The 12 Best Subreddits About Finance

Whether you want real-time news, investment advice, tax information, or anything else related to the world of money, Reddit provides a fountain of knowledge for you to dip into. You will find thousands of experienced professionals and passionate community members who want to help.

So, if you’re ready to get your dollars under control, keep reading. Here are the best finance subreddits you should check out today.

1. r/personalfinance

With almost 14 million subscribers, r/personalfinance is by far the largest subreddit about money.

The topics of discussion are broad. You will find threads on the full spectrum of asset management, including budgeting, saving, getting out of debt, credit cards, investing, and retirement planning.

2. r/investing

This subreddit acts as Reddit’s central hub for anything to do with the markets. It has almost one million members.

The quality of discussion is more suited to beginners and intermediates; there’s a fair amount of “What should I do with my money” type posts. That said, there are some pearls of wisdom, and there’s also a reasonably regular flow of news articles.

3. r/cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency is either the future of finance of a giant Ponzi scheme, depending on which side of the fence you’re on.

What cannot be denied, however, is that is crypto and blockchain is playing an increasingly important role in the world around us. If you want to learn what all the fuss is about, the r/cryptocurrency subreddit is an excellent platform to start from.

We’ve written a list of the best crypto AMAs on Reddit on our sister site, Blocks Decoded. Give the article a read if you’d like more information.

4. r/financialindependence

The members of r/financialindependence are advocates of the FIRE (financial independence/retire early) approach to earning, spending, and saving.

Broadly speaking, they believe in maintaining high levels of savings combined with frugal living in order to quit their working lives as soon as possible.

Despite the lofty ambitions, people in all stages of their careers will be able to find a treasure chest of advice and information. The subreddit offers calculators, tools, and an entire wiki to help.

5. r/tax

This subreddit is primarily about tax issues in the United States, though there is a smattering of international content. It covers topics such as tax policy, tax laws, annual tax returns, and tax rebates.

Plenty of tax professionals are members; they are often willing to answer any queries you have. There’s also a community-made interactive tax assistant. It’s definitely worth checking out when it’s time to file.

6. r/securityanalysis

If you’re an experienced investor, you should check out r/securityanalysis. The quality of discussion is much higher than that found on r/investing. The community is significantly smaller (50,000) and thus more focused.

The subreddit is dedicated to topics such as examination of company balance sheets, earnings reports, company valuations, financial modeling, portfolio management, and the other tools of fundamental analysis.

7. r/retirement

r/retirement used to be a bit of a cesspool; it was full of spam and off-topic content. However, there’s a new mod team in town; the quality of the material has improved considerably. The community is still small, but it is growing rapidly.

So, if you want to know about how much money you might need for retirement, which funds you should hold your pension savings in, or which annuity provider you should use, this is the place to go.

8. r/studentloans

In the US, student loan debt now exceeds $1.5 trillion, that’s more than credit cards and car loans. Some of the debtors have no hope of repaying their balance while younger people, in general, have less money than ever to buy houses, cars, holidays, and other discretionary items.

The problem has led many experts to believe that student loans could be the thing to trigger the next big financial crisis.

If you’re looking for some advice on how to confront your student loans, go and give the 50,000-strong community a visit.

9. r/PFTools

One of the cornerstones of managing your money is using the right tools. Without a clear handle on your incomings and outgoings, you will never be able to get your finances under control.

There are dozens of apps that can help you budget (my personal recommendation is YNAB), not to mention countless budget templates and Excel spreadsheets.

This subreddit collates some of the finest personal finance tools from its users and the wider web, then makes them available for download.

10. r/almosthomeless

Homelessness is not a laughing matter, so it’s fantastic to have a subreddit dedicated to the subject.

Posts generally fall into two categories. Firstly, there are those facing homelessness who need advice, and thus describe their personal situations. Secondly, some members list charities, agencies, schemes, and job sources in a bid to help other people’s situations.

11. r/creditcards

Credit cards can be confusing. There are dozens of different rates available, and that’s before you start to think about no interest periods, loyalty schemes, air miles, free insurances, and so on.

r/creditcards is dedicated to all those topics. Once again, it’s mainly US-focused. But if you’re looking for expert advice on anything from your credit score to your debt, this community probably has the answers.

12. r/povertyfinance

r/povertyfinance is in the same mold as r/personal finance, except it has a specific focus on people who are struggling financially.

The subreddit is packed with financial advice, frugality tips, success stories, financial opportunities, and general guidance. You’ll learn about subjects such as creating a positive earning-to-expense ratio, slashing expenses, budgeting for the future, and living within one’s means.

Other Subreddits About Finance

If the 12 financial subreddits we have discussed aren’t enough to satisfy your need, there are plenty more worth checking out. We’d like to give an honorable mention to r/finance, r/stockmarket, r/personalfinancecanada, r/frugal, r/beermoney, and r/forex.

Make sure you leave your favorite subreddits about finance in the comments below. And if you would like to learn more about using to tech to help you manage your money, read our list of simple ways to set a budget.

