🏝️ Two squares, twenty-five towers · independent guides

The island of tools

Two sides of the same city. On the bright side, thirteen towers for the work you choose to do — documents, images, video, business, study, AI. On the dark side, twelve for the things that happen to you: passwords, malware, scams, leaks. Every tower is a subject, every floor a guide, and nothing here is paid for.

The Right Side Up The Upside Down
The island of tools, cut down the middle: it is one island, and the two halves are its two worlds — the bright city by day on the left, the same streets at night on the right
No sponsored rankings. Ever.• Two weeks minimum with every tool.• Prices checked the month we publish.
The island · 14 towers

One tower for each kind of work

Three districts — the tools you open in a browser, the software you have to choose, and AI. A tower is a hub: the pillar page for that subject. Each floor is a cluster, a group of guides that belong together.

Docs

PDF, Word, spreadsheets, charts, invoices and signatures.

In a spreadsheetLaying out a long documentWriting in WordCharts
Enter the building →

Detect

AI detectors, humanisers, plagiarism and word counts.

AI detectorsWriting toolsPlagiarismHumanisers
Enter the building →

Images

Removing backgrounds, resizing, converting and fixing photos.

Fixing a pictureSize and formatMaking pictures
Enter the building →

Web

Domains, certificates, DNS and making a site mobile friendly.

Names and certificatesBuilding the site
Enter the building →

Video

Converting and compressing video, subtitles and screen recording.

Export problemsRecording
Enter the building →

Software

Windows, Android, file recovery and maintenance.

When something misbehavesThings you connectGetting files backThe systems
Enter the building →

Screens

Lines, spots, flicker, and a screen that will not answer.

Marks on the glassWhich half is brokenA picture that will not settle
Enter the building →

iPhone

Settings, unwanted contact, location and starting over.

Between two devicesSpace, apps and starting overWhen it misbehavesUnwanted contact
Enter the building →

Business

Invoices, how long to keep records, and emailing customers.

MoneyReaching people
Enter the building →

Citations

Citation styles, reference lists, and how to study and take notes.

Citing thingsBefore the citationsNotes that last
Enter the building →

Resume

Resumes, cover letters, interviews and leaving a job.

The questions, and afterwardsThe documentThe offer, and the exitCover letters
Enter the building →

Speech

Transcription, voice typing, recording a call and voice scams.

Speech into textCloned voices
Enter the building →

Chat

What a chatbot keeps of what you type, and who owns it.

What happens to what you typeWhat it can and cannot do
Enter the building →

Code

Coding assistants, and what they cost you in checking.

The assistants
Enter the building →
Walk the island square →
The Upside Down · 12 towers

One tower for each way things go wrong

Turn the island over and the same city comes back darker. Staying safe online — VPNs, passwords, malware, throwaway identities — and the dark web itself: what it is, how it works, and what you actually risk.

VPN

What a tunnel changes, and what it does not.

When the VPN is in the wayThe questions
Enter the building →

Password

Password managers, the second factor, and getting back in.

The questionsThe managersThe second factor
Enter the building →

Malware

Removing it device by device, and whether you need antivirus.

Removing itThe programsThe questions
Enter the building →

Temp mail

Throwaway addresses and permanent aliases: what each is for.

Aliases that last
Enter the building →

Calls

Phishing email and scam calls: what to check before acting.

By channelUnexpected verification codesChecking a number
Enter the building →

Anon

The browsers, and what private browsing does not hide.

Browsers and accountsProxies and relays
Enter the building →

Dark web

What the dark web actually is, and what it is not.

What it is
Enter the building →

Breach

What to do first when your details leak, and getting back in.

Getting back in
Enter the building →

Devices

Private messaging, and how much of it is really encrypted.

Messaging
Enter the building →

Tor

What the Tor browser is for, and when a VPN is the wrong tool.

The softwareThe networkHabits that matter
Enter the building →

Identity

When somebody starts using your details: what to do first.

The phone numberStolen accountsThreats and blackmailMoney and credit
Enter the building →

Footprint

Taking down what is public about you, and closing old accounts.

What is public about you nowClosing the pastGetting it removed
Enter the building →
Walk the dark square →
The rest of the house

Who writes this, and how to look around

Everything that is not a tower: who is behind the guides, how to search them, what happens to your data, and the city you can walk in three dimensions.

Who I amOne person, a name and an address. No agency, no affiliate desk. Search the siteEvery floor of every tower, by words that are actually in them. The city in 3DWalk the island, flip it over, and open a tower from its own street. PrivacyWhat is measured, what is not, and how to change your mind. CookiesOnly the ones that make the site work, unless you say otherwise.
Method

How we test

Every verdict comes from using the tool on real work, not from reading its landing page.

1

Real projects

At least two weeks of actual work, on the free plan and on the paid one.

2

Head to head

Same task, different tools: output, time spent, and what it truly costs to get there.

3

A clear verdict

Who it is for, who should skip it, and the limits stated plainly.

Questions

Before you trust a word of it

The things people ask us first, answered without hedging.

Do tool makers pay to appear here?

No. No sponsored placements, no paid rankings, no vendor sees a review before it goes live. Today there are no affiliate links on the site at all. If we ever add one, it is marked above the link and it never changes the verdict.

How long do you actually use a tool before reviewing it?

Two weeks minimum, on real work, on the free plan and on the paid one. If we cannot use it for two weeks we say so instead of publishing a verdict we have not earned.

How do you pick which tools to cover?

By what people are actually looking for, measured on search data, not by what launched loudest this week. Each hub is a field of work; the guides inside it answer the questions that field keeps asking.

Are prices kept up to date?

We check every price the month we publish and re-check it when the tool changes plans. Each review carries the date it was last verified.

Can I write a guide for the site?

Yes. Empty floors are waiting for their author: send us a guide, we review it against the same method we use ourselves, and if it holds up it gets published with your name on the door.

Claim a floor. Write a guide.

Empty floors are waiting for their author. Send us a guide: if it holds up to our review, it gets published with your name on the door.

Pitch a guide