Data & IT software advice
What the IT function is judged on: getting to the numbers, keeping the credentials safe, and making sure the files are still there tomorrow. 6 ranked guides covering 48 products, written for the point where a shortlist has to become a decision.
The guides
6 articles8 tools · 880 searches a month
Best Business Intelligence Tools in 2026
A business intelligence tool connects to your data warehouse or databases, defines shared metrics, and presents them as dashboards and reports people can query without writing SQL.
#1 Metabase · also covers Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, Looker
8 tools · 33,100 searches a month
Best Password Manager for Business in 2026
A password manager stores credentials and secrets encrypted with a key only the user holds, fills them into applications, and lets an organisation share access without sharing the password itself.
#1 Bitwarden · also covers 1Password, Proton Pass, NordPass
8 tools · 27,100 searches a month
Best Antivirus and Endpoint Security in 2026
Endpoint security software protects laptops, desktops and servers against malware and intrusion, and in its detection-and-response form records what happened so an incident can be investigated afterwards.
#1 Bitdefender GravityZone · also covers ESET PROTECT, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, CrowdStrike Falcon
8 tools · 14,800 searches a month
Best Cloud Storage for Business in 2026
Cloud storage keeps files on a provider’s infrastructure, synchronises them to devices, and controls who inside and outside the organisation can open or edit them.
#1 pCloud · also covers Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive
8 tools · 9,900 searches a month
Best Web Hosting in 2026
A web host runs the servers your site lives on and takes responsibility for keeping them online, patched and reachable.
#1 Hetzner · also covers Hostinger, SiteGround, DigitalOcean
8 tools · 1,600 searches a month
Best Backup Software in 2026
Backup software copies data and systems to a second location on a schedule, and restores them when the first location is gone, corrupted or encrypted.
#1 Acronis Cyber Protect · also covers Backblaze, Veeam, Synology Active Backup
What currently ranks first
6 categories| Ranked #1 | Category | Country | Pricing | Right for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metabase | Business intelligence | United States | Free open source edition; paid cloud plans, published | A company that wants self-service querying without a data team |
| Bitwarden | Password managers | United States | Free personal tier; business plans per user per month, published | A team that wants audited open source and an option to self-host |
| Bitdefender GravityZone | Endpoint security | Romania | Per endpoint per year, published for small business | A company that wants top detection without a heavy agent |
| pCloud | Cloud storage | Switzerland | Per month, per year or one-off lifetime, published | Someone who wants to buy storage once and be done |
| Hetzner | Web hosting | Germany | Per month, published; no introductory pricing | A technical team that wants the most compute per euro |
| Acronis Cyber Protect | Backup software | Switzerland | Per workload per year, published | A company that wants backup and ransomware protection in one agent |
Position one is the tool we would shortlist first for the buyer each guide is written for. It is not a score, and it is not the same as the best fit for you — every guide says who each product is wrong for as well.
How to choose in this area
- 01Start with the category, not the product
A shortlist assembled before the category is settled is the most common way procurement wastes a month. The 6 guides below define what each category actually covers, which is usually enough to rule two of them out immediately.
- 02Check who publishes a price
40 of the 48 products across this area publish what they cost. The rest quote per organisation, which means a sales conversation before you can compare. That split tells you who each product is sold to more reliably than any feature list.
- 03Decide how much the jurisdiction matters
16 of the 48 vendors here are established in Europe. Where a company is established decides whose courts and whose disclosure laws reach the data it holds, which is a different question from where the servers stand.
- 04Work out what happens at renewal
In this part of the stack the second-year price is where the surprises live: introductory terms expire, modules get added, and per-seat counts grow. Ask for the renewal price in writing before you sign the first one.
- 05Use the free tiers as a test, not a plan
9 of these products have a free tier or a free self-hosted edition, which makes a genuine trial cheap. Read what the free tier excludes before you build a process on top of it.
The categories compared
| Guide | Tools | Publish a price | European | Search demand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Business Intelligence Tools in 2026 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 880/mo |
| Best Password Manager for Business in 2026 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 33,100/mo |
| Best Antivirus and Endpoint Security in 2026 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 27,100/mo |
| Best Cloud Storage for Business in 2026 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 14,800/mo |
| Best Web Hosting in 2026 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 9,900/mo |
| Best Backup Software in 2026 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 1,600/mo |
Search demand is worldwide monthly volume for each guide's main keyword, from Google Ads data. Together these categories account for 87,380 searches a month. We publish it because it explains which categories we invest in.
Frequently asked questions
5 answersWhat software counts as data & it software?
The business intelligence, password managers, endpoint security, cloud storage, web hosting and backup software categories, covering 48 products in total. Each guide defines its own scope at the top of the page, because the boundaries between these categories are where most buying mistakes start.
Which data & it tools do you rank first?
Metabase in business intelligence, Bitwarden in password managers, Bitdefender GravityZone in endpoint security, pCloud in cloud storage, Hetzner in web hosting, Acronis Cyber Protect in backup software. Each one is ranked on setup effort, what the price becomes in practice, how the data comes back out and who the product is genuinely for.
How many of these products publish a price?
40 of 48. The other 8 quote per organisation. Published pricing usually means the product is sold to the person who will use it; a quote usually means it is sold to a committee.
Are there European alternatives in these categories?
16 of the 48 vendors covered here are established in Europe, and 5 of the products are open source, which means you can host them yourself. Each guide states the country of establishment for every product.
How often are these guides updated?
Whenever the facts move: a price change, an acquisition, a product that stops being maintained. Every guide carries a published and a last-reviewed date, and a review means someone went back to the vendor documentation.