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How to Customize the Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Desktop

If you’re relying on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS you may know that the default desktop customization tools are missing.

This was part of an attempt to unify the overall look of the Unity desktop. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean you can’t customize Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. With the Unity Tweak Tool and a few simple terminal commands, you can make Unity your own.

Customizing Ubuntu With Themes

Unity isn’t the most tweak-able Linux desktop environment. There are some manual tweaks you can make, minor and major. Some of these are related to productivity, rather than visual.

Here, we’re focusing on visual tweaks, improving and customizing the Unity desktop. The freyja-dev team has created an all-in-one tool customization tool.

The Unity Tweak Tool handles various customizations, for the Unity environment, window manager, desktop icons, and appearance.

Install the Unity Tweak Tool

Designed to configure a slew of under-the-hood settings, the Unity Tweak Tool is found in the Ubuntu Software Center.

Open the software center app and search for “unity tweak tool”—it will be the first result. Simply select it and click Install to proceed.

Alternatively, you can use the terminal:

sudo apt install unity-tweak-tool

You can launch the tweak tool from the launcher, or in the terminal with

unity-tweak-tool

Customize Ubuntu With the Unity Tweak Tool

The Unity Tweak Tool is straightforward to use. Once you start exploring, you can see how easy it is to figure out. Each icon opens the options for the corresponding setting.

Each row of icons is associated with the group name, above the left-most icons in the rows. From the individual settings page, you also have access to the other options for that aspect of Unity. Access these via the tabs at the top of the page.

Using the tweak tool, you can:

• Adjust Unity features such as the Launcher, Search, Panel settings, Switcher, and more
• Configure the Window Manager’s General settings, Window Snapping, Hotcorners, etc.
• Tweak Appearance items such as icons and themes, the mouse cursor, and fonts
• Manage System elements including desktop icons, security (desktop lock and user profiles), and scrolling

In short, you can tweak all Unity desktop elements with the Unity Tweak Tool.

Customize the Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Terminal

While you no doubt want to tweak everything, it’s worth starting off by pimping the desktop.

Open the terminal by clicking the Super Key (Windows key on a PC, Apple key on a Mac), and enter “terminal”. Select the default terminal app to open it.

Right now, it looks functional, but little else. Solid terminal windows are useful; transparent ones are better, especially if you’re copying commands or code from the web.

To change that, click the Edit menu at the top of the screen and select Profile Preferences. Here, set a profile name, and if you want to, tweak the default text size and font to something readable.

Next, adjust the terminal transparency. The color scheme can be tweaked, but you may prefer to revisit this after installing a Unity theme. Once you have set the scheme you want, click OK to save the profile.

Take the time to set the profile selector in the Preferences > Profiles screen to your new profile before hitting Close.

Installing a New Unity Theme for Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

A good alternative to the default Unity theme in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS is the Material Design theme. The Paper theme and icon set will give you the ultra-modern look that resembles Android.

First, add the repo from the developer. Open a terminal and enter:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:snwh/pulp

Next, update local software sources:

sudo apt update

Now, the fun part—install the theme and icons:

sudo apt install paper-gtk-theme paper-icon-theme

While the default Ubuntu wallpapers are good, you can add all the wallpapers from previous Ubuntu versions.

Enter this terminal command:

sudo apt install ubuntu-wallpapers-*

Note that you can also add all the wallpapers from the other Ubuntu distros. Simply change “ubuntu” to “lubuntu” or “xubuntu”.

Change Position of the Unity Launcher

With the theme, icons, and wallpapers installed, you might want to edit the desktop layout. One popular tweak is to move the launcher from the left side of the screen. This might be useful if you’re right-handed, for example.

In the terminal, enter:

gsettings set com.canonical.Unity.Launcher launcher-position Bottom

To return the launcher to its original position, use

gsettings set com.canonical.Unity.Launcher launcher-position Left

Note that this feature is also available in the Ubuntu Tweak Tool. Find it in Launcher > Appearance, where you can choose between Left and Bottom options.

Apply Your New Unity Theme

Now that you have your theme and icons installed, repositioned the launcher, reopen the Unity Tweak Tool. This is important; if you had left the tweak tool open, the new theme and icons would not have registered. Click on the Theme icon in the Appearance row and select the Paper theme. Click the Icons tab and select the Paper icons.

Remember those extra wallpapers you downloaded? Right click on the desktop and select Change Desktop Background to choose any of the beautiful high definition backgrounds.

Prefer your background to change every so often? Choose a background with a clock icon in the lower right corner, to cycle through a gallery of backgrounds.

A Smooth Ubuntu Desktop

Tweaking the Ubuntu 16.04 LTS desktop is probably a lot easier than you thought. To make Unity feel like home, you just need to know where all the options are. The Unity Tweak Tool clearly comes in handy; it features more than appearance-based tweaks, too.

Various Ubuntu themes are available beyond the material design-like Paper theme. Check our list of breathtaking Ubuntu desktop themes for suggestions.

Want some more Ubuntu desktop tweaks? Here’s how to make your Ubuntu desktop look like macOS.

