About SoftwareLab

Welcome to SoftwareLab

Cybersecurity can be complicated. But it doesn’t have to be.

At SoftwareLab, we test security software in-depth and impartially. We find out whether the products do what they claim and how they compare.

And when possible, we guide you to hidden discount pages at the vendors.

On this page, you can read the following:

• Our story
• How we test
• How we make money
• Who owns SoftwareLab

Our story

My name is Tibor Moes, an engineer from the Netherlands. I am the founder and chief editor of Softwarelab.org.

We started testing cybersecurity software in 2014. Initially on a website called ValorTop.com: A Spanish website focused on a broad range of technological products. Both on the hardware- and software side.

We grew rapidly thanks to the generous help of two accelerator programs: CSE in Copenhagen and Lanzadera in Valencia. But we also learned that we were spreading ourselves too thin.

By narrowing our focus to cybersecurity software, while expanding the languages, we could offer more specialized advice to a bigger audience. This led to the creation of SoftwareLab.

Today, we help thousands of people every month learn about cyber safety. It makes us happy and proud to contribute to the safety of their digital lives.

We hope you will find our work helpful. If we can improve our service to you, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can reach me directly on our contact page, my LinkedIn page, or at hello@momentoventures.com.

How do we test?

Most of our research relates to antivirus and VPN software. Sometimes, these are different products, but often they are sold in a bundle. When we test them, we run through the following steps:

• First, we install the software on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.
• We analyze the anti-malware protection by averaging all AV-Test scores since October 2016.
• We test the firewalls by running the ShieldsUP! Test of the Gibson Research Corporation.
• We test the password managers by creating, storing, and auto-filling passwords for several websites.
• We test the parental controls by setting content filters and screentime rules and attempting to circumvent them.
• We test the VPN by analyzing the speed, security, encryption, privacy, data leaks, and server locations.
• Finally, we test secondary features like anti-phishing, anti-theft, dark web monitoring, secure browser, etc.

We update each product category at least once every 12 months. Although we aim to test as many products as possible, we cannot review them all. So instead, we select the most popular brands, measured in search volume.

How do we make money?

All our research is published for free. We never accept compensation for a positive review. And we are honest and straightforward in our writing.

We receive referral commissions from some of the brands on our websites. When you click a link that takes you to one of these brands and purchase software, we may receive a commission for referring you.

This commission is paid by the manufacturer and at no cost to you. In addition, many of our links lead to discount pages generally hidden from the public. So you get a discount, the brand makes a sale, and we can keep the lights on thanks to the referral commission. Everyone wins.

This commissions allows us to fund our research, for which we are grateful. Although they can impact where products appear on our website, they do not influence our reviews and ratings. We remain objective.

Thank you for supporting us. We hope that you will find our work helpful.

Who owns SoftwareLab?

SoftwareLab is owned by a small company called Momento Ventures Inc. Tibor Moes, a Dutch entrepreneur, wholly owns the company. No antivirus or VPN company owns a stake in Momento Ventures.