Downloading copyrighted material won't get you kicked off the internet...yet.

A good internet connection can be difficult to find in rural areas. Here are our top picks for rural ISPs with decent speeds for competitive prices.

While the broadband options in Eugene are a bit limited, residents can still access fixed wireless, fiber and cable internet in the Emerald City. Our CNET experts have rounded up the top choices to help you find the best ISP for your home.

Reading Time: 8 minutes Sometimes, even the slickest emails can land with a thud in the spam folder. The culprit? Your email sender reputation. Just like a bank checks your credit history before lending you money, mailbox providers (like Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) check your sender reputation before deciding whether to deliver your customer relationship emails to the inbox or banish them to spam. So buckle up, because here, we’re about to unpack everything you need to know about what an email domain reputation is and how to keep yours squeaky clean. Now, you’re probably wondering…   What is Email Sender Reputation? Email sender reputation, also known as email domain reputation, is a measure of your brand’s trustworthiness as an email sender. It’s based on factors like your sending history, email engagement, and complaint rates, influencing whether mailbox providers deliver your messages to recipients’ inboxes or junk folders. A solid sender reputation is the golden ticket to inbox placement. Without it, your carefully crafted automated email marketing campaigns might as well be shouting into the void. Mailbox providers are constantly on the lookout for spammers and shady senders, and your reputation is a key indicator of whether you’re one of the good guys. But how do they know that?   5 Factors That Influence Email Marketing Sender Reputation Your email sending reputation isn’t built overnight; it’s a result of consistent behavior and several critical factors. Let’s break down the big five: 1. Quality of Your Email List Building your email list is hard, we know. But honestly, validating it to ensure that all email addresses are real and belong to existing subscribers helps you maintain a positive sender reputation score with mailbox providers. This is why you should use a proper email validation API, as it can help you quickly check if the email addresses are legitimate. Your reputation score can suffer if you’re labeled as a bad email sender, with all the bounces you get from a bad email list. 2. Email Sending History Having an established history with a particular IP address can boost the legitimacy and reputation score of your emails, which means the sender, messages, and recipients are all coming from a legitimate place. Spammers will often change IP addresses and, therefore, cannot establish a long and reputable sending history with IPs. 3. Consistency and Volume of Emails The number of emails you send and your consistency in sending them are also indicators of your legitimacy and reputation. Sending two emails every other week, for example, shows stability and predictability in terms of your sending volume and activities. Mailbox providers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) also examine your sending patterns and frequency to determine whether you’re still on the right track or have turned to spamming. 4. Email Open Rates or Engagement This is a metric that records subscriber activity or your email engagement, such as the open or click-through rates. It’s very significant because mailbox providers value their subscribers’ preferences. Your emails could be filtered out if there is a very low response rate or no interactions at all. 5. Emails Marked as ‘SPAM’ Mailbox providers would take a cue from their subscribers’ preferences whenever they receive emails. So, if your email messages are consistently marked as ‘Spam’, then this feedback would result in your emails being screened or placed in the Spam or Junk folder. And that’s not where you’d want your emails to hang out.   How to Check Email Sender Reputation You can verify your email domain reputation by monitoring key metrics and using reputation checking tools. Many email marketing software platforms (like MoEngage, for example) provide dashboards and analytics that help you monitor these crucial indicators. MoEngage goes a step further by offering insights and tools to help you proactively manage and improve your email deliverability, making it easier to spot and address potential reputation issues before they escalate. In fact, you can achieve an inbox placement rate of over 95%! Coming back to the topic, the platform indicates email domain reputation as High, Medium, Low, or Bad. More specifically, it lets you: Filter campaigns based on reputation while exporting their data. See historical trends in your domain reputation. View more information, such as when the reputation information was last updated. Analyze email marketing metrics, like open rates and click-through rates. How an Email Sender Reputation Score Works Your email sender reputation score is a dynamic rating that mailbox providers assign to your sending domain and IP address. This score isn’t a fixed number, but rather, a constantly evolving assessment based on your list quality, sending history, and other factors we’ve discussed above. Higher scores generally mean better inbox placement, while lower scores can lead to the dreaded spam folder. Different mailbox providers have their own algorithms for calculating this score, and the exact formulas are usually kept secret. However, the underlying principles revolve around your sending behavior and recipient engagement. How Can You Do a Domain Reputation Test and How Often Should You Do This? You can run an email domain reputation test using various software tools (we’ll get to some of the best ones in a sec!). These reputation checkers analyze your domain and IP address against known blacklists and provide insights into your current standing. Ideally, you should be monitoring your key metrics within your ESP regularly (daily or weekly) and perform a more comprehensive domain reputation test at least monthly, or more frequently if you’re experiencing deliverability issues. Consistent monitoring helps you catch problems early and maintain a healthy reputation.   3 Best Email Domain Reputation Checkers Alright, let’s talk tools. While your ESP often provides built-in deliverability insights, these external domain reputation checkers can offer another layer of perspective. Let’s jump right in! 1. MoEngage Okay, we might be a little biased, but hear us out. MoEngage is more than just an email marketing platform; it’s a powerhouse for cross-channel customer engagement. Its robust analytics and deliverability features give you a clear view of your email performance, helping you proactively manage your email sender reputation. MoEngage stands out because it integrates domain reputation monitoring with tools to improve engagement and personalize your campaigns, leading to better deliverability in the long run. Unlike some standalone domain reputation checkers, MoEngage provides actionable insights within your workflow. How Pricing Works: MoEngage offers customized pricing plans based on your specific needs and scale. Contact the sales team for a personalized quote. Best For: Brands looking for an integrated customer engagement platform (CEP) with robust email deliverability management capabilities. 