How we test and review security products and services
At PrivacySavvy, we always rigorously test each product and service, and present you with unbiased lists and reviews. Here’s how we do it:
As an internet user, it is your right to have full-proof security online, and no one means no one should take this right away from you. Whether it’s your password, streaming or browsing history, or anything online, you must roam online with no restrictions.
However, let’s be real; as long as your ISPs, hackers, snoopers, and government officials are watching your back, it isn’t possible to do so. That’s where security tools like VPNs, antivirus, script blockers, password managers, etc come into the business.
As security concerns continue to rise, the need for security tools has grown significantly, leading to the emergence of many new services in the market. You may be wondering with so many tools out there, which one can give you enough security and do the job.
Don’t worry; PrivacySavvy has got your back. We put all our efforts into testing each product and service before bringing them to you. Our dedicated team makes sure to tick all the boxes.
Our testing procedure (what we seek in a service)
While testing any product, the following are the top priorities we keep in mind:
- How secure it is
- Does it provide enough privacy
- It should be fast
- You must not compromise on reliability
- Can it help to evade censorship
- It must be value for money
- The customer support should be reliable
- It is effective enough to get the job done
Our top recommended reviews of services
- Our VPNs reviews
- Our antivirus reviews
- Our adblockers reviews
- Our parental control apps reviews
- Our email services reviews
- Our proxy services reviews
- Our anonymity providers reviews
- Our password managers review
Why you can rely on PrivacySavvy
We always put our users first, and it’s our responsibility to provide honest reviews. Every person in our team is experienced in his respective niche and does his job with full responsibility. Following are reasons why you can rely on our reviews:
- Independence: We always choose the services and security products we recommend independently, and editorially and then recommend them to users.
- Expertise: We have a dedicated team of experts that has appreciateable experience in their respective fields.
- Hands-on tests: We download, install, and test the services ourselves we review them whenever possible.
- Research: After testing and before making any statement, we always cross-check and research the services’ features for authenticity.
- Value: We take pricing into account and focus on finding the best option at the most affordable cost.
What sets PrivacySavvy apart is our dedicated and tireless efforts and prioritizing of users. We evaluate a service with repeatable tests and a deep understanding of its features. Our team of reviewers has built a good reputation with their expertise, first-hand experience, and good relationships with industry experts.
PrivacySavvy testing criteria
To hint at how we test these security tools, we elaborate on our review policy and methodology below.
Creating unbiased reviews
We never go for biased, opinionated, promotional, and paid reviews. Our sole policy for reviewing any software revolves around its independent assessment to create an unbiased review.
For this, we do not accept offers from vendors to review their products. Instead, we test dozens of software and apps in a specific niche to analyze them ourselves.
After that, we write down our honest opinion about the product based on our experience.
To make things clear for our readers and help them decide better, we separately mention the tools’ pros and cons.
Self-testing security tools
We never use any complimentary services or user accounts created by the vendor to test a product.
Instead, every product is tested by our team.
We complete all subscription procedures, including service fee payments, to acquire a product in the same way an average customer would. This helps us better judge the suitability of the tool for our readers.
Moreover, we never limit our testing capabilities to a single tool. Instead, we test dozens of similar tools to select only the best software and apps.
Hence, you can trust that whatever products we recommend at PrivacySavvy would surely meet your needs.
Our criteria to assess the quality
To help you understand how we select a tool, below, we quickly list the critical parameters for our analysis.
1. Product accessibility
It will be of no use to recommend a product to anyone if it isn’t readily accessible.
By accessibility, we mean the ease of subscribing to a service.
In the case of free software, we assess how easy it is to download a product, how long the account registration process is, and what type of users can download it.
Whereas, for paid products, in addition to all these features, we assess the payment methods as well. Ideally, a good paid VPN, password manager, or any other tool should support multiple payment options. Whereas security tools like VPNs should also support cryptocurrency payments.
Also, the provision of free trials and a money-back guarantee is another option that we analyze for paid tools.
For PrivacySavvy, any product that doesn’t offer free trials, has limited subscription plans, specific payment methods, and confusing sign-up procedures lose points here.
2. Installation process
After you download a product, how would it feel if you kept figuring out how to install it on your device for hours?
We know this is irritating. That’s why we consider those software and apps the best ones that get quickly installed on a device with little to no user interaction.
It doesn’t mean we prefer stealth installation that most malicious products would do. Instead, for us, the best products are those that have clear-cut installation instructions, require minimal clicks from the users, and get set up on the device quickly.
If any tool lacks these features, such as if it takes centuries to install, has ambiguous instructions, or conducts stealth installation, we never recommend it.
To be sure about this step, we test every product on our devices reserved for software testing.
3. User interface (ease of use)
The user interface is the first thing that attracts or distracts a user. Therefore, the best apps and tools never bear a boring interface. Instead, they have precise labels for options, easily accessible settings, and specific control options.
For instance, an ideal VPN should present the user with available servers at the very first step. Also, it should offer the option to choose a specific VPN protocol.
Likewise, an antivirus should have readily accessible settings for quick and full scans and real-time protection.
