• Streaming services offer an alternative to traditional TV, providing tons of online movies and shows for a monthly price.
• With so many new apps competing with old favorites, it can be hard to figure out what each service offers. 
• There are several worthwhile options across three main types of services: on-demand, live TV, and channel-specific.
• See also: The best streaming sticks and devices in 2021

The landscape of streaming services has expanded to include more than a dozen different options, ranging from on-demand platforms, like Netflix and Disney Plus, to live TV services like Sling TV and FuboTV.

Viewers now have more places to watch their favorite programs, but the ever-growing number of services has also made it more difficult to know which streaming platform is the best investment. Choosing the right streaming service for your home entertainment setup will depend on a number of factors, including your budget, which exclusive titles you like the most, how many screens you want to watch on, and more.

Streaming has been heralded as the entertainment wave of the future, leaving multimedia companies scrambling to claim their piece of the online pie. Netflix and Hulu have grown from upstarts to industry juggernauts, while major studios have now entered the market with services like HBO Max, Peacock, and Disney Plus.

Below, we've rounded up the top streaming services you can find online. Our picks primarily focus on on-demand streaming platforms, but we've also included separate sections for live TV and specialty streaming channels.

Here are the best streaming services:

• Best on-demand streaming services:Netflix,Disney Plus,HBO Max,Hulu, Peacock, andAmazon Prime Video
• Best live TV streaming services:Hulu + Live TV,YouTubeTV,Sling TV, FuboTV, Philo TV, and AT&T TV
• Best channel-specific streaming services:Showtime,Starz,ESPN+, andCBS All Access

Netflix

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With its exclusive shows and incredible 4K quality, Netflix continues to set the streaming standard for the competition.

Pros: Fantastic library of originals, industry-leading video quality, impressive app support, special interface for kids, no commercials

Cons: Slightly more expensive than the competition, movie selection pales in comparison to newer services

Netflix has spent the last few years producing a steadily growing collection of original programming, including exclusive movies, ongoing TV series, documentaries, and comedy specials. Netflix Originals keep subscribers invested when their favorite classic show or movie leaves the platform for another service. 

The success of Netflix exclusives, like "Stranger Things,""The Irishman,""The Witcher,""Marriage Story," and "Tiger King," has helped the service justify its slightly higher price, and encouraged streaming competitors to prioritize creating their own original titles to generate more value. 

Netflix also has a large library of children's series and a separate interface designed to let kids choose their own shows without running into adult programming, making it a good choice for families in need of all-ages entertainment.

When it comes to app support, Netflix is available on virtually any streaming device you can think of, including computers, smartphones, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, smart TVs, and more. It also offers support for all of the latest video and audio formats, including 4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos— though it does charge extra for those features.

• Netflix Basic - $9 a month for standard definition (SD) streaming.
• Netflix Standard - $14 a month for high definition (HD) streaming on up to two devices at the same time.
• Netflix Premium - $18 a month for up to 4K HDR streaming with Dolby Atmos on up to four devices at the same time.

Hulu

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Thanks to a mix of content and various plans, Hulu remains one of the most affordable streaming options with unmatched choice.

Pros: Combines on-demand library with a live TV option, can subscribe to other "channels" like HBO and Showtime, discounted bundle with Disney Plus and ESPN+

Cons: Harder to share due to two-device limit on Basic plan, no HDR support, Basic plan includes commercials

Hulu offers two main packages that provide on-demand streaming, including a Basic option with commercials and a Premium plan without commercials. The service also offers upgrade packages that add live TV channels.

Hulu arguably boasts the most impressive TV show library of any on-demand streaming service, with a wider range of new and classic shows than Netflix or Amazon. This includes next-day streaming access to select broadcast series on networks like ABC and Fox. Hulu also offers a solid selection of original shows, like "The Handmaid's Tale," but its slate of exclusive content isn't quite as notable as some of its competitors.

Though Hulu does offer 4K streaming on select devices for some of its programs, its 4K lineup is very limited compared to Netflix, Amazon, and Disney Plus. The service also lacks HDR support.

Hulu allows only two devices to stream at the same time in order to prevent groups of people from sharing its accounts. To remove that limit, you need a Hulu + Live TV subscription with a $10 add-on for unlimited screens. Hulu also lets subscribers add other channels like HBO, Showtime, and Starz to their streaming package for a monthly price. 

You can even bundle Hulu with Disney Plus and ESPN+ for a 30% discount on the monthly price of all three, though you'll need to sign up through Hulu if you want to upgrade to the ad-free plan.

• Hulu Basic - $6 per month for ad-supported on-demand streaming.
• Hulu Premium - $12 per month for ad-free on-demand streaming.
• Hulu Basic + Live TV- $65 a month for ad-supported on-demand and live TV streaming.
• Hulu Premium + Live TV - $71 a month for ad-free on-demand and ad-supported live TV streaming.

Read our Hulu Premium review here

Amazon Prime Video

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Amazon Prime Video is a capable, competitive streaming service that's more than just a Prime membership perk.

Pros: Included with Amazon Prime, offers extra movie rental and purchase options, lots of international titles, can add streaming channels, 4K HDR support is included in base plan

Cons: The Prime Video library is less impressive than the competition

More than 110 million Amazon Prime members help make Prime Video the second largest on-demand service in terms of subscribers, even if they're not all streaming video on a regular basis. 

Prime Video features a mix of movies and shows that are provided for free with membership, including original titles like "The Boys" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." You can also rent or buy just about any film that's available on home video for your personal collection and watch with the Prime Video app whenever you like. This is a feature that most subscription streaming apps don't offer.

Prime Video has launched several award-winning original shows since 2013 and has successfully imported dozens of series from the BBC, as well as Hindi language films from India. The platform offers up to 4K streaming with support for HDR10+ playback on select titles. And, unlike Netflix, it doesn't charge extra to get the best video and audio quality.

Though Prime Video is included with a Prime Membership, you can subscribe to the service on its own for $9 per month if you prefer.

• Amazon Prime with Prime Video - $119 a year or $13 per month with access to the Prime Video library and all of Amazon Prime's shopping perks.
• Prime Video (Standalone) - $9 a month for access to the Prime Video library on its own.

Disney Plus

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Disney Plus is the top streaming choice for families and fans of blockbuster franchises like Marvel and 'Star Wars.'

Pros: Features Disney's vault of classic movies and shows, top-notch 4K HDR quality, blockbuster Marvel and "Star Wars" movies, iconic franchises like National Geographic, "The Simpsons," and The Muppets"

Cons: Lack of mature content limits the platform's potential, library of original shows is still small compared to the competition

Disney Plus is the fastest growing streaming service on the market, having amassed more than 73 million subscribers since its launch in November 2019. The platform is the sole subscription streaming home of Disney's classic animated films, as well as franchises like "Star Wars" and "The Simpsons."

With that in mind, the main draw of the service is its wide catalog of existing Disney, "Star Wars,"Marvel, and Pixar movies and shows. There are some original films and series as well, but the lineup remains small compared to Netflix and Amazon. 

It's also important to note that Disney Plus is designed to be family-oriented, so even Disney's hit exclusive show "The Mandalorian" is rated for teen viewers. Movies are also limited to PG-13 so you won't find any R-rated content here.

That said, at $7 per month with no commercials, Disney Plus might offer the best combination of titles, streaming quality, and value. With an endless supply of family-friendly entertainment, Disney Plus is a popular choice for parents, but adults who didn't grow up on Disney or "Star Wars" may want to find a second streaming service to fill their palette with more mature shows.

On that note, you can bundle Disney Plus with Hulu and ESPN+ for $13 a month. The bundle saves you about $6 per month compared to signing up for each service separately. 

• Disney Plus - $7 a month or $70 per year for access to the entire Disney Plus library.

Read our Disney Plus review here

HBO Max

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HBO Max is a premium service for fans of prestige television, iconic films, and the latest movie releases.

