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Soldering is one of, if not the most important maker skill and using the best soldering iron is the smart way to produce your best projects. There is no facet of technology that the heat of a soldering iron has not touched. The best GPUs, CPUs and even 3D printers have components soldered to printed circuit boards (PCBs). Whether you are seasoned pro, or new to soldering, you need the right iron for the task at hand, be it robotics, data science projects or arcade cabinets. But what is the best soldering iron?

Just like an artist has their favorite brush, pencil etc, makers have their favorite type of soldering iron. Some prefer a full station with precise temperature control, hot-air rework and a built-in stand, some prefer a smart soldering iron, others just want a cheap soldering iron that gets the job done. There are some who require a soldering gun for bulk use on large joints. We’ve tested more than a dozen different soldering irons, measuring both their ease-of-use and the time it takes for them to get to an acceptable working temperature. Below, we’ve listed the best soldering irons, along with a guide to help you choose the right kind of your needs. 

If you’ve never soldered before, we recommend getting started by soldering the pins onto a simple microcontroller. See our article on how to solder pins to the Raspberry Pi Pico, a $4 board. If you can find some old circuit boards then you have a ready supply of practice boards and a great way to harvest spare parts using a soldering iron and hot air rework station. Just remember to use a little flux to ease the process.

The Best Soldering Irons

$26 isn’t a lot of money in the world of best soldering irons. It can buy you a cheap kit, loaded with accessories to sweeten the deal. Or it can buy you what is probably the most useful soldering iron a maker could have. We loved the Pinceil v2 so much we gave it an Innovation Award.

Pinecil V2, is a refinement of V1, and brings a fully temperature controlled soldering station into the palm of your hand. No really! Don’t let its size fool you. This is a capable iron that can be used for delicate soldering tasks, or for larger jobs such as speaker cables and other connections with a large thermal mass. Just change the tip (it is compatible with TS-100, TS-101 tips) and you can solder connections both small and large.

Pinecil V2 is quick to heat up. Using the included conical tip and connected to a 20V USB-C power source, Pinecil went from 35 degrees Celsius to 350 degrees Celsius in 20 seconds. This is great for those of us that need to solder something quickly.

The “smart” aspect of Pinecil v2 is the OS. Yes we have an OS on a soldering iron, and with it we can tweak the iron to our needs. Setting a custom temperature profile for specific tasks is just a few clicks away. Customizing the UI for left or right handed users, setting sleep times to keep the iron hot while waiting for the user, then reacting to movement and ramping the iron to your preferred working temperature. 

The downside of Pinecil v2 is that it doesn’t come with a stand. The overall shape of the iron means that it does not roll around your bench. If you need a stand, they can be purchased for just a few more dollars.

Given the size of Pinecil v2 it is the ideal soldering iron for younger or inexperienced makers. It feels more like a pencil than a soldering iron and the quick heat up and cooldown times mean there is less chance of injury. That said, always supervise learners when using any new tool.

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Hakko are the Rolls-Royce of the best soldering irons. Its color-scheme may look a little Fisher-Price, but this soldering iron is a professional piece of kit. The Hakko FX-888D is a soldering station that offers excellent thermal performance, with a soldering iron that can reach 480 degrees Celsius. Tips can be easily sourced and changed, enabling precision or heavy duty soldering.

The soldering station control unit has only two buttons but from there we can change the temperature and create presets for quickly moving from one type of job to another. The soldering iron has a great feel, with a non-slip coating and a flexible silicone cord to reduce accidental melting.

We soldered up a Velleman kit (PIC experiment board K8048) and the Hakko worked rather well. The default 350 degrees Celsius felt a little too low for the rather thick PCB so we upped the temperature to 400 and the lead solder flowed perfectly.

This is a pro level soldering station and with that it commands a pro level price. If you are going to solder a lot, or for professional use then this should be on your wish list.

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The TS101 continues the greatness of its progenitor, the TS100 but provides a greater choice of power supply options. The iron is precise, quick to heat and easy to use. Compatibility with TS100 soldering tips is a great feature, and opens up a world of choice.

In our review we loved how the TS101 felt in the hand, the button placement is perfect and the tip compatibility with the plethora of Pinecil and TS100 tips means that it caters to every user. Younger or inexperienced makers will find the TS101 slightly larger than say Pinecil v2, but the button placement and balance make this an ideal alternative for makers learning to solder.

The $50 price tag is double that of Pinecil V2 and there isn’t much difference between them. They both support the same power options and soldering iron tips. What does separate them is comfort. If we were soldering all-day long, then the TS101 would be our choice.

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A cheap soldering iron kit is how many of us start our soldering journey. It is how I started way back in the 1980s. Sometimes a cheap kit will put us off, other times it offers a low cost point of entry for a new skill. The Tabinger solder iron kit is low cost, under $20 and comes with plenty of extras. This is normally a warning on the quality, in this case the iron is rather good despite our first impression.

In the kit we get lead free solder, spare tips and a folding stand (which works but isn’t the nicest). Sure all of these aren’t the best quality, but if we are starting out they will do a good job until we move onwards.

The iron is light in the hand and features a dial to set your temperature. Tips can be easily changed, and the kit comes with a selection of precision and chunky tips. Changing a tip involves unscrewing the collar and sliding the cold tip off, reversing the process to secure your choice in place.

Tabinger’s soldering iron melts solder well; just increase the temperature on the dial to be a little over your ideal choice. We normally solder at 350 degrees Celsius, but the solder was a little tacky with this iron, so we went to 400 and all was well. We did notice that the tip became “scorched” rather quickly. In our experience cheaper soldering irons can burn out quite quickly, so bear that in mind. Replacements can be easily sourced from Amazon or Aliexpress.

The Tabinger 60W Soldering Iron is a decent iron to get you started. The low cost makes it ideal for dipping your toe into soldering.

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The best soldering station with a hot air rework is a dream purchase for most makers. You can buy brand names for hundreds of dollars, but the Yihua 995D+ offers brand name performance for a fraction of the price.

We’ll start with the soldering iron: a rather generic iron which uses the collar system to retain a tip over a heating element. In this case being generic is a good thing. Replacement tips can be easily sourced (even Haako tips will work). The iron feels good in the hand and the silicone cable never gets in the way thanks to its own weight keeping it fixed to the bench. 

The hot air gun also feels good in the hand and has a similar cable. Controlling the iron and hot air is a little tricky at first, requiring the correct controls to be selected (on the left are the hot air controls, on the right the soldering iron) before using the central knob to set the temperature and air flow.

The tall, thin design keeps your bench space clear –  the included soldering iron stand takes a little more space but that’s ok. The included stand is solidly built, doesn’t slip around the bench and has the choice of brass or sponge to clean the tip. The Yihua 995D+ is an excellent soldering station for beginners and pros alike. It gets the job done, looks good and keeps more cash in your pocket.

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Weller is a known brand in the world of soldering irons. They produce good quality irons and this 140W soldering gun represents another quality product. 

Soldering guns come in many forms, some feed solder to the tip, others, like this require us to manually feed the solder with a spare hand. The Weller 140W soldering gun is a beast, and lays down a surprising amount of heat in six seconds. From ambient to 480 degrees Celsius in six seconds, you can solder heavy, big joints. If you need to solder some speaker cables, large power connections on a robot or vehicle, then this gun will make the job so much easier.

Slightly pressing the trigger unleashes 140W of power to the tip of the iron. Talking of tips, it comes with a selection for precise and blunt tips for different soldering scenarios. This isn’t a general purpose soldering iron, but when you need raw power, for a large surface area, then this will do the job just fine.

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Fnirsi’s HS-01 smart soldering iron is a challenger for Pinecil’s crown. It shares the same price-point, around $30 and it uses USB C power. But the HS-01 is a much better travel companion.

First of all is the cap. Instead of a stand we get a cap which firmly covers the hot tip of the soldering iron. Sure the cap will get hot if you put it on right after soldering, but the iron cools down quick, and heats up even quicker! The screw collet, designed to hold the tip in place, means that we do not need a screwdriver to replace tips, just wait for the iron to cool and you can swap the tip for a compatible replacement. TS100 / TS101 / Pinecil tip compatibility would be the ideal, but a set of Hs-01 compatible tips is around $15.

Soldering with the HS-01 is a joy. The included tip is a good all-rounder and for our review it performed great on solder joints big and small. For $30, if the Pinecil V2 is out of stock, or you need a soldering iron for your traveling maker kit, buy this instead!

Read: Fnirsi HS-01 Review

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Picking The Best Soldering Iron For You

Finding the best soldering iron for you is important. You need to be comfortable with the soldering iron in order to concentrate on the task at hand. But which type of soldering iron is for you?

• Basic Soldering irons:  If you are just trying your hand with soldering then perhaps an advanced soldering setup is not for you, yet. A simple soldering iron heats up to a set temperature, giving you the confidence to start soldering without having to tweak the settings.
• Smart Soldering Irons: If space is at a premium, but you need a temperature controlled soldering station, then smart soldering irons are for you. Typically powered using USB C or DC power supplies, these irons provide precise temperature control without dominating the bench.
• Soldering Station: If you need a soldering iron with precise temperature control, along with the best thermal balance, then a soldering station is for you. Stations have an external control unit which contains the power circuitry necessary to deliver precise thermal output. The soldering iron is typically housed in a separate stand giving the user flexibility on the bench.
• Hot Air Soldering Station: These stations offer a temperature controlled soldering iron, along with a hot air gun that is used for surface mount soldering, reflowing circuits and desoldering components from boards.
• Soldering Gun: A soldering gun is a brute force tool, used for larger solder joints. If you are soldering heavy duty cables, speakers or terminals, then a soldering gun has the power you need. For finer, detailed work they are clumsy and awkward, so you will still probably want a soldering iron  to go with your gun.

Other Soldering Irons We Tested

Miniware TS80P

How did this iron not make the list? It looks great, feels great and it has a spring loaded tip ejection system. What let it down was the price, $95 is a lot for an iron. It can put down heat, but you need to change the included precision tip for something more general purpose in order to get it into a board. We love the iron’s user interface and it works really well, but so does Pinecil V2, which retails for a third of the price.

Weller WLSK3023G Soldering Station

Coming from the Weller pedigree we had high hopes for this soldering station. Alas it wasn’t meant to be. The LED light ring is annoying, the iron felt imprecise, and the hot tip of the iron pointing out from the stand felt counter-intuitive. It isn’t a bad iron, but compared to others, it just wasn’t worth the $70 asking price.

YIHUA 938BD+ Soldering Station

It was a tough call between the 938BD+ and the 995D+. The 938BD+ has a wider footprint, but the user interface felt a little less cumbersome. The call was tough, and if the 938BD+ is offered at a reduced price to the 995D+, then jump on it.

Preciva 8786D Hot Air Gun Rework Station

It may look a little dated, but this is a solid, low-cost soldering station. So why didn’t it make the list? The hot air rework gun felt weak, we had to ramp the temperature to the max in order to melt the solder on a heavy joint. The soldering iron felt fine, much like the Yihua stations (Preciva and Yihua are one and the same) but it lacked a silicone cord, instead using PVC. PVC cords are fine, but they are prone to creeping along your bench, getting in the way.

New Acalox Soldering Gun

This gun was the antithesis of the Weller. It took a while to heat up and required solder to be fed via a ratchet system, through the gun. It felt cheap, and the easily removable plastic cover exposed mains voltage connections. If you need a soldering gun, spend the extra money and get the Weller. This cheaper version is not safe for general use.

How We Test The Best Soldering Irons

Each soldering iron was tested with a Velleman PCB kit, chosen for its mixture of small through-hole components and large soldering joints (mechanical joints to anchor components to the board). We used the same solder, lead based 60 / 40 with tin and rosin flux core across all tests, to ensure that our results were consistent.

From Cold to Hot: Getting to A Working Temperature

For each soldering iron / station / gun we tested how long it would take to get to a working temperature from cold. What is a working temperature? Well that is a personal choice. Some prefer to solder at 350 degrees Celsius, others much higher. Rather than set a temperature target, we chose to pick the moment where solder instantly melts on the tip of the iron. In the case of the hot air rework stations we chose the moment that a heavy solder joint would fully melt. All times are measured in seconds, and a lower time is better.

Basic Soldering Iron Times

These basic irons are there for “plug and play” soldering and the Tabiger 60W iron gets to a solder melting temperature much quicker (42 seconds) than the venerable Antex XS25 (116 seconds). The Tabiger has basic temperature control, and almost three times the power of the Antex iron. That said, Antex is a respected brand and offers superb performance.

Hot Air Rework Station Times

These stations all feature a soldering iron and a hot air gun. The irons all heated up fast with the Yihua 995D taking first place in 24 seconds. The Yihua 938BD+ claimed second place at 33 seconds. For hot air, the 938BD+ was way slower than the others, 112 seconds versus a joint 92 seconds for the 995D and Preciva 8786D.

Smart Soldering Iron Times

Smart soldering irons are the F1 cars of the soldering world. They get hot, fast! Pinecil v2 took first place with a time of 10 seconds, joint second were Miniware’s TS100 and TS80P. Any of these smart soldering irons would be a great addition to a maker’s toolbox. But for under $30, Pinecil v2 is hard to resist.

Soldering Gun Times

If you absolutely have to solder large solder joints, then a soldering gun is for you. These things get hot, and have the thermal mass to dump solder onto the target. Weller’s soldering gun is impressive. It heats up within six seconds, and can sustain large solder joints for a considerable amount of time. The Acalox soldering gun is slow to heat up (26 seconds) and it feels rather cheaply made. Avoid it and pay the extra for Weller.

Soldering Station Times

Weller may have won the soldering gun round, but it loses out to Hakko’s FX888D. Heating up in 25 seconds, versus Weller’s 76 seconds, the Hakko FX888D is a sublime soldering experience, but we expect that given its price. If you are going to be soldering professionally it is always best to have the right tool for the job (as Star Trek’s Scotty can attest.)

