dedicated IP address. This address can be beneficial if you want to restrict some parts of your website. Parts like super admin controls, or any other sensitive side of your website which you do not want to be accessible from anywhere in the world. For such scenarios, a dedicated IP address is perfect.

Servers and Physical Locations

The more servers the VPN provider has, the more options you get to choose from. Having more servers will allow you to get access to content which is locked based on the geographical locations, and you always get the option to jump from a slower location server to a faster one.

Data Security and Privacy

After all, you are doing this to add an extra layer of security. Why leave this out now? You need to make sure that your VPN service provider comes with the best layer of added security to protect you from any potential issues and attacks. 

Price

Last but not the least cared about. Do not directly go ahead with the cheapest option out there but see and compare the features and return you get for the price you pay. Also, you can take a look at the prices for more extended periods. You will see a significant difference in the price you pay for monthly plans vs. the price you pay for the yearly rates. With these things to keep in mind, you can now take a look at the top 3 VPNs for WordPress users out there. You should do an individual check and see if the VPN clears the requirement or not. Let’s have a look at the top 3 VPNs for WordPress.

Top 3 VPN Services for WordPress Users

Here are the top three WordPress VPN services that you can go with. All these services are excellent, and you can choose any of these VPNs, and you will get one of the best deals out there.

SurfShark VPN

While other companies listed here are considered the big players, and someone might say they are a popular option. But other reliable and stable VPNs are entering the market recently. And SurfShark VPN is one of those emerging companies.SurfShark is a trustworthy VPN company with secure infrastructure and fast servers. While it might have fewer servers and locations, it does have some unique features that set it apart from others.SurfShark offers the best plans and pricing options that will fit even the tightest budgets. This feature does make SurfShark one of the most affordable VPN services out there.

Features of SurfShark VPN:

RELIABLE SECURITY

SafeShark does a great job of keeping your data and information secure, so it does not land in the wrong hands. With the encryption techniques and protocols (OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec) being used are the best in the industry.

ANONYMITY

SurfShark can easily cloak your IP address and redirect it through a secure VPN tunnel. This allows you to stay anonymous no matter what you do online. Also, like other VPNs, SurfShark comes with a kill switch, as well.

PRIVACY FIRST POLICY

SurfShark is based in the British Virgin Islands, as well. This helps SurfShark in keeping away from strict data retention laws. With the no-logs policy, SurfShark does not have anything to give up, which is a big plus in case the government ever requests the logs in the jurisdiction they are in.

UNLIMITED DEVICES

You can connect with as many devices you want with SurfShark. Since you can connect all your devices like computers, mobiles, TVs, routers, tablets, etc. with SurfShark, it makes it possible for you to browse privately entirely.

Other Notable Features:

WHITELIST

With the split tunneling feature, you will be able to create separate tunnels. This makes it possible for you to whitelist websites that go through the natural passageways and a different tunnel to direct all the other traffic through the encrypted passageway.

MULTIHOP

MultiHop makes it possible for you to connect from different countries at once, making it possible for you to take your ID protection and footprint masking to a different level.

CAMOUFLAGE MODE

Camouflage mode adds an additional mask on your encryption, which assures that even your ISP can’t tell if you are using a VPN.

PRICING

The price of SurfShark starts at $1.99 per month if you go for the two-year plan, and for the 12-month plan, it costs $5.99 per month. If you want a single month plan, you can get it for 11.95 per month.

Go To SurfShark VPN

NordVPN

Another very popular option is the VPN industry is NordVPN, with more than 5000 servers located in over 62 countries. This VPN service comes with a suite of easy to use apps as well, which makes it super easy to get started.NordVPN allows you to connect with up to six devices and on different server locations simultaneously.

Features of NordVPN

Let’s take a look at the notable features of NordVPN:

PRIVACY AND SECURITY

NordVPN is equipped with almost everything you’ll need to make your WordPress website sessions secure. You get the DNS leak protection, No logs policy, AES- 256 encryption. And even the Kill switch functionality to assure that your connection is always secure.

SERVER LOCATIONS

As mentioned earlier, NordVPN has more than 5000 servers spread in over 60 countries. This does add up to the features of a VPN as you can connect from various locations if required.

EASE OF CONNECTIVITY

Like other popular VPN providers, NordVPN has dedicated apps connectivity. Connectivity with windows, iOS, macOS, Android, Linux, and they also have browser extensions for Chrome and FireFox.