Pros: Amazing library of prestige shows and classic films, day-and-date streaming for Warner Bros. theatrical releases, recognizable collections from Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Sesame Street, and more

Cons: More expensive than most competitors, only one 4K title so far

HBO Max combines critically acclaimed shows and movies from HBO's cable network with new originals and additional WarnerMedia films, classic shows like "Friends," and collections from channels like Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, DC Universe, and the anime streaming service Crunchyroll.

Like the cable channel, HBO Max prides itself on having some of the best movies recently released on home video. HBO exclusive shows, like "Lovecraft Country,""Succession" and "Watchmen," continue to define prestige television and HBO Max is the best way to catch up on past hits like "The Wire" and "Game of Thrones."

New episodes of "Sesame Street" are the highlight of HBO Max's family offerings; there's not a ton of educational content for young children, but there's enough to satisfy kids for a few hours on an indoor afternoon.

Perhaps best of all, HBO Max is now home to brand-new Warner Bros. movies the same day they premiere in theaters. "Wonder Woman 1984" was the first titled released like this, and the upcoming lineup includes "The Matrix 4,""Suicide Squad," and more. That said, these movies will only be available on HBO Max for 31 days, though they could be added back later on.

For now, the biggest drawbacks of HBO Max are technology related. Outside of "Wonder Woman 1984," HBO Max doesn't offer support for 4K or HDR yet, limiting the quality of some movies and shows. For example, "Game of Thrones" was just released in 4K on Blu-ray, but HBO Max streams are limited to 1080p.

• HBO Max - $15 a month for ad-free access to full HBO Max library.

Read our HBO Max review here

Peacock

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With free and premium streaming options, Peacock is a convenient source for hit TV shows and movie nostalgia.

Pros: Free to watch most shows and movies, live news and sporting events

Cons: Premium plan doesn't offer many exclusives, movie library lacks newer releases, not available on Amazon Fire devices, no 4K or HDR support

Peacock is the free-to-watch streaming home for NBCUniversal shows like "30 Rock,""Cheers," and "The Office," as well as some new original titles. The service also offers a rotating slate of hit movies. Though few of the choices are less than 10-years old, Peacock has dozens of memorable films.

Peacock's base plan is free but it offers a limited library and it's ad-supported, so expect to see commercials. If you want access to all of the platform's content you can pay $5 per month, but this plan still features commercials. To unlock everything with ad-free access, you need to pay $10 a month for the Peacock Premium Plus plan, though a small selection of titles may still include commercials.

Peacock has some live news and sports broadcasts, though the scope of the live programming has been dramatically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, the service will become the exclusive streaming home of WWE Network, and later this year it will stream the 2021 Olympics.

Peacock doesn't stream in 4K resolution, though given the platform's emphasis on television and older films, the 1080p limit isn't as disappointing for Peacock as it is for HBO Max.

• Peacock - Free for ad-supported streaming access to a limited library of content
• Peacock Premium - $5 per month for ad-supported streaming access to the full Peacock library
• Peacock Premium Plus - $10 a month for ad-free access to the full Peacock library*
  
  *Peacock notes that live programming and a small selection of on-demand titles may still include ads.

Read our Peacock review here

The best live TV streaming services

Live TV streaming services are marketed as a cheaper alternative to cable or satellite, offering tighter channel packages for potential "cord cutters." However, prices have gone up recently in this space, reducing the cost benefit that streaming has over traditional TV.

That said, in many cases you can still save with certain services, but choosing the right package is essential for getting the most out of these platforms, so you'll want to figure out which TV stations are your must-haves before you choose a provider.

If you plan to use a Live TV streaming service to replace cable on multiple TVs in your home, be prepared to pay a bit extra so you can stream simultaneously on separate devices. Also, keep in mind that these TV services will have the same commercials and general experience as cable even though they're broadcast online.

Streaming quality can vary from channel to channel, but these services all typically maintain 720p or 1080p resolution. Again, you'll want to check the specific channel packages and other perks offered by each service to figure out which is best for you.

Here's a rundown of the leading live TV services available now:

Sling TV - Sling TV offers two different packages, Sling Blue and Sling Orange, for $35 per month separately, or for $50 per month bundled together. Sling Blue offers streaming on up to three devices and more channels, including MSNBC, Fox News, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, and the NFL Network. Sling Orange offers Disney channel and the ESPN family of channels, but only allows one streaming device at a time. You can find a full breakdown of Sling channels here.

Getting the bundle makes the most sense, since you'll get the full set of channels and features for $15 extra. It's worth noting that Sling viewers can't access their local ABC or CBS affiliates, so if you want those channels, you should look to another service.

Hulu + Live TV - Hulu's Live TV plan costs $65 a month for access to around 65 channels. You need to pay for an upgrade to stream on more than two devices at the same time, however, and it also costs extra if you want more than 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage. On the plus side, Hulu + Live TV includes Hulu's $6 per month on-demand service, so you get a bit more value there.

The base bundle includes all the major local networks in most markets, the ESPN family of channels, Fox and NBC Sports channels, and SEC Network. However, the service lacks access to the NFL Network, NBA TV, and the MLB Network, all of which are standard for YouTube TV. 

Fubo TV - FuboTV starts at $65 per month for 123 channels, 250 hours of cloud DVR space, and streaming on up to three devices. Unlike its competitors, Fubo charges extra for sports channels like the SEC Network, NBA TV, and the MLB Network. Local channels are included at no additional cost.

YouTube TV - YouTubeTV costs $65 per month for more than 80 channels with unlimited cloud DVR storage and streaming on up to three devices at once. YouTubeTV includes more sports channels in its base package than its competitors, including ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, the NFL Network, NBA TV, and the MLB Network.

YouTubeTV is also the only live TV streaming service currently offering PBS alongside local affiliate networks from CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC.

AT&T TV - Starting at $70 per month for a no-contract plan, AT&T TV provides a streaming version of the company's cable service. AT&T offers more pricing & package options than its live TV streaming competitors — the service offers nearly every channel, but like standard cable, it can be hard to get all the channels you want in a cheap bundle.

Because AT&T is HBO Max's parent company, most of the packages also include an HBO Max subscription, which would cost $15 per month separately.

Philo TV - PhiloTV is the most affordable option at $20 per month for 64 channels. Unfortunately, Philo viewers don't have access to their local affiliate networks, and the service doesn't offer many upgrade options for watching sports or cable news. It does offer popular channels like Comedy Central, MTV, and AMC, though, so there's still plenty to watch.

The best streaming channels

Some streaming services act as an online portal for access to a specific channel. If you want to watch Showtime, for instance, but don't want to subscribe through a cable provider, you can simply sign up for the network's standalone streaming option. Some of these channel-specific platforms also include exclusive content you can't find anywhere else.

In many cases, these types of streaming channels can also be added to existing platforms, like Hulu and Prime Video, while others are exclusive to certain devices and services. Be sure to check if the channel you want is available on your device before signing up.

Here's a breakdown of some of the best streaming channel services you can subscribe to now:

CBS All-Access - This platform gives subscribers streaming access to the live CBS TV channel, along with a collection of exclusive titles and a massive library of on-demand shows from CBS and Paramount's catalog of current and classic series. Noteworthy original shows include "Star Trek: Discovery,""Star Trek: Picard," and "The Stand." CBS All Access will be rebranded as Paramount Plus in March 2021. Ad-supported streaming costs $6 a month, while ad-free on-demand streaming costs $10 a month.

Showtime - Showtime offers a lineup of critically acclaimed original shows and blockbuster movies from the premium cable channel. Some of Showtime's most popular hits are "Billions,""Shameless," and "Homeland." You can stream Showtime directly from the official website or app for $11 per month, or sign up through Prime Video or Hulu.

Starz - Like Showtime and HBO, Starz offers on-demand streaming of its original shows and a rotating catalog of movies. Notably, Starz is the exclusive premium network home for Sony films like "Spider-Man" and "Jumanji." The service costs $9 per month, though new subscribers can get their first six months for $5 a month.