Managing human resource and payroll tasks can be complicated and time-consuming for businesses, especially ones that employ workers on a global scale. Oyster’s software solutions for HR and global payroll have become a popular choice for these organizations, as they offer a way to streamline international workforce management processes.

SEE: Head to the best. Check out our comprehensive list of the top payroll solutions of 2023.

Still, alternative software solutions to Oyster HR are available, with different features that may be more aligned with your organization’s unique needs. In this article, we will explore the top competitors and alternatives to Oyster HR software, analyzing their features, pricing, pros and cons to help you make an informed decision on the best tool for your business.

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Top Oyster HR competitors and alternatives: Comparison table

Take a look at this representation of how Oyster HR’s alternatives compare, based on their approach to several key global payroll and HR features.

	Payroll for international employees	Payroll for international contractors	Built-in time tracking tools	Global onboarding features	Pricing
Oyster HR	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Plans starting at $29 per contractor/month
Papaya Global	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Plans starting from $3 per month per employee
Plane	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Plans starting from $29 per month per contractor
Rippling	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Pricing starts at $8 per month per user
Blue Marble	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Shoppers receive a customized quote based on individual requirements
Remote	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Plans start at $29 per month per contractor
Deel	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Plans start at $49

Top Oyster HR competitors

The following software providers offer comparable solutions to Oyster’s products. Take a look at the options below for a breakdown of their features, pros, cons and prices.

Is Oyster HR worth it?

Oyster HR offers international payroll and HR services for global contractors in 180+ countries and full-time employees in 130+ countries through its software. Oyster HR can act as a global employer of record for businesses, allowing them to compliantly hire, onboard, pay and manage full-time global employees. Alternatively, businesses can use the employee management solution to compliantly source, manage and set up payments for international contractors.

Oyster HR’s wide global support isn’t the only reason businesses use it for their international workforces. The software solution simplifies international business operations and offers users peace of mind through its global employment guidance tools.

SEE: Use our buyer’s guide to review the best solutions for international payroll.

These features allow businesses to make smart decisions when hiring internationally. For instance, organizations can use the Time Zone Crossover Calculator to optimize talent sourcing locations for their needs. They can also instantly calculate all employment costs for their workers worldwide using Oyster’s Global Employment Cost Calculator, so they can stay within their workforce hiring budgets.

Oyster HR provides plenty of features to help businesses ensure compliance with their global employment and payroll processes, making it a beneficial end-to-end employee management option for hiring, paying and managing international workers.

Oyster HR pros and cons

If you’re still on the fence about Oyster HR, consider the following pros and cons of its software, as well as the price of Oyster’s solutions.

Oyster HR pros

• Oyster HR supports integrations with many popular ERP, ATS, expense management and HRIS tools, including third-party programs like QuickBooks Online, Oracle NetSuite and Xero.
• Employers can use Oyster’s Employee Misclassification Analyzer to determine their risk of employee misclassification when hiring internationally.
• Oyster HR can process invoices and pay contractors in 120+ currencies, or process payroll for full-time employees as an EOR in 130+ countries.
• Oyster HR users can hire confidently with the Contractor vs Full-Time Employee Analyzer tool, which allows them to assess potential risks and costs associated with each option.

Oyster HR cons

• Oyster HR lacks some features that are commonly found among global payroll solutions, including advanced analytics, offboarding and employee training management.
• Oyster HR does not offer salary guidelines tailored to specific roles.
• Small businesses may find the pricing for full-time employees to be high compared to its competitors.

Oyster HR pricing

Oyster HR’s services are provided through three pricing options:

• Contractor plan starting at $29 per contractor/month.
• Employee plan starting at $499 per employee/month billed annually, or $599 per employee/month billed monthly.
• Scale plan, which is priced through custom rates based on the buyer’s needs.

Do you need an alternative to Oyster?

While Oyster HR is a popular payroll and HR solution, there are several reasons why organizations may wish to explore an alternative product. Oyster HR can be beneficial for various global payroll needs, but it lacks some HR functionalities that businesses may require, such as employee performance management tools.

Regarding payroll, Oyster HR does not offer advanced analytics or robust reporting. This means it may not be suitable for users that require features to help them identify trends or patterns in employee compensation or financing. Finally, some small businesses may find Oyster HR’s pricing too high for their limited budget, especially those looking to hire full-time global employees.

Oyster HR will be suitable for many businesses’ payroll and HR requirements. Still, its limitations may make it necessary for others to consider alternative products that offer more comprehensive features for tasks like time tracking, employee performance management and in-depth analytics. Therefore, some global teams may need to seek additional options to meet their payroll needs. Fortunately, our payroll services comparison tool can help organizations determine which payroll and HR features are necessary for their ideal software system.

Methodology

This is a technical review using compiled literature researched from relevant databases. The information provided within this article is gathered from vendor websites or based on an aggregate of user feedback.

Extract, transform and load tools are designed to help organizations extract data from disparate sources and consolidate the extracted data into actionable information and insights. With ETL tools, organizations can significantly improve data quality and simplify data management. They can work in either cloud or on-premises IT environments; they also come in either proprietary or open-source software. Here are some of the most popular ETL tools in those categories.

SEE: Explore the difference between ETL and ELT.

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Top ETL tools comparison

Here is how the best ETL tools compare in terms of core features.

Frequently asked questions about ETL tools

What is an ETL tool?

ETL tools transform and consolidate raw data from disparate sources to prepare it for target systems. Today, they play a major role in corporate decision-making. This is because data is culled from a variety of sources and then assembled in a single data repository that corporate decision-makers can access, providing a 360-degree view to make more informed decisions.

SEE: Check out TechRepublic Premium’s database engineer hiring kit.

ETL tools provide a level of comprehensive analysis and visibility that was difficult to achieve even a decade ago. Corporate departments were using their own systems and data, and this data stayed in data silos that weren’t always shared with others with a need to know. With more modernized approaches to preparing and sharing data, a more complete picture of what is going on throughout the company is available to corporate decision-makers.

How do ETL tools work?

ETL software obtains data from one or more sources, transforms the data into a form that is acceptable for another source and then moves the data to the new target source. ETL software is an automated software tool that automates this process. This saves time and effort and helps prevent manual errors.

When an ETL tool extracts data, the data can be extracted from any internal or external data source, whether it is a file or a database.

Once the ETL tool has the data, it transforms the data into a form that is compatible with the target data repository. This data transformation is based on predefined data conversion rules, which then perform the data transformation automatically.

As a final step, the ETL software takes the transformed data and moves it into the target data repository.

How do you use an ETL tool?

ETL tools automate the movement of data between systems, whether on-premises or in the cloud. These tools can be run for both batch and real-time data processing.

However, ETL tools are only as good as the set of business and operational rules that IT provides them. For instance, an organization will have a set of data governance and data cleaning standards. While ETL tools can automate these rules and standards, IT still must define the rules of operation and data quality and governance.

It is also up to IT to continuously monitor the ETL process in the same way IT monitors the performance of any other piece of software. This way, if there is a problem, IT can intervene and solve it.

How do you evaluate an ETL tool?

While ETL tools now automate much of manual processes data migration via APIs that automatically connect to many popular databases and applications, there are several factors companies should consider before purchasing an ETL solution:

• What do you need the ETL for? Consider the different sources your data resides in as well as the types of data you have and whether you need to move it to an on-premises, a cloud or a hybrid infrastructure.
• How do you want to prepare your data? Is the generic formatting (system to system or database to database) your ETL tool comes pre-packaged with going to meet your data cleaning and formatting needs, or do you need to add extra edit rules to the data?
• How well can you support and leverage your ETL tool? Consider the size of your company and the number of skilled personnel you have who are trained in ETL as well as whether non-IT business users also need to use the ETL software.
• How much do you want to pay for an ETL tool? Your budget should consider the cost of usage and data center storage, as well as the cost of training and support.

Key features of ETL tools

Cloud-native support

Cloud-native support in ETL tools refers to the ability of the solution to use cloud computing to process data. This is different from the traditional on-premises infrastructure. The major benefits of cloud-native support are that it is scalable and has greater flexibility as it allows organizations to be more agile.

Pre-built connectors

Pre-built connections are ready-to-use interfaces in ETL tools. This allows for quick and easy integration with different data sources and targets. A key advantage of pre-built connectors is that they minimize the need for custom coding, allowing for better productivity. They also help promote more streamlined data integration workflows.

Data integration

With data integration, ETL tools are able to move and transform raw data from disparate sources. This allows for a unified view of business data. Centralized data management helps improve efficiency in processing data. It also allows access to real-time data for better decision-making.

Visual interface

A visual interface for ETL tools helps simplify the process, helping boost productivity and enhance ease of use. For example, interface features such as drag-and-drop allow users to easily create integration workflows. The visual interface also helps with better visualization of data flow to help identify sources of errors or bottlenecks in the data flow.

Benefits of ETL tools

ETL tools offer a variety of benefits to organizations as they provide a structured approach to extracting data from different sources and transforming it into a more usable format. Here are some of the top benefits of ETL tools:

• Improve data quality by removing data inconsistencies. This helps improve the reliability of decision-making.
• Reduce the likelihood of human errors by automating several recurring or repetitive steps to data extraction and transformation.
• Increase business agility by offering organizations the information required to respond quickly to changing business needs.
• Boost operational residence by reducing reliance on the IT team for data processing.

How do I choose the best ETL tool for my business?

Data integration is one of the most persistent challenges for IT teams. What ETL tools bring to the table is a simplified way of moving data from system to system and from data repository to data repository.

ETL tools come in a wide variety that can meet the needs of enterprises with complex data and system integration needs in hybrid environments, as well as smaller companies that lack IT expertise and must watch their budgets. The ETL tool your business chooses will depend on its specific use cases and budget.

Review methodology

The best ETL tools were chosen based on different factors, including ease of use, features, connectivity and scalability. We also looked at the type of support and user community available for each tool.

While Raspberry Pi boards have been around since 2012, they have historically been powered by Broadcom SoCs. All of this changed in January 2021 when we saw the first Raspberry Pi silicon, the RP2040 arrive. In a short space of time the RP2040 has become a major SoC in the maker community. With two Arm Cortex M0+ cores running at 133 MHz, 264KB of RAM and up to 16MB of Flash (stored external to the RP2040), these chips open up a new range of microcontrollers that compete more closely with traditional Arduino boards than a Raspberry Pi 4. Raspberry Pi used the RP2040 in its Lego compatible Build HAT in place of the STM32 that Lego uses in its control bricks.

The Raspberry Pi Pico, and the Raspberry Pi Pico W are both great boards, but there are many more to choose from. There are now around 100, third-party boards that offer improvements ranging from smaller boards to built-in Wi-Fi, more storage or may more additional outputs. There are even RP2040-powered keypads and digital displays. All of these boards share the same $1 RP2040 chip, but offer much more than the stock model.

With Raspberry Pi still being hard to come by (it is getting better, with 1 million units per month now) we’ve compiled the best RP2040 boards to get your projects up and running. These boards can be used for everything from general learning to building Wi-Fi connected robots to implementing basic A.I. 

• What size / pins do you need?  Smaller RP2040 boards like Pimoroni’s Tiny RP2040, SparkFun’s Pro Micro RP2040 and Adafruit’s QT Py RP2040 have fewer than the standard 40 pins, but can fit in smaller projects.
• Do you need wireless? With the introduction of the Pico W , we now have a low cost and easy to use means to get our projects online. Before that the RP2040 required add on boards such as Adafruit’s Airlift board or Pimoroni’s Pico Wireless Pack. There is also Arduino’s Nano RP2040 Connect, which comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in, but this board costs over three times that of the Pico W.
• Choose your ecosystem: The pinouts of different RP2040 boards may align with different add-ons. For example, Adafruit’s Feather RP2040 is compatible with around two dozen different FeatherWing, including those which offer wireless connectivity while the Pico itself connects directly to Pimroni’s “packs.”
• Specialist connectors such as Stemma QT, Qwiic and Grove are desirable extra features for those that want simple and neat electronics projects. The Pico doesn’t come with any of these, but many third-party boards do. The simplicity of these connections belies the choice of sensors and components offered.

Best Raspberry Pi RP2040 Boards You Can Buy Today 

The original and least expensive RP2040 board, the Raspberry Pi PIco costs just $4, and while it provided a solid base for projects it lacked Wi-Fi. The $6 Raspberry Pi Pico W introduced Wi-Fi to the Pico, while retaining the exact same pinout as its predecessor. This smart move means that the plethora of RP2040 accessories are available to the Pico W.

Getting online with the Raspberry Pi Pico W is a breeze. Just five lines of MicroPython is all it takes to connect, and from there we have a multitude of options at our disposal. We now have a $6 data collection device, a web controlled robot, or Internet connected information gathering platform.

The Raspberry Pi Pico W adds to the Pico ecosystem. It provides us with a lower power option to the Raspberry Pi Zero W 2 and keeps the Raspberry Pi product range ticking while the global supply chain recovers.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico W Review 

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Adafruit, partners in the RP2040 project have released many great RP2040 boards in a short space of time. The company has its own ecosystem of form factors and its largest, the Feather, is where we saw their first RP2040 system. Designed to take advantage of an expansive range of add-ons called “FeatherWings”, the Feather RP2040 has fewer pins than a typical Raspberry Pi Pico, but the choice of pins is curated to give us the best that the RP2040 can offer.

What we lose in GPIO pins we gain in onboard LiPo / Li-Ion battery charging, great pin labeling and Stemma QT, Adafruit’s connector of choice for components that connect using I2C. With Stemma QT we have none of the messy wiring and polarity issues, enabling us to focus on the project and not our wiring.

If you’re looking for the most versatile RP2040 board on the market, look no further. Sure, we pay a premium over the Raspberry Pi Pico, but the Adafruit Feather RP2040 is a refined product that is ready to drop into your next project.

Read: Adafruit Feather RP2040 Review

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The Raspberry Pi Pico is a fun and inexpensive way to get into coding and electronics. After buying a Pico, we need to also buy extra components to expand its scope and this can become costly and complicated. The Maker Pi Pico crams a lot of extra functions into a small package all for less than $10, including a pre-soldered Raspberry Pi Pico.