PRICING AND PLANS

When it comes to pricing, NordVPN does have outstanding offers. If you are planning for a long term investment like a 3-year plan, you can get NordVPN for a great price of just $3.49 per month. The two-year plans come at $4.99 per month. If you want a yearly plan, you can get it for $6.99. If you’re going to try out NordVPN for a single month, you can get it for $11.95 per month.

Winding Up – What is the VPN of your choice?

The VPNs listed above are the best in the industry. You can choose from any of the 2 VPNs, and you will do just fine. If you have specific requirements, so make sure to check them before purchasing the VPN of your choice.

The 6 Best Lenovo Laptops of 2020

Since 1984, Lenovo has been making affordable and reliable laptops for business and creative professionals. The brand offers laptops for every need, with a wide variety of screen sizes, processors, audio tech, display resolutions, and security features available.

Even more, memory options can be customized with high-capacity solid-state drives or traditional hard disk drives. Lenovo laptops also have long battery life, often topping 10 hours or more, while some are tested against 12 different military-grade specifications for high-end durability. We’ve gathered our top picks to help you choose which Lenovo laptop is right for you. 

Best Overall: ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2

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The ThinkPad X1 Extreme is a well-rounded, powerhouse of a laptop: it features a 9th generation Intel Core processor, 64 GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 1TB SSD for ultra-fast file access. It even has an Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics card that’s VR-ready. The 15.6-inch laptop also features a 4K OLED screen for an unparalleled picture, and with Dolby Vision HDR support, you’ll get great color volume and detailing.

The laptop is tested against 12 different military-grade requirements to ensure durability. To keep your data safe from unauthorized access, it has an infrared camera that’s compatible with Windows Hello for facial recognition-based log-ins. Better yet, the battery gives you up to 14 hours of use on a single charge and reaches 80 percent power with just an hour of charging time.

Best for Travel: IdeaPad S940

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For anyone who travels a lot for work, opt for the IdeaPad S940. It weighs just 2.6 pounds and measures 12.2mm thin, making it small and lightweight enough to slip into a backpack or tote bag. With the Alexa virtual assistant built-in, you get hands-free controls over your laptop, too. Thanks to the advanced Wi-Fi connectivity, you’ll have blazing fast internet speeds no matter where you are. Bluetooth connectivity also lets you wirelessly set up all the peripherals you’ll need to tackle your workload. 

When using the 720p HD front-facing camera, you can activate the BackBlur feature, which automatically obscures your background to hide any distractions. For security, this laptop has an IR camera that works with Windows Hello for facial recognition-enabled log-ins. It also has a battery life of up to 15 hours on a single charge, along with a quick charging mode while the laptop is off.

Best for Creatives: Legion Y740

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Creative professionals will love the power and portability of the Legion Y740. Weighing just under 5 pounds and measuring 20mm thin, this laptop features an all-aluminum, precision cut chassis that’s both stylish and durable. Plus, the backlit keyboard uses Corsair iCUE software to produce millions of colors and several lighting effects.

With an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card, you’ll get G-Sync support for smooth graphics and plenty of rendering power for 3D and 2D art. The 15.6-inch screen features 1080p HD resolution with Dolby Vision HDR support and a 144Hz refresh rate, meaning you’ll get stunning images for photo editing and video processing. Even more, the Dolby Atmos virtual surround sound and integrated soundbar and subwoofer will give you deep, rich audio. Note that the laptop has a battery life of up to just five hours.

Best Budget: ThinkPad E14

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Budget-friendly yet dependable, the ThinkPad E14 features a 10th generation Intel i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive for plenty of power and storage. The 14-inch screen gives you 1080p HD resolution and uses integrated Intel UHD graphics for great picture quality. The anti-glare coating on the screen also lets you view your work from almost any angle. With Windows 10 Pro, the laptop carries the Microsoft Office suite of software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

The integrated 720p camera is optimized for use with Skype and other interoffice video call software, while the privacy shutter gives you more security. An integrated security chip protects your data from unauthorized access, too. Built-in Wi-Fi lets you connect to wireless internet networks, and HDMI inputs let you connect the laptop to secondary displays for a multi-monitor setup. The battery life offers 13 hours of use on a single charge. 