ESPN+ - ESPN's service is another example of a channel-specific streaming platform, offering live broadcasts of sporting events that aren't normally aired on cable and exclusive access to niche coverage of sports like UFC and "League of Legends." With that said, ESPN+ does not actually provide live streaming access to the regular ESPN cable channel. The service costs $6 a month, and you can bundle it with Disney Plus and Hulu for $13 a month.

What we look for in on-demand streaming services

On-demand video services, like Netflix, popularized streaming by providing a larger library of on-demand movies and shows than cable providers could offer, and at a cheaper price. Subscribers gain instant access to thousands of titles rather than paying more for dozens of channels or rental fees for new releases. Many streaming services have also launched their own exclusive programming that you can't see anywhere else. 

Since the goal is entertainment, choosing the best on-demand streaming service for your needs will largely come down to your personal tastes. However, we can judge the different on-demand platforms based on a few common factors, like their library size, selection of critically-acclaimed exclusives, video quality, app functionality, and price.

The best on-demand streaming services have set a standard for 4K video quality, with support for HDR color and contrast on compatible TVs. TV channels rarely broadcast in 4K, so we have lower expectations for live TV streaming services, which still use HD resolutions like 1080p or 720p.

Quality can still vary based on the movie or show being streamed, and you'll need a strong, stable internet connection to stream consistently at 4K. Even if you don't have a 4K TV, these services will still deliver the best possible quality for your setup.

We expect app support on iOS, Android, and most home entertainment devices, though the growing number of streaming services has led to slower releases on competitive platforms, like Amazon and Roku. The best on-demand services also give subscribers an option to save select movies for offline viewing while they travel, though an online check-in is still required occasionally.

When comparing catalogs, we try to consider the range of entertainment offered by each streaming service, how much the platform has invested in exclusive programming, and which age ranges are best suited to watch. While most streaming services will have a rotating list of movies, it's important to pay attention to which series and franchises will remain platform exclusive, like "The Office,""Star Wars," and "Stranger Things."

There are a wealth of job opportunities in the world of trading cryptocurrency.

Indeed, dealing in the emerging asset class provides a host of employment opportunities for both finance industry veterans and newcomers alike, insiders say. It's little wonder why it's been attracting increasing attention of late: Cryptocurrencies have been on a wild ride.

The price of Bitcoin, the most widely traded cryptocurrency, surpassed the $40,000 in early January, before losing a bit of its heat as the month unfolded. As of Thursday morning, its price has dropped to around $32,000. Still, that's up more than 330% since the beginning of 2020 thanks to wider adoption from traditional firms, such as PayPal, and fears over inflation of fiat currencies in the wake of the pandemic. 

Still, that hasn't slowed mainstream investors interest. BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, recently authorized two of its funds to invest in bitcoin futures, according to SEC filings.  

And while Bitcoin has the largest market cap of any digital currency, other coins have also gained popularity among traditional players. The CME Group plans to roll out futures contracts this year tied to Ethereum, the industry's second largest coin by market cap. 

As a result, general interest for jobs in trading crypto remains high from those betting that they'll find lucrative career prospects by pursuing a role working with currencies of the future.

And crypto jobs aren't just for Bitcoin miners with whiz computing skills. Insiders at companies like Grayscale Investments and Galaxy Digital say that the cryptocurrency industry is looking for people with good judgment and the ability to assess and manage risk. Ultimately, it's an industry seeking people with a collection of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

See more:Cryptocurrency salaries revealed: From $60,000 to $400,000, here's how much you could earn working in cryptocurrency

It's also an industry that has become all the more lucrative as cryptocurrencies have grown in stature and price. Insider previously reported roles in cryptocurrency, either at startups or established firms, can pay as high as $400,000, according to an analysis of data from the US Office of Foreign Labor Certification.

Here's the especially good news: They're hiring.

Companies told Insider that they're increasing their headcounts, with Grayscale saying it plans to double its workforce in 2021, and Galaxy noting that it will hire its first-ever analyst class starting later this year, creating 10 available positions. Firms are looking to recruit for roles in areas that range from sales and trading to engineering and marketing. 

The bottom line is that landing a job in cryptocurrency has never looked quite so appealing. We asked seven industry insiders from top firms to spell out the job prep and interview tips you need to know to stand out from the crowd.

SEE ALSO: Private-equity headhunters spend just 6 seconds looking at your resume. Carlyle's head of talent explains how you can stand out.

SEE ALSO: Average fintech salaries are in the six figures. A talent exec at $5.3 billion Plaid lays out 3 ways to get your foot in the door.

SEE ALSO: JPMorgan tech salaries: Here's what developers and engineers can expect to get paid at Wall Street's biggest bank

Grayscale's Michael Sonnenshein said candidates need to be ready to test their "curiosity" and "confidence" in cryptocurrencies.

Grayscale Investments, the world's largest digital currency asset manager, began 2020 with $2 billion in assets under management and ended it with $20 billion in AUM, a remarkable increase and a testament to the surge in the price of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin this year.

Michael Sonnenshein, Grayscale's CEO, said the firm doubled the size of its team in 2020 and is planning on doing the same in 2021. 

Grayscale serves institutional investors, family offices, and some private investors, offering access to cryptocurrency markets via multiple different funds. 

But Sonnenshein, who joined the firm in 2014 after working at Barclays and JPMorgan, said that the development of cryptocurrencies is still in its early phase. Job seekers have to be curious and comfortable with risk. An open mind and adaptability are also key requirements that the firm looks for when recruiting new employees given the pace of change in the world of digital currencies.

"People need to be kind of testing their own curiosity as well as their confidence in digital currencies as a whole. It is early days for the development of this asset class and we're exceedingly excited about its prospects that ultimately are where we think it can go," Sonnenshein said.

See more:The world's largest digital currency asset manager took in $1 billion in new investment in the third quarter. Here's why investors are feeling so bullish about bitcoin and ethereum.

Grayscale, based in New York, is one part of Barry Silbert's Digital Currency Group. DCG investments in the space include digital-currency exchange Coinbase and crypto news site Coindesk.

The firm is currently actively recruiting for roles in digital marketing and social media, according to Linkedin. 

Employees at the asset manager are "a tight-knit group," Sonnenshein said. When interviewing, Grayscale prioritizes assessing how a candidate's personality meshes with that of the broader team. But job-seekers can also expect to complete case studies that reveal how they might approach solving the problems they'd face in a crypto-focused role.

Sonnenshein said that the goal of the case studies is to "see how someone thinks versus whether product is right or wrong. It's more what their process is and trying to understand how they approach and kind of tackle problems."

Galaxy Digital's Veronica Baird said that candidates shouldn't be afraid to embrace their non-traditional backgrounds.

Galaxy Digital, founded and run by former Fortress partner and president Mike Novogratz, is an investment management firm that deals in an array of crypto- and blockchain-related offerings. The company has four key business lines including trading, asset management, investment banking, and principal investments.

Galaxy aims to position itself as "the bridge between the institutional and the crypto world," Veronica Baird, the firm's director of human resources, told Insider.

That means that the firm is comfortable hiring and promoting talent who have both prior cryptocurrency experience or experience from different financial services sectors, she said.

"We've had interns and analysts who have fallen in love with crypto and have decided to forego the traditional four-year college program and just get right into hands-on work experience and learn as much as they can about this field," she said. "There's room for people who have that traditional background ... and also that non-traditional background."

Getting hired at Galaxy also doesn't depend on studying engineering, computer science, or math in college — or even going to college at all.

Candidates can thrive at Galaxy even if they come from non-traditional backgrounds, she explained.

"Sometimes one of our businesses might be looking for someone who didn't necessarily go to college, or didn't necessarily major in one of the majors that you would traditionally think would fit into a financial institution," Baird said.

As far as hard skills to show off, some crypto roles in industries like investment-banking or asset management might benefit from strong proficiency with tools like PowerPoint or Excel, Baird said, but other positions in areas like cryptocurrency mining require their own unique set of knowledge. 

"There's opportunities to do things that don't have you tied to an Excel spreadsheet or financial modeling or putting together a presentation," she said.