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The 3 Most Secure and Encrypted Email Providers Online

From hackers to businesses and overreaching governments, many people are looking to snoop on our communications. Free email providers surreptitiously use software to mine information from your emails and contacts to sell you ever more targeted advertising.

If you’re fed up with this state of affairs and want to secure your communications from prying eyes, it might be worth choosing a secure, encrypted email service instead.

1. ProtonMail

Price: Free. Premium accounts available.

Storage: 500MB. Up to 20GB for premium accounts.

Country: Switzerland

ProtonMail first launched in 2013 and was developed by researchers at CERN. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, the open source, encrypted email provider exited beta in March 2016. ProtonMail uses end-to-end encryption so that messages are only viewable by you and the recipient.

Although there are premium options, many of the service’s users are on free accounts. It is reasonable, then, to consider how they can sustain the service without leaning on targeted advertising. Fortunately, the company operates a Defence Fund which can support the service for up to a year without any other revenue.

Why ProtonMail?

All data is stored on the company’s servers in Switzerland—a country well known for its tough stance on privacy and data protection. Importantly, ProtonMail has open-sourced parts of their service. The code is available on ProtonMail’s GitHub for anyone to view and verify the security of the platform.

Although emails to and from other ProtonMail users are end-to-end encrypted, if you communicate with unencrypted services like Gmail, ProtonMail will scan these emails to protect against spam. However, these messages are scanned in memory, meaning that they aren’t kept and will be overwritten in very little time. As soon as the email has been examined, it is then encrypted. If all this talk of encryption is getting confusing, you may want to read up on encryption terms you should know.

According to their Privacy Policy, IP logging is disabled by default, although you can turn this on in your account settings. Your IP address can reveal your location, so the lack of logging is a benefit to your privacy.

ProtonMail also doesn’t store any of your data once it’s deleted. If you delete an email, it’s really gone. The only exception is when the data has been stored in a backup, in which case it may take up to 14 days to be entirely removed. There is no need to submit any personal information while signing up. The company will even allow you to pay for premium accounts in the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

ProtonMail’s parent company, Proton Technologies AG, also develops ProtonVPN, a multi-platform VPN. Similarly to the email service, ProtonVPN offers free and premium tiers. Some ProtonMail premium accounts also come with access to ProtonVPN’s premium features. We even listed ProtonVPN as one of the best unlimited free VPN services.

Download: ProtonMail for Android | iOS | Web (Free)

2. TutaNota

Price: Free. Premium accounts available.

Storage: 1GB, upgradable.

Country: Germany

Tutanota was launched in 2011 by the German company Tutao GmbH. The service’s name comes from the Latin for secure message. It should be no surprise then that Tutanota is a free encrypted email service. Their servers are also based in Germany, making them subject to Germany’s rigorous Federal Data Protection Act.

While that sounds great in theory, it’s also worth noting that Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service collaborated with their American counterparts, the NSA, in their surveillance programs. While that impacts all data held in Germany, there’s no suggestion that Tutanota has ever been complicit. However, for the privacy-focused, it is worth keeping in mind.

Why Tutanota?

Like ProtonMail, Tutanota uses end-to-end encryption to ensure the privacy of your emails. Where things differ slightly is in how the service handles external emails. If you send a message to another email service like Gmail, Tutanota sends a link to a temporary account where the recipient can view the message.

Tutanota is open-source too, with the code available on the Tutanota Github page. All data stored in your inbox is encrypted, with only metadata like sender, recipient, and date visible. However, their FAQ states that they are looking into encrypting metadata too.

The company uses 2048-bit RSA and 128-bit AES encryption methods. However, they do not support PGP; a feature often used to judge secure email providers. That said, they believe their encryption offers advantages over PGP, like encrypting the subject line. There’s also room for them to build more encrypted services in the future, like cloud storage and a calendar.

According to their Privacy Policy, they do collect mail server logs. Although these are only kept for seven days, they do contain sender and recipient email addresses, but no customer IP addresses.

While you can open a Tutanota account for free, they too offer paid-for options. A Premium account costs just 12€ per year and allows you to add an additional user, use up to five aliases, and enables support for custom domains.

Download: TutaNota for Android | iOS | Web (Free)

3. Mailfence

Price: Free. Premium accounts available.

Storage: 200 MB of emails, 250 MB of documents as standard.

Country: Belgium

Mailfence is a free secure email service from the creators of ContactOffice. Following the Snowden revelations documenting US government surveillance, ContactOffice felt there was a need for a privacy-focused email service.

Their servers are in Belgium, and, as with many European countries post-GDPR, the country has strong privacy laws. These regulations usually favor the consumer rather than the company, strengthening protections. Unlike some countries—namely the Five Eyes nations—there is no evidence to suggest Belgium collaborated in the NSA surveillance schemes.

Why Mailfence?

One concern when choosing a new digital service is whether it will remain operational for years to come. ContactOffice was started in 1999, and so the company has proven longevity. They also earn operational funds for Mailfence by licensing the software to businesses. To do so, they need to keep their software proprietary, so, unfortunately, Mailfence is not open-source.