2. Spamhaus Project The Spamhaus Project allows you to track spam, malware, phishing, and other cybersecurity threats. ISPs and email servers filter out unwanted and harmful content using Spamhaus’s DNS-based blocklists (DNSBLs). How Pricing Works: Spamhaus provides its blacklist data and lookup tools for free to most users, as part of their mission to combat spam. Best For: Quickly checking if your domain or IP is on major spam blacklists. 3. MxToolbox You can use MxToolbox to check if your domain is mentioned on any email blocklists. It scans your domain for mail servers, DNS records, web servers, and any problems. While comprehensive in its checks, this domain reputation checker doesn’t provide the same level of integrated deliverability management and analytics that a platform like MoEngage offers. How Pricing Works: MxToolbox offers both free tools and paid subscription plans with more advanced features, with pricing starting from around $85 per month. Best For: Performing a broad check across numerous email blacklists.   How to Improve Your Email Domain Reputation So, your domain email reputation doesn’t look as shiny as you’d like? No worries! Here are concrete steps you can take to improve it. Think of it as spring cleaning for your email sending practices. 1. Manage a Clean Email List Email list management is foundational. Regularly prune inactive subscribers, remove bounced addresses, and promptly honor unsubscribe requests. Implement a double opt-in process to ensure subscribers genuinely want to hear from you. A clean, engaged email list signals to mailbox providers that you’re sending to interested recipients, and reduces bounce rates and spam complaints. It’s crucial for a positive email sender reputation score. 2. Send Confirmation Emails with Double Opt-Ins Include double opt-ins where you send automated confirmation emails to subscribers. This helps you distinguish valid email addresses from nonexistent ones. Basically, protecting your email sender reputation is easy when you adhere to best practices. Ensuring that your email messages are engaging and interesting helps you get more clicks and open rates. Attracting more interaction to your email messages sends a signal to mailbox providers that you have a legitimate and professional organization. Increasing the positive activities and reviews will help build and solidify your branding strategy, sending a message that is relatable and understood by your subscribers. 3. Pause Violating Campaigns Notice a sudden spike in bounces or spam complaints after a particular email marketing campaign? Pause the campaign immediately to investigate the cause. Ideally, you should not send transactional and non-transactional emails from the same domain (domain/IP set). If the compliance requirements are met, there is no need to pause transactional emails. However, you should pause all one-time emails. Continuing to send problematic emails will only further damage your email sending reputation. Addressing the issue swiftly demonstrates responsibility to mailbox providers. 4. Correct the Mistakes Once you’ve paused a problematic campaign, take the time to understand what went wrong. Did you use a purchased list? Was the content or subject line misleading? (In which case, you need to have a list of the best email subject lines handy). Identify the root cause and implement corrective measures so it doesn’t happen again. Showing that you learn from your mistakes helps rebuild trust with mailbox providers over time. Then, raise a ticket to Gmail or other ESP explaining the cause behind the reputation issues, your changes, and the next steps you plan to follow. Have checkpoints to detect issues immediately, so you can always stay on top of them. 5. Use Subdomains for Sending Emails Establish a subdomain you’re going to use only for sending emails to customers. That’s because if anything goes wrong, the subdomain will take the hit directly, while mildly affecting your company’s main registered domain. It’s like a backup. Also, hopefully, your customers will remember and recognize your subdomain with time. So even if your emails do land in the spam folder, customers might mark them as ‘Not spam’. Yay! 6. Resume and Ramp Up Your Email Frequency After addressing the issues and making necessary changes, don’t be afraid to resume sending. But take baby steps. Resume your transactional emails first. Don’t send transactional and promotional emails from the same domains and IPs. If you already have, separate them while correcting your email setup. Next, resume your personalized event-triggered campaigns. Then, slowly send one-time campaigns to email openers and clickers (such as emails that have been opened 5 times in the last 60 days). Send at a lower RPM and send only 2-3 campaigns per week. After the email domain reputation improves, gradually increase the overall sending frequency and volume (it could take 6-8 weeks). When emailing non-engaged customers, slowly raise your email frequency to prevent sudden volume spikes from triggering spam filters. This careful approach communicates to mailbox providers that you are a responsible sender. 7. Customize Your Sending Patterns Avoid sending all your emails at the same time to everyone on your list. Segment your audience and tailor your sending schedules based on their engagement and time zones. This shows mailbox providers that you’re sending relevant content to the right customers at the right time, improving engagement and your overall email marketing domain reputation. Create lifecycle campaigns to engage your customers. Use dynamic segments, so inactive customers get dropped off automatically. Implement personalization across every aspect of your email.   Maintaining Email Domain Reputation with MoEngage Maintaining a stellar email domain reputation is an ongoing effort, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Hundreds of B2C brands trust MoEngage to provide the insights and tools they need to monitor deliverability, understand audience engagement, and proactively manage their sending practices. By leveraging the platform’s analytics and segmentation capabilities, our customers can be sure their emails consistently land in the inbox, where they belong. Ready to take control of your email deliverability and build a rock-solid email sender reputation? Explore MoEngage’s comprehensive email marketing solutions. Or better yet, request a demo to see MoEngage’s email solutions in action today. The post How to Check and Fix Your Email Sender Reputation appeared first on MoEngage.