The firm told Insider that it grew from 80 to a total 115 full-time employees in 2020 through its acquisitions of Draw Bridge Lending, a lender that issues loans secured by cryptocurrency, and Blue Fire Capital, a crypto-focused trading firm.

Going forward, Galaxy expects the growth to continue by an additional 40%, with primary areas including client-facing personnel in its sales, advisory, and asset management businesses, a Galaxy spokesperson said. What's more, the firm is planning to bring on its first analyst class with 10 full-time analyst positions.

Genesis Capital's Leon Marshall recommended that job seekers think about how their own skill sets fit into the broader crypto marketplace.

Leon Marshall, the head of Genesis Capital's global institutional sales desk, told Insider he was drawn to the crypto world in 2017 while he was an MBA student at London Business School during the run-up in Bitcoin that saw the digital currency's price rise to nearly $20,000. 

Genesis Capital, which is also backed by Digital Currency Group, allows institutions to borrow digital currencies for market-making, hedging, or speculation. Marshall said the firm is actively hiring for roles from sales and trading to marketing and engineering.

Marshall began his career at UBS before moving on to portfolio management roles at commodities trading firm Trafigura and Apollo Global Management.

He said his experience has taught him that there are "skills that I can teach and skills that I can't teach" when assessing candidates applying to positions at Genesis. Market structure, aspects of trading, and the terminology of the crypto world all can be developed, he said, but work ethic, integrity, and passion for digital currencies can't.

Marshall also said that candidates thinking of entering the institutional space for digital currencies should first assess the market and its characteristics. This includes learning about major players and market size, and understanding new products and potential regulatory challenges coming down the road. 

"Once you figure out where your skill set fits in, and once you actually understand the space that you want to move into, then I think you just do a ton of networking," Marshall said of landing a job in the industry.

LinkedIn might be the preferred networking site in traditional finance, Marshall said. But for crypto, Twitter, Telegram, and Discord are also useful networking tools for jobs. 

One way to stand out, according to Marshall, is to be proactive about entering the crypto world even before you begin applying to jobs. 

"Volunteer for a company for free or write a Medium post or set up a society in your university, take some initiative. So that when you're doing that networking, when you get that interview, you can point to something unique," Marshall said.

Marshall also said he still remembers the advice provided by a mentor when he was first getting into digital currencies. It's a lesson he thinks candidates can take to heart as well.

"Don't think about where you are now, but think about where the space is going five years by this time and position yourself for that."

Polychain's Aurora Harshner said young applicants can participate in hackathons and online forum discussions to increase their chances of landing a job.

Polychain Capital is a crypto venture and hedge fund set up to support and invest in blockchain startups. Backed by venture capital firms like Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, Polychain has 37 staffers total, nine of which were hired in 2020. 

Aurora Harshner, the firm's head of talent, explained that you don't need a four-year degree to land a job at Polychain. In fact, recruiters have successfully found quite a few high-quality candidates who dropped out of college — and even high school — for full-time positions at the firm, she said. 

Applicants without a four-year degree often completed open-source work in the blockchain and crypto space, she said. For example, successful candidates participated and won several hackathons, and they're active in online discussions and forums for this kind of work, the talent head added. 

"You don't need a college degree to do this," Harshner said. "You can do this at any age, frankly. Crypto as an industry just attracts a very innovative group of people, and young people have the access to learn and grow in these areas."

In some cases, Polychain's recruiters would ask candidates to write a four-page reflection of different projects they're excited about and why.

See more: Andreessen Horowitz is backing a crypto-powered 'internet computer' that could be the future of cloud computing

And that's one of the reasons why good writing skills can help you stand out among the applicant pool, Niraj Pant, a general partner for the investment team at Polychain, told Insider.

Pant dropped out of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2017 to become one of Polychain's early employees. He thought the benefits of leaving school massively outweighed a college diploma, as he was already spending most his time studying cryptocurrencies and finding industry-related projects to work on. 

Whether it be investment memos or partnership proposals, writing is something that the firm's employees do a lot, he told Business Insider. 

"It can show that you have a depth and clarity of thought when it comes to things that we look for in applicants," the partner said. "It's also a great way for someone to get deeper about why they're excited about crypto."

TD Ameritrade's Sunayna Tuteja advised job seekers to accentuate their qualitative skills.

Traditional brokerages involvement in crypto trading has been a slow build compared to their startup counterparts. And while TD Ameritrade doesn't currently offering crypto trading, it has shown interest in the asset class, investing in crypto exchange ErisX.

Sunayna Tuteja, managing director and head of digital assets and distributed ledger technology (DLT) at TD Ameritrade, has spent six years working on the firm's digital strategy.

Tuteja told Insider there's a spot for everyone in crypto, regardless of their career background, because the industry is still in its building-out phase. Employers aren't looking for "experts" because there are none, and she recommended that applicants focus on honing their qualitative skills instead. 

"I can give you a lot of reading material and build up your learning curve around digital assets, but what I can't teach you is that insatiable curiosity," Tuteja said. 

In November 2019, Charles Schwab announced plans to acquire TD Ameritrade in an all-stock deal valued at $26 billion at the time. The deal closed in October 2020. 

In general, hiring managers are on the lookout for three candidate qualities better known as the 3R's — relentlessness, resilience, and resourcefulness. 

Whether you're working a crypto job at a startup or a bigger company, you need a relentless attitude because there's a lot of grit and grind that goes behind the scenes, Tuteja said.

While resilience speaks to your ability to overcome criticism and the trial-and-error nature of the industry, your resourcefulness is measured by how well you can work with a limited budget, team, or data, she added. 

"You have to be somebody who can deliver a lot with very little," Tuteja said. "And you have to be resourceful in order to put wins on the board."

Cumberland's Brian Melville said candidates should be prepared to complete a quiz, project, or a coding problem during the interview.

Cumberland, a subsidiary of Chicago-based trading firm DRW, started dealing in crypto in 2014. The firm has grown into one of the largest liquidity providers for trading digital currencies.

Cumberland's strategy director Brian Melville told Insider via email his prior finance job as an analyst at trading firm Susquehanna International Group served as a building block for his growth at Cumberland.

When it comes to hiring, Cumberland doesn't require candidates to be experts, or to know much about crypto. In fact, the firm is looking for "self-starters" who are eager to learn and thrive in fast-paced environments.

Good sportsmanship and problem-solving skills also serve as key employee attributes at Cumberland, Melville said. 

"The candidates that are most successful here are those who are curious and seek opportunities to really dive into a subject," he wrote. "Those are skills that, in our experience, transcend specific disciplines." 

Throughout the application process, candidates should expect to go through several rounds of interviews in which they'd likely meet the company's global head at least once, Melville added. After a general assessment with someone from HR, promising candidates would complete quizzes, projects, coding problems, or a review of their past work during interviews.

Current open positions on Cumberland's website include roles in DevOps, research and software engineering. 

"We've always had the approach of hiring the best candidate rather than just hiring for the sake of hiring," Melville wrote. "This means that it may take us a bit longer than most to fill open roles, but we believe hiring the right people maximizes our chances of success in the long run." 

The $67 billion baby food market has become more crowded in recent years with new startups from Yumi to Amara that are pitching healthy options.

One of them is Little Spoon, a 3-year-old organic baby food home subscription service. It raised $22 million in December in its Series A round that was led by Valor Equity Partners and included Vaultier7, Kairos Ventures, and tennis star Serena Williams.

Little Spoon pitches its products as healthier than established brands, with no additives, preservatives, or GMOs.

"We realized that millennial parents had different standards for what they buy and feed their kids as compared to previous generations, and the options in baby food just hadn't caught up," said Lisa Barnett, president and CMO of Little Spoon.

Barnett said company sales had grown 300% year-over-year since its launch, without giving specifics. She added that the company had delivered over 6 million meals.

Little Spoon started with baby products and expanded to meals for toddlers and kids as more parents started working from home during the pandemic.

It plans to use the new funding to hire, expand to categories like snacks and dessert, and do more marketing, which has mostly focused on organic, content, and word-of-mouth channels like its parenting-focused website "Is This Normal" and influencers such as fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff answering parenting questions.