For $10, the sheer amount of features is amazing. We have a micro SD card reader, buzzer / 3.6mm audio jack, NeoPixel, all of the GPIO pins broken out for use and we have six Grove connectors for use with compatible components. Each of the GPIO pins has a useful LED that can be used to quickly debug an issue. The included ESP-01 header enables basic Wi-Fi access and, since we wrote our review, Cytron has released an updated guide on how to get the Maker Pi Pico connected to wireless. For $10 this board is hard to beat!

Read: Cytron Maker Pi Pico Review 

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Adafruit’s QT Py RP2040 is similar to Pimoroni’s Tiny 2040. We have the RP2040 squeezed into the smallest package and we have a curated selection of GPIO pins for our projects. Adafruit’s QTPy RP2040 has castellated edges, designed to surface mount the board into a project and it features a Stemma QT / Qwiic connector which breaks out an additional I2C connection for use with Stemma QT / Qwiic compatible components, a useful and tidy solution for rapid prototyping.

The low cost and ease of use afforded by the QTPy RP2040 is amplified by Adafruit’s MicroPython fork, CircuitPython, which has many libraries of code for use with Stemma QT / Qwiic components. Even if you already own a Raspberry Pi Pico, the QTPy RP2040 should still be part of your project box.

Read: Adafruit QT Py RP2040 Review  

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Solder Party’s RP2040 Stamp is a $12, one-inch square board resembles a postage stamp but emblazoned on the center is the familiar RP2040 SoC, along with 8MB of flash storage and a full complement of GPIO pins forming a perimeter of castellations around the board.

RP2040 Stamp is designed for use in your own PCBs. The castellations and onboard LiPo charging system means that most of the hard work is done for us. This is a smartly designed board which we can see being used in a plethora of new projects. 

Read: Solder Party RP2040 Stamp Review 

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Many of the Raspberry Pi Pico alternatives have one thing in common, they lack the full set of GPIO pins found on the Pico. Pimoroni’s Pico LiPo is a drop-in replacement for the Raspberry Pi Pico that provides all of the GPIO pins found on a Pico, with added bonus of onboard LiPo / Li-Ion charging and a Stemma QT / Qwiic connector. 

Pico LiPo does cost more than three times the price of a standard Pico, but with these extra features in the same form factor we can justify spending the extra money. If you are planning to build embedded / mobile projects or wish to try out the Stemma QT / Qwiic components ecosystem, then Pico LiPo is a serious contender for your attention.

Read: Pimoroni Pico LiPo Review 

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For the Raspberry Pi, the Explorer HAT series of boards were the first step for many roboteers. Mixing easy to use software with great hardware was a winning combination. For the Raspberry Pi Pico W we see Inventor 2040 W following this fine tradition. When we say it just works, we really do mean it.

In our review we loved the simplicity of the board. It afforded us the confidence to invent and create ideas. From motorized contraptions, servos, sensors, a rather cute light show and a sea shanty. You can do it all with this board.

At the heart of the board is the Raspberry Pi Pico W and this brings Wi-Fi to the mix. This board has all the features you could need, and it can replace the Raspberry Pi Zero for many maker projects. In the classroom, makerspace or the home, this board is the one to reach for.

Read: Pimoroni Inventor 2040 W Review 

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Seeed’s $5 XIAO RP2040 is an upgrade on its previous SAMD21 model for no extra money. It shares the same pinout as Adafruit’s QT Py RP2040 but lacks the Stemma QT port. If you really need that port then pay the extra $5 for the QT Py, but for most uses Seeed’s XIAO RP2040 is more than up to the job.

The tiny board is made for dropping into an embedded project, and the castellated edges mean we can easily surface mount solder this board to a PCB. The cost per board means that we can embed and forget a project without hurting our wallets. 

Read: Seeed XIAO RP2040 

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A bright and clear 2.4 inch IPS LCD that you can wear around your neck, or keep on your desk. Powered by the RP2040, Tufty 2040 is all about the display. Front and center this is a great display with good viewing angles and rich colors. Designed to be worn as a conference badge, Tufty 2040 is much more than a vanity project.

Around the back we see connections for Qw/ST (StemmaQT / Qwiic) sensors, which means we can easily use Tufty 2040 as a desktop data station for air quality and temperature data. Power can come from one of three sources. USB C, AAA batteries or LiPo. The AAA batteries and LiPo options connect via a dedicated JST-PH connector, but note that there is no builtin charging circuit so your batteries will need to be charged externally.

The small size, easy to use MicroPython library and Qw/ST connector elevate Tufty 2040 from being “just a badge” into a great data visualization tool. Sure we would love to see Wi-Fi as an option, Tufty 2040 came out just before the Raspberry Pi Pico W, so the overlap is unfortunate. That said, Tufty 2040 is still a great purchase.

Read: Pimoroni Tufty 2040 Review 

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Pimoroni’s Keybow 2040 is something special in the RP2040 range: a programmable 16-key keypad, powered by the RP2040. This isn’t a board that you use to build a project, rather it is something that we integrate into a project. With 16 mechanical keys, each with an addressable NeoPixel LED we can build the Keybow 2040 into our daily workflow.

The board ships with Pimoroni’s fork of MicroPython with modules to use Keybow 2040, but you will only get the best from this board via Adafruit’s CircuitPython and its USB HID module. Using this we can assign keypresses, media keys and mouse movements to any of the keys, making short work of tedious tasks.

Read: Pimoroni Keybow 2040 Review 

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The $10 SparkFun Pro Micro RP2040 is the cheapest model in SparkFun’s range and follows a classic design that resembles an Arduino Nano board layout which is at home in a breadboard and embedded into your projects. We have fewer GPIO pins than a Pico, but more than Adafruit’s QTPy RP2040 while retaining a small layout.

SparkFun’s Qwiic connector, compatible with Adafruit’s Stemma QT, enables us to use many of the compatible components such as sensors and displays with the Pro Micro and for $10 this is a Swiss Army Knife of a board that provides a cost effective and multi-purpose means to explore the RP2040 ecosystem.

Read: SparkFun Pro Micro RP2040 Review 

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The Raspberry Pi Pico W unleashed a low-cost, easy to use entrypoint for education and citizen science projects. For just $6 we now have a Wi-Fi connected device that can stream data over a network. Pimoroni’s Enviro Indoor uses the Pico W as the brains of an Internet of Things appliance that comes with its own temperature, humidity, air pressure, light and air quality sensors, packaged in a small board. The included setup script elevates Enviro Indoor from being “just another” sensor, into an accessible appliance designed to get results with minimal effort.

Read: Pimoroni Enviro Indoor

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As organizations worldwide continue to adapt to an increasingly competitive landscape and a rapidly evolving business environment, the demand for effective project management solutions has never been greater. Companies of all sizes are recognizing the need to streamline workflows, enhance collaboration and boost overall productivity. Implementing the right project management software can help businesses stay ahead of the curve by ensuring projects are completed on time, within budget and with optimal resource allocation.

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Top project management software comparison

Alongside pricing, here are some of the most important features that set apart the best project management software on the market. The table below illustrates which of the top 10 project management tools include these key features.

Software	Pricing	Native time tracking	Multiple view types	Customizable templates	Task management	Free plan
monday work management	$8 per user per month	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Smartsheet	$7 per user per month	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
ClickUp	$5 per user per month	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Teamwork	$5.99 per user per month	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wrike	$9.80 per user per month	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Asana	$10.99 per user per month	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Trello	5 per user per month	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Zoho Projects	$4 per user per month	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Confluence	$5.75 per user per month	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Jira	$7.75 per user per month	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

What are key features of project management software?

The key features of project management software vary depending on the specific tool, but generally, these are some of the most important features to look for when evaluating a solution.

Task management

Effective task management capabilities enable users to create, assign, track and update tasks, providing a clear overview of individual responsibilities and overall project progress. This feature is essential for keeping teams organized and ensuring that everyone understands their roles and deadlines, contributing to the successful completion of projects.

Customizable workflows

Customizable workflows allow teams to create and modify workflows according to their unique processes and preferences, ensuring the software is adaptable to their specific needs and requirements. This flexibility enables teams to tailor their project management system to suit their project types, methodologies and industry best practices, ultimately improving efficiency and effectiveness.

Collaboration and communication

Project management software should foster seamless collaboration and communication among team members through features like real-time chat, file sharing, commenting and notifications. These tools help keep everyone on the same page and streamline decision-making, making it easier to coordinate work, resolve issues and ensure that projects stay on track.

Multiple views

Providing various views such as Gantt charts, kanban boards, list views and calendar views allows users to visualize project data in different ways, catering to individual preferences and enhancing overall project comprehension. This feature helps teams monitor progress, identify potential bottlenecks and plan work more effectively.

Native time tracking

Time-tracking capabilities help teams monitor the time spent on tasks and projects, facilitating better resource allocation and promoting efficient time management. This feature enables organizations to optimize productivity, manage budgets and accurately bill clients for work completed.

Custom fields

Custom fields enable teams to add personalized data points to tasks and projects, making it easier to track, filter and report on the unique information relevant to their organization. This feature provides additional flexibility and customization, ensuring teams can capture and manage the data that matters most to them.

Document and file management

Integrated document and file management features allow users to store, share and collaborate on project-related files, ensuring easy access and organization. This functionality helps keep essential documents and resources centralized, streamlining communication and reducing the risk of misplacing or duplicating files.

Reporting and analytics

Comprehensive reporting and analytics tools help users gain insights into project performance, identify bottlenecks and make informed decisions based on real-time data. These features enable teams to continuously improve their processes, allocate resources more effectively and optimize overall project success.

Resource management

Effective resource management capabilities enable teams to allocate resources such as personnel, equipment and budgets optimally, ensuring projects are completed efficiently and cost-effectively. This feature helps organizations balance workloads, avoid overloading team members and prevent resource conflicts.

Third-party integrations

Integration with other tools and software, such as customer relationship management systems, accounting tools and productivity suites, can enhance the project management software’s functionality and streamline workflows. This feature enables teams to connect their project management system to other essential tools, reducing manual data entry and facilitating a more seamless working experience.

What are the benefits of project management software?

Project management software offers a multitude of benefits that can significantly enhance team productivity and efficiency. Let’s delve into some of the most compelling advantages that these tools can provide.

Improved organization and prioritization

Project management software offers a comprehensive and structured approach to organizing tasks and projects, making it easier for teams to stay focused and prioritize work. It enables users to break projects down into smaller, manageable tasks and assign deadlines, ensuring that teams can effectively allocate resources and time to critical activities. By categorizing and prioritizing tasks, team members can better understand their responsibilities and overall project progression, reducing confusion and miscommunication.

SEE: Improve your project organization with these top project portfolio management software.

Enhanced collaboration and communication

A key benefit of project management software is the facilitation of team collaboration and communication. By providing a centralized platform, team members can easily share information, documents and updates on their progress. This visibility allows for more effective communication, faster decision-making and better issue resolution. Additionally, such tools often have integrated communication features, like chat or comment sections, which can help streamline communication and ensure everyone is on the same page.

Time and resource management

Project management software helps teams efficiently manage their time and resources, ultimately leading to increased productivity. These tools often include features like time tracking, workload balancing and resource allocation, which allow teams to make informed decisions about how to best utilize their time and resources. By monitoring progress and identifying bottlenecks, managers can make adjustments and reallocate resources as needed to keep projects on track.

Accurate budget tracking and financial control

Managing budgets is a critical aspect of any project and project management software can help ensure financial control. With features like cost estimation, expense tracking and financial reporting, teams can monitor budgets and make informed decisions to avoid overspending. This level of financial control and visibility not only helps projects stay within budget but also supports better forecasting for future projects.

Increased accountability and transparency

Project management software increases accountability and transparency by providing a clear overview of tasks, responsibilities and deadlines. This visibility helps ensure team members understand their roles and take ownership of their work. Moreover, the software allows for real-time progress tracking, making it easier to hold individuals accountable for meeting deadlines and completing tasks. This improved accountability fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility within the team, leading to better overall project outcomes.

Streamlined reporting and decision-making

Finally, project management software simplifies reporting and decision-making by consolidating data from various sources into customizable dashboards and reports. This enables stakeholders to access relevant information quickly and make data-driven decisions. By providing insights into project performance, teams can identify areas for improvement and implement changes, ensuring projects stay on track and meet objectives.

Considerations for project management tools

Use cases and audience

Most project management software solutions speak to a broad audience of potential use cases. Across industries and departments, the use cases mentioned most for project management tools include:

• Agile, scrum and other software development methodologies.
• Campaign and client management.
• Content creation and digital asset management.
• Event planning and management.
• Issue, request, ticket and bug tracking.
• Lead tracking and sales pipeline.
• Onboarding and offboarding personnel.
• Product management and features backlog.
• Resource, time and workload allocation.

Integrations

As with the two software development project management picks, the range of integrations offered by top project management platforms is a crucial differentiating factor. Teams across the globe increasingly rely on a stack of applications to conduct everyday work. Considering project management software is meant to enable productivity in teams existing workflows, the lack of a critical integration is a dealbreaker.

Customer support and service

Finally, teams relying on project management software for critical business operations also need to ensure the level of technical support meets expectations. Teams are bound to encounter unexpected outages, roadblocks and platform issues, making regular availability by phone or web chat essential to business continuity.

How do I choose the best project management software for my business?

The best project management software should offer a combination of user-friendliness, customization and scalability to meet the needs of your team and organization. It should be intuitive and easy to navigate, allowing users to perform tasks with minimal training. The software should also be adaptable, providing the ability to tailor features and workflows to suit the organization’s specific requirements. Scalability is another essential aspect, ensuring that the software can accommodate growth in team size, project complexity and workload.

SEE: Working on a smaller team? Explore top project management software for small businesses.