Despite more and more companies requiring employees to return to the office, the telework/hybrid life is still going strong. Across US-based PCMag readers who took our Business Choice ISP survey, 28% work exclusively from home. Meanwhile, 38.8% work from home multiple days a week, and a majority (54.9%) say they do so at least occasionally. No matter where employees get their jobs done, internet connectivity is paramount. If you work from home, you need to choose the best ISP to keep connected and up to speed. If you run the IT department for a large office, choosing a provider can make or break the work done there. Which ISP is right for your workplace? The answer depends on your specific needs and service availability—sadly, affordable fiber optics aren’t available to all. But we’ve got a cross-section of providers below, selected by PCMag readers, representing the best in class. For the best home internet service providers, read our Readers’ Choice 2025: ISPs coverage. The Top US ISPs for Work in 2025Home Office ISPsThe top of the chart in terms of working from home belongs to a municipal provider, Nextlight, available in a suburb of Denver, CO. Fiber-to-the-home services provided by a local utility company like this score well with home users, and more than enough of the people rating Nextlight also use it for working from home.In the subcategories where it earns a score, Nextlight is on top, even besting the bigger name GFiber, though the two tie for likelihood to recommend. “Great value, excellent customer service, excellent product,” says one work-from-home Nextlight user.Only a select few can take advantage of a muni ISP, however. So we also always pick a major ISP as a winner, and this year, that’s clearly AT&T Fiber. Of all the ISPs with a multi-state reach in the millions, AT&T Fiber has the best scores.(Note: Click the arrows in our interactive charts to view various elements of our survey results.)Respondents had favorable things to say about AT&T Fiber. “My wife works from home, and we had a fiber cut in the yard; they were quick to repair it, in three hours,” says one respondent. Another offers, “AT&T Fiber still beats any of the cable services we have tried.” When it comes to satellite-based ISPs for working from home, Starlink stands alone. The other satellite ISPs don’t even make the cut, as not enough of our readers rate them. Even so, Starlink scores incredibly well, with numbers only bested by local fiber providers. Respondents typically refer to the service as pricey—it scores lowest for value—but note that it is a step up from any other option they have available. Astound Broadband wins as the top cable company for work-from-home use. It also has high scores for mobile and home phone service, both things that telecommuters are very likely to put to use. Lastly, the T-Mobile 5G Home InternetWork ISPs We ask respondents to rate the ISPs they use in a workplace that isn’t at home. The usual suspects tend to be huge names in the internet world, like Spectrum (from Charter) or Xfinity (from Comcast), and both do indeed appear in this list. But at the bottom. Recommended by Our EditorsThis year, Astound Broadband also is the top ISP with readers for in the office outside the home.Astound seals the deal with high marks in all its subcategories, in particular ease of use, speed, and reliability. Reader comments include “Nothing but great things to say” and “These guys are the best. I had my business set up for success in no time.” IT-Managed ISPsThis list was a little larger than last year, when the award went to Astound and Fios. This time around, those two weren't in the running, leaving the field to just three players.AT&T. The company improved its scores since 2024, from 7.9 out of 10 for overall satisfaction to an 8.2. When IT adopts AT&T for use, the ISP earns very high scores for connection reliability, speed, and ease of use. It also earns a good rating for management, an important factor for an IT department.The Top Canadian ISPs for Work in 2025Home Office ISPsThe majority of Canadians use one of the big three ISPs (Bell, Rogers, and Telus) or one of their off-shoot “flanker” brands, which use their parent company's network. But there are a select few ISPs that also have their own network and are trying to grow by not just leasing lines from others. Those include companies like Cogeco, Eastlink, and Videotron. The latter is once again the top pick in our survey by Canadians who work from homeVideotron is the top ISP for overall satisfaction, speed, and ease of use; it ties with TekSavvy (an ISP that mainly uses lines owned by other providers) for customer service. Among ancillary services that business users will appreciate, Videotron rates high for its mobile phone service and the home Wi-Fi routers it provides. “Fast and worth the price,” one user says of Videotron.Other noteworthy top scores for work-from-home go to Virgin Plus (owned by Bell), which has the top scores for value, reliability, and tech support, plus ties with leader Videotron for customer service. But somehow, with all that, Virgin Plus only landed in fifth place.We also focus on the big three, since many people prefer having an ISP from a major corporation, especially for work. Bell Canada tops the list of those providers, narrowly staying ahead of Telus for overall satisfaction again this year. “Bell Canada has always been very good at offering reliable internet," says one respondent, "so we are able to get our jobs done properly and quickly.” Work and IT-Managed ISPsFor the second year in a row, Telus is the top pick for ISPs managed by IT teams. It also earns the top spot for ISPs in offices, as chosen by the employees who use it. The scores Telus earns are the best across every possible category, though it's just a couple of tenths of a point above Bell for overall satisfaction. But the spread is higher in categories like cost, reliability, tech support, customer service, and management. “Telus at my workplace [is] a seamless, positive experience with no problems,” says one survey taker. Another says it has “the best customer service in the world," adding that the "connection is amazing.” When it comes to IT-managed ISPs, Telus also wins, and with even higher numbers. In many cases, it's a full point ahead of Bell. Meanwhile, Rogers consistently comes in third in all areas in both charts, except for setup, where it beats Bell (but not Telus) both times.The PCMag Business Choice survey for ISPs in the US was in the field from Feb. 10 to May 5, 2025; the Canadian survey was conducted via a panel of users from Feb. 24 to March 3, 2025. For more information on how we conduct surveys, read our methodology. 