Below is Little Spoon's Series A fundraising deck.

Little Spoon is based on the premise that millennial parents want healthier foods for their kids than previous generations did.

It sees a massive opportunity to disrupt the baby and kids food categories as well as supplements.

Little Spoon's products include purees, blends and meals, and vitamins and probiotics.

Blends for babies cost $3 per pack while kids' meals cost $5.

Little Spoon emphasizes customer service and its online parenting community.

It uses influencers to share parenting tips and advice, including fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff and journalist Rebecca Jarvis.

Little Spoon uses its community for product and R&D and boasts a nimble supply chain.

Its newest product, Plates, provides ready-to-eat meals for older kids.

Little Spoon plans to use the new funding to hire, expand to new categories, and accelerate its marketing.

As COVID-19 cases keep on rising across the globe, more businesses have had to adapt to the rowdy changes brought by the pandemic. With that comes complete transformations, or just creative tweaks to business models, intended to aid the turbulent navigation of the crisis. 

Morgan Stanley has cited the practice of identifying the best business models as a critical one to its stock-market research. That's because not only has quality generated sizable excess returns over the past decade, but also, the bank's analysts have successfully spotted companies with lasting competitive advantages and market-beating stocks. 

They recently published a third version of their Global Best Business Models list. The first two cumulatively outperformed their benchmark by 997 basis points since their inception in December 2016.

By at least two measures of profitability, the 41 chosen names from North American, European and Asian markets within the latest version of the list are of superior quality to their peers in the MSCI All-Country World Index benchmark. Their average trailing return on net operating assets, a gauge of the profit-generating capability of assets, was 16% versus an average of 6.4% for the benchmark. Also, the return on equity was 27%, compared to 10% for the benchmark the analysts wrote in a note on Sunday.

"Our goal is to deliver USD total return outperformance for the Global BBM list versus the MSCI ACWI Index over a two-year buy-and-hold period," the analysts said. 

All versions hold the same structure, although there have been subsequent updates such as version two, launched in January 2019. When it came to the selection of companies for the third version of the list, the bank undertook a five-step approach to narrow down high-quality companies that trade at a reasonable price.

The first step included taking a massive list of 5,600 stocks, and filtering it for factors including value, profitability, growth, and risks.

Secondly, analysts spotted the factors that historically worked for their previous business model lists. 

Then, to fairly represent all industries, they grouped company names based on their industry, using the MSCI All-Country World Index as a guide. 

After that, they focused on competitive advantage and management quality as those characteristics weren't captured by the previous quantitative analysis, followed by a final assessment for sustainability.

Below are the 18 US stocks in alphabetical order with the best business models that Morgan Stanley recommends getting a hold of. We have included analyst commentary on why they expect the stocks to outperform.

SEE ALSO: 'We're very surprised we didn't underperform in the 4th quarter': Cathie Wood and her analysts break down their stock-selection process and the top 10 picks that contributed to the outperformance of ARK ETFs in Q4 2020

1. Adobe

Ticker: ADBE 

Industry Group: Software & Services

Analyst Comment: "Adobe has leading market share in some of the most dynamic secular growth areas in software: creative design, dynamic media, and marketing automation. As such, we see the longer-term growth story for ADBE as better than most."

Source: Morgan Stanley

2. Amazon

Ticker: AMZN

Industry Group: Media & Entertainment 

Analyst Comment:"Amazon's high-margin businesses continue to allow Amazon to drive greater profitability while still continuing to invest (last mile delivery, fulfillment, Prime Now, Fresh, Prime digital content, Alexa/Echo, India, AWS, etc)."

Source: Morgan Stanley

3. Apple

Ticker: AAPL

Industry Group: Technology Hardware & Equipment 

Analyst Comment:"Apple has the world's most valuable technology platform with over 1.5Bn active devices, and is entering FY21 with its strongest portfolio of Products and Services in years, 80% of which have been refreshed in the last 12 months. We see multiple tailwinds to drive a re-rating over the next 12 months including 1) accelerating adoption of 5G smartphones, 2) work, learn and play from home demand, 3) increasing penetration of high margin services, and 4) strong cash returns."

Source: Morgan Stanley

4. Arista Networks

Ticker: ANET

Industry Group: Technology Hardware & Equipment 

Analyst Comment: "Software development drives share gain opportunities in the enterprise (campus and data center) and service provider (routing functionalities), but displacing incumbents can be challenging"

Source: Morgan Stanley

5. Ball Corporation

Ticker: BLL

Industry Group: Materials

Analyst Comment: "Market leader with ~33% global share in the consolidated, growing, and non-cyclical beverage can industry. We expect Ball to benefit from a robust multiyear beverage can growth outlook in all its key regions"

Source: Morgan Stanley

6. Costco

Ticker: COST

Industry Group: Household Products and Staples Retailing

Analyst Comment: "COST's results have consistently been among the best in Retail. Over the past decade, COST has delivered ~6% comps and ~10% EBIT growth on average. It is rare to find a business with COST's solid comp/membership growth, while relative e-commerce insulation differentiates its value proposition from other retailers."

Source: Morgan Stanley

7. Crown Castle

Ticker: CCI

Industry Group: Real Estate

Analyst Comment: "We favor the fundamentals of the tower model - long term contracts, operating leverage, rate escalators, low capital expenditures, high margins, strong credit tenants, and high barriers to entry."

Source: Morgan Stanley

8. Eli Lilly

Ticker: LLY

Industry Group: Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences

Analyst Comment: "We are Overweight LLY shares as we believe consensus underappreciates Lilly's long-term revenue and EPS growth prospects. We project 2020e-2025e CAGR revenue +8% and EPS +12%"

Source: Morgan Stanley

9. Estee Lauder

Ticker: EL

Industry Group: Household Products and Staples Retailing

Analyst Comment: "We are OW EL as we view LT EL growth as more robust and sustainable than peers with its large exposure to the high growth, high margin skin care segment, e- commerce and expansion opportunity in China, and a potential rebound in near-term COVID impacted business. We assume EL recovers to pre-COVID EPS levels by FY22, with margins supported by cost cutting."

Source: Morgan Stanley

10. First Republic Bank

Ticker: FRC

Industry Group: Banks

Analyst Comment: "We expect mid-to-high teens loan growth at FRC, given its niche focus on high-net worth clients, and for it to deliver this strong growth while maintaining pristine credit quality, given its peer-leading through- the-cycle average NCO ratio of just one basis point."

Source: Morgan Stanley

11. Honeywell International

Ticker: HON

Industry Group: Capital Goods

Analyst Comment: "HON's long-cycle businesses should start to recover more substantially later in 2021 with Aero's trajectory less certain. We expect Aero to remain weak through 2021 as flight hours see sharp declines and maintenance gets deferred until 2022. The company's software offerings should be very attractive to customers as digital transformation accelerates post-COVID and we believe this can partially offset the delayed recovery related to the longer cycle core businesses."

Source: Morgan Stanley

12. Nike

Ticker:NKE 

Industry Group: Durables, Apparel & Services

Analyst Comment: "NKE is in the early innings of transition from a wholesaler to a DTC brand. Success would make it one of few to benefit from the shift to eComm (~15% of '20 sales)"

Source: Morgan Stanley

13. Progressive

Ticker: PGR

Industry Group: Insurance 

Analyst Comment: "Limited EPS growth. We expect minimal earnings growth over near-term, with 2021e EPS representing only +1.5% CAGR from 2019. We believe anything other than our modeled 220bps deterioration in 2021e vs 2019 is aggressive.Company has consistently outperformed industry in regards to margin and growth, a trend we expect to continue. Superior analytics and the direct channel offering will help PGR sustain growth in post Covid environment."

Source: Morgan Stanley

14. Prologis

Ticker: PLD

Industry Group: Real Estate 

Analyst Comment: "Prologis is a high quality play on the attractive industrial sector that has benefited from secular eCommerce trends. Exposure to strong performing sub-markets positions the company to achieve superior rent growth versus peers across its US markets. This view is supported by our deep- dive supply analysis by sub-market."