Unlike the other services in this list, Mailfence is more than just a secure email provider. An account also provides access to calendars, contacts, and document storage. Free accounts come with storage space for 500MB of emails, 500MB of documents, and one calendar. Entry and Pro accounts upgrade this storage and add additional features. Bolstering their privacy-focused credentials, you can even opt to pay for your account using Bitcoin.

Disappointingly, there is no Mailfence mobile application. However, the company has stated one has been in development since at least 2017. If this is a deal-breaker, you could send encrypted email on Android using OpenKeychain instead. For the time being though, if you want to manage your Mailfence mail on your smartphone, you’ll need to pay for a premium account. This gives you access to Exchange ActiveSync, POP, IMAP, and SMTPS.

Mailfence is end-to-end encrypted and supports OpenPGP. You can generate a key on your computer which is then encrypted using 256-bit AES and stored on Mailfence’s servers. They also support two-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized access to your account.

Taking a stand for your principles is admirable in itself, but alongside that ContactOffice donates 15 percent of the income from their Pro plans to the pro-privacy organizations. Currently, donations go to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the European Digital Rights Foundation (EDRi).

Download: Mailfence for Web (Free)

The Most Secure Email Providers

Many free email providers don’t take steps to protect your privacy, or they even take steps to undermine it. Switching to an encrypted email account is a change worth making. When choosing, it’s essential to evaluate the provider on their encryption methods, how they finance the service, and where the servers are located.

Of course, no online service is entirely secure, no matter the ethics of the provider. There will always be hackers and surveillance agencies looking to expand their ever-growing databases. To increase your security, don’t forget the basics. That’s why you may want to consider improving your cyber hygiene too.

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How to Stop Spam Emails in Gmail

You’d think that email spam would be a solved problem by now, yet it persists. Billions of spam messages are sent every day, and there’s a good chance that some of it makes its way into your Gmail inbox.

Thankfully, you don’t have to put up with that nonsense. Let’s look at some ways to block spam email on Gmail and get rid of spam for good.

1. Use the Block and Report Spam Features

Gmail has a few tools built into the service that allows you to report spam and block annoying senders. They’re the easiest way to cut off spam that keeps coming from one address.

To report a message as spam, first open it as normal. Click the three-dot Menu in the top-right corner of the message and find the Report spam button. Doing so will report it to Google and send it to your spam folder.

On the same menu, you’ll find a Block “Name” option. Use this to prevent that person from sending you any more messages.

2. File Emails Into Folders via Filters

You don’t have to let every incoming message into your inbox. Gmail offers filters, which let you intelligently sort messages into folders where you can deal with them as needed. Of course, for our purposes, they make a great way to block spam emails.

To start making a filter, check the box that appears to the left of a message in your inbox. Then click the three-dot Menu button that appears underneath the search bar and choose Filter messages like these.

First, you’ll need to fill out the fields to set up your filter. You can simply include all messages from a sender, or get more specific by including the subject, size, or attachment status. Once you’re satisfied, click Create filter to move on.

Setting Filter Actions

Next, you’ll need to decide what happens to messages that match the earlier criteria. You have several options here. If you’re sure that all messages in this filter are junk, check Delete it.

For a safer approach that still helps block spam in Gmail, try using the Skip the Inbox (Archive It) box, which will prevent it from landing in your main list of messages. Combine it with Apply the label and a label you create, like Potential Spam, and you can review potential junk messages at your convenience without them clogging your inbox.

If you want your filter to also run on current messages, check the Also apply filter to matching conversations box. When done, click Create filter and you’re all set.

This small step will go a long way in helping you get rid of spam emails in Gmail. See our guide to email filters for more tips.

3. Sign Up to Sites Using Gmail Aliases

One of the strongest tools to fight Gmail spam hides right under your nose. You can create an infinite amount of alias addresses by adding periods or plus signs in your email address.

For example, say your email address is muofan@gmail.com. If you wanted to sign up for a website called Free Stuff Inc. but feared it might spam you, you could enter muofan+freestuffinc@gmail.com as your email address on the site. All messages from that sender still arrive in your inbox, but you can use filters as described above to weed out spam from that source.

To do so, walk through the steps in the above section. However, instead of filtering by the From field, filter by To. Enter your alias address (such as muofan+freestuffinc@gmail.com) here, and you can send all messages sent to that alias to your spam or another folder. You don’t even have to know the address that the sender uses.

If you use a unique alias for every site you sign up for, you can check how much mail each one gets. This helps you determine which sites are the worst for spamming. And if you want to dive deeper, you should know that Gmail aliases have other uses too.

4. Unsubscribe to Keep Subscriptions Under Control

In many cases, an overflowing inbox isn’t caused by excess spam, but too many newsletters and other automated messages that you signed up for. It’s easy to sign up for email lists to get exclusive shopping offers, news on your favorite bands, and similar, but how often do you actually read those?

