TechLapse is a site that’s dedicated to helping people improve their online and offline security. Through our team’s extensive research and comprehensive reviews of security-related topics and products, we aim to empower people like you to make informed decisions when it comes to safeguarding your digital well-being.
We focus on original studies, data analysis, and sharing valuable insights in an easy and digestible manner, so everyone can educate themselves and take proactive steps to enhance their security.
Some of the tools we review on this site include VPNs, antivirus software, password managers, and ad blockers. Each tool is evaluated based on a set criteria to ensure thorough and accurate assessments.
Our team members carefully test these tools to understand how effective and reliable they are in real-world scenarios.
Unlike many other review sites, TechLapse features real people who live and breathe technology. We avoid using AI-generated content and provide genuine, unbiased, human-written content to make sure our readers get authentic insights and trustworthy recommendations.
Here at TechLapse, you can rest assured that you’ll always find reliable advice to enhance your online security, because we care about it just as much as you do.
Our Methodology & Testing Approach
Our review process varies by product category, but each evaluation follows a similar structure. Here are some of the things you can expect to find in our product reviews:
Setup
We always start from the beginning–how easy it is to install the tool, how much time it takes to set it up, whether or not the installation process slows down your computer, and more. We aim to provide detailed guidance on how to set up the product, including installation steps, configuration options, and any prerequisites or compatibility requirements.
We try to make the setup process as simple as possible, so you can easily and quickly begin to use the product. When possible, we also provide some tips on customization and optimizing the product to suit your specific needs.
Software Testing
Then comes the main part–software testing. This is where we actually test the product and provide you with its strengths and weaknesses. We talk about the tool’s features, its background, the company’s history, and more.
We also try to provide comparisons between multiple products to give you a comprehensive understanding of their differences, helping you make a more informed decision. We test these tools in multiple scenarios to understand how effective they are in various use cases.
For example, if a product is available on multiple operating systems, then we’ll test them on each platform to assess their compatibility across different devices.
Security
Our top priority is helping you protect your data and privacy. That’s why we spend a large amount of time understanding the reliability of the software we’re testing. From reading the company’s privacy policy to conducting tests in multiple scenarios, we leave no stone unturned.
When we test a VPN, for example, we make sure to try all the protocols it supports to assess its reliability across different networks and situations. We also make sure that we avoid recommending apps and tools that show intrusive ads or keep logs of your data.
We continuously monitor for any updates or changes in security protocols or the privacy policies of the company behind the tool to make sure our recommendation remains up-to-date.
Performance
In this section, we evaluate the performance of the tool. We assess factors such as connection speed using online tool Speedtest by Ookla, latency, and stability to determine how well it performs. Of course, performance tends to differ across various network conditions and geographical locations, so we conduct tests in different scenarios to provide you with a comprehensive overview of its capabilities.
TechLapse has members from different countries, so that gives us the opportunity to test the tool's performance in diverse locations and network environments.
We also test the tool’s features in this section and compare them with those of other similar tools in the market. For example, when testing a VPN, we check its range of server locations, security protocols, encryption strength, and other bonus features such as split tunneling and kill switch.
User Experience
Here, we focus on evaluating how intuitive and user-friendly the tool is for everyday use. Other than the ease of installation and setup process, we check how easy it is to use the tool itself. We evaluate its user interface to see how clear, organized, and accessible it is.
Some of the questions we aim to answer in this section are: Is it easy to find all the features offered by the app? How many steps does the user have to take in order to perform common tasks (such as connecting to a VPN server)? Does the free version of the app constantly display ads prompting users to upgrade to the premium version? How much does the premium version cost and how easy is it to get a refund?
Verdict
Finally, we summarize our findings and provide our overall assessment of the tool. We highlight its strengths and weaknesses based on our evaluation criteria, and offer recommendations or considerations.
We also give our take on the app, sharing our thoughts and impressions based on our hands-on experience. Our aim is to offer a relatable perspective to help you better understand the tool's suitability for your needs.
In comparison reviews, there will be a clear winner based on our analysis and you’ll also be able to see how each app fares in specific categories.
How we order recommendations on the Best of list
At TechLapse.com, we organize our reviews into various categories. Our lists, featuring titles like "Best Overall" and "Best Value," are designed to be your go-to guides when making purchasing decisions.
These reviews contain tons of different things to help you decide what to buy. For example, they’ll usually start with an introduction to the application along with quick step-by-step instructions on how to use it. Then, they’ll go into detail, explaining what the app is, what features it has, how we have tested it, and what factors we took into consideration during the testing process.
At the end of these reviews, we share our opinion along with an FAQ section that addresses common queries and concerns about the product. Most of these "Best Overall" reviews compare various products in a specific category to determine which one stands out as the top choice overall.
We sort the apps based on recommendation strength instead of numerical ratings. This means that products are sorted based on their overall performance, reliability, and value proposition, as determined through our extensive testing and evaluation process.
We also take into account diversity in pricing and other factors to ensure that our recommendations cater to a wide range of budgets and preferences. Important features and prices of each product are clearly mentioned to make sure that you can quickly compare them and assess your options.
For example, in an article about VPNs, you’ll easily be able to see how many servers each app has, where the company is based, and how much it costs.
Note that we tend to update these lists frequently so the order may change based on the latest information and developments in the market. These updates are informed by public reviews, user feedback, and any changes or advancements in product offerings (reduction in the price, for example).
Why you can trust TechLapse
Our team consists of experts who have deep knowledge and experience in the technology industry. We hire people who have the same passion as us to help educate people and provide them with valuable insights into the rapidly evolving world of technology.
Here at TechLapse, we value transparency. We don’t just highlight the positives of products; we also acknowledge any potential downsides or shortcomings. By providing a comprehensive overview, we ensure that our readers have a clear understanding of both the benefits and limitations of the products we review.
Our reviews are always impartial and recommendations are based solely on the merits of the products. Our writers and editors are dedicated to fairness and each product or app is tested multiple times by different people to make sure it’s evaluated in an objective manner.
We encourage our readers to explore further and do their own research. This helps them gain a deeper understanding and find the best solution for their needs.
As mentioned above, there are several factors we take into consideration while testing products. Our testing processes are designed to provide accurate and reliable assessments of product performance, functionality, and usability. We try to cover all aspects of the products we test. From initial research and testing to final analysis and recommendation, we ensure that each review is conducted with care and attention to detail.
Plus, we do our best to keep our reviews up-to-date. This ensures that you get the latest information. We would never deliberately recommend a product that no longer meets our standards or is outdated.