Source: Morgan Stanley

15. Ross Stores

Ticker: ROST

Industry Group: Retailing

Analyst Comment: "Market share capture from competitor bankruptcies & store closures, favorable customer fundamentals, and high exposure to Hispanics, the fastest growing US population segment, support 6-8% long- term revenue growth and 10%+ annual EPS."

Source: Morgan Stanley

16. TransDigm Group

Ticker: TDG

Industry Group: Capital Goods 

Analyst Comment: "The most defensible business model in commercial aerospace. Over the past few years, management has overcome short thesis such as: pricing in its defense business, sustainability of its pricing strategy in aerospace, durability of its levered balance sheet, and ability to weather a downturn."

Source: Morgan Stanley

17. Verisk Analytics

Ticker: VRSK

Industry Group: Transport and Comm & Prof Svcs.

Analyst Comment: "VRSK has one of the best business models in Analytics with revenue growth potential, high margins, and tied for the strongest moat."

"Our model calls for a 5-year CAGR ('19-'24) of 6% for rev, adj. EBITDA margins of 51% in '24, and a 5-year adj. EPS CAGR of 11%."

Source: Morgan Stanley

18. Visa

Ticker: V

Industry Group: Software & Services

Analyst Comment: "One of our preferred stocks, as it is a key beneficiary of resilient global consumer spend growth, the ongoing shift from cash to electronic payments, and broadening merchant acceptance. Global Personal Consumption Expenditure and secular growth drivers should support low double- digit revenue growth in the near-to-medium term."

Source: Morgan Stanley

Investors experienced one of the most tumultuous trading days in recent times yesterday as retail investors, predominantly from the Reddit forum Wall Street Bets, piled into small-cap stocks, waging a war against the hedge funds that had shorted them.

The companies selected ranged from Gamestop (GME), which was up 135% from the close on January 26 to the close on January 27, to AMC Entertainment (AMC), which was up 301%, to Blockbuster (BLIAQ), which was up 120%.

Concerns about volatility and potential asset bubbles in the stock market was already rising, not least because of the growing clout of retail investors.

UBS Global Wealth Management doesn't think the market is in a bubble and remains positive on equities for 2021, but it recognizes that investors are looking at these dynamics.

"We acknowledge that the post-pandemic rally has left some segments of the stock market looking expensive," said UBS derivatives strategy analyst, Luca Henzen, in a January 27 note.

Read more: Jeremy Grantham predicted the past 2 financial meltdowns. Now he says these 3 signals are foreshadowing a crash in another bubble being created by stocks and SPACs.

The analysts at UBS are positive towards equities because of a combination of COVID-19 vaccine roll-outs, low interest rates and government stimulus, which will provide a supportive backdrop.

But they also recognize there is the potential for short-term market setbacks and that investors might want to understand how to position cautiously considering recent market rallies. So in this new research note, Henzen lays out six options strategies investors can leverage to protect themselves.

"Stocks that enjoyed a robust bounce after the March 2020 correction and are currently trading at extraordinary valuation multiples might be at risk of nearterm pullbacks if investors unwind their positions," he said.

And though selling equities right now would reduce exposure to a price correction, it could also mean investors could miss out on further price increases, Henzen said. 

"Options can be the tool of choice when it comes to protecting existing portfolio positions," Henzen said.

Before jumping into the strategy laid out by Henzen, Insider lays out a refresher on what options are and some common terms.

Option basics:

What is a put option?

Put options give their holder the right, but not the obligation, to sell an asset at a specific price within a specific time period. 

Investors often use put options as a form of investment insurance to ensure losses do not exceed a certain amount.

What is a call option?

Calls give the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy a stock at a specific price within a specific time period.  

Selling a call involves owning the stock while at the same time giving someone else the right to buy your holdings. 

The investor collects the premium and hopes the option expires unexercised. This provides the investor with income, but this also limits profit potential because if the stock rises then the buyer will act on the strike price.

Common option terms:

Premium: The price an investor pays for the option.

Strike price: If the investor chooses to exercise the option, this is the price the asset can be bought or sold for.

Expiry date: The date when the options contract becomes void.

Implied volatility: The market's forecast of a likely movement in an asset price

Volatility skew: The implied volatility disparity between different strike prices with the same expiration. 

Read more: 'This one feels a lot like 1999' : An ex-Wall Street strategist breaks down why he is approaching the markets with a 'tactically bullish' strategy – and 3 pieces of advice on how to play a market set for a correction

Option strategies:

The option strategies proposed by UBS enable investors to continue to participate in the market and still protect themselves from potential losses.

"The cost of protection, which typically corresponds to the total option premium, remains the major drawback investors have to face when buying options," Henzen said.  "However, options can be deployed in many structures with different degrees of efficiency and costs, allowing investors to optimize downside protection according to their needs."

Each option strategy has unique characteristics as well as strengths and weaknesses, Henzen said.

We break down the basics of the six strategies provided in the research note.

1. A protective put

A protective put is holding a long position in an asset but also purchasing a put option.

Investors leveraging a protective put often buy a put option with a strike price equal, or close to, the current price of the asset that they already hold. This means that they will limit any potential losses that may result from an unexpected price drop, and still benefit from an increase in price.

Advantages: Simple, immediate protection, investor can maintain upside participation and low maximum loss potential.

Disadvantages: Costly and implied volatility will raise the premium.

Level of protection: High

Analyst comment:"In March 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of a 95%-strike one-month put option on the S&P 500 surged from 0.5% to 7% in less than a month. Before purchasing a put, investors must therefore carefully consider the implication of the premium paid on the overall strategy."

Source: UBS

2. Put spread

This strategy is used when investors are expecting a price decline in an asset and they want to reduce the cost of holding the option trade.

"The cost of protection therefore becomes prohibitive exactly when investors need it," Henzen said,  "An efficient way to reduce these costs is to combine a long put with the sale of an additional put at lower strike, usually with same expiry, implementing a so-called put spread."

The put spread protects against a fall in price between the two strikes. This benefits "cost-aware" investors who can manage the limited protection offered by the strategy, Henzen said, because the protection ends at the strike of the short put.

The maximum profit is the difference between the two strike prices minus the cost of the options.

Advantages: Fairly priced, immediate protection and maintains upside participation.

Disadvantages: Moderate maximum loss potential and an increase in implied volatility will increase cost of strategy.

Level of protection: Moderate

Analyst comment: "Put spreads are particularly attractive when the implied volatility used to price deep out-of-the-money (OTM) puts is significantly higher compared to the implied volatility of higher-strike puts. This is the case when the implied volatility skew, i.e. the difference between implied volatilities at different strikes, is elevated. Options on equity indexes like the S&P 500 typically have elevated volatility skews, reflecting the high investor demand for OTM protective put."

Source: UBS

3. Put spread ratios

Put spread ratios are similar to put spreads. However they involve an uneven number of puts. 

The ratio defines the number of put contracts sold compared to contracts in the long put, Henzen said.

Put spread ratios are for investors who want to monetize the elevated implied volatility skew, Henzen said.  They are less expensive than standard put spreads, but their protection can be an issue as it diminishes gradually as the asset price falls below the strike of the short puts.

"Depending on ratio and strike levels, ratio put spreads offer very low protection at inception, as their protection progressively rises during their life, reaching its maximum at expiry if the asset price is trading near the strike of the short puts," Henzen said.

Advantages: Cheap, maintains upside participation and low, to no sensitivity of implied volatility.

Disadvantages: Protection kicks in closer to expiry and high maximum loss potential.

Level of protection: Light

Analyst comment: "In large sell-offs, put ratios can even generate additional losses and are therefore recommended to investors that have strong confidence the asset price will not fall below a certain level. Depending on ratio and strike levels, ratio put-spreads offer very low protection at inception, as their protection progressively rises during their life, reaching its maximum at expiry if the asset price is trading near the strike of the short puts"

Source: UBS

4. Butterfly spread

A butterfly spread consists of a long put, two short puts at a lower strike and then a further put at a lower strike.