Take some time to look through your email subscriptions. If you haven’t opened a message (let alone acted on it) from a sender in months, you should unsubscribe to cut down on the noise. In the future, watch out for pre-checked boxes that sign you up for newsletters that you don’t care about.

Most legitimate email newsletters include an Unsubscribe link at the bottom that makes the process easy. In case you don’t see one, click the dropdown arrow beneath the sender’s name and look for an Unsubscribe from this sender link.

5. Try Email Management Apps

If you have hundreds of subscriptions, you might like to use a service that’s built to help you manage them. An app like Unroll.me lets you easily unsubscribe in bulk, while also letting you “roll up” subscriptions into one daily email instead of trickling in all day.

You can choose what time the rollup arrives, making it even more convenient. Just be aware that these services scan your emails and use the information for marketing purposes. If you want an open source alternative, try Gmail Unsubscribe.

6. Protect Your Email Address

One of the most important ways to stop spam emails on Gmail is preventing them from reaching you in the first place. Think twice before entering your email address on a website that you don’t fully trust. Consider setting up a separate account that you use for general websites and using your Gmail account for personal messages only.

If you want to go further, you can also try using disposable email services. These let you access a short-term temporary inbox for confirmation codes or other quick messages. Doing so keeps your actual email address private while still letting you get through login prompts or similar.

Too Much Spam in Gmail? Not Anymore

Now you don’t have to wonder how to stop spam emails in Gmail. These practical tips help you get less spam, block the worst offenders, and filter potential junk that does get through. If you have an extreme spam problem, it may be best to start over with a fresh address. But that’s only necessary in the worst cases.

Unfortunately, spam isn’t the only possible problem your inbox can pose. Make sure you don’t fall victim to Bitcoin adult website scams that arrive via email.

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The Best Video Editing Apps and Software for YouTube

YouTube has gone beyond being a simple video sharing site to become a phenomenon. So much so there are people who now watch YouTube instead of traditional TV.

This means that whether you dream of being a YouTube star or simply want to share videos with your friends, creating videos for YouTube can be a rewarding process.

However, in order to create and edit YouTube videos, you’ll need the right tools. And with that in mind here are the best video editing apps for YouTube.

1. Adobe Premiere Rush CC

Adobe Premiere is as close to a household name as you get when it comes to video editors. It’s incredibly powerful, but it’s so feature-packed that it may be overkill for some YouTube creators. If you’re looking for a video editor for YouTube, the new Premiere Rush CC may be a better option.

As the name suggests, Adobe Premiere Pro Rush CC is meant to help you get videos put together faster. It has motion graphics templates built-in, so there’s no reason to integrate After Effects into your workflow. This is just one of several features that helps you get videos out more quickly and easily.

Premiere Rush CC is also relatively affordable at $9.99/month. If you want to have Premiere Pro available as well, you can bundle both for $20.99/month.

Adobe Premiere Rush is available on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.

2. iMovie

If you’re just starting off and you’re not familiar with all the editing apps for YouTube, you may not want to spend any money. Simple videos aren’t that tricky to put together, so you may not need fancy software. If you use a Mac and are looking for a simple, cheap option, look no further than iMovie, which comes free with your Mac.

You’re not going to edit a feature film with iMovie, but it’s more than enough for simple editing tasks. It offers more than YouTube’s built-in editor, which could be all you need.

3. Movie Maker Pro

The above option isn’t going to do you any good if you’re looking for YouTube editing software for Windows. Windows Movie Maker used to be an option, but you won’t find it on Windows 10. The good news is that Movie Maker Pro offers many of the same features.

You’ll find Movie Maker Pro in the Microsoft Store, but it’s not a Microsoft app. It’s a free download but does offer an optional upgrade. Looking at the user reviews, many people are more than happy enough with the free version. There are better options out there, but for a YouTube editor that’s free on Windows, this is a good place to start.

4. Blender

At first, Blender might seem a strange option to include here. After all, it’s mainly known as 3D rendering software. Interestingly enough, Blender also includes a full-featured video editor. This is more than enough to make it one of the best video editors for YouTube, especially if you’re interested in 3D graphics.

Blender can handle simple video editing functions like cutting and splicing, but also more advanced tasks like masking. You get up to 32 tracks (known as slots here) for video, audio, images, effects, and more. The app is also completely free and open source, and it’s available on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

5. Final Cut Pro X

When it was first released, longtime Final Cut Pro fans hated Final Cut Pro X. While some still deride it as “iMovie Pro,” it’s actually very handy if you’re looking for YouTube video editing software that’s a little more advanced than iMovie. You won’t feel completely alienated, but Final Cut Pro X is much more powerful.

As Mac-only software, Final Cut Pro X takes advantage of features like the MacBook Pro Touch Bar and the Metal graphics API for improved performance. The app isn’t exactly cheap at $299, but that’s not much more than you’d pay for a year of Premiere Rush and Premiere Pro CC. In this case, you’re actually buying the app, so you don’t have to worry about monthly billing.