Effective communication, time and resource management and comprehensive reporting are vital features of a top project management tool. Collaboration and communication features should streamline information sharing and decision-making, while time and resource management capabilities help optimize productivity. Robust reporting and analytics functionalities are crucial for informed decision-making and continuous improvement. Integration with other tools, such as CRM systems or productivity suites, can further enhance efficiency.

Lastly, consider the security, reliability and cost-effectiveness of the software. Robust security measures, such as encryption and access controls, are necessary to protect sensitive project data. Reliability in terms of uptime and responsive customer support ensures a seamless experience. The best project management software should offer value for money, balancing features and functionality with cost. Evaluating customer reviews, case studies and testimonials can provide valuable insights into the tool’s suitability for your organization’s specific needs.

Methodology

To compile this list of the best project management software, we did a deep dive into several parameters and features of the software. This complete analysis includes an assessment of the usability of the software, standout features, and security tools.

For the assessment of the user interface, we looked at the ease of navigation and visual appeal of each software. An intuitive user interface plays a key role in the overall user experience. We also analyzed the functionality and features of each software, including core and advanced tools. In addition, the performance and stability of each software were assessed to check the responsiveness and efficiency of the software.

For a more thorough understanding of ease of use, we looked at several other aspects of the software, including ease of setup, scalability and user support. Lastly, we did an analysis of the compatibility and integration of each software to check how it would fit into different technology ecosystems.

Gusto payroll is a top payroll solution for many — or even most — small and midsize businesses that run payroll in house. Its reasonable starting price, built-in employee benefits and helpful blend of HR and payroll tools set it apart in the crowded field of payroll software.

But Gusto might not work for you, especially if you need comprehensive international payroll or thorough HR and compliance features.

For instance, Rippling is the top Gusto alternative for growing businesses with more complex payroll needs. Meanwhile, a competitor like OnPay is ideal for small businesses that like Gusto’s price but need more HR assistance than Gusto provides. Keep reading to learn more about whether Gusto or an alternative is the best payroll choice for you.

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Top Gusto competitors and alternatives: Comparison table

Gusto and its top competitors all provide full-service payroll with unlimited payroll runs, federal and state tax filing, direct deposit and accounting software integration.

Top Gusto competitors

Gusto primarily targets small and midsize businesses, though it can work well for some large businesses that use separate HCM or HR software for people management. For the most part, though, the Gusto competitors we review below target the same audience — with a few exceptions.

Growing businesses and international companies should prioritize Rippling and Papaya Global. If you need a heftier payroll and HR solution, look into our review of the best payroll software for enterprises, which covers more comprehensive payroll software like Workday HCM.

Is Gusto worth it?

Our star rating: 4.1 out of 5

Gusto is a solid payroll choice for many small and midsize businesses in any industry. Its user-friendly interface should appeal to new employers who want a simple, straightforward tool to pay their workers.

Since Gusto is one of the most popular payroll providers in the U.S., it syncs with top business software products problem-free. Its easy-to-use, versatile payroll system is preferred by accountants and HCM software providers around the country.

Still, Gusto’s popularity doesn’t automatically qualify it as the best payroll software solution for you. Consider factors like how many employees you have, how much growth you’re counting on, which benefits you want to offer and what features you can’t do without while you weigh Gusto against its competitors.

Learn more about Gusto’s pros, cons, features, plans and prices in our Gusto review.

Gusto pros and cons

Gusto is primarily a payroll solution — so if payroll is all you need, Gusto is a fantastic tool. It includes features that many of its key competitors leave out (or include at an extra fee), such as state unemployment insurance management, state new hire reporting, workers compensation integration and wage garnishment.

But if you’re looking for a more complex HR solution, Gusto isn’t the right fit for you. Unlike Paychex and ADP Workforce Now, Gusto doesn’t have employee management tools like a learning management system.

Additionally, while Gusto’s three plans might make it more scalable than single-plan alternatives like OnPay and Square Payroll, its base price and per-employee fee double between the cheapest and mid-tier plan. The price jump might be too much for a small business’s budget.

Gusto’s pricing

Gusto has three main payroll plans:

• Gusto Simple costs $40 per month plus $6 per employee.
• Gusto Plus costs $80 per month plus $12 per employee.
• Gusto Premium requires a custom quote.

Gusto’s plan for contractors costs just $6 per payee for the first six months of service and $35 a month plus $6 per payee for every month after that. Gusto also offers international contractor payments in 120+ countries. The exact fee for global contractor payroll differs from country to country.

Do you need an alternative to Gusto?

The best way to find out if you need Gusto or a Gusto alternative is to try the software yourself. While Gusto doesn’t have a free trial, it does offer free account creation, and you won’t be charged for anything until you run your first payroll. SurePayroll, OnPay and Roll by ADP all offer free trials while the other Gusto payroll competitors on our list provide free demos.

The payroll software you pick impacts how satisfied your employees are with their pay, what benefits you can offer and how much time you spend on payroll each pay period. While signing up for free trials and scheduling multiple demos might sound like a hassle, the time and effort are worth it to find the perfect payroll product.

Consider Gusto for payroll if . . .

• You want a payroll-first software solution with some HR tools.
• You want payroll software that integrates with most HRIS and HCM software.
• You’re comfortable running payroll without dedicated or on-demand customer service.
• You want user-friendly software with a low learning curve and plenty of time-saving automations.

Consider a Gusto alternative for payroll if . . .

• You need a more robust HR solution, not a streamlined payroll-centric tool.
• You want industry-specific payroll software.
• You’re part of a large corporation or global enterprise.
• You want payroll software with guaranteed nationwide benefits (or global benefits).

Our methodology

To evaluate Gusto and its top competitors, we rigorously assessed each brand according to the following categories:

• Pricing, which included factors like lowest and highest listed prices, pricing transparency, extra fees and free trial availability.
• Core features, such as unlimited payroll runs, tax service, benefits administration, mobile app access, third-party integrations and more.
• Ease of use, which included factors like workflow automations, overall user friendliness, scalability, employee self-service portals and more.
• Customer service, which included factors like dedicated account managers, 24/7 availability, response times and more.

We tested each product for ourselves whenever possible by setting up free accounts and scheduling demos. Our hands-on experience was a pivotal part of assessing each brand, determining use cases and evaluating a product’s overall efficacy. We also took verified user reviews into account to make sure more experiences than our own were reflected in our review.

There are plenty of audio options for getting sufficient sound out of your PC. If you’re a laptop user with basic productivity needs (with occasional YouTube excursions), your built-in speakers might be fine. And for those who don’t want to disturb those around them, the best gaming headsets and earbuds can deliver everything from the basics to audiophile-grade excellence. But whether it’s for serious gaming or listening to music with a decent level of volume and quality, it’s tough to beat the freedom, flexibility and audio fidelity of a good set of PC speakers. 

But what makes the best PC speakers for you depends on your needs, how much you want to spend and, in some cases, how much available space you have on and around your desk. We’ve tested several current PC speakers, from budget-priced 2.0 options to glorious gaming setups with subwoofers and surround sound, and plenty of options in between. 

We’ve gathered the best speakers we’ve tested below, with options starting below $100. And if you aren’t quite sure what kind of speaker setup is best for you, be sure to check the section on what to consider, below our best PC speaker picks.

Quick List

Best PC Speakers

The Best PC Speakers Under $100

If you don’t mind the boxy black plastic design and don’t want a subwoofer or 5.1 surround sound, Creative’s T100 speakers are arguably the best value in PC audio, often selling for around $80. The pair of speakers stands just over 8 inches tall, and they deliver sound quality and volume output that rivals or bests some speakers that cost more than twice as much. Plus, the T100s come with a remote and ample connectivity options, features that most pricier options lack.

In our testing, the T100 speakers registered an impressive 82.5 dBA at 50% volume, and at 90.4 dBA cranked all the way up, they were among the loudest pair of 2.0 desktop speakers we tested. The Bose Companion 2 got somewhat louder at 91.6dBA, but those speakers have fewer features and cost nearly twice as much, at $149.

For those who want to do more than just play audio from their PC via a standard 3.5mm audio cable, the T100 speakers include Bluetooth 5.0, a USB port for directly plugging a drive to play MP3 and FLAC files, and even an optical connection. Controls on the top of one of the speakers lets you change inputs, adjust volume, and power the speakers on or off, while a wireless remote lets you do all that, plus switch between EQ presets, adjust bass and treble, and more.

Aside from their uninspired glossy black-plastic shells, the only real downside of Creative’s T100 speakers is that they can’t connect over USB. Also, there’s no option for adding a subwoofer. But if you’re shopping in this price range you probably aren’t seriously considering a 2.1 system with extra low-end thump. Sure, you can buy speakers that look and sound better than Creative’s T100, but you might have to spend more than twice as much for substantially better options. 

Best Budget Speakers

The Creative Pebble Pro is the most premium product in the Pebble lineup — but at $60, it still retails for $20 less than the T100’s average sale price. There’s a lot to love about the Pebble lineup in general, starting with its compact and stylish round “pebble” shape, with drivers that are angled upward 45 degrees so the sound hits your ears when they’re placed on a desktop. 

The Pebble Pro improves upon the original Pebbles with a higher power output and larger, re-engineered 2.25-inch drivers. It doesn’t have a subwoofer, but its low end gets a boost with Creative’s “BassFlex” technology; it also features the brand’s “Clear Audio” processing technology, which enhances vocals over ambient sound effects in movies, shows, and games. Finally, the Pebble Pro features RGB lighting around the base of each speaker — it’s semi-customizable; you can pick from three basic effects and multiple colors. 

Like the original Pebble, the Pebble Pro can be powered by a standard USB port on a laptop — so this is a great set of speakers for those who want a less complicated setup. Unlike the original Pebble, the Pebble Pro has a USB-C PD port that, when plugged into a 30W USB-PD power brick, kicks the Pebble Pro’s power output up to 30W RMS (60W peak). These speakers sound pretty good at their regular power level, but they sound even better (and louder) with the power boost. Plus, as of this writing, if you buy the Pebble Pro on Creative’s website, you’ll get a 30W PD adapter free of charge. 

The Pebble Pro boasts impressive audio for its size and price point — though it does lack the lows you’ll get with a subwoofer (or even some larger 2.0 systems). It also gets pretty loud: it registered 69.4dbA at 50% volume in our testing, and 88.2dBA at 100% volume (and distortion was minimal until around 78% volume). The Pebble Pro also offers 3.5mm analog, USB-C, and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, and also has 3.5mm headset and microphone jacks. 

The main downside to the Pebble Pro might be, coincidentally, its price — Creative’s Pebble V3 has the same drivers (though the Pebble Pro’s are “re-engineered”), Clear Dialog audio processing, and connectivity options as the Pebble Pro, and retails for just $40 (though we recently saw it on sale for $35). Plus, the Pebble V3 comes in the more standard color options of black or white, though it doesn’t have the Pebble Pro’s optional power boost or RGB lighting. 

Read: Creative Pebble Pro Review 

Best Premium 2.0 Speakers

At $269, Audiengine’s A2+ speakers are expensive – especially for a 2.0 setup. But they’re also an investment in excellent audio, and one that I’ve personally experienced. I bought the A2 (non-Bluetooth) version of these speakers in 2012, and they still look and sound as good as new. The A2+ model we tested for this page takes the premium build and good looks of the A2 and adds Bluetooth 5.0, with aptX for improved latency (important when watching movies and, perhaps, when gaming competitively).

The A2+ speakers come in an extremely solid-feeling glossy speaker shell, in white, black or red. Ports include pretty much everything you could ask for. You get micro USB for connecting using the speakers’ internal dac or 3.5mm for analog connections. There is a volume knob, a button for Bluetooth pairing and four RCA jacks, two in and two out. The former can be used for adding a subwoofer down the line should you want more bass. But in 10 years using the older A2 model at my treadmill desk, I’ve never felt a real need to add extra thump. If these speakers are your primary sound boxes, though, you may feel differently.

In our testing, the Audioengine A2+ didn’t get as loud as some speakers that cost quite a bit less. And that’s not surprising given they are only rated to output 60W of peak power in total. But they still managed to deliver 85.6 dBA at max volume in our testing, and 78.2 dBA at 50% volume. That’s a lot of sound unless you’re trying to fill a very large room with booming audio, in which case you should consider something larger (Audioengine has you covered there with its A5+ speakers).

There are two main downsides to Audioengine’s A2+: The exposed speakers aren’t ideal for homes with small children and/or curious pets, who could ruin your audio day with an errant smack or poke. Also, as the design of these speakers is a traditional straight rectangular cabinet, the speakers fire in a straight line, meaning your ears will miss the sweet spot of audio delivery if they’re sitting several inches below your ears on the desk in front of you. This can be fixed by picking up a pair of $20-$30 angled speaker stands or foam wedges, but for this price I would like to see these included in the box as most desktop setups basically necessitate their use to truly appreciate the sound these speakers are capable of. 

Best 2.0 Gaming Speakers

Any set of speakers can deliver the blasts, booms or pickaxe bloops of your favorite PC game. But if you’re after a compact and relatively affordable set of speakers that will make your games sound good (while delivering some gamer style in the process), Edifier’s G2000 speakers are a great choice. The pair of speakers won’t take up much space on your desk, and they deliver a surprising amount of sound – with an emphasis on the low end. Don’t expect room-shaking rumble here, but with a subwoofer port at the back of one of the speakers, these small speakers can grow with your gaming needs.

Edifier’s G2000 speakers also offer up a plethora of connectivity options. Around the back there’s USB connectivity, 3.5mm analog, and Bluetooth 5.2 is an option if you want to go wireless. For those who crave a little light show to go along with their games, the speakers also offer up some RGB, with light emanating from slits on either side and a panel at the back (to reflect off of your wall). Just note that the lights are controlled via buttons on the side of one of the speakers, with 12 available settings. So don’t expect the kind of flexibility you might get from software controls.