This strategy is similar to a ratio put spread but doesn't expose investors to extreme downside moves.

"Typically, such strategies keep the same distance between the three strikes to achieve a symmetric payoff," Henzen said,

Advantages: Relatively cheap, maintains upside participation and very low sensitivity of implied volatility.

Disadvantages: Protection kicks in closer to expiry and high maximum loss potential.

Level of protection: Light

Analyst comment: "Although slightly more expensive than ratio put spreads, butterfly spreads offer better protection, which starts at inception and increases during the life of the option. They also remove the risk of additional losses when the asset price declines well below the strike of the short puts. Similarly, maximum protection is reached at expire, when the asset price trades near the strike of the two short puts."

Source: UBS

5. Collar

A collar consists of a long put and a short call. Both of these options have different strikes but the same expiration date.

A collar is seen as more cost effective form of downside protection compared to a protective put

"The premium received from shorting the call is used to finance the purchase of the put," Henzen said. "If the asset price declines, the put provides protection below its strike price. But if the price of the underlying asset rises, the profit potential is limited to the strike price of the call."

Advantages: Cheap, immediate protection, maximum loss potential is low and  low to no sensitivity of implied volatility.

Disadvantages: Upside is capped.

Level of protection: Strong

Analyst comment: "Collars are particularly attractive when the asset price has experienced a positive run-up. To protect a profit at little cost, the investor is willing to forgo some potential further gains by capping the upside participation."

Source: UBS

6. Barrier options

Barrier options are a sophisticated form of derivative. They tend to have a lower premium than a vanilla option and can be customized to investors' needs.

These options tend to be for investors who have clear expectations on the path of an asset, Henzen said.

There are two types: down-and-out put and a down-and-in put

A down-and-out put behaves like a traditional put, however, if the asset price crosses below the barrier, the investor gets zero pay out. 

The barrier is set well below the strike of the asset price, usually, however the closer the barrier is to the strike price then the cheaper the option.

"Down-and-out puts are more attractive when the implied volatility skew is elevated, as they trade at larger discount to plain vanilla puts," Henzen said. "Investors must also be aware that they provide only limited protection that typically appears towards maturity of the contract."

A down-and-in put option is activated once the asset price of the underlying asset falls below the barrier. Once the barrier is reached, the option becomes a standard vanilla put. 

Again the lower the barrier, the cheaper the option.

"Down-and-in puts are particularly efficient to protect against large drawdowns in the asset," Henzen said. "At inception, they provide moderate protection, which gradually disappears if the asset does not reach the barrier. They also get more expensive when skew and implied volatility rise."

Advantages: Relatively cheap and investor maintains upside participation.

Disadvantages: High-to-moderate maximum loss potential, depending on the type of barrier option.

Analyst commentary: "Barrier options are a valid solution to reduce the premium of an option. Nevertheless, the barrier feature increases the complexity of the derivative instrument, which in turn may involve additional costs for the investor. Furthermore, the conditionality linked to the barrier and the absence of a large listed market clearly make barrier options more suitable as buy-and-hold strategies than listed vanilla options."

Source: UBS

Read more:4 heavyweight investing firms answer the 5 most burning bitcoin questions facing investors as the cryptocurrency sees unprecedented volatility

Read more: This actively managed SPAC ETF amassed $60 million assets within a month of launching. Its founder breaks down how to pick blank-check firms — and shares 3 to watch in 2021.

Read more:This day trader just made the biggest trade of his career exploiting the momentum around bitcoin. Here's how he did it — and his 4-step strategy for identifying speculative themes to trade.

Every day, we round up the 5 best deals and bargains available on tech, home goods, fashion, and more. 

We've sorted this list with the latest deals first. The prices and discounts are accurate at the time of publication but are subject to change without warning. For even more deals and savings across the web, check out the best online deals and sales happening now and Business Insider Coupons.

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"WandaVision" surged in audience demand this week, closing the gap between it and the reigning champion, Netflix's "Cobra Kai." 

While "WandaVision" is the fourth most in-demand streaming series this week, it jumped from No. 9 last week. And "Cobra Kai's" demand decreased significantly from last week, even though it's still the top series. It seems likely that "WandaVision" will catch up if its momentum continues.

Every week, Parrot Analytics provides Business Insider with a list of the nine most in-demand TV shows on streaming services in the US.

The data is based on "demand expressions," Parrot Analytics' globally standardized TV-demand measurement unit. Audience demand reflects the desire, engagement, and viewership weighted by importance. The list is ranked by how much more in demand the top series are than the average TV show in the US.

SEE ALSO: Netflix is the streaming leader, but its US market share shrank in 2020 as competitors like Disney Plus and HBO Max emerged

9. "The Witcher" (Netflix)

Times more in demand than average show: 30.1

Description: "Geralt of Rivia, a mutated monster-hunter for hire, journeys toward his destiny in a turbulent world where people often prove more wicked than beasts."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 1): 67%

What critics said:"And although 'The Witcher' is more fantasy balderdash, it's also somewhat addictive fantasy balderdash. Bring on the blood-spilling, the orgies, the haunted forests and wizards: It seems we can't get enough."— Detroit News (Season 1)

Season 1 premiered on Netflix on December 20, 2019. See more insights for "The Witcher."

8. "The Crown" (Netflix)

Times more in demand than average show: 30.7

Description: "This drama follows the political rivalries and romance of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped the second half of the 20th century."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 4): 97%

What critics said:"10 episodes of television that may not be uniformly among the show's finest, but which are somehow its most authentic."— RogerEbert.com (season 4)

Season four premiered on November 15 on Netflix. See more insights for "The Crown."

7. "The Expanse" (Amazon Prime Video)

Times more in demand than average show: 32.2

Description: "In different parts of the Solar System, the crew of the Rocinante and their allies confront the sins of their past, while Marco Inaros unleashes an attack that will alter the future of Earth, Mars, the Belt, and the worlds beyond the Ring."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 5): 100%

What critics said:"Even with the protomolecule saga relatively sidelined this season, "The Expanse" draws so much strength from exposing how fragile an expansive society like this is."— Indiewire (Season 5)

Season 5 premiered on Prime Video on December 16. See more insights for "The Expanse."

6. "Titans" (HBO Max)

Times more in demand than average show: 34.5

Description: "'Titans' follows young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find belonging in a gritty take on the classic Teen Titans franchise. Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, a special young girl possessed by a strange darkness, get embroiled in a conspiracy that could bring Hell on Earth. Joining them along the way are the hot-headed Starfire and lovable Beast Boy. Together they become a surrogate family and team of heroes."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 2): 81%

What critics said:"Titans is not going to blow anyone away but it will still appeal to established fans and has some nice moments for fans of DC Comics history."— JoBlo's Movie Network (Season 2)

Season 2 premiered on DC Universe in September, 2019. See more insights for "Titans."

5. "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (Disney Plus)

Times more in demand than average show: 39.2

Description: "From Dave Filoni, director and executive producer of 'The Mandalorian,' the new 'Clone Wars' episodes will continue the storylines introduced in the original series, exploring the events leading up to 'Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.'"

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 7): 100%

What critics said:"In the endgame, the show is better than ever."— Memphis Flyer (season 7)

Season 7 premiered on February 21 on Disney Plus. See more insights for "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."

4. "WandaVision" (Disney Plus)

Times more in demand than average show: 42.2

Description: "Marvel Studios' captivating new series 'WandaVision' stars Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, and marks the first series from Marvel Studios streaming exclusively on Disney+. The series is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision — two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives — begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 1): 93%

What critics said: "WandaVision's commitment to confounding expectations might offer something few franchises as hoary as this one ever do - a fresh, surprising way in."— NPR (Season 1)

Season 1 premiered on Disney Plus January 15. See more insights for "WandaVision."