6. CyberLink PowerDirector 365

CyberLink PowerDirector has been around for a long time and has developed a reputation as a go-to app when it comes to editing video on Windows. There’s also an Android version that made it on to our list of the best video editors for Android. If you like the app but don’t like paying for updates, CyberLink PowerDirector 365 brings Premiere Pro CC’s monthly payment model to the venerable app.

While it may not hold up to offerings from Adobe and similar brands, PowerDirector more than matches the default YouTube editing software. It’s also a familiar interface that should appeal not just to PowerDirector fans, but anyone who has used a video editor before.

7. DaVinci Resolve

It may have roots as color grading software for Hollywood movies, but DaVinci Resolve is also one of the best video editors for YouTube. You’ll find an overwhelming amount of features, but fortunately, you don’t have to use them all. All you need to know is that it can edit anything you throw at it, including 4K footage.

If you decide that you want to upgrade, the full version of DaVinci Resolve costs $299, but you can do plenty with the free version. It’s available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, so it is a great option no matter which platform you’re on.

8. Hitfilm Express

Another pro editor with a free version available, Hitfilm Express is one of the best video editing apps for YouTube you’ll find. Like DaVinci Resolve, it lets you do nearly any editing task you can think of, including editing 4K footage. Hitfilm Express has a friendlier interface, so if you’re new to video editing this may be a better choice.

Hitfilm Express also has a full version available for $299 but offers an in-between option as well. You can purchase optional add-ons for the free version, adding bits and pieces of functionality for around $10 to $20 apiece. Hitfilm Express is available for Windows and macOS.

9. Shotcut

Like Blender, Shotcut is both free and open source. Because of this, you can’t really expect the same level of interface polish you’d find in a paid app. That doesn’t mean that this app isn’t plenty powerful.

Where Shotcut stands out among the crowd of free editing software for YouTube is the tutorials on offer. When it comes to open source software, this isn’t always something you can count on. If you’re looking for a simple, free option on Linux, this is absolutely worth trying. You might like it on Windows or macOS as well, but the competition is much stiffer on those platforms.

Finding the Best Video Editing Apps for YouTube

Before you decide on one of these video editing apps for YouTube, it makes sense to think about your ambitions. If you just want to share a gameplay clip of yourself singing a song, you don’t need a powerful editor. On the other hand, if you’re looking to replace every person in a movie with Nicolas Cage, you’ll need something more capable.

You also have to think about how popular you want your videos to become. If you just want to create for creating’s sake, just have fun. If you’re looking to make a living, though, take a look at our strategies for making money on YouTube.

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The 7 Best Journal Apps for Mac to Capture Your Thoughts

You might use a physical journal to jot down your experiences, or even one on your mobile device to capture your thoughts on-the-go. So as you’d imagine, you can find journal apps to use on your computer. And it’s just as convenient, if not more, to write in your journal when you already have your laptop, well, on your lap.

Whether you’re working on your Mac or just browsing the web and want to record your mood, ideas, or something inspirational, this is the list for you. These are the seven best journal apps for Mac, free of charge and in no particular order.

1. Day One

Day One is a popular journal app that’s available for mobile devices as well as macOS. You can add photos, videos, and audio recordings to your journal entries, which can make those words you write even more memorable.

Day One has some other standout features on Mac that you’ll enjoy:

• Enable your location and you can see your entries for each day plotted on a map.
• Use the calendar view to go back in time and add items or entries you missed.
• Format your entries with quote or code blocks, lists, and headers.
• Adjust settings for the appearance, syncing, reminders, and password-protection.
• Filter your entries by media type, date, location, tags, activity, and more.

If you’re looking for a free journal app for Mac that comes with plenty of features for making your journaling experience that much better, you’ll want Day One. You can download the app for free and upgrade to the Premium subscription if you want multiple journals, backups, automated entries, and other useful features.

Download: Day One (Free, subscription available)

2. Diarly

For a journal with a neat and clean appearance and simple settings, take a look at Diarly. You can add locations and links to your words, as well as dragging and dropping files or photos into your entries.

Like Day One, Diarly has a few features that make it different than the others:

• Organize your notes with hashtags or give your most memorable one a star.
• Set a word count target and view your stats if you’re journaling to improve your writing.
• Search for entries by keyword or filter them by stars, photos, or dates.
• Adjust the background, font size and style, and line width and height to your preference.

Diarly is an easy-to-use journal app that gives you just the right number of features to improve your experience. It’s available for free, with a one-time in-app purchase to unlock unlimited journals, iCloud sync, password-protection, and more.

Download: Diarly (Free, premium version available)

3. Mini Diary

Mini Diary has you set up a password right from the start to keep your thoughts private. The app offers a basic interface with a calendar on one side and your journal entry for the day on the other.

While it may not have the fancy features of other journal apps for Mac, it does have a few useful ones:

• Add bold or italics to your font, or use numbered or bulleted lists for key thoughts.
• Use the search box to find specific entries with a keyword.
• Move forward or backward in the calendar to view entries, edit them, or add new ones.
• Use a light or dark theme, or leave it on auto to match your Mac’s look.