Note that these aren’t the best option for listening to music, as each speaker consists of one 2.75-inch driver that has to do double-duty, handling the highs and lows. But if you don’t mind their bias toward the bass end of the spectrum, they’re OK for most audio tasks other than gaming. Just know that the G2000s are tuned and designed for those who prioritize gaming. If that sounds like you and you don’t want to spend more than around $110, these speakers are a great option. And if you don’t like basic black (and gray), there are pink, red, and white color options available for $5-$10 more. 

Best 5.1 Surround Speakers

SteelSeries says its Arena 9 is the first 5.1 surround system for gaming, which we suppose is technically true, because while there are other 5.1 surround systems for PCs, they’re not billed as being gamer-oriented. The Arena 9 comes with five satellites — a center channel that sits under your monitor, two left/right front channels, and two left/right rear channels — as well as a 6.5-inch down-firing subwoofer. The rear satellites are wireless (they connect to each other and are powered separately, but connect to the system wirelessly), which makes for an easier setup than trying to run speaker cables under carpeting. 

The Arena 9 comes with a handy control pod, which features an informative OLED display and touch-sensitive buttons. You can control most of the Arena 9’s features, including audio settings such as EQ and 5.1 upmix, lighting settings such as color mode and brightness, and system settings such as Bluetooth and rear speaker pairing, with this control pod, which is weighted so it will stay on your desk. For further customization, the Arena 9 also works with SteelSeries’ GG software, which includes the company’s Sonar audio app with parametric EQ. 

There’s nothing quite like true surround sound in movies and games that support it, and the Arena 9 does an excellent job of delivering immersive, directional audio that will make certain games come alive. (For audio sources that don’t support surround, the Arena 9 offers 5.1 upmixing, which converts stereo sound into multi-channel audio.) But even stereo sources sound great on the Arena 9, with clear, solid mids and nicely-rendered lows (thanks to the hefty subwoofer).

The biggest downside to the Arena 9 is definitely its high price point of $550 — especially when you can find budget-priced home theater surround systems for under $400. But the Arena 9 really is designed for PC gamers with its USB connectivity — other similarly-priced home theater surround systems aren’t designed to work directly with PCs. The Arena 9 also has some nice features that are specifically designed for PC gamers, such as 4-zone immersive lighting and a desktop control pod (versus, say, a remote). 

Best Soundbar

Soundbars are usually thought of as TV/home theater accessories, but they’re a good option if you’re limited on lateral desk space — and there are a few that are designed specifically with PC users in mind. The Sound Blaster Katana SE is Creative’s most recent addition to its gaming-oriented Katana lineup, and it’s particularly suited to a setup with limited space, as it’s the first Katana soundbar without a subwoofer. 

The Katana SE is slim enough at just 3.1 inches (78mm) high to fit neatly under your desktop monitor — though it also comes with custom wall-mounting hardware for those who want to mount it under a monitor or TV. It features four drivers — two 4.3-inch (109mm) midrange drivers, and two 2.1-inch (54mm) tweeters — each of which is individually powered by dual DSP-controlled stereo amps. The result is clear, great-sounding audio and a soundbar that gets impressively loud: while the Katana SE managed a maximum of 74.5dBA at 50% volume in our testing, it hit a significantly higher maximum of 92.7dBA at 100% volume. 

The Katana SE is packed with features and connectivity for all types of gamers — it features the typical 3.5mm analog and USB-C inputs, as well as optical-in, HDMI ARC, and Bluetooth 5.0. It also has a Dolby Audio decoder (available over HDMI ARC/optical-in), as well as Creative’s Super X-Fi headphone technology for virtual surround sound. Its multiple input ports means you can use it with your PC as well as consoles, TVs, and other devices — making it much more versatile than Razer’s Leviathan V2 and V2 Pro soundbars, which only offer connectivity via USB and Bluetooth. 

While the Katana SE sounds very good, even at the low end, it doesn’t quite offer the deep, weighty bass reproduction of a dedicated subwoofer. Creative’s Sound Blaster Katana V2 soundbar retails for just $30 more (though it’s currently on sale for the same $300 price tag as the Katana SE), and comes with a slim, 6.5-inch subwoofer, for those who have some under-desk space.

What to Consider While Shopping for PC Speakers

✳ Stereo, subwoofer, or surround: A basic 2.0 speaker setup has just two speakers (a left channel and a right channel), and won’t take up too much space on (or under) your desk, provided you don’t opt for bulky, powered bookshelf speakers. If you want something with a more powerful bass response, you should look for a 2.1 system, which comes with a separate subwoofer. (You can also purchase a subwoofer separately, so long as it’s compatible with your setup).

If you’re looking to replicate the immersiveness of home theater audio, you’re probably looking for a 5.1 (or higher) surround sound setup. Just know that these speaker sets tend to be expensive, and you may have to do some creative speaker placement and wire routing to keep your PC from looking like some kind of low-budget Spider-Man movie set.

✳ How you’ll connect to your PC: There are a few different ways to connect speakers to your PC. Some speakers, usually higher-end models, connect via USB. This makes them easy to plug into most PCs and laptops, and they use their own built-in DAC/sound card, so you won’t have to worry about the quality of your system’s onboard audio. Not all speakers have this option, however — many are analog-only, which means you’ll need to connect them directly to your motherboard’s analog hookup or your laptop’s headset jack. This shouldn’t be too much of an issue for 2.0 systems, but if you’re looking at 2.1 or 5.1 surround, you’ll want to make sure your PC’s built-in audio can support it (or purchase a separate internal or external sound card). 

✳ Bluetooth: Bluetooth speakers are a category all on their own, and they’re not very well-suited to acting as desktop PC speakers (nor are they very economical if you don’t need the portability). Bluetooth isn’t a necessity in PC speakers, but the added versatility can be a bonus — especially if you frequently switch between systems and/or devices. 

 ✳ Where you’ll put them: Many PC speakers are, perhaps not surprisingly, designed to be placed on your desktop — and some are even angled upward for optimal audio delivery to your ears. But if you’re thinking of putting your speakers elsewhere — on the floor, a shelf, or even mounted to the wall — make sure the speakers’ stands allow for varying placement (or are removable).

And note that you may have to buy stands for ideal placement or angling, as many PC speakers don’t come with them. Some models attempt to help angle the sound up toward your ears by building the angle into the design of the housing, but this can lead to complications if, for some reason, you need or want to place the speakers above your desk surface.

✳ Size: As is obvious to anyone who’s ever had more than a passing interest in high-end audio, speakers come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. And outside of hi-fi focused options that require a separate amplifier for power, there are also several powered bookshelf speakers that function much like PC speakers, in the sense that you can just plug them into an outlet and then into your PC (or connect wirelessly over Bluetooth).

But as these bookshelf speakers often stand close to a foot tall and are several inches wide and deep, they don’t make ideal desktop speakers for most people. They also tend to pump out more sound than is comfortable for most people when sitting right in front of you. They can, however, be a good option for impressive PC audio if placed behind out – on, say, a bookshelf.

More traditional desktop speakers can also vary pretty dramatically in size, from tall and thin towers to compact, to compact rounded designs, to boxier and somewhat bulkier options that mimic the shape of larger, traditional bookshelf speakers. Be sure to consider how much space you have on your desk before buying. But know that (often though not always) speakers with larger drivers and more solid cabinets can pump out more and better sound, and are less likely to vibrate or otherwise move around on your desk. In other words, don’t expect to be blown away by tiny, inexpensive speakers (in most cases).

How We Test Speakers

A lot of opinions about sound signature, features, and design come into play when deciding what PC speakers are the best for you. Of course, there are measurable characteristics that can tell you quite a bit about how a set of speakers sound. But without thousands of dollars of equipment and an anechoic chamber, it’s tough to reliably make those kinds of measurements. Plus, regardless of what those results might be, how speakers will sound to you depends greatly on the size and shape of your room, the types of materials on and around your walls, and your own ears and brain.

So without unlimited space and funds for true high-end audiophile-level testing, or the ability to take everyone’s physiology and computing surroundings into account, we’ve attempted to mix some measurable data with lots of experience and our own opinions when testing speakers.

We use a Pyle PSPL25 sound meter at a fixed 1-meter distance to test a speaker’s maximum sound output at 50% and 100% volume, using a standard test track. This tells us both how loud a set of speakers can get, and how good or bad things sound when cranked all the way up. Cheaper speakers (and some more expensive options with sub-par power supplies) don’t tend to sound great at max volume. We also use the speakers across a range of common PC tasks: playing games, watching video, and listening to music to get both an anecdotal sense of how the speakers sound in everyday use, as well as how intuitive any hardware or software controls are to navigate.

As with all of the products we benchmark, test, and review, how we test speakers is a fluid process, aimed at delivering useful results and suggestions for our readers. Please feel free to offer up suggestions in the comments below. When we make substantive changes to how we test speakers, we’ll update this portion of the page. 

As an accountant, you need payroll software that syncs with your clients’ existing accounting software, automates as many aspects of payroll as possible, and simplifies tax season. You also need user-friendly payroll software that easily accommodates data from multiple clients while reducing the possibility of user error.

SEE: The four best free payroll software options available in 2023.

Each option on our list of the best payroll software for accountants meets those requirements and then some. Keep reading to find the right software for your unique accounting and payroll needs.

Jump to:

Top payroll software for accountants feature comparison

Whether you’re part of an in-house accounting team or you manage multiple client accounts at your accounting firm, your payroll software should accurately file taxes and calculate paychecks so you can keep your clients’ business finances in line. Ideally, CPA payroll software also helps you communicate complicated financial concepts to non-accountant business owners.

Learn more about the features to look for in payroll software for accountants in our comparison chart below.

Key features of payroll software for accountants

At bare minimum, all accounting payroll software should include free unlimited payroll runs, paycheck calculation, tax filing, direct deposit and employee pay stub access. But the best payroll software for accountants should go above and beyond the basics to offer perks specific to accounting firms. Whether you manage one client or hundreds, look for a payroll solution that prioritizes the following features and services:

Professional account migration or white-glove setup

Your clients will likely need your help moving their payroll data from their old payroll system to your system (or with setting up payroll for the first time if they’ve just hired an employee.) While you can take care of data migration by hand, it’s a time-consuming process that requires a good deal of oversight to reduce errors.

The top accountant payroll providers should offer free data migration services, meaning their team will set up your clients’ payroll software on your behalf. This professional setup should include multiple quality checks to mitigate the possibility of introduced errors.

Accounting software integration

Your payroll software should be completely compatible with your preferred accounting solution. The two should sync automatically and update in real time. Otherwise, you risk sharing inaccurate data with your client. Additionally, if you have to enter financial payroll data into your client’s general ledger by hand, you’ll need to double- and triple-check that you entered the data accurately.

Most payroll software syncs with at least one accounting solution and all of the most popular accounting payroll products integrate seamlessly with QuickBooks Online. If you or your clients use accounting software other than Intuit QuickBooks, make sure it integrates with your payroll service of choice.

Completely automated full-service payroll

When you’re juggling multiple clients with different pay schedules, software with automatic payroll runs, fully automated direct deposit and autopilot or one-touch payroll processing can save you hours of time. To free up time for more important accounting tasks, look for payroll systems that thoroughly automate most, if not all, payroll processes.

Discounts and promotional material for accounting partners

Whenever you onboard a new client, you aren’t just bringing in more business for your firm: You’re also bringing your payroll provider a new customer and source of income. The best payroll software companies will treat you like a true partner, offering discounts (or freebies like letting your firm use the software for free), promotional material and other accountant-specific benefits.

Dedicated customer support

Since you’re dealing with multiple client accounts, a problem with your payroll software doesn’t impact just one business owner: It potentially impacts dozens of businesses and hundreds of employees who are counting on you to ensure they get an accurate, timely paycheck.

Instead of routing you to a phone tree or responding only via email, your payroll software provider should have a dedicated customer support team specific to accounting firms. Be wary of any payroll provider that doesn’t advertise its commitment to answering accounting firms’ questions as soon as possible.

Methodology

To find the best payroll software for accountants, we looked at the most popular, best reviewed software on the market. We narrowed down the playing field by assessing each payroll provider’s accountant-specific tools, features, and perks. We looked at verified user reviews, viewed demos and spoke with sales representatives when possible.

How do I choose the best payroll software for my accounting business?

The best payroll software for your accounting business will be versatile enough to meet your firm’s in-house payroll needs while accommodating your clients’ needs as well. It will sync seamlessly with your accounting software so your clients’ financial data is always accurate and up to date. It will fall within both your budget and your clients’ budgets and it should scale to keep pace with the size of your clients’ businesses.

Keep these considerations in mind as you search for the right payroll software for your needs. Don’t be afraid to insist on a demo or free trial before you commit to one payroll provider over another. The payroll software you choose will have a huge impact on your business’s ability to turn a profit as well as your clients’ happiness, so weigh your options thoroughly and ask your sales representative as many questions as possible while making your decision.

Handling a construction project is complex, especially for project managers who have to juggle everything including materials, employees, client expectations and project deadlines. Construction project managers need an efficient way to manage their resources and coordinate all of the tasks associated with their projects. For many teams, the best way to consolidate all of their project plans and increase visibility into individual tasks is to invest in project management software.

Construction project management software helps contractors and subcontractors streamline the process of completing projects on time and within budget. It provides a centralized platform to keep track of tasks, communicate with project teams and stakeholders, store documents and files, and generate reports. The software also offers collaboration capabilities that keep stakeholders connected throughout the project life cycle.

In this product guide, we’ve evaluated seven of the best construction project management software solutions, taking a closer look at their features, costs, pros and cons, to help you determine the best option for your needs and budget.

Jump to:

Top construction project management software comparison

When choosing the best construction management software for your business, you need to consider pricing as well as features. This table shows which construction software includes which features to help you make your decision.

Key features of construction management software

Software for construction project management needs to combine general purpose project management features with construction-specific capabilities. Here are eight features that you should look out for when comparing software for construction management:

Time tracking and scheduling

The best construction project management software should let you schedule workers for shifts and track billable hours worked, all within the tool itself. Some may also offer integrations with popular time tracking and scheduling software in case you already have a solution in place.

