TL;DR of my opinion: mostly bloatware, but it's worth paying $15 just for the PIA subscription and Protonmail credit. Private Internet Access (PIA) is a pretty great VPN, they're one of, if not...
TL;DR of my opinion: mostly bloatware, but it's worth paying $15 just for the PIA subscription and Protonmail credit.
Private Internet Access (PIA) is a pretty great VPN, they're one of, if not the only one that has been proven in court (twice!) to not keep logs. It's worth paying the $15 for the 1 year PIA subscription alone (which is like $20 off the normal price).
I'm not too sure about the other software though.
System Mechanic seems like a generic sketchy PC "optimizer" that doesn't actually do much.
I think that Google's Find my Device (and Apple's equivalent solution) are probably good enough/better than Prey Anti-Theft Pro.
I don't believe in antivirus in general (especially as primarily a Linux user), but if you're going to use anything, I think you should use Malwarebytes and/or Windows Defender, so I wouldn't really bother with Vipre Advanced Security.
TrackOFF seems like a shitty proprietary replacement for open-source software like Pihole or just browser extensions (uBlock Origin, Disconnect, Privacy Badger, uMatrix, FIrefox's built-in tracking protection, etc).
Never heard of Dashlane, although I wouldn't come near an online password manager with a ten foot pole (but if I did use one, it would be a more well-known one like Lastpass or 1Password). Again, I think that putting a password database online in any way is a bad idea, and I personally use Keepass on Linux & Android.
AdGuard Premium: same thing as TrackOFF Standard, there's better open-source software.
SpiderOak One Backup: never heard of it, and I'm not a huge fan of cloud storage myself, but if you trust it, $15 for 1 TB for 1 year is a pretty great deal (although I'd be wary of the normal price for that much storage once your subscription is up).
Not sure what you can use the credit for, but ProtonMail is one of the best privacy-concious email providers there is, so this is also a great offer.
I value my privacy and open-source software quite highly, so I'm pretty critical towards proprietary software, especially in the security field (when I consider proprietary software to be the opposite of security). I'm sure, depending on your mindset, there are some great deals in here. I'll be picking this up solely for the PIA subscription.
Dashlane is pretty well known. I used it for a bit, but 1password is a good compromise for me between security and convenience. Though, may go back to keypass if a good client shows up that takes...
Dashlane is pretty well known. I used it for a bit, but 1password is a good compromise for me between security and convenience. Though, may go back to keypass if a good client shows up that takes advantage of iOS 12 features.
Fully agreed on PIA and Protonmail, though. I've used it as my primary email service (with a custom domain) for about a year now, couldn't be happier with it.
SpiderOak had been often used as an alternative to cloud storage systems from big corporations before OwnCloud or NextCloud came along. Also note that the PIA offer is only for new users.
SpiderOak had been often used as an alternative to cloud storage systems from big corporations before OwnCloud or NextCloud came along.
Also note that the PIA offer is only for new users.
I already have a PIA subscription, so at that point it really wasn't worth anything to me. Dashlane was recommended to me by an old boss of mine but it doesn't seem to be doing anything KeePass or...
I already have a PIA subscription, so at that point it really wasn't worth anything to me. Dashlane was recommended to me by an old boss of mine but it doesn't seem to be doing anything KeePass or Lastpass aren't doing.
Here's my opinion, common ones condensed: System Mechanic: bloatware PIA: worth it alone Prey Anti-Theft: I mean, why not? What harm could a little extra protection against theft do? Vipre...
Here's my opinion, common ones condensed:
System Mechanic: bloatware
PIA: worth it alone
Prey Anti-Theft: I mean, why not? What harm could a little extra protection against theft do?
Vipre Advanced Security: If you need an antivirus, this is a great deal, but I wouldn't recommend dropping better protection for this.
TrackOFF: just get uBlock Origin
Dashlane: Great password manager as long as you keep with the pro version; automatic changer too!