Best 2-in-1: Yoga 730

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The Yoga 730 2-in-1 uses the 8th generation Intel i7 processor and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 video card for plenty of power. You can also customize your memory options with up to 16GB of RAM and an SSD up to 1TB—enough storage for all of your work files. The 15.6-inch touchscreen has 4,096 levels of sensitivity when used with compatible pens for superior control when handwriting or drawing.

What’s more, the 720p HD camera and fingerprint reader are compatible with Windows Hello for facial recognition and other bio-based log-ins. The 2-in-1 also boasts virtual surround sound and rich audio thanks to the JBL speakers’ Dolby Atmos technology. With Windows 10 Home, you get access to the Cortana virtual assistant and hands-free voice controls. Get up to 11 hours of battery life with this laptop.

Best Splurge: ThinkPad P73

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For a high-end laptop that will last you years, consider the ThinkPad P73. This laptop uses a powerful Intel i9 processor and supports up to 128GB of RAM, along with dual SSD slots for more storage. It also uses Nvidia Quadro RTX Graphics for real-time rendering of 3D graphics and VR environments. The 17.3-inch screen produces 4K resolution and features X-Rite Pantone color calibration for true-to-life color ranges. Plus, the dual 2-watt speakers use Dolby Atmos technology for virtual surround sound.

With Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, this laptop ensures blazing fast internet speeds and supports wireless peripherals, too. It’s even tested against 12 different military-grade specifications for durability. For security, this laptop has an infrared camera and fingerprint reader that work with Windows Hello for password-free logins. The battery gives you up to 17 hours on a single charge and also features quick charging technology.

Wix Review: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Apr 2020)

Wix is known for its simple website builder, with a drag and drop interface and a development wonderland for complete beginners. Wix ecommerce has also seen some success, with competitive pricing and decent-looking themes.

Basically, the Wix Ecommerce system allows for selling anything from clothing to specialty cakes. There’s even support for digital goods like audio files and eBooks.

The company has taken the website building world by storm, helping small business owners leapfrog over expensive website design companies and put their own time into generating a stylish website–without having to pay the hefty costs.

Wix still can’t beat out more powerful ecommerce platforms like Shopify, or more beautiful systems like Squarespace, but that’s not exactly what Wix is trying to do.

I’ve played around with Wix in the past, and I find the tools to be simple and intuitive, but that doesn’t mean that the company’s ecommerce system reflects past achievements. We know that other newer ecommerce companies like Squarespace have seen their share of hurdles, since making an online store creation interface is rather difficult.

That said, I want to give you an in-depth review on what I think about Wix Ecommerce, so keep reading to understand if it’s a viable platform for you.

Wix Ecommerce Features

Upon creating an account and scanning through the general dashboard, Wix Ecommerce seems to offer the standard features that you would expect from any ecommerce platform. That said, compared to a solution like Shopify, you find quite a few features that are lacking in the Wix system.

Wix has an easy-to-use dashboard, and the drag and drop interface works well for beginners. It has an app market for including add-ons and other cool things like contact forms and receipts.

However, once again, the Shopify add-on library mainly focuses on ecommerce add-ons, whereas Wix covers everything outside of ecommerce as well. This is a strong advantage for Wix, since it allows you to expand on every aspect of your website.

You can quickly add a product page, integrate social media, including images and even change around shapes and buttons.

These are all to be expected, but it’s nice to know Wix did well in terms of the basics.

I like how you can add quick product galleries, or even drop in a quick Buy button or showcase sales. A Thank You Message pops up right after someone makes a purchase, and the seamless checkout process is secure and message-based, sending you emails to stay in the loop.

Wix Ecommerce Ease of Use

Ease of use is a strong area for Wix since the drag and drop editor is simply flawless. Wix has always had this for their its site builders. Now it’s integrated in for ecommerce sites. The dashboard has just a few buttons to choose from, helping beginners hone in on the tasks that are most important.

You can move around every component on your homepage and product pages with just a quick drop of your mouse. This way you don’t have to worry about messing with code to make your customizations. You also receive a nice taskbar at the top to publish or save your work, ensuring that you don’t lose anything.

The five buttons on the left of the dashboard allow you to modify pages, add components, design items, go to the app market and mess around with your settings. There’s also a dedicated button for Wix stores, which is extremely helpful for quickly checking on orders, customers, and inventory. Overall, the interface is simplistic, kinda fun and easy on the eyes.