3. "Stranger Things" (Netflix)

Times more in demand than average show: 53.7

Description: "When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 3): 89%

What critics said:"Even the most distinctive moments feel disconnected from the rest, especially a segment in the final episode that feels as if its sole purpose is to be extracted and recirculated as a meme."— Slate (Season 3)

2. "The Mandalorian" (Disney Plus)

Times more in demand than average show: 67.0

Description: "After the fall of the Empire, a lone gunfighter makes his way through the lawless galaxy."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 2): 94%

What critics said:"The Mandalorian is still the most enjoyable Star Wars cinema we've had since ... well, I still insist Solowas pretty good."— Polygon (Season 2)

Season 2 premiered on Disney Plus on October 30. See more insights for "The Mandalorian."

1. "Cobra Kai" (Netflix)

Times more in demand than average show: 78.1

Description: "Decades after the tournament that changed their lives, the rivalry between Johnny and Daniel reignites in this sequel to the 'Karate Kid' films."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 3): 89%

What critics said:"A high energy showdown for youth in revolt, alongside a never-more-sensitive portrayal of middle-aged reminiscence. It reaffirms Cobra Kai as one of the cleverest reboots in our nostalgia-drunk era."— Entertainment Weekly (season 3)

Season 3 premiered on January 1 on Netflix. See more insights for "Cobra Kai."

• Short-sellers have lost over $5 billion in betting against GameStop as they battle Reddit traders.
• GameStop's stock dropped sharply on Thursday, but the damage has already hit hedge funds hard.
• Insider compiled a list of those hedge funds that got hit hard by the "Reddit army" short-squeeze.
• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, 10 Things Before the Opening Bell.

Video-game retailer GameStop has dominated the headlines this week after its shares trebled in value in just three days this week, in a buying frenzy fueled by individual traders that have forced some of Wall Street's prominent hedge funds to close their bearish bets against the company with hefty losses.

GameStop's shares have hit record highs and the swarm of retail investors behind the rally have cheered each other on, primarily within the popular Reddit forum Wall Street Bets, which by Thursday, had around 3.5 million members. 

Members have spent the past three weeks bidding up GameStop, which has sent the shares skyrocketed more than 1,200% since Wall Street Bets first piled in on January 11. 

The higher the stock went, the greater the losses incurred by those that had previously bet against any price rises, as they were then forced to buy those shares back, whatever the cost.  A number of high-profile hedge funds have already lost more than $5 billion so far this month, according to data from the financial-analytics firm S3 Partners.

"The stock trading mob ran out of runway with Tesla's stock and now they have turned their attention to other stocks, like GameStop," said David Trainer, CEO of New Constructs. "As fickle as the trading mob has been to select GameStop as one of their favorite stocks, they could be just as fickle as to when to let the stock drop," he said.

But the stock did drop around 64% on Thursday after retail trading app Robinhood restricted its trading along with other highly volatile stocks. The brokerage's curbs affected other stocks that hedge funds had previous shorted heavily, including AMC, BlackBerry, Bed Bath & Beyond, Express, Koss, Naked Brand, and Nokia.

These are the hedge funds that have lost out in their battle against the day traders:

SEE ALSO: How Reddit day traders are using the platform to upend the stock market and make money in the process

Point72 Asset Management

Steve Cohen's hedge fund Point72 lost nearly 15% this year as GameStop shares skyrocketed, according to the New York Times. It had around $19 billion under management.

Melvin Capital was investing some money on Point72's behalf, the Times reported.

Andrew Left's Citron Capital

Citron Research's Andrew Left threw in the towel on Wednesday, saying he had closed most of the firm's short position when GameStop's stock traded at about $90 at a "loss of 100%."

Melvin Capital

Melvin Capital suffered heavy losses during the GameStop saga, causing Citadel and Point72 to inject almost $3 billion into the ailing hedge fund. Melvin attracted the ire of Reddit users on Wall Street Bets, but the exact scale of its losses are not yet known.

D1 Capital Partners

D1 Capital Partners has lost around 20% in January as a result of the GameStop saga, Bloomberg reported, citing people briefed on the situation. Dan Sundheim's fund controlled about $20 billion at the start of the year.

Maplelane Capital

Maplelane Capital shed around 33% this month after shorting GameStop, Bloomberg reported, citing investors. The $3.5 billion hedge fund had bet against GameStop using put options — contracts which let investors bet a stock price will fall.

Candlestick Capital Management

Candlestick Capital Management's losses were in the low-to-mid teens in percentage terms, according to the Wall Street Journal. The $3 billion hedge fund based in Greenwich, CT was started by a former Citadel portfolio manager.

If you are interested in moving to Florida, you may want to look at these six-figure jobs.

As some big names in tech have decided to move to Texas, some venture capitalists and the Trump family have moved to Florida. One reason Wall Street executives and major firms are looking at the Sunshine State is because of Florida's low taxes and warmer weather. Goldman Sachs, for instance, is looking to move its asset management division from New York to South Florida.

Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics program, we found the 30 jobs with the highest average annual salaries in Florida as of May 2019, the most recently available data.

Read more: 3 under-the-radar Florida cities real estate investors should target, according to a 28-year-old agent with over $600 million in sales

The top five highest-paying jobs in the state were medical professions, making it one of the most well-paying industries for Floridians.

The following are the 30 highest-paying jobs in the Sunshine State. We also included descriptions for each job as defined on The Occupational Information Network (O*NET).

SEE ALSO: The 30 highest-paying jobs in Texas, where everything's bigger — including the salaries

30. Pharmacists make an average of $121,530 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 19,890

What they do, according to O*NET: Dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and provide information to patients about medications and their use. May advise physicians and other health practitioners on the selection, dosage, interactions, and side effects of medications.

29. Postsecondary nursing instructors and teachers make an average of $122,050 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 3,110

What they do, according to O*NET: Demonstrate and teach patient care in classroom and clinical units to nursing students. 

28. Marketing managers make an average of $124,600 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 12,090

What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate marketing policies and programs, such as determining the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors, and identify potential customers. Develop pricing strategies with the goal of maximizing the firm's profits or share of the market while ensuring the firm's customers are satisfied. Oversee product development or monitor trends that indicate the need for new products and services.

27. Sales managers make an average of $125,810 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 25,020

What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer. Coordinate sales distribution by establishing sales territories, quotas, and goals and establish training programs for sales representatives. Analyze sales statistics gathered by staff to determine sales potential and inventory requirements and monitor the preferences of customers.

26. Computer and information research scientists make an average of $127,140 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 1,100

What they do, according to O*NET: Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors. Develop solutions to problems in the field of computer hardware and software.

25. Lawyers make an average of $130,010 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 47,900

What they do, according to O*NET: Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. May specialize in a single area or may practice broadly in many areas of law.

24. Financial managers make an average of $131,000 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 32,860

What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate accounting, investing, banking, insurance, securities, and other financial activities of a branch, office, or department of an establishment.

23. Architectural and engineering managers make an average of $135,990 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 7,520

What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as architecture and engineering or research and development in these fields.

22. Computer and information systems managers make an average of $138,400 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 20,090

What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as electronic data processing, information systems, systems analysis, and computer programming.

21. Physicists make an average of $140,040 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 210

What they do, according to O*NET: Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories.

20. Dentists (all other specialists) make an average of $141,230 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 250

What they do, according to O*NET: No definition available for the "all other" job title on O*NET.

19. Podiatrists make an average of $141,640 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 760

What they do, according to O*NET: Diagnose and treat diseases and deformities of the human foot. 

18. Postsecondary law teachers make an average of $144,740 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 600

What they do, according to O*NET: Teach courses in law. 

17. Petroleum engineers make an average of $149,750 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: Not available 

What they do, according to O*NET: Devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice.

16. Pediatricians (general) make an average of $156,900 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: Not available 

What they do, according to O*NET: Diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries in children.

15. Nurse anesthetists make an average of $160,030 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: Not available 

What they do, according to O*NET: Administer anesthesia, monitor patient's vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia. May assist anesthesiologists, surgeons, other physicians, or dentists. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.

14. Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates make an average of $171,450 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 