Estimate and bid management

Your team will likely be submitting bids on multiple projects at once, as well as receiving estimates from subcontractors. These are sometimes called RFIs, a.k.a. requests for information. Construction project management software will allow you to track these bids and their associated costs to reduce the chance of miscalculations and ensure that you’re staying on top of deadlines.

Accounting and financial management

Once the project actually gets going, you will also need to track inventory costs, invoice the client and make sure the project is staying within budget. The best construction management software will let you do all that and more with sophisticated accounting and financial management tools. It should also integrate with popular accounting software, such as Quickbooks.

Field management

Keeping track of all your workers across various job sites is one of the most important features in construction-specific software. This involves booking service appointments, coordinating dispatch and setting estimated completion dates. If you are considering a more general purpose project management software, make sure that it will provide the field management capabilities that you need for your construction projects.

Mobile and tablet apps

On the topic of field management, most people aren’t logging into their laptops in the middle of a job site. That’s why you will want to seek out a software that offers well-developed mobile and tablet apps so your managers and employees can use them while on location.

Client and contractor access

At some point during the project, clients and/or contractors are going to need to access the software — but you might not want them to see every single nitty gritty detail. Being able to set permissions for different users is a helpful feature for construction project management software to have. Some platforms even offer a dedicated client portal, so they get their own login experience.

Communication tools

To keep everything streamlined in one tool, look for construction management software that integrates chat and communication tools directly within the interface. Ideally, it should also integrate with popular email clients like Outlook and Gmail so that your email communications will be centralized in the same place.

Document management

If your construction management software offers document management capabilities, you’ll never need to hunt down an updated contract or the latest certificates and licenses. All of these documents will be right in the tool’s database, easily accessible via search so you can find it in a snap.

How do I choose the best construction management software for my business?

When selecting a construction project management software solution, consider your needs, goals and budget. You want a tool that will meet your requirements and make the management process more efficient, all while staying within budget and providing visibility at all stages of the construction project life cycle.

Consider the following tips while evaluating prospective construction project management software options:

Determine your project scope

Determining your project scope means deciding how many people need to be involved, how many tasks need to be completed and how much of the work can be done in-house. Knowing these details will help you narrow down the type of construction project management software that best fits your needs.

Research various solutions and compare features

Look for tools that offer the features you need for a reasonable price. Pay attention to whether the software has comprehensive task tracking and management capabilities as well as project cost estimation and time tracking functions.

Consider user experience

How user-friendly is the software you’re evaluating? Does it have an intuitive design with a straightforward interface? Will team members require extensive training to be able to use the software? The easier it is to use, the more likely your team will be to adopt the tool and use it correctly to increase project productivity.

Look for relevant integrations

Ensure the software you choose integrates with other tools your business uses most often, such as accounting, payroll and scheduling systems. Finding these integration opportunities now will save you time and effort when transferring data between different applications.

Methodology

To determine the best construction project management software for 2023, we evaluated over 20 solutions from leading providers. We compared the features, capabilities and pricing of each product and then narrowed down our list to the top seven solutions. Our evaluation criteria for construction project management included the following:

• Usability: We assessed how user-friendly each construction project management solution is. This included assessing how easy it is to set up and manage projects, assign tasks, view project reports and collaborate with team members.
• Functionality: We reviewed the features offered by each solution, including project planning and scheduling, resource management, project tracking, collaboration tools and reporting capabilities.
• Customer support: We evaluated each platform’s customer support system and how helpful they are in resolving issues. We also reviewed data from third-party review websites and business rating platforms such as the Better Business Bureau.
• Costs: Our review considered solutions that are best for budget-conscious companies as well as solutions for companies that are ready to invest more money for more features. We looked at what kind of payment plans and pricing options were available for each solution.
• Security: We looked at the security measures taken by each system, searching for each platform’s encryption, authentication and data storage capabilities.
• Analytics: We examined what analytics and insights each construction project management solution provides for metrics like resource allocation, task duration and project milestones.
• Customizability: Good construction project management software should be flexible enough for customization according to different business needs and processes. We examined each solution’s customizability options, such as the ability to create custom fields or integrate with third-party tools for smoother project workflows.
• Reporting and collaboration: To ensure teams stay on track, effective reporting and collaboration features are necessary. The best construction project management software solutions listed here were evaluated based on their abilities to provide useful insights while allowing teams to work together efficiently across departments and locations.
• Scalability and integration: We reviewed each solution’s ability to integrate seamlessly with other programs and platforms. In addition, we assessed each platform’s scalability — whether it can scale up or down based on changing company needs.

With these criteria in mind, we determined the seven best construction project management software solutions of 2023. Each tool has its own strengths and weaknesses, but all offer quality services for managing the ins and outs of construction projects.

Our GPU benchmarks hierarchy ranks all the current and previous generation graphics cards by performance, and Tom’s Hardware exhaustively benchmarks current and previous generation GPUs, including all of the best graphics cards. Whether it’s playing games, running artificial intelligence workloads like Stable Diffusion, or doing professional video editing, your graphics card typically plays the biggest role in determining performance — even the best CPUs for Gaming take a secondary role. Current GPU prices are slowly trending down as well, though the new cards are all holding relatively steady.

We’re nearly finished retesting all of the ray-tracing capable GPUs on a slightly revamped test suite, using a Core i9-13900K instead of a Core i9-12900K. For now, we have the same test suite we used in 2022. Our latest additions to the hierarchy are Nvidia’s RTX 4070 and RTX 4060 Ti, and AMD’s Radeon RX 7600. We’ve also retested a bunch of cards to clear up some lingering oddities from earlier testing.

Our full GPU hierarchy using traditional rendering (aka, rasterization) comes first, and below that we have our ray tracing GPU benchmarks hierarchy. Those of course require a ray tracing capable GPU so only AMD’s RX 7000/6000-series, Intel’s Arc, and Nvidia’s RTX cards are present. The results are all without enabling DLSS, FSR, or XeSS on the various cards, mind you.

Nvidia’s Ada Lovelace architecture powers its latest generation RTX 40-series, with new features like DLSS 3 Frame Generation. AMD’s RDNA 3 architecture powers the RX 7000-series, with only two desktop cards presently released. Meanwhile, Intel’s Arc Alchemist architecture brings a third player into the dedicated GPU party, even if it’s more of a competitor for the previous generation midrange offerings.

On page two, you’ll find our 2020–2021 benchmark suite, which has all of the previous generation GPUs running our older test suite running on a Core i9-9900K testbed. It’s no longer being actively updated. We also have the legacy GPU hierarchy (without benchmarks, sorted by theoretical performance) for reference purposes.

The following tables sort everything solely by our performance-based GPU gaming benchmarks, at 1080p “ultra” for the main suite and at 1080p “medium” for the DXR suite. Factors including price, graphics card power consumption, overall efficiency, and features aren’t factored into the rankings here. The current 2022/2023 results use an Alder Lake Core i9-12900K testbed. Now let’s hit the benchmarks and tables.

GPU Benchmarks Ranking 2023

For our latest benchmarks, we’ve tested (nearly) all GPUs released in the past seven years (plus a few extras) at 1080p medium and 1080p ultra, and sort the table by the 1080p ultra results. Where it makes sense, we also test at 1440p ultra and 4K ultra. All of the scores are scaled relative to the top-ranking 1080p ultra card, which in our new suite is the RTX 4090 (especially at 4K and 1440p).

You can also see the above summary chart showing the relative performance of the cards we’ve tested across the past several generations of hardware at 1080p ultra — swipe through the above gallery if you want to see the 1080p medium, 1440p and 4K ultra images. There are a few missing options (e.g., the GT 1030, RX 550, and several Titan cards), but otherwise it’s basically complete. We do have data in the table below for some of the other (older) GPUs.

The eight games we’re using for our standard GPU benchmarks hierarchy are Borderlands 3 (DX12), Far Cry 6 (DX12), Flight Simulator (DX11 AMD/DX12 Intel/Nvidia), Forza Horizon 5 (DX12), Horizon Zero Dawn (DX12), Red Dead Redemption 2 (Vulkan), Total War Warhammer 3 (DX11), and Watch Dogs Legion (DX12). The fps score is the geometric mean (equal weighting) of the eight games. Note that the specifications column links directly to our original review for the various GPUs.

GPU Rasterization Hierarchy, Key Takeaways

• Nvidia RTX 4090 ranks first but costs 60% more than 2nd place AMD RX 7900 XTX.
• RTX 4090 can encounter CPU bottlenecks at 1440p and 1080p.
• New cards typically match previous gen GPUs that are one or two model tiers “higher” (e.g. RTX 4070 Ti vs. RTX 3090 Ti, or RX 6600 XT vs. RX 5700 XT).
• RTX 4060 Ti ranks as the most efficient GPU, followed by the RTX 4070, RX 6600, RTX 4070 Ti, RX 6800, and RTX 4080.
• The best GPU value in FPS per dollar is Intel’s Arc A750, as it now costs just $199. It’s followed by RX 6600, RX 6600 XT, RX 6750 XT, RX 6650 XT, and RX 6700 XT. The best value RTX card from Nvidia is the RTX 4060 Ti at number 10.

*: GPU couldn’t run all tests, so the overall score is slightly skewed at 1080p ultra.

While the RTX 4090 does technically take first place at 1080p ultra, it’s the 1440p and especially 4K numbers that impress. It’s only 3% faster than the next closest RX 7900 XTX at 1080p ultra, but that increases to 8% at 1440p and then 23% at 4K. Against the RTX 3090 Ti, it’s also a major upgrade: 14% faster at 1080p, 27% faster at 1440p, and 51% faster at 4K.

(Note that the above fps numbers incorporate both the average and minimum fps into a single score — with the average given more weight than the 1% low fps.)

Again, keep in mind that we’re not including any ray tracing or DLSS results in the above table, as we intend to use the same test suite with the same settings on all current and previous generation graphics cards. Since only RTX cards support DLSS (and RTX 40-series if you want DLSS 3), that would drastically limit which cards we could directly compare. You can see DLSS 2/3 and FSR 2 upscaling results in our RTX 4070 review if you want to check out the various upscaling modes might help.

Of course the RTX 4090 comes at a steep price, though it’s not that much worse than the previous generation RTX 3090. In fact, we’d say it’s a lot better, as the 3090 was only a minor improvement in performance compared to the 3080 at the time of launch, but with more than double the VRAM. Nvidia pulled out all the stops with the 4090, increasing the core counts, clock speeds, and power limits to push it beyond all contenders.

Stepping down from the RTX 4090, the RTX 4080 and RX 7900 XTX trade blows at higher resolutions, while CPU bottlenecks come into play at 1080p. We’ll be switching to an i9-13900K in the near future, and you can see early results in our latest GeForce RTX 4070, GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, and Radeon RX 7900 XTX and 7900 XT reviews.

Speaking of the RTX 4070 Ti, it ended up falling below the RX 7900 XT by 8–10 percent on average in our rasterization benchmarks. It will turn the tables in ray tracing, but if you don’t care about RT, you can certainly make the argument that the 7900 XT represents a better value — again, discounting DLSS as well.

Outside of the latest releases from AMD and Nvidia, the RX 6000- and RTX 30-series chips still perform reasonably well and in some cases represent a better ‘deal’ — even though the hardware can be over two years old now. Intel’s Arc GPUs also fall into this category and are something of a wild card.

We’ve been testing and retesting GPUs periodically, and the Arc chips had some erratic behavior that we eventually sorted out (it was caused by Windows VBS getting turned on). Compared to our launch reviews, performance hasn’t changed much, outside of DirectX 9 games. There are a few other fluctuations, mostly from game updates rather than drivers, but Bright Memory Infinite Benchmark finally got fixed with the latest Intel drivers. Overall, the A770 8GB ends up landing just a bit ahead of the A750, at a slightly higher street price. Also note that the 8GB A770 comes with a factory overclock, which is why it sometimes outperforms the 16GB model.

Turning to the previous generation GPUs, the RTX 20-series and GTX 16-series chips end up scattered throughout the results, along with the RX 5000-series. The general rule of thumb is that you get one or two “model upgrades” with the newer architectures, so for example the RTX 2080 Super comes in just below the RTX 3060 Ti, while the RX 5700 XT lands a few percent behind the RX 6600 XT.

Go back far enough and you can see how modern games at ultra settings severely punish cards that don’t have more than 4GB VRAM. We’ve been saying for a few years now that 4GB was just scraping by, and these days we’d avoid buying anything with less than 8GB of VRAM — 12GB or more is desirable for a mainstream or high-end GPU. The GTX 1060 3GB, GTX 1050, and GTX 780 actually failed to run some of our tests, which skews their results a bit, even though they do better at 1080p medium.

Now let’s switch over to the ray tracing hierarchy.

Ray Tracing GPU Benchmarks Ranking 2023

Enabling ray tracing, particularly with demanding games like those we’re using in our DXR test suite, can cause framerates to drop off a cliff. We’re testing with “medium” and “ultra” ray tracing settings. Medium means using medium graphics settings but turning on ray tracing effects (set to “medium” if that’s an option; otherwise, “on”), while ultra turns on all of the RT options at more or less maximum quality.

Because ray tracing is so much more demanding, we’re sorting these results by the 1080p medium scores. That’s also because the RX 6500 XT and RX 6400 along with the Arc A380 basically can’t handle ray tracing even at these settings, and testing at anything more than 1080p medium would be fruitless. We’ve finished testing all the current ray tracing capable GPUs, though there will undoubtedly be more cards in the future.

The five ray tracing games we’re using are Bright Memory Infinite, Control Ultimate Edition, Cyberpunk 2077, Metro Exodus Enhanced, and Minecraft — all of these use the DirectX 12 / DX12 Ultimate API. (Note that we have had to drop Fortnite from our latest reviews, as the new version broke our benchmarks and changed the available settings. Thanks, Epic!) The fps score is the geometric mean (equal weighting) of the five games, and the percentage is scaled relative to the fastest GPU in the list, which again is the GeForce RTX 4090.