Torrenting, or P2P (peer-to-peer) file sharing, is a convenient way to download large files quickly. But it isn’t without its risks. Not only is there the risk of accidentally downloading a malicious file or malware, but there’s a privacy risk as well — your ISP can see all your online activity and they usually don’t take too kindly to torrenting. That’s why it’s imperative that you use a VPN while doing any torrenting or P2P file sharing. A VPN can keep your connection private and encrypt your data so that unwanted prying eyes — cybercriminals, overbearing ISPs, or nosy government watchdogs — can’t monitor your online activity. If you’re interested in using a VPN for something other than just torrenting you can check out my list of best VPNs for even more great options. NordVPN – Best VPN for torrenting overall Pros Tons of privacy and security features Outstanding speeds Included antivirus and password manager Cons Expensive Price When Reviewed: Dès 3,49 €/mois Best Prices Today: Retailer Price NordVPN €3.49 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Who should use NordVPN? NordVPN is the perfect VPN for torrenting due to its fantastic security features, multi-hop connections, and independently verified no-logs policy. Plus, it comes with a built-in ad- and tracker-blocker as well as malware protection and a link checker — you know, for any of those dubious Linux torrenting sites you might run into. NordVPN also proved to be the fastest VPN on the market in my testing, so those large P2P files should download in no-time. It truly has everything you could want to make your torrenting faster, easier, and most importantly, safer. Even power users will find plenty of customizable options to get the most out of their experience. NordVPN: Further considerations NordVPN comes with broad device support and Windows and Android apps are easy to use. It also comes with handy features such as access to the TOR network over VPN, multi-hop connections, Meshnet file sharing network, and Nord’s latest password manager and link-checker safety tool. Additionally, NordVPN offers an extensive server network with locations all over the world. A monthly subscription might be a bit expensive, but if you opt for longer-term plans the price becomes a lot cheaper. Read our full NordVPN pour Mac review ExpressVPN – Best VPN for torrenting runner-up Pros Excellent speeds Well-designed interface Great security and privacy practices Cons More expensive than other VPNs Light on extra security features Price When Reviewed: Dès 7,94 €/mois Best Prices Today: Retailer Price ExpressVPN €7.94 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Who should use ExpressVPN? ExpressVPN is a true all-arounder and a great option for everyone. I give it the runner-up spot here as NordVPN comes with a few more security features than ExpressVPN — when it comes to torrenting, the more security the better. However, ExpressVPN is still an excellent VPN choice for torrenting as it makes all of the right privacy promises and its speeds are very good. Also, ExpressVPN is officially based in the British Virgin Islands, meaning it isn’t subject to any domestic or international data sharing requirements. You can feel confident your ISP or other interested parties won’t uncover your P2P activity. ExpressVPN: Further considerations ExpressVPN also has a lot of other great qualities that make it worth your while, such as wide device support, smart DNS, and reliable unblocking capabilities. The service has even begun branching out to adopt a more holistic approach to security, adding ad- and tracker-blocking and, most recently, a password manager to the service, as well. It’s not the cheapest VPN out there, but you do get excellent value for your money, and the service is regularly bringing in third-party auditors to validate its privacy credentials. Read our full ExpressVPN review Proton VPN – Best free VPN for torrenting Pros Unrivaled free plan Great privacy tools Reliable and transparent no-logs policy Cons Premium plan is expensive Some minor unblocking issues Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Proton VPN $9.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Who should use Proton VPN? Simply put, anyone who wants to torrent should use a VPN and anyone who doesn’t want to pay for a VPN should use ProtonVPN. It’s free and has no data limits. I call that a win-win. At no cost, you’ll get a one-device connection with no data or time limits. I repeat, no data or time limits. That’s absolutely unheard of from a major VPN provider and it means you can safely torrent to your heart’s content without worrying about your file sizes. Sure, the free version of ProtonVPN comes with access to only five servers, but when you’re torrenting, the server location shouldn’t matter anyways. Proton VPN: Further considerations ProtonVPN also has some of the fastest speeds around, both upstream and down, which is helpful when you want to spread the Open Office love as quickly as possible. The Swiss-based service has excellent privacy promises, and it has a bunch of servers in a friggin’ bunker too — looking at you, torrenting preppers. The monthly price for the premium version does come in at the expensive side though, so I would recommend trying out the free version first before you upgrade. Read our full ProtonVPN review Mullvad – Best for privacy Pros Good speeds Inexpensive monthly plan Unrivaled anonymity Cons Struggles with unblocking streaming services Smaller server network Lacks some extra features Who should use Mullvad? Mullvad is ultimately for the privacy-conscious user. Those who really demand ultimate anonymity when torrenting, or just using a VPN in general, will find that Mullvad takes active measures to ensure they never know who you are — meaning no other observer will know who you are either. All Mullvad servers are also capable of P2P transfers so you can just pick your favorite server and start torrenting. The Sweden-based company appreciates your business, but it’s not interested in finding out who you are. It goes well beyond the standards of most other VPN companies when it comes to protecting your anonymity. Instead of using an email and password combo, Mullvad randomly generates an account number that functions as your username and password. And you can even decide to mail in cash as a subscription payment if you don’t want your credit card on file. Mullvad: Further considerations While Mullvad focuses on privacy, it’s no slouch in other departments. It ranks in the top 10 for speeds, and comes with a convenient split-tunneling feature too. Plus, the service has a very inexpensive monthly subscription fee so it can be a great budget option as well. Read our full Mullvad review Private Internet Access – Best for customization Pros Multiple independently verified no-log audits Unlimited simultaneous device connections Vast server network Cons App is a little clunky Speeds are fairly pedestrian Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Private Internet Access $11.95 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Who should use Private Internet Access? PIA is best suited for those who like to tinker with their software. It provides so many customizable features that it can come across as a bit overwhelming to the uninitiated and those just looking for a set-it and forget-it option. But power users will find a plethora of tweakable options and settings to keep them happy through all of their torrenting endeavors. All servers are capable of P2P file transfers, and features like port forwarding mean your torrenting will be faster and more reliable. Private Internet Access: Further considerations Private Internet Access (PIA) is one of the most popular VPN providers and has seemingly been around forever. PIA not only comes with an insane amount of servers, but also great features such as multi-hop, an app-based kill switch, and split-tunneling. PIA also has a great record of transparency, regularly undergoing independent no-logs audits. It does lack some speed in comparison to other top picks here, but that shouldn’t translate to too much of a hit while torrenting. Read our full Private Internet Access review Other VPNs we liked While we believe that the above VPNs for torrenting are currently the most worthy of your hard-earned money, there are a few other noteworthy services that deserve attention: PrivadoVPN is a strong overall service, but the free version of the VPN really stands out and is second only to Proton VPN. Windscribe Pro offers great security, with both a Windows client and browser extension that work in tandem to block ads and its free version is a good option for everyday activities. Hide.me is a well-rounded service that ticks almost every box and the fantastic array of configurable settings make it a power-user’s dream. U.S.-based IPVanish nails all of the basics: good speeds, a large server network, and privacy promises backed up with independent audits. TunnelBear is an undeniably charming VPN that is extremely easy to use, and doesn’t overwhelm with too many features or country options, which makes it ideal for VPN novices or those who aren’t the most tech-savvy. I’m continuously evaluating new VPNs and reevaluating services I’ve already tested on a regular basis to find the best for torrenting, so be sure to come back for more recommendations and to see what else we’ve put through their P2P paces. Can I get a better VPN deal? Here at PCWorld, we are regularly hunting down the best VPN deals to help you get the most bang for your buck. VPN services are frequently running deals throughout the year, so you should have a few chances to snag your favorite torrenting VPN on a steep discount if you can time it right. While the prices for all VPNs on this list are updated daily, they do not account for special deals or offers. It’s best to keep checking our deals article to see what new limited-time discounts are on offer each week. Additionally, sales events such as Amazon Prime Day in mid-July and Black Friday at the end of November provide excellent opportunities to find even cheaper VPN deals. How we test VPNs We judge VPNs on a variety of criteria including server network, connection speeds, privacy protections, ease-of-use, additional features, and cost. For a more detailed guide on our evaluation process, check out PCWorld’s comprehensive guide on how we test VPN services. Speed tests are kept as simple as possible. We average the connections between different global locations for any given VPN and then compare them to our baseline internet speed to get a good picture of the overall connection speeds. We thoroughly research and analyze the privacy policies and histories of each VPN and note any outstanding discrepancies or data collection issues. Experience and ease-of-use are subjective, but we try our best to give an accurate representation of how it feels to work with the VPN. And finally, we compare the value of the service based upon its price and additional features to the industry average to help you gain an accurate picture of what you’ll get for your money. Why you should trust PCWorld for VPN reviews and buying advice Here at PCWorld we’ve been testing computer hardware, software, and services since the 1980s. As reviewers and users of PC hardware and software, we put every product through its paces using rigorous benchmarking and hands-on evaluation. We’d never recommend something we wouldn’t want for ourselves. Who curated this article? Sam Singleton is PCWorld’s VPN beat reporter and jack of all trades. When he’s not on the hunt for the best computer deals he’s covering VPNs, productivity software, laptops, and a wide gamut of consumer-grade hardware and software. How to choose the best VPN for torrenting One of the first things you should look for when shopping around for a VPN is the number of servers and locations. It’s difficult to judge any VPN by just one feature, but a semi-reliable way to tell if a VPN is even worth your time is to look at the server network. Anything with 1,000 or more servers and 30 or more country locations will do. Speed The next thing to consider is a VPN’s speed. This may be tricky to do since you aren’t likely to be able to test connection speeds without paying to use the service. Reading reviews online will give you a general estimate. Look for reviews, like ours, that give you a relative average of connection speeds rather than direct Mbps speed comparisons, for a more accurate picture. Privacy You’ll also want to read up on a VPN’s privacy protections. Does it have a no-logs policy? Has it undergone any independent audits of its servers? Where is the VPN company located? All of these will give you an idea of whether or not a VPN is transparent with its data collection policies and if it’s subject to government data sharing requirements. Price As with all subscription services, you’ll want to review the price of a VPN service. Do you want a monthly or yearly subscription? Some top VPNs might be pricey month-to-month, but actually become quite affordable with long-term plans. P2P In regards to torrenting, you absolutely want a VPN service provider that allows P2P file sharing on their network. Preferably P2P is allowed on all servers, but even some of the best VPNs only allow it on designated servers—check these P2P-optimized server locations first to make sure they are in convenient locations close to you to ensure the best speeds. Additional features Other factors you’ll want to take into consideration are the overall ease-of-use, user experience, and any additional features. Some of these features, such as split-tunneling and kill switches, can be extremely useful for certain purposes and might sway your subscription decision one way or the other. FAQ 1. What is the best VPN for torrenting? NordVPN is our pick for the best VPN for torrenting. Not only do all of its servers work with P2P, but it has the fastest speeds of any VPN on the market and a huge server network. There is currently no other VPN on the market that provides as much privacy and security for the value as NordVPN and that’s why it’s our top pick. 2. What is the best free VPN for torrenting? Proton VPN is our pick for best free VPN for torrenting. With the free version, you’ll get all of the same privacy and security benefits of the premium version, plus no monthly data limits and good speeds.  The only major drawback is that you’ll be limited to a few servers, but that won’t really matter for torrenting anyways. 3. What is a VPN? VPNs create a secure tunnel between your PC and the internet. When you connect to a VPN your web traffic is routed through the chosen VPN server to make it appear as though you’re browsing from that server’s location, and not from your actual location. The VPN app will also encrypt your data so that any third parties such as your ISP can’t see your specific online activities. A VPN can be a great response to a variety of concerns, such as online privacy, anonymity, greater security on public Wi-Fi, and, of course, spoofing locations. 4. Is torrenting through a VPN safe? Safety while torrenting comes down to two things: anonymity and protection from malware or other malicious files.  As far as anonymity goes, yes, you will be protected from any snooping outsiders or your own ISP’s restrictions on file torrenting by using a VPN. If you know and trust the the service you’re using, torrenting with a VPN should be completely safe from prying eyes. In regards to protection from malware and other malicious files, no. A VPN on its own will not protect you from accidentally downloading malicious files from P2P networks or torrent sites. For this, it is highly recommended that you use an antivirus program to help keep you safe. 5. Are VPNs legal to use? Yes, in most countries, including the United States, using a VPN is perfectly legal. Even though some websites might try to block VPN connections, they are still okay to use. Please note, while using a VPN is legal, some of the activities done while using a VPN might be illegal. Activities such as downloading pirated copyrighted content or accessing dark web markets are both illegal with or without a VPN. 6. Can you be tracked with a VPN? While VPNs certainly offer you better privacy and security, they don’t make you completely anonymous nor keep you from being tracked entirely. A VPN will keep your ISP from seeing your traffic, but there are a mind-boggling number of ways that other companies or sites track you across the internet. For example, when you sign into a website, your identity is still revealed to that website, VPN or not. Or when you log into your Gmail account while using a VPN, Google can now collect personalized cookies based on your browsing. 7. Yes, but with a caveat. When using your normal home internet connection, your ISP can see everything you’re doing online. By using a VPN, all of your traffic will be rerouted through the VPN’s private servers, meaning your ISP won’t be able to snoop on your activity while connected.  The VPN creates a private tunnel for your traffic and encrypts all of your data running through that tunnel. This makes it unreadable to outside entities and so adds an extra layer of security, especially while downloading torrent files. This will mask the contents of your downloads from your ISP, but will not hide the fact that you’re downloading something nor the size of the download. Still, a VPN is one of the best ways to keep your online activities private and hidden from outside parties.

Cell Phone Satisfaction Tumbles to 10-Year Low in Latest ACSI Survey By John P. Mello Jr. May 21, 2025 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENT Proven Tactics to Scale SMB Software Companies in Competitive Markets Gain market share, boost customer acquisition, and improve operational strength. Get the SMB Software Playbook for Expansion & Growth now -- essential reading for growing tech firms. Free Download. What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, cell phone satisfaction was riding high in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), which surveys U.S. consumers. This year, it has hit an all-time low. The ACSI, a national economic indicator for over 25 years, reported Tuesday that after reaching an all-time high in 2024, cell phone satisfaction fell to its lowest point in a decade, scoring 78 on a scale of 100. “Brands keep racing to add new capabilities, yet customers still judge smartphones by the fundamentals,” Forrest Morgeson, an associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI, said in a statement. “Only when companies strengthen the essentials — battery life, call reliability, and ease of use — does innovation truly deliver lasting satisfaction,” he continued. “I totally agree,” added Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies, a technology advisory firm in San Jose, Calif. “Battery life is the number one issue we see in our smartphone surveys,” he told TechNewsWorld. “And call reliability is always a concern because dropped calls or disconnects during social media sessions are frustrating.” People are still getting excited about new features, but they still want greater battery life and their phones to be easier to use than before, countered Bryan Cohen, CEO of Opn Communication, a telecommunications agency based in Sheridan, Wyo. “Take my father. He’s 72 years old, and he wanted an iPhone 16,” he told TechNewsWorld. “I finally went out and got it for him. He got really excited about AI, but then he gets frustrated with it because it’s not easy to use, and he gets mad at the phone.” Phone Makers Take a Hit Dissatisfaction with cell phones affected manufacturers’ ratings, too, according to the ACSI study, which was based on 27,494 completed surveys. Both Apple’s and Samsung’s ratings slipped a point to 81, although Samsung had a slight edge over Apple in the 5G phone category. Both, however, had significant leads in satisfaction compared to their nearest rivals, Google and Motorola, which slid three points to 75. The ACSI researchers also found a widening gap in satisfaction between owners of 5G and non-5G phones. Satisfaction with 5G phones fell two points but still posted a respectable score of 80. Meanwhile, satisfaction with phones using legacy technology plummeted seven points to 68. “It’s very important to understand that the mobile networks in the U.S. use different spectrum bands,” explained John Strand of Denmark-based Strand Consulting, a consulting firm with a focus on global telecom. “If you have an old phone, it may not run so well on all spectrum bands,” he told TechNewsWorld. “It certainly won’t work as well as a new phone with a newer chipset.” The dissatisfaction can also be due to a technology misunderstanding, added Opn Comm’s Cohen. “People will have a phone for four or five years and not understand their phone might not have been built for 5G,” he explained. “People expect their LTE phones to automatically go to the next generation,” he continued. “That’s not necessarily the case. Their phone might not be 5G compatible, just like some phones still are not eSIM compatible.” ISPs See Modest Satisfaction Improvements On the plus side, the study found that satisfaction with ISPs, including fiber and non-fiber services, ticked up a point to 72. Satisfaction with fiber declined by one point, to 75, the study noted, while non-fiber jumped three points, to 70. The improved satisfaction rating can be attributed to new investments by the carriers, said Creative Strategies’ Bajarin. “They are gaining new technologies that boost their signal, including some redundancy technologies to make their lines more stable,” he explained. The study noted that AT&T Fiber is leading the fiber segment in satisfaction, scoring a 78 on the index despite a three-point drop. Hot on the heels of AT&T are Google Fiber and Verizon FiOS, at 76, and Xfinity Fiber, at 75. A big gainer in the fiber segment was Optimum, which jumped eight points to 71. The ACSI researchers explained that Optimum’s satisfaction burst was driven primarily by its efforts to add value by strengthening the quality of its customer service. The remaining group of smaller ISPs didn’t fare as well. They dropped nine points to 70. The study noted that “all elements of the fiber customer experience have worsened over the past year, with notable decreases in measures relating to the quality of internet service.” In the non-fiber segment, T-Mobile gained three points to tie leader AT&T at 78. According to the study, T-Mobile has been successful in improving the consistency of its non-fiber service while adding value through improved customer service and plan options. Not far behind the leaders is Verizon, which saw its satisfaction score jump four points to 77. Kinetic by Windstream was a big gainer in the