MacFormat UK – June 2019

VERDICT

VERDICT

APPLE CHOICE Mac/iOS software

94 | MACFORMAT | JUNE 2019 macformat.com @macformat

render high-bandwidth

activities, like streaming,

impractical. In our tests,

however, ExpressVPN had

a negligible effect on our

30Mbps internet connection.

Apps are available for

Mac, Apple TV, and iOS – all

are easy to use. It’s literally

one click to connect to your

nearest VPN server, but you

can switch to any server you

like and run speed tests to

see which ones currently

offer the best performance.

Extensions for Chrome and

Firefox are available for

controlling the connection.

ExpressVPN limits you

to just three concurrent

connections, while NordVPN

offers six. Coupled with its

high price, you might decide

better value lies elsewhere,

but ultimately it comes down

to speed. NICK PEERS

T

here’s a lot

of hype about

ExpressVPN

when it comes to offering

a secure, private tunnel

to the internet. Based in

the British Virgin Islands, it

ticks all the boxes for privacy

and security.

ExpressVPN also offers

one of the widest number of

servers – over 2,000 spread

across 148 locations in 94

countries, making it easy

to access all kinds of geo-

restricted content.

VPNs inevitably have a

performance impact on your

internet connection, and can

B

ackblaze offers

an online solution

to backing up.

The Mac app is easy to

use and gets the balance

right regarding f lexibility.

You can have the system

email you if it can’t reach

your Mac after several days.

You can back up multiple

drives, and set scheduling

and exclusion options.

The app initially ignores

DMG and ISO disk images,

as well as the Applications,

Library and System folders,

but settings can be amended

to back those up if you want.

Version 6 comes with a

performance boost, plus the

means to pause Backblaze to

avoid disruption or eating

into a limited data allowance.

We initially experienced

connection issues when

using the iOS app, but a

recent update has resolved

this. The browser-based

restores perform reliably,

even if initially listing files

can take a while. There’s

now more integration

with its B2 cloud storage

service, but for most people,

immediate downloads at no

extra charge do the trick.

You can also order your

data on a 256GB f lash drive

($99, about £75) or 8TB hard

drive ($189, about £140), and

returned drives are refunded

too. CRAIG GRANNELL

You’ll probably never have to

head beyond this overview pane.

Robust, friendly

online backup – ideal

when twinned with

Time Machine.

++++++

User-friendly

Flaky mobile app

Expensive, but great

combination of rock-

solid security and

top-line speeds.

++++++

Ultra-secure

Limited connections

$6 (about £5)/month per computer FROM Backblaze,

backblaze.com NEEDS OS X 10.8 or later, iOS 10 or later

Backblaze

Cloud Backup 6

Safeguard your files in the cloud

Secure a private connection

$12.95 (about £ 10)/month FROM ExpressVPN, expressvpn.com

NEEDS Mac OS X 10.6, tvOS or iOS 10 or later

ExpressVPN

You can run a speed test to see

which servers are the fastest..

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