GPU Ray Tracing Hierarchy, Key Takeaways

• Nvidia absolutely dominates in ray tracing performance, with the RTX 4090 nearly doubling AMD’s best AMD RX 7900 XTX in sixth place. Intel’s Arc A770 lands at number 27.
• DLSS 2 upscaling with quality mode is supported in most ray tracing games and can boost performance an additional 30~50 percent (depending on the game, resolution, and settings used). FSR 2 can provide a similar uplift but it’s only in about a third as many games right now. XeSS support is even less common.
• You’ll need an RTX 4070 or RTX 3080 or faster GPU to handle 1080p with maxed out settings at 60 fps or more, which means Performance mode upscaling can make 4K viable.
• RTX 4060 Ti again ranks as the most efficient GPU, followed by RTX 4070, RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 4070 Ti, RTX 3070, and RTX 3060.
• The best overall ray tracing “value” in FPS per dollar currently goes to the Arc A750, followed by RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 4070, RTX 3060, and Arc A770 8GB. AMD’s best DXR value is the RX 6600 in ninth, though the RX 6700 10GB in tenth is a better choice considering the DXR performance of the 6600.

If you felt the RTX 4090 performance was impressive at 4K in our standard test suite, just take a look at the results with ray tracing. Nvidia put even more ray tracing enhancements into the Ada Lovelace architecture, and those start to show up here. There are still further potential performance improvements for ray tracing with SER, OMM, and DMM — not to mention DLSS3, though that ends up being a bit of a mixed bag, since the generated frames don’t include new user input and add latency.

If you want a real kick in the pants, we ran many of the faster ray tracing GPUs through Cyberpunk 2077‘s new RT Overdrive mode, which implements full “path tracing” (full ray tracing, without any rasterization). That provides a glimpse of how future games could behave, and why upscaling and AI techniques like Frame Generation are here to stay.

Even at 1080p medium, a relatively tame setting for DXR (DirectX Raytracing), the RTX 4090 roars past all contenders and leads the previous generation RTX 3090 Ti by 41%. At 1080p ultra, the lead grows to 53%, and it’s nearly 64% at 1440p. Nvidia made claims before the RTX 4090 launch that it was “2x to 4x faster than the RTX 3090 Ti” — factoring in DLSS 3’s Frame Generation technology — but even without DLSS 3, the 4090 is 72% faster than the 3090 Ti at 4K.

AMD continues to relegate DXR and ray tracing to secondary status, focusing more on improving rasterization performance — and on reducing manufacturing costs through the use of chiplets on the new RDNA 3 GPUs. As such, the ray tracing performance from AMD isn’t particularly impressive. The new RX 7900 XTX basically matches Nvidia’s previous generation RTX 3080 TI, which puts it just a bit behind the RTX 3090 — and Nvidia’s 4070 Ti outpaces it by 7–9 percent on average across our test suite. The step down RX 7900 XT meanwhile lands around the level of the new RTX 4070.

Intel’s Arc A7-series parts again show some strange behavior, with performance either besting the RTX 3060 in some cases, or trailing the RTX 3050 in others. Minecraft performance has been at least partially fixed now, though further driver tuning should still be coming.

You can also see what DLSS Quality mode did for performance in DXR games on the RTX 4090 in our review, but the short summary is that it boosted performance by 78% at 4K ultra. DLSS 3 meanwhile improved framerates another 30% to 100% in our preview testing, though we recommend exercising caution when looking at performance with Frame Generation enabled. It can boost frame rates in benchmarks, but when actually playing games it often doesn’t feel much faster than without the feature. Overall, with DLSS2, the 4090 in our ray tracing test suite is nearly four times as fast as AMD’s RX 7900 XTX. Ouch.

AMD’s FSR 2.0 would prove beneficial here, if AMD can get widespread adoption, but it still trails DLSS. Right now, only one of the games in our DXR suite (Cyberpunk 2077) has FSR2 support, while three more from our rasterization suite support FSR2. By comparison, all of the DXR games we’re testing support DLSS2, plus another five from our rasterization suite — and three of the games even support DLSS3.

Without FSR2, AMD’s fastest GPUs can only clear 60 fps at 1080p ultra, while remaining decently playable at 1440p with 40–50 fps on average. But native 4K DXR remains out of reach for just about every GPU, with only the 3090 Ti, 4080, and 4090 breaking the 30 fps mark on the composite score — and a couple of games still come up short on the 4080 and 3090 Ti.

The midrange GPUs like the RTX 3070 and RX 6700 XT basically manage 1080p ultra and not much more, while the bottom tier of DXR-capable GPUs barely manage 1080p medium — and the RX 6500 XT can’t even do that, with single digit framerates in most of our test suite, and one game that wouldn’t even work at our chosen “medium” settings. (Control requires at least 6GB VRAM to let you enabled ray tracing.)

Intel’s Arc A380 ends up just ahead of the RX 6500 XT in ray tracing performance, which is interesting considering it only has 8 RTUs going up against AMD’s 16 Ray Accelerators. Intel posted a deep dive into its ray tracing hardware, and Arc sounds reasonably impressive, except for the fact that the number of RTUs in the A380 severely limits performance. The top-end A770 still only has 32 RTUs, which proves sufficient for it to pull ahead (barely) of the RTX 3060 in DXR testing, but it can’t go much further than that. Arc A770 also ends up ahead of AMD’s RX 6800 in DXR performance, showing just how poor AMD’s RDNA 2 hardware is when it comes to ray tracing.

It’s also interesting to look at the generational performance of Nvidia’s RTX cards. The slowest 20-series GPU, the RTX 2060, still outperforms the new RTX 3050 by a bit, but the fastest RTX 2080 Ti comes in a bit behind the RTX 3070. Where the 2080 Ti basically doubled the performance of the 2060, the 3090 delivers about triple the performance of the 3050. Hopefully a future RTX 4050 will deliver similar gains as the 4090, at a far more affordable price point.

Test System and How We Test for GPU Benchmarks

We’ve used two different PCs for our testing. The latest 2022/2023 configuration uses an Alder Lake CPU and platform (with Raptor Lake results coming soon), while our previous testbed uses Coffee Lake and Z390. Here are the details of the two PCs.

Tom’s Hardware 2022–2023 GPU Testbed

Intel Core i9-12900K
MSI Pro Z690-A WiFi DDR4
Corsair 2x16GB DDR4-3600 CL16
Crucial P5 Plus 2TB
Cooler Master MWE 1250 V2 Gold
Cooler Master PL360 Flux
Cooler Master HAF500
Windows 11 Pro 64-bit

Tom’s Hardware 2020–2021 GPU Testbed

Intel Core i9-9900K
Corsair H150i Pro RGB
MSI MEG Z390 Ace
Corsair 2x16GB DDR4-3200
XPG SX8200 Pro 2TB
Windows 10 Pro (21H1)

For each graphics card, we follow the same testing procedure. We run one pass of each benchmark to “warm up” the GPU after launching the game, then run at least two passes at each setting/resolution combination. If the two runs are basically identical (within 0.5% or less difference), we use the faster of the two runs. If there’s more than a small difference, we run the test at least twice more to determine what “normal” performance is supposed to be.

We also look at all the data and check for anomalies, so for example RTX 3070 Ti, RTX 3070, and RTX 3060 Ti all generally going to perform within a narrow range — 3070 Ti is about 5% faster than 3070, which is about 5% faster than 3060 Ti. If we see games where there are clear outliers (i.e. performance is more than 10% higher for the cards just mentioned), we’ll go back and retest whatever cards are showing the anomaly and figure out what the “correct” result would be.

Due to the length of time required for testing each GPU, updated drivers and game patches inevitably will come out that can impact performance. We periodically retest a few sample cards to verify our results are still valid, and if not, we go through and retest the affected game(s) and GPU(s). We may also add games to our test suite over the coming year, if one comes out that is popular and conducive to testing — see our what makes a good game benchmark for our selection criteria.

GPU Benchmarks: Individual Game Charts

The above tables provide a summary of performance, but for those that want to see the individual game charts, for both the standard and ray tracing test suites, we’ve got those as well. These charts were up-to-date as of December 13, 2022, with testing conducted using the latest Nvidia and AMD drivers in most cases, though some of the cards were tested with slightly older drivers. We’ve added more cards since then, with newer drivers, and retested the Intel Arc GPUs.

Note that we’re only including the current and previous generations of hardware in these charts, as otherwise things get too cramped — and you can argue that with 29 cards in the 1080p charts, we’re already well past that point. (Hint: Click the enlarge icon if you’re on PC.)

These charts are up to date as of June 7, 2023.

GPU Benchmarks Hierarchy — 1080p Medium

GPU Benchmarks Hierarchy — 1080p Ultra

GPU Benchmarks Hierarchy — 1440p Ultra

GPU Benchmarks Hierarchy — 4K Ultra

Power, Clocks, Temperatures, and Fan Speeds

While our GPU benchmarks hierarchy sorts things solely by performance, for those interested in power and other aspects of the GPUs, here are the appropriate charts.

If you’re looking for the legacy GPU hierarchy, head over to page two! We moved it to a separate page to help improve load times in our CMS as well as for the main website. And if you’re looking to comment on the GPU benchmarks hierarchy, head over to our forums and join the discussion!

Choosing a Graphics Card

Which graphics card do you need? To help you decide, we created this GPU benchmarks hierarchy consisting of dozens of GPUs from the past four generations of hardware. Not surprisingly, the fastest cards use either Nvidia’s Ampere architecture or AMD’s Big Navi. AMD’s latest graphics cards perform well without ray tracing, but tend to fall behind once RT gets enabled — even more so if you enable DLSS, which you should. GPU prices are finally hitting reasonable levels, however, making it a better time to upgrade.

Of course it’s not just about playing games. Many applications use the GPU for other work, and we covered some professional GPU benchmarks in our RTX 3090 Ti review. But a good graphics card for gaming will typically do equally well in complex GPU computational workloads. Buy one of the top cards and you can run games at high resolutions and frame rates with the effects turned all the way up, and you’ll be able to do content creation work equally well. Drop down to the middle and lower portions of the list and you’ll need to start dialing down the settings to get acceptable performance in regular game play and GPU benchmarks.

It’s not just about high-end GPUs either, of course. We tested Intel’s Xe Graphics DG1, which basically competes with integrated graphics solutions. The results weren’t pretty, and we didn’t even try running any of those at settings beyond 1080p medium. Still, you can see where those GPUs land at the very bottom of the 2020-2021 GPU benchmarks list. Thankfully, Intel’s Arc Alchemist, aka DG2, appears to be cut from entirely different cloth… well, mostly.

If your main goal is gaming, you can’t forget about the CPU. Getting the best possible gaming GPU won’t help you much if your CPU is underpowered and/or out of date. So be sure to check out the Best CPUs for gaming page, as well as our CPU Benchmarks Hierarchy to make sure you have the right CPU for the level of gaming you’re looking to achieve.

Interested in diving into 3D printing as a hobby or using it to start a small business, but don’t want to invest thousands of dollars right off the bat? Purchasing a budget 3D printer is a good way to get started or, if you’re an experienced maker, to build out your farm. 

The good news is that you won’t lack for choices. There are dozens of capable budget 3D printers that sell for less than $300 and even some that go for below $200. The bad news is that, with a huge variety of makes and models, it can be difficult to find the right one.

At Tom’s Hardware, we test dozens of consumer / prosumer-level 3D printers each year, measuring their speed, output quality, features and ease-of-use. To help you choose, we’ve listed the best budget 3D printers on the market right now, along with the pros and cons of each.

Check out our Shopping Tips section below and go through a short checklist of things to keep in mind before making your purchases. If you have room in your budget for more premium options, check out our list of Best 3D Printers overall for more recommendations.

Best Budget 3D Printers

Best Budget FDM 3D Printer

The Anycubic Kobra Neo is the best low-cost FDM 3D printer in the market today. It’s an ideal 3D printer for budget-conscious beginners or could be used as a reliable backup machine for long-time makers who needs more than one machine for their multiple projects. This printer is very similar to the company’s flagship Kobra in design and is also packed with great features that we really like such as automatic bed leveling, a direct drive extruder and a heated double sided PEI build platform.

The Neo is very easy-to-use as it is shipped 90 percent assembled so you can get your print projects started right away. It has a solid 220 x 220 x 250 mm build volume and a PEI flex plate that makes it easy to take your prints out without the need for scraping and damaging your plate in the process. In our testing, the Neo did an incredible job printing a very detailed dragon bust (Fotis Mint’s Red Dragon Bust) which came out with minimal stringing and showed off precise details of the model we chose. 

Unlike the Kobra, this machine does not have touch screen for your setting configurations. But we felt that the knob controlled 2.4-inch color screen worked just fine to navigate the menus. Currently retailing at $169, the Neo comes at an affordable price range and has everything a new maker needs to start their 3D printing journey.

More: Anycubic Kobra Neo Review

Best Value FDM 3D Printer

The Anycubic Kobra Go is very similar to the Neo in terms of its design. It has identical build volume, interface and even hardware. However, what distinguishes the Go from the Neo is that it is shipped as a do-it-yourself kit instead of a ready out-of-the-box package. The kit would require you to assemble the printer yourself. If you don’t mind spending an extra 40 minutes on setup and are up to the challenge to building your own printer, then the Kobra Go is just the machine for you.

Though seemingly light on premium features, the Go does include automatic bed leveling and PEI flexible build plate which are two of the most useful functionalities we look for in a 3D printer that makes it easy to use. In terms of output, the Kobra Go does well with detailed prints when you slow it down and use good filament. (Check out our Best Filaments for 3D Printing for suggestions.) In our test, we printed Clockspring’s Illusionist Vase at a .16 mm layer height with 65mm/s speed which resulted in a perfectly smooth print.

Additionally, the Anycubic Kobra Go supports more file formats and more filament types than the Neo so the Go gives you more options to play with. Retailing at $179, it offers so much value for your investment.  

