Tools & Services We Recommend

Welcome to the groovyPost recommended tools and services page, a curated list of the tools and services I personally use and strongly recommend for all my readers, including those looking to start a blog.

Each month, my blog receives over 2 million page views. Consistently, the top two questions I get from my readers daily are:

1. Which Computer Products and Services do you Recommend?
2. I want to start a blog! What hosting/tools/services are you using, and who do you recommend I use?

Although I love emails from my readers, rather than answer each email individually, I recently decided to post the answers to these two questions so everyone could benefit from them (and I could save a little time writing more groovyPosts for all of you!)

1Password – Personal and Family Password Manager

As more and more of our lives move online, the need to maintain secure online profiles is critical. My personal favorite password manager, 1Password, not only helps you create strong, unique passwords, it also stores them and allows you to easily access them on your Windows PC, Mac, and mobile devices.

I first began using 1Password for personal use however back in 2019, I discovered they had a family plan and bought a subscription. Yes, it’s not free but trust me, some things (like security) are worth paying for. It’s been a game-changer for my family — which is why it’s my #1 recommendation for my readers.

Private Internet Access (VPN)

Using a VPN for your Computer and Mobile device is no longer optional. We’ve written a detailed explanation of both what a VPN service is and why every user should use it on the internet. After doing an exhaustive review of pretty much all the services out there, I’ve chosen what I feel is the best Home VPN service out there – PrivateInternetAccess or PIA.

PIA is an extremely high-speed, feature-rich home VPN solution. After installing its software on your PC, Mac, or Mobile device, it will encrypt all traffic between your device and its network. From there, you can surf the internet with no one listening in (including your ISP, Government, etc…).

BackBlaze – Cloud Backup for Home Computers

One of the most questions I get is, “What backup software do you recommend?” The answer is simple.  I use Backblaze to back up all my Windows and Mac systems. I’ve written a long article about why I love it but, in summary — Backblaze is a rock-solid, set it and forget it, unlimited backup for both home users and small to medium-sized businesses.

Backblaze runs on a PC or Mac and backs up all your files in real-time, to the cloud. It’s the perfect backup solution and protects you from theft, fire, malware, or ransomware since it keeps multiple copies of your files in the backup archive. It’s what I use to back up my small business, groovyPost as well.

Backblaze is packed with features and, in my opinion, is a better deal than its competitors. It’s all I install on all my friends and family computers.

Microsoft 365 – Home Productivity Software & File Sharing

It’s hard to beat the Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365) family or personal plan, which is why I whole heartily recommend the subscription to all my readers, and it’s a foundational install on all my devices.

Microsoft has packed a lot into its M365 subscription. In addition to the online Web Apps, it also allows you to install the full Microsoft Office suite on up to 5 devices (Mac/Windows/Mobile/etc..) including 1 Terrabyte of Onedrive storage. Additionally, if you get the family plan, you can share the subscription with up to 5 other people.

My wife and I have the OneDrive app configured to backup all photos we take automatically to OneDrive. It’s an awesome feature that I highly recommend.

Malwarebytes – Anti-Malware Protection

For me, Malwarebytes is a nice compliment to the built-in anti-virus protection built into Windows 10. It’s available for both Windows and Mac users. I run the paid version, which watches your computer in real-time. However, it also has a free version, which is good for manual scanning of Malware and Rootkits. The Free version scans for the same bad guys as the paid only you need to launch manually.

CCleaner – Kill the Clutter…

The gold standard for cleaning your PC and Web Browsers of clutter. We’ve written about CCleaner a lot over the years, which is why I have it on all my Windows and Mac PCs.

As I mentioned earlier…

The criteria for making it on this list of recommended tools and services are:

1. I’ve personally used and tested the product.
2. I love the service enough to recommend it to my loyal readers.
3. The resources listed are crucial to running my business and home life.

So, please don’t contact me to add your app or service to the list. Only the apps I use and love will be added.

Thanks!

-Steve Krause | groovyPost.com | Founder & Editor