If you are interested in a simple, no-nonsense journal with a distraction-free experience and no in-app purchases, then check out Mini Diary.

Download: Mini Diary (Free)

4. mJournal

Another solid free journaling app for Mac is mJournal. This one gives you more formatting options than the others. So if having an attractive appearance and making your entries sparkle is what you like, this is the journal you want.

Here the features you’ll enjoy with mJournal:

• Format your entries with text colors, highlighting, headers, font formats, lists, tables, and line breaks.
• Mark your favorite entries with stars and password-protect those that are private.
• Add tags to your entries for quick searches.
• Adjust the app settings for default fonts and colors, set a background color, change the margins, and set automatic document locks based on timeframe.
• Drag and drop files and images into your entries.

When just words aren’t enough and you want your journal entries to pop, then mJournal is the ideal app for you. It’s completely free with no in-app purchases.

Download: mJournal (Free)

5. Reminisce

Reminisce is the epitome of focused journal writing. You have a clean slate each day and a minimalist interface that doesn’t interfere with your words. You can add images with drag-and-drop and export or print your entries using a custom date range.

Despite the minimalism, there’s nothing understated about the major features Reminisce offers:

• Add a quick photo using your Mac’s camera or select one from your library.
• Pop in emojis, add tags, assign contacts, use star ratings, include your mood, and insert your location.
• View your entries as a list, using the calendar view, or on a map. If you like, add tags, contacts, moods, or favorites.
• See the date, time, and location for each entry and edit, export, delete, or print with a click.
• Adjust settings for the font style and size and enable spell-check and spell-correction in the preferences.

For extras that you don’t see in many other journal apps for Mac, Reminisce is a true winner. The app is free to try with three entries; you’ll receive unlimited entries and password-protection with a one-time in-app purchase.

Download: Reminisce (Free, premium version available)

6. Reflection

What better way to reflect on your memories than with a journal named specifically for it? Reflection is a free journaling app for Mac that’s perfect for those who appreciate an organized interface. You have a nice timeline on the left, along with labels for jumping to certain entries. And when you write, you have the whole app screen with spots for a title and your text.

Along with the basics, Reflection has some awesome features:

• Add labels for terrific color-coding of your entries like ideas, inspiration, or gratitude.
• Create lists and add tasks for thoughts you want to follow up on.
• Make and manage multiple journals so you can use one for your personal thoughts and another for work.
• Adjust the appearance for a light or dark theme, and use either sans serif or monospace for the font.
• Back up your entries as a ZIP file with a click.
• View your entries by label or time, see the dates and times you create them, and move them to different journals if needed.

Reflection is a great app for detail-oriented individuals and can double as a work diary using the multiple journal, list, and task features. This journal app for Mac is totally free with all these features included.

Download: Reflection (Free)

7. My Treehole

My Treehole is a unique journal app that lets you capture your current mood along with the weather in your entries. Just pick an emoji and weather symbol at the top of each entry for a quick view of that day.

There isn’t a wide array of features available in My Treehole, but a few handy ones stand out:

• Adjust the text size and alignment or add an image to your entry with the click of a button.
• See your entries listed along the left with the mood and weather symbols.
• Make changes to your entries by clicking the Edit button, which keeps unwanted changes from happening.

If you enjoy using My Treehole and want a couple of extras like passcode-protection, iCloud backup, and unlimited diaries, you can check out the pro version. Otherwise, just use the free version to record your daily moods and thoughts.

Download: My Treehole (Free) | My Treehold Pro ($1)

Write Right With the Best Journal Apps for Mac

Each of these free journaling apps for Mac has something a little different than the others. So hopefully, one is exactly what you’ve been looking for and will help you enjoy your journaling.

If you are interested in bullet journals, check out how to use Evernote as a bullet journal, then take a look at places to find inspiration for that journal.

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Play Geeky Pranks on Your Friends With These 7 Web Apps

The 11 Best Coding Games for Kids to Learn Programming

You can start programming at nearly any age, infants aside. Still, if you want to get kids into coding, the earlier they start, the more likely it is they’ll be hooked. The trick is actually getting them interested in the first place.

Kids aren’t often interested in starting off with the fundamentals of a language. They probably won’t be interested in a simple “Hello World” example either. Instead, get them started with something fun so they have a reason to learn programming.

1. Minecraft

Minecraft needs no introduction. Even if you’ve never played the game, you’ve no doubt heard about it. The game is on nearly any device you can think of these days, and kids can’t get enough of it. That popularity alone makes it one of the best coding games for kids.

While Minecraft is a game, it’s also a tool for making games within the overall games. This makes it a great option for kids, as they’re probably already hooked on it. Kids will stay motivated by the ability to create their own games in a game they love. It’s also simple enough that even younger kids will be able to pick it up fairly quickly.

Download: Windows | Mac | Linux | iOS | Android ($6.99 to $26.95, depending on version)

2. CodeCombat

As the name implies, CodeCombat is a game that sees you writing code in order to control a hero on an epic quest. This is a community project built with teachers in mind. That makes this game especially well-suited to introducing programming in schools.