AdGuard: Pretty decent on PC, amazing on Android.
SpiderOak: Actually 2TB, and really awesome. Used it to transfer files from old installation to new, and it did so without a hitch. Good to backup your stuff, too.
ProtonMail Plus: Ehh. I guess if you're really into privacy and whatnot you can use this, but isn't Tutanota cheaper? The $25 will only cover 4-5 months, and it gets relatively pricey compared to other solutions (G Suite, which has other goodies, comes to mind).
I bought it just for PIA also. I figure just about everything but the ProtonMail credit is junk. The SpiderOak subscription may be better than the other junk (I have actually heard good things...
I bought it just for PIA also. I figure just about everything but the ProtonMail credit is junk.
The SpiderOak subscription may be better than the other junk (I have actually heard good things about them), but I probably won't be using it simply because it requires auto-renewal and the renewal fee is very steep.
TL;DR of my opinion: mostly bloatware, but it's worth paying $15 just for the PIA subscription and Protonmail credit.
Private Internet Access (PIA) is a pretty great VPN, they're one of, if not the only one that has been proven in court (twice!) to not keep logs. It's worth paying the $15 for the 1 year PIA subscription alone (which is like $20 off the normal price).
I'm not too sure about the other software though.
System Mechanic seems like a generic sketchy PC "optimizer" that doesn't actually do much.
I think that Google's Find my Device (and Apple's equivalent solution) are probably good enough/better than Prey Anti-Theft Pro.
I don't believe in antivirus in general (especially as primarily a Linux user), but if you're going to use anything, I think you should use Malwarebytes and/or Windows Defender, so I wouldn't really bother with Vipre Advanced Security.
TrackOFF seems like a shitty proprietary replacement for open-source software like Pihole or just browser extensions (uBlock Origin, Disconnect, Privacy Badger, uMatrix, FIrefox's built-in tracking protection, etc).
Never heard of Dashlane, although I wouldn't come near an online password manager with a ten foot pole (but if I did use one, it would be a more well-known one like Lastpass or 1Password). Again, I think that putting a password database online in any way is a bad idea, and I personally use Keepass on Linux & Android.
AdGuard Premium: same thing as TrackOFF Standard, there's better open-source software.
SpiderOak One Backup: never heard of it, and I'm not a huge fan of cloud storage myself, but if you trust it, $15 for 1 TB for 1 year is a pretty great deal (although I'd be wary of the normal price for that much storage once your subscription is up).
Not sure what you can use the credit for, but ProtonMail is one of the best privacy-concious email providers there is, so this is also a great offer.
I value my privacy and open-source software quite highly, so I'm pretty critical towards proprietary software, especially in the security field (when I consider proprietary software to be the opposite of security). I'm sure, depending on your mindset, there are some great deals in here. I'll be picking this up solely for the PIA subscription.
Dashlane is pretty well known. I used it for a bit, but 1password is a good compromise for me between security and convenience. Though, may go back to keypass if a good client shows up that takes advantage of iOS 12 features.
Fully agreed on PIA and Protonmail, though. I've used it as my primary email service (with a custom domain) for about a year now, couldn't be happier with it.
Also picking this up solely for PIA! Great that they place it right when the Windscribe offer they had last year is running out :)
SpiderOak had been often used as an alternative to cloud storage systems from big corporations before OwnCloud or NextCloud came along.
Also note that the PIA offer is only for new users.
Second the ProtonMail & ProtonVPN endorsement. Lightweight, simple, and transparent all around.
I already have a PIA subscription, so at that point it really wasn't worth anything to me. Dashlane was recommended to me by an old boss of mine but it doesn't seem to be doing anything KeePass or Lastpass aren't doing.
Here's my opinion, common ones condensed:
I bought it just for PIA also. I figure just about everything but the ProtonMail credit is junk.
The SpiderOak subscription may be better than the other junk (I have actually heard good things about them), but I probably won't be using it simply because it requires auto-renewal and the renewal fee is very steep.