It’s more specific to ecommerce, with options for your product catalog, orders, store promotion options, and more.

Wix Ecommerce Pricing

Feel free to view all of the Wix pricing plans on this page, but the breakdown for ecommerce sites is simple.

If you pay an upfront yearly fee you spend a little less per month, but we’re going to cover the monthly plans.

The eCommerce and VIP plans are the only options for online stores. Therefore, you have to pay either $17 or $25 per month.

The eCommerce plan comes with a free domain for a year, some interesting ad vouchers for marketing your site, two premium add-ons for free and 20GB of storage. VIP comes with unlimited bandwidth, VIP support, priority response and a professional site review. As for online store tools, the VIP plan isn’t much different than the eCommerce plan.

If you need to save some money for your startup or small business, this pricing is one of the best in the business, beating out options like Shopify or Squarespace.

Wix Ecommerce Templates and Design

I have one thing to say about the Wix ecommerce templates: They’re quite modern.

And you can now use them to rapidly scale up your store if you would like. Yes, the templates allow for beginners to still make a basic website and not worry about the complications of coding. However. Wix now offers something called Wix Code, which opens up the API for advanced customizations and integrations.

I used to think that Wix wasn’t great for more complicated customizations like this, but that’s definitely changed. So, you can either hire a developer or complete the work yourself if you’re up for the task.

Overall, you can’t beat the designs in terms of cleanliness. They’re awesome for starting your first store, and even for growing into a mid-sized business.

Wix Ecommerce Inventory

Managing inventory in Wix isn’t all that difficult. You can add a product, track inventory, display how many units are left, include product options and check in on your orders. It has support for collections, tags, store promotions and more.

Wix is also great for selling digital products, since the product page templates are designed differently and ready for you to insert content.

Managing your inventory when it goes out to users has become more manageable. For instance, Wix offers a cool feature for calculating real-time shipping. You can also scan barcodes to track your shipping and give your customers a better idea of when packages are coming.

The Wix Mobile Apps

Being on-the-go as an ecommerce professional is often unavoidable. That’s why Wix has put together an excellent mobile app for you to manage your entire online store and add products regardless of where you are. I particularly enjoy this because you can check-in on your orders and make sure that everything is running smoothly when you’re out of the office.

In addition to that, you can chat with your site visitors, adjust your website, and keep track of bookings if you have that functionality on your site. Wix offers an iPhone app and an Android app.

Wix Ecommerce SEO and Marketing

SEO and marketing features are surprisingly powerful in Wix, and I attribute that to the fact that Wix has been making websites for quite some time. It doesn’t matter what page you’re on, just go to the SEO settings and fill in fields for your site title, site description, keywords, meta tags, redirects and more.

Marketing comes into play through the add-on store since you can implement integrations for things like email marketing and search engine advertising.

In fact, the email marketing and coupons are managed right in the drag Wix editor, making for an intuitive marketing system.

Other than that, Wix has all the essentials for your marketing campaigns. You can implement customer reviews on all of your product pages and create content for your users through a blog. I also enjoy the ad campaigns for growing your audience and the direct integration with Google AdSense.

Along with Pinterest features, social media icons, and a full Etsy shop, you can’t find a more powerful marketing platform than Wix.

Wix Ecommerce Payments

The Wix Ecommerce payment options have drastically improved over the years, as the company adds new payment gateways on a regular basis, along with a simple process for connecting and onboarding.

Dozens of gateways are provided, including 2Checkout, Stripe, and Square. Therefore, you can decide on the payment gateway of your choice and accept credit card payments and other payments like PayPal.

Wix Ecommerce Security

Wix has full SSL secure payment support. Therefore, your customer information is protected with 256-bit SSL encryption.  In addition, Wix only works with payment gateways that offer the highest level of protection. This means they all have PCI DSS Level 1 protection.

Wix Ecommerce Customer Support

Wix is known for its high-quality support, and you receive their premium support package when signing up for an ecommerce site. You don’t get the priority callback service, but you can always upgrade if that’s important to you.

The Wix Support Center delivers documentation, forums, and FAQs for just about any question you might have. You can also call in or send the company an email.

Conclusion

Who would I recommend the Wix Ecommerce platform to? Business owners who only plan on selling less than 100 products. You can make your site look fairly professional and run perfectly capable payment systems through the interface, and the dashboard is so darn easy to use.

WIX Rating: 4.5