More: Anycubic Kobra Go Review

Best Budget FDM for Beginners

The Creality Ender 2 Pro is a solid choice as a starter machine for new makers. It is easy to assemble and operate, designed for portability and outputs great quality prints. The machine weighs under 10 pounds and has a top mounted handle for easy transport. It can easily fit small workspaces or stored away when not in use. 

Compared to most printers, the Ender 2 Pro does have a smaller build volume of 165 x 165 x 180mm. Despite its size, the Ender 2 Pro is a reliable performer which includes an interruption recovery feature, so you won’t lose your work if something happens in the middle of your print.

In our tests, the Ender 2 Pro delivered detailed print quality. (Check out our Best Filaments for 3D Printing for suggestions.) Our prints of 3D Benchy and a crystal dragon came out looking fabulous with all the fine detailing we were looking for. 

Assembling the Ender 2 Pro took no time at all. Out of the box, it is shipped 90% pre-assembled so you only need to screw in a few bolts and the machine is ready for use. And with its silent stepper drivers and quiet cooling fans, you can enjoy printing in peace for once. It also comes with a flexible textured bed that holds models tight while printing and molds peel right off once you are done. 

Additionally, the Ender 2 Pro can be upgraded with 3rd party hotends and premium bed plates making this a machine that can advance with you as you hone your 3D printing skills yourself. It currently retails for $179 but is often on sale for much less.

More: Creality Ender 2 Pro Review

Best Budget Resin 3D Printer

With its excellent 4K+ prints, easy set-up and large build volume, the Anycubic Photon M3 easily takes the crown as the best entry-level resin 3D printer we have reviewed.

What sets the Photon M3 apart from its competitors is its wide 163 x 102 x 180 mm build plate, which allows it to produce larger models in very fine detail. In our testing, we printed Louise Driggers’s Unicorn of Darkness and came out with impressive results. The 180mm tall model took over ten hours to finish, but the detailing on the unicorn’s horn and ornate mane was so clear and sharp.

The M3 includes an etched build plate that holds models very well during printing and lets you remove them easily when done. It also comes with handy safety features such as a pour spout for the metal vat and a screen protector for the LED glass to keep the machine safe from accidental dripping. 

Originally sold at $300, it is now available for $70 less than MSRP. This makes it an even more attractive and affordable choice as budget high resolution resin 3D printer.

More: Anycubic Photon M3 Review

Best Value Resin 3D Printer

If you are looking for a quality high resolution resin 3D printer at a reasonable price-range, then you should include the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro in your short list. This machine comes with premium features such as integrated air filtration, 2K mono LCD resolution and solid metal construction, but without the premium price tag.

The Mars 2 Pro has a spring-loaded self leveling build platform that simplifies the set up configuration and makes it easy to calibrate. We also appreciate the built-in air filter which is a big plus for anyone sensitive to the smell of resin during the print process. (However, to minimize any danger of inhaling fumes, you still need to use the Mars 2 Pro in a well-ventilated room.)

In one of our tests, we used Printed Obsession’s Doom Guy model with the Elegoo Standard Photopolymer Clear Green resin and it printed perfectly on our first try. The print time took over eight and a half hours but was well worth it as the 2K resolution masking LCD picked up all the fine details of the 3D model.

For fast high-res resin 3D printing at an affordable price, the Elegoo Mar 2 Pro earns our best value recommendation.

More: Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 3D Printer Review

Best Budget Resin for Beginners

The Anycubic Photon Mono 2 gets our nod as the best start-up printer for anyone who wants to get into resin 3D printing without breaking the bank. Designed specifically for first time resin users, this printer comes mostly assembled for easy setup, user friendly and includes an anti-scratch film screen protection.

It is light-weight and small for easy storage when not in use. But despite its compact size, the Photon Mono 2 features a bigger build volume than its Photon Mono cousins. We were able to fit six presupported minuatures on the build plate at once during our tests.

The Photon Mono 2 is a great printer for miniature models and small builds. It also comes with its own custom slicer, the Photon Workshop V3. Priced at $209, this machine is a solid and affordable option if you are looking to get started with resin 3D printing.  

More: Anycubic Photon Mono 2 Review

Shopping for a Budget 3D Printer: Top Tips

Here are a few important points you should keep in mind when considering buying budget 3D printers.

✅ Cost? How much can you afford to spend? If your budget is really tight, you can grab a model that’s less than $200 but a sub-$300 budget will get you farther. 

✅ FDM or Resin? The two main types of 3D printer are FDM, which involves spools of filament that are extruded onto the build plate or resin (aka SLA), which uses light to shape liquid resin. FDM printers are easier-to-use and don’t have the safety concerns that come with handling noxious chemicals. If you can handle them properly, Resin printers give you a bit more detail, particularly for miniatures. Given the ease of use, though, we think FDM are best for most people. 

✅ Features: Look for auto bed leveling, easy setup and a good UI. On FDM printers, getting a PEI build plate or direct drive design are real pluses. For resin, look for a high output resolution (2K or 4K).

MORE: Best 3D Printers

MORE: Best Resin 3D Printers

MORE: Best Filaments for 3D Printing

MORE: How to Buy the Right 3D Printer

Although curved monitors are commonplace today, this wasn’t always the case. There used to be a time when non-CRT desktop monitors were all flat, which remains the case today with most laptop displays. However, as people spent more time in front of a monitor during the day, engineers looked for ways to help alleviate eye strain, which became more apparent as display sizes increased.

Curved monitors are designed to more closely match the field of view humans see with their eyes. With larger and wider displays, images further out towards the right or left edges tend to look distorted in your peripheral vision. However, a curved monitor that gently wraps around your periphery allows the image to more closely align with your field of view, which should, in theory, reduce eye strain.

Some common curvature ratings include 1,000R, 1800R, and 2500R. So, what do these numbers mean? The lower the number, the tighter the display curvature appears to the user. For example, 1800R refers to a radius of 1,800 millimeters. So, if you line up enough monitors from end-to-end, the circle they create would have a diameter of 3,600 mm.

While most monitors come with a fixed curvature, some products on the market allow you to adjust this setting. For example, the Corsair Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240 allows the user to manually adjust the curvature from completely flat to a very tight 800R, which translates to a radius of 800 mm. At 800R, the 45-inch Flex provides an optimal viewing experience at just three to four feet. 

Quick List

Best Curved Gaming Monitors You Can Buy Today

Best Overall Curved Gaming Monitor

It’s hard to be all things to all people, but the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 tries its best. It uses a 32-inch VA panel that combines Mini LED lighting (1,196 dimming zones) and a Quantum Dot film to deliver greater contrast than what’s available on traditional VA monitors (25,000:1 in our testing compared to 3,000:1 typically found in VA panels).

Samsung also infused the Odyssey Neo G8 with a tight 1000R curve and a fast 240Hz refresh, which is a rarity at this 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution. Whether looking at SDR or HDR content, the Odyssey Neo G8 impresses with accurate color, and overall gaming performance is excellent.

While we would have liked a bit more color volume from the Odyssey Neo G8, it provides a lot of bang for the buck at its $1,499 MSRP. However, the monitor is often on sale, taking its price below $1,200.

Read: Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 Review 

Best Bendable Curved Gaming Monitor

Corsair’s 45-inch Xeneon Flex is a premium monitor at a premium price. But its price tag is justified by its unique, bendable OLED panel that allows you to choose between a flat panel or an 800R (maximum) curve. You manually bend the screen using two handles extending from the chassis sides.

The Xeneon Flex exhibits good contrast and color accuracy. You also get a fast, 240 Hz refresh rate and low input lag. Adaptive Sync is standard, with support for AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync. The wide-screen format with a 3440 x 1440 resolution should appeal to gamers and productivity workers alike.

There’s no such thing as a perfect product, and the Xeneon Flex suffers a couple of dings due to its relatively low pixel density courtesy of the 45-inch panel and slight misses with HDR color. However, the $1,999 MSRP will likely be the biggest hurdle for many gamers (although we’ve seen its street price dip below $1,700 recently).

 Read: Corsair Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240 Bendable OLED Review

Best Large-Format Curved Gaming Monitor

The Samsung 49-Inch Odyssey G9 is one of the most extreme monitors on this page (or any page). Not only is it a massive 49 inches diagonally, but it also carries a 1000R curve. From a 2 to 3-foot distance, this panel fills your view. It’s like having two 27-inch, 1440p monitors in one. You’ll need nearly four feet of desk width and 17 inches of depth to accommodate it, but if you do, you’ll enjoy a wraparound gaming environment without image distortion. 

Testing of the 49-Inch Odyssey G9 revealed excellent contrast (2,152.9:1 after calibration), which climbed to 58,881.7:1 when it came to HDR testing. This is a bright monitor with a sharp picture and accurate DCI-P3 and sRGB color. 

Read: Samsung 49-Inch Odyssey G9 Review

Best 34-inch Curved Gaming Monitor

Desktop-class OLEDs used to be a rarity in the gaming monitor segment. But over the years, prices have come down, and more entries have entered the fray, including Alienware’s jaw-dropping AW3423DFW.

This is a 34-inch ultra-wide monitor with a 1800R curve and a resolution of 3440 x 1440. However, the most important spec is its use of a Quantum Dot OLED (QD-OLED) panel, which offers an extremely wide color gamut and the blackest blacks you’ll find in a gaming monitor.

The QD-OLED panel of the AW3423DFW gives it unmatched contrast and excellent color saturation with no need for calibration out of the box. Throw in premium build quality – as we expect from Alienware – plus top-notch video processing and the AW3423DFW hits all the high notes without any demerits worth mentioning for enthusiast gamers.

If you can get past the $1,100 price of entry, the AW3423DFW would make a perfect companion for Nvidia’s newest high-end graphics cards, like the GeForce RTX 4090. 

Read: Alienware AW3423DW Gaming Monitor Review

Best Budget Curved Gaming Monitor

The Dell S2422HG might be small in stature at just 23.6 inches across, but it packs quite a punch at a very attractive, sub-$200 price.

The S2422HG has a 1920 x 1080 resolution and a relatively fast refresh rate at 165 MHz. Dell uses a 1500R VA panel, so you get excellent contrast at 3,000:1 (we measured better at 3,261.8:1) and a factory-rated brightness of 350 nits (although we only measured 324 nits). AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility is also included with this budget-oriented monitor.

Video processing for the S2422HG was good in our testing, and the low input lag was appreciated. However, we did have to knock the monitor for a few things it lacks, like an sRGB mode, integrated speakers, or any kind of USB hub functionality.

But with an MSRP of $199, the Dell S2422HG represents an excellent value in the curved gaming monitor space. In addition, we’ve seen the S2422HG fall to as low as $170 in recent months, which makes it an easy-to-recommend curved gaming monitor for those on a budget.

Read: Dell S2422HG Review 

Most Immersive Curved Gaming Monitor

The Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 aims to impress, starting with its gorgeous QD-OLED panel. This is a significant upgrade from the VA panel found on its “lesser” 34M2C7600 sibling. The basics don’t stray too far from many 34-inch widescreen monitors we’ve tested, with its 1800R curvature, WQHD (3440 x 1440) resolution and 175Hz refresh rate. Still, the QD-OLED panel delivers accurate colors (without the need for calibration out of the box), a wide color gamut and excellent overall image quality.

However, the ace up the 34M2C8600’s sleeve is the inclusion of Philips’ Ambiglow technology. Ambiglow provides bias lighting to project light on the wall behind the monitor. As we found in our testing, Ambiglow helps to increase the perception of improved contrast and sharpness of the image.

With a price tag of $1,299, the 34M2C8600 definitely isn’t aimed at the budget crowd, but its image quality, features, and uniqueness of Ambiglow make it an attractive option for gaming enthusiasts.

Read: Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 Review 

Benefits of Using a Curved Monitor

As we mentioned before, a gentle curve can help reduce eye strain with a larger screen. While this is, of course, beneficial to gamers who spend hours hunting down opponents in online frag fests, it’s equally appealing to office workers who spend their 9-to-5 staring at a screen, working on everything from documents to spreadsheets to photo editing.

Beyond that, thoguh, curved displays also provide a more immersive experience by wrapping the picture around your field of vision. Just imagine a racing simulator, like F1 2023, with three curved monitors arranged around you. The monitor to your immediate front would give you a clear view of the road ahead. Monitors to the right and left would provide for glanceable views of your periphery, allowing you to see vehicles trying to overtake you or the ability to see around an upcoming corner. And since the monitors are curved, there’s a gentle transition from panel to panel that cannot be achieved with flat panels.

Quick Shopping Tips

Here’s what you should consider when looking for the best curved gaming monitor.

✅ What size do you need? The smaller the display, the less need for a curved panel. You don’t typically start seeing curved monitors until you get to 24 inches and higher. From there, the options are practically limitless, with 32- and 34-inch curved monitors being among the most popular on the market. For those that want to go big or go home, 49-inch behemoths with an 800R curve are ready and waiting.

✅ What curvature best suits your needs? 1900R, 1800R, 800R, oh my! The key thing to keep in mind is that the lower the number, the more exaggerated the curve. Larger widescreen monitors (think 45 inches and greater) tend to adopt 1000R to 800R curves. As you step down to smaller monitors, the curves tend to see 1500R and 1800R more frequently – this isn’t an exact science but more of a general trend. For example, the 34-inch Alienware AW3423DW features a 1800R curve, while the 24-inch Dell S2722DGM features a more aggressive 1500R curve.

✅ VA, IPS or OLED? VA displays are most prevalent in the curved monitor space, and typically have great response times. IPS panels offer better color, but slower response times (and generally less contrast). OLED displays offer the best of both worlds along with infinite contrast, but they are the most expensive, by far.

✅ What refresh rate should you choose? First off, bigger is better. This number explains the number of times your monitor updates with new information per second — stated in hertz (Hz) — and, therefore, how many frames per second (fps) the monitor can display. Bigger numbers mean smoother images. Refresh rate is especially important for competitive gamers, so you’ll want to shoot for a monitor with at least 120 Hz (most gaming monitors offer at least 144 Hz), combined with the lowest response time you can find.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

MORE: How to Choose the Best HDR Monitor