Unlike some games which use either pseudocode or their own simplified programming languages, CodeCombat uses existing languages. JavaScript and Python are supported, both of which are some of the most popular languages today. Experimental support for CoffeeScript, a simplified dialect of JavaScript, is available as well.

3. LEGO Mindstorms

Aside from Minecraft, this is probably one of the best-known games on this list. LEGO Mindstorms have been around for years, combining the icon toy blocks with code to make working robots. As technology has improved, so have Mindstorms kits, and the newer models are truly impressive.

Kids don’t even need a computer in order to program the newer EV3 kits. The EV3 Programmer app, available for iOS and Android devices, lets you build and program your robot with nothing more than a tablet.

4. Lightbot

A puzzle game at its core, Lightbot aims to teach programming skills without the player even being aware that they’re learning. While it isn’t Minecraft or LEGO levels of popular, it has done quite well so far. More than 20 million kids have played Lightbot to date, according to the game’s website.

This doesn’t focus on teaching an actual programming language, but instead focuses on concepts related to programming. Topics kids will learn playing Lightbot include sequencing, overloading, procedures, recursive loops and conditionals.

Download: iOS | Android  ($2.99)

5. Code Monster

It may look somewhat spartan at first, and that’s because it is. The titular code monster sits at the top of the screen, walking you through a series of code exercises in the text boxes below. The goal is to guide you toward experimenting with the code on screen.

Over time, this could potentially ignite the spark in kids to start exploring different programming concepts on their own. For example, instead of pointing out what a variable is, it starts using one, then invites the player to figure out how it works. This won’t be ideal for everyone looking to introduce coding for kids, but this more exploratory approach is absolutely worth trying.

6. Blockly Games

On its website, Blockly Games describes that the series of games are explicitly meant for kids who have no prior programming experience. Like Lightbot this doesn’t teach actual programming, but instead focuses on related concepts. Some of the games just feel like abstract games more than puzzles related to programming.

Some of the games seem similar to the concepts of other games on this list. Others are their own sorts of puzzles. This is a great place to start for beginners, but you’ll approach them in order, as concepts are introduced gradually. If kids skip to the end or even in the middle, they may miss key information.

7. RoboZZle

RoboZZle is another game that teaches programming concepts, but not an actual language. In this case, you’re programming steps into a robot by placing commands in a series of blocks. You start off fairly simply, but the game quickly introduces concepts like subroutines and recursion. These are key concepts for anyone looking to learn programming.

This is a game that is simple enough that younger kids may pick it up easily, but it’s still fun for older kids. Even adults who enjoy logic puzzles may get a kick out of it. This is thanks to the player-submitted puzzles, which constitute the real meat of the game. These can get devious rather quickly.

8. CodeMonkey

Unlike the majority of the games on this list, CodeMonkey seems to be meant exclusively for teachers. That means that the price is rather steep. The game is more expensive than Minecraft, though it’s not as pricey as a Mindstorms kit.

Like most of the games here, CodeMonkey works entirely in the browser. Gameplay-wise, it’s similar to some of the others, only you’re guiding a monkey instead of a nameless hero. One thing to note is that the game seems to rely on Chrome. Running it in other browsers can lead to unexpected behavior or the game just plain not working at all.

9. Machineers

On its website, Machineers’ developers refer to it as an educational puzzle adventure. In many ways, this is one of the more proper “games” on this list. Though it will help teach programming logic, it’s also just a fun puzzle game.

This is one of the few games here that you need to download in order to run. Fortunately, it’s available for Windows, macOS, and Linux so you don’t have to worry about which platform you want to use to run it.

Download: Steam ($4.99)

10. Cargo-Bot

Cargo-Bot is special in a few ways. The first is that it’s the only iPad-exclusive game here. The second is that it’s not just exclusive to the iPad, but was actually created on one as well. Cargo-Bot’s creator programmed the game using the Codea app. We’ve taken a look at this app before, and Codea is a great way to create apps on your iPad.

The game consists of 36 puzzles, which are solved in a manner similar to RobuZZle and a few other games on this list. Cargo-Bot is a great “gateway game” to get kids more interested in programming.

Download: iOS (Free)

11. Scratch

Scratch is more than a programming game. Instead, it’s an entire platform that lets users play games submitted by other players as well as submit their own. Similar to Minecraft, most of the fun for kids here comes from making their own games, not playing others’. When it comes to coding for kids, this is great motivation.

Created by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab, Scratch is available completely free of charge. It’s far from the only free app on this list, but it’s definitely one you should check out. Not only may it be great for your teaching purposes, but you may even have fun with it yourself.

Other Ways to Get Kids Into Programming

The above games and others are a great way to get kids interested in programming, but they aren’t the only way. While plenty of kids will need the reward system of a game to keep them coming back, other kids may be interested in coding for coding’s sake. For these kids, the game elements may even get in the way.

Fortunately, there are other ways to get kids started with programming without immediately throwing them in the deep end. For some examples, take a look at our list of coding apps to help kids learn to program.

Image Credit: artush/Depositphotos

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