Hence, the best apps for PrivacySavvy are the ones that win points here with a simple and interactive user interface. Apps with flat design, complicated or highly technical interfaces, and poor navigation never impress us.
4. Features offered
Every app or tool providing a specific functionality does come with the much-needed essential features. For example, a password manager would always have to option to store passwords. A VPN would always offer at least one server to change the IP address.
However, while creating our reviews, we consider the other features that essentially make an app stand out.
For example, an ideal password manager should also help in creating healthy and unique passwords. Whereas a credible VPN must offer a wide list of servers to change location, should apply robust encryption protocols to warrant anonymity, and must have a kill switch to avoid incidental exposure to the web.
So, in a nutshell, the extent of features offered by a tool is what we consider a major scoring factor. We never recommend apps lacking basic settings or offering outdated features.
5. Product security
Often, malware and spyware attacks happen when the threat actors either infect a legit app or create their own apps mimicking the legit ones. Many times, these apps remain online and prey on millions of users globally before being caught.
Similarly, the threat actors breach the security of popular tools for various malicious purposes.
As privacy enthusiasts, we understand how cyber criminals remain on the hunt. Therefore, while testing a tool, we assess the security measures protecting it, the vendors’ security policies, previous data/security breaches history, and the companies’ response to the breaches.
If a tool has shady security practices or poor security history, it fails to reach our review list.
6. Customer data security
Data logging and retention are the things that most privacy-savvy netizens worry about. In fact, this is the crucial reason why apps like VPNs and adblockers have gained popularity.
But what if those products also start collecting your data?
At PrivacySavvy, we actively advocate the importance of data privacy for every internet user. Therefore, we only pay attention to and recommend those services that also respect your privacy like us. Also, we clearly mention the data retention policies of the tools we review.
7. Speed and performance
A common problem with most security tools like web proxies, secure browsers, VPNs, and antimalware solutions is the speed lags. If these services are true to their functionalities, they often perform at compromised speeds, something that the average end-users don’t like.
We know how annoying this can be. Hence, the apps’ speed and overall performance is a significant factors in our scoring methodology.
Again, we test every tool on our own devices and perform various load tests to see how they perform under stress. Then we only recommend the ones that deliver impressive performance in our tests.
8. Support for web services
Tools like VPNs have the core of their functionality revolving around web services.
For instance, VPNs work by rerouting the internet traffic and thus bypassing site blockages. Their core functionality here is to stay under the radar from website tracking.
Likewise, antivirus solutions monitor websites for any malicious content.
So, if the VPNs don’t help access blocked content or the antimalware solutions don’t detect phishing websites simply because they lack support for some web services, then the services become useless.
Therefore, at PrivacySavvy, we analyze whether a tool exhibits tremendous support for web services. Only the well-performing software and apps get a place in our reviews.
9. Cross-platform compatibility
Today, every internet user possesses more than one device that runs on different platforms. So, when such users want to download a security tool, they need to have it across all of their devices. That’s what the best antivirus software, best VPNs, best password managers, best adblockers, and other best security tools take care of.
And the same is what we test while creating our reviews.
Eventually, we recommend only those tools that at least support the major platforms like Windows, iOS, macOS, and Android.
10. Customer support
The last key factor in our criterion for reviewing tools is the service’s customer support.
It should ideally offer strong customer support, whether it’s a VPN, a proxy, a password manager, or something else.
The options like 24/7 live chat, support tickets, and prompt email responses are the things that attract customers. In fact, vigilant customer support would even attract more users to an otherwise difficult-to-use tool.
We know how annoying it feels if you’re stuck in the middle of your work just because your respective software broke down and you have no one to contact. So, we always give top priority to the tools offering prompt support.
Though, the list can go longer if we explicitly mention the key factors we assess while reviewing any tool. Nonetheless, to make things more straightforward, we elaborated on the significant factors here.
For details about the best privacy tools we recommend, please visit our archives.
How we rank our top picks
When we put together our “Best Of” lists, we’re not just throwing together a random ranking—these are carefully curated guides that pull from our in-depth reviews and testing to highlight the top products in each category. Whether it’s the Best Overall, Best Value, or Best Design, these lists are designed to give you a quick, reliable way to find the best options without digging through endless reviews.
At the top of most lists, you’ll see a quick rundown of our top recommendations right under the headline. This gives you the key takeaways at a glance, with links to deeper dives on how we test, what to look for when buying, and even seasonal deals to watch for.
If one product clearly stands out as the Best Overall, it gets the top spot. After that, we rank the rest based on how strongly we recommend them—so the closer to the top, the more we stand by it. But it’s not just about ratings. We also make sure to include a mix of options, like budget-friendly picks or niche choices, so there’s something for everyone.
Once a list goes live, we keep an eye on reader feedback. If certain products get a lot of positive attention, we might adjust the order (after the Best Overall) to reflect what’s resonating most with real users.
And just to be upfront—some of our lists include sponsored picks. These are paid placements, always clearly marked, and never chosen by our editorial team. Our main rankings are always based on our own testing and research, not outside influence.