non-fiber segment. It surged 11 points to 62. “By making significant improvements in practical service metrics, Windstream drives customer perceptions of the value of its Kinetic service higher,” the study explained. Wireless Service Satisfaction Slips Declining satisfaction afflicted the wireless phone service industry, according to the ACSI. Overall, the industry dropped a point to 75. Its segments also saw satisfaction declines: value mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) slid three points to 78; mobile network operators (MNOs) fell one point to 75; and full-service MVNOs slipped three points to 74. Individual MNO players in the market experienced similar declines, with T-Mobile dropping one point to 76, AT&T falling five points to 74, and UScellular losing three points to 72. Verizon was the only gainer in the top four, with a one-point increase to 75. The ACSI researchers explained that in addition to measuring satisfaction with operators, the study measures satisfaction with call quality and network capability. Over the last year, AT&T suffered the largest decrease in both, dropping six points to 77 for call quality and eight points to 76 for network capability. A new feature of this year’s telecommunication and cell phone report is the addition of smartwatches. The study found that Samsung, with a score of 83, edged Apple Watch, which scored 80 in satisfaction. Fitbit finished third with a score of 72. John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John. Leave a Comment Click here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account. Related Stories More by John P. Mello Jr. view all More in Smartphones

Cable broadband may have more subscribers, but fiber customers remain more content with their connectivity, per the latest survey from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).As in last year's ACSI survey, fiber broadband's fast speeds—not just downloads but also uploads—place it far ahead of cable. AT&T Fiber ranked highest, with a score of 78 out of 100, followed by Google Fiber (GFiber) and Verizon Fios at 76 each. Third place goes to an unlikely company: Comcast, whose small Xfinity Fiber network earns a score of 75.Comcast's mainstream Xfinity cable service, meanwhile, comes away with a mediocre score of 69. That lands the Philadelphia firm in the middle of a group of cable operators in the non-fiber category of ACSI's report: Cable One's Sparklight and Charter's Spectrum, tied at 71, and Cox, 68. (On Friday, Charter announced plans to buy Cox, a deal that would make the combined firm the biggest cable broadband service.)The top two non-fiber services, however, are both fixed-wireless 5G: T-Mobile's leads the category at 78, with Verizon right behind at 77. AT&T, which sells a hybrid-fiber service it confusingly brands as just "AT&T Internet" as well as "AT&T Internet Air" fixed-wireless 5G, has a less impressive 70. Fiber providers did well in PCMag's Readers' Choice awards for 2024, with GFiber winning best overall and best fiber ISP, followed by Verizon as best major ISP. Our Best ISPs of 2024 survey had similar results, with GFiber winning Best Major ISP and T-Mobile taking Best All-Around ISP. ACSI's survey results line up even closer with our readers' picks in wireless carriers and wireless resellers, also known as MVNOs, short for "mobile virtual network operators." Once again, the ACSI finds people like wireless service better when they pay a different company for it: The highest-ranked service, the AT&T reseller (and regular occupant of a top spot in our Readers' Choice lists) Consumer Cellular, earns an 82, while AT&T itself gets a 74. Recommended by Our EditorsAT&T-owned Cricket also does better than its parent firm with a score of 76.T-Mobile does best among the big three with a 76, but its Mint Mobile brand does three points better. And while Verizon comes just behind T-Mobile at 75, Spectrum Mobile, based on resold Verizon capacity, also comes in three points above. Two prepaid services owned by Verizon—Straight Talk, 78, and Tracfone, 77—also do better than their corporate parent.ACSI chalks up slight declines across the wireless industry to "call quality and network capability issues" that hurt both the wireless carriers and the services reselling their networks. This latest ACSI survey also assessed customer happiness with smartphones and smartwatches. In the former category, Apple and Google tie with scores of 81, followed by Google and Motorola tied at 75. In what should surprise nobody who has ever picked up a phone, respondents are least satisfied with battery life, although that 77 rating still beats the wireless industry's sector-wide score of 75.We can endorse this comment in the ACSI report: "Customers have largely shrugged off AI-driven enhancements to date and continue to value the practical basics of calling ease, texting ease, and phone design while craving better battery life."The latter category, a new addition to ACSI surveys, has Samsung wearables leading Apple, 83 to 80. Google's Fitbit comes in third at 72; the survey did not cover Google's Pixel Watch series.ACSI, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., collected 27,494 surveys from its pool of respondents, picked at random and quizzed via email from April 2024 to March 2025.

Even though your pile of shame’s already teetering and your backlog is the size of a felled sequoia, who are you and I to resist yet another bargain? Today's gaming treasure trove spans mischievous birds, noir cyborgs, and wizarding wonders, all at prices that’ll have your wallet breathing a sigh of relief. Whether you’re deep in console country or loyal to your trusty PC, there’s a little something here to make your day but ruin your bandwidth.This Day in Gaming 🎂In retro news, I'm lighting a 15-candle cake for WarioWare D.I.Y., one of my favourite Nintendo DS time-wasters. Nintendo essentially handed players the keys to the microgame factory and somehow didn’t burn the place down. Armed with a stylus and too much free time, you could compose janky 8-bit music, draw unhinged sprites, and script chaotic games that lasted all of five seconds but felt like fever dreams. The tutorials starred Wario’s development crew trying (and mostly failing) to teach you game design basics without causing a workplace accident. Honestly, it was less Super Mario Maker and more Mario Paint meets GarageBand on a sugar high. It even let you upload your madness online, meaning no DS cartridge was safe from your homemade horrors. A beautiful, timeless mess.Aussie bdays for notable games- LostWinds (Wii) 2008. eBay- WarioWare D.I.Y. (DS) 2010. eBay- Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands (PS3,X360) 2010. Get- L.A. Noire (PS3,X360) 2011. Get- Transistor (PC) 2014. Get- Fire Emblem Echoes: SoV (3DS) 2017. SequelsContentsNice Savings for Nintendo SwitchPreorders openNintendo Switch 2 ConsoleRequires a free to make / cancel First Membership that provides free shipping.Nintendo players can dash into Sonic Frontiers for A$49, a sprawling open zone adventure that lets the blue blur stretch his legs like never before. Or stir up some trouble in the minimalist mayhem of Untitled Goose Game, a local Melbourne creation that nabbed a BAFTA and inspired real-life goose protest signs.Sonic Frontiers (-51%) - A$49Sifu (-70%) - A$18Lego Ninjago Movie (-45%) - A$49Shin Megami Tensei V (-32%) - A$54Dragon Ball FighterZ (-44%) - A$50Untitled Goose Game (-50%) - A$15Expiring Recent DealsThe Witcher 3 Comp. (-75%) - A$19Lego Skywalker Saga (-80%) - A$17Dead Cells (-50%) - A$18Yooka-Laylee (-80%) - A$6Blasphemous (-75%) - A$9Unicorn Overlord (-36%) - A$61Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.Switch Console PricesHow much to Switch it up?Switch OLED + Mario Wonder: $̶5̶3̶9̶ $538 | Switch Original: $̶4̶9̶9̶ $448 | Switch OLED Black: $̶5̶3̶9̶ $477 | Switch OLED White: $̶5̶3̶9̶ $476 ♥ | Switch Lite: $̶3̶2̶9̶ $328 | Switch Lite Hyrule: $̶3̶3̶9̶ $335See itBack to topExciting Bargains for XboxXbox Series X owners should absolutely look at Robocop: Rogue City - Alex Murphy Edition, now just A$10. The devs brought back Peter Weller himself to voice Robocop three decades after the original. Meanwhile, Ori and the Will of the Wisps remains one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful games of the generation, with animation influenced by Studio Ghibli.Xbox OneExpiring Recent DealsOr just invest in an Xbox Card.Xbox Console PricesHow many bucks for a 'Box? Series X: $̶7̶9̶9̶ $798 👑| Series S Black: $̶5̶4̶9̶ $545 | Series S White:$̶4̶9̶9̶ $498 | Series S Starter: N/ASee itBack to topPure Scores for PlayStationPS5 players can get a discounted trip to Night City in Cyberpunk 2077 at A$71, now finally in the form fans were promised back in 2020. Or check out The Last of Us Part II Remastered, which includes a roguelike mode originally prototyped as a testbed for stealth mechanics.PS4Expiring Recent DealsDoom: The Dark Ages (-17%) - A$99Split Fiction (-16%) - A$59Star Wars Outlaws (-64%) - A$4040K: Space Marine 2 (-27%) - A$79Judgment (-48%) - A$28UFC 5 (-65%) - A$39Octopath Traveler II (-32%) - A$57Night in the Woods (-50%) - A$14Rogue Legacy (-80%) - A$5PS+ Monthly FreebiesYours to keep from May 1 with this subscriptionArk: Survival Ascended (PS5)Balatro (PS5/PS4)Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (PS5/PS4)Or purchase a PS Store Card.What you'll pay to 'Station.PS5 + Astro Bot:$̶7̶2̶4̶.9̶5̶ $699👑 | PS5 Slim Disc:$̶7̶9̶9̶ $798 | PS5 Slim Digital:6̶7̶9̶ $678 | PS5 Pro $1,199 | PS VR2: $649.95 | PS VR2 + Horizon: $1,099 | PS Portal: $329See itBack to topPurchase Cheap for PCOver on PC, Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition is criminally underplayed at just A$4. It’s essentially “GTA meets Hong Kong cinema” and includes an actual Bruce Lee outfit. Finally, Baldur’s Gate 3 is down to A$71, and it only took Larian Studios six years, three delays, and a player base that insists on seducing every NPC to make it one of the most beloved CRPGs of all time.Or just get a Steam Wallet CardPC Hardware PricesSlay your pile of shame.Official launch in NovSteam Deck 256GB LCD: $649 | Steam Deck 512GB OLED: $899 | Steam Deck 1TB OLED: $1,049See it at SteamLaptop DealsHP Envy x360 16" 2-in-1 (-39%) – A$1,399HP Laptop 15.6" Ryzen (-34%) – A$1,049ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 (-35%) – A$869Lenovo Yoga 7i Gen 9 (-41%) – A$1,229Apple 2024 MacBook Air 15-inch (-16%) – A$2,094Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 (-36%) - A$879Lenovo ThinkBook 16 Gen7 (-27%) - A$1,018Desktop DealsLenovo neo 50q Gen 4 Tiny (-35%) – A$639Lenovo neo 50t Gen 5 Desk (-20%) – A$871.20Lenovo Legion Tower 5i (-29%) – A$1,899Monitor DealsARZOPA 16.1" 144Hz (-55%) – A$159.99Z-Edge 27" 240Hz (-15%) – A$237.99Gawfolk 34" WQHD (-28%) – A$359LG 27" Ultragear (-42%) – A$349Component DealsStorage DealsBack to topLegit LEGO DealsExpiring Recent DealsBack to topHot Headphones DealsAudiophilia for lessGalaxy Buds2 Pro (-31%) – A$239Technics Wireless NC (-33%) – A$365SoundPEATS Space (-25%) – A$56.99Sony MDR7506 Pro (-18%) – A$199Back to topTerrific TV DealsDo right by your console, upgrade your tellyLG 43" UT80 4K (-24%) – A$635Kogan 65" QLED 4K (-50%) – A$699Kogan 55" QLED 4K (-45%) – A$549LG 55" UT80 4K (-28%) – A$866Back to top Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays practically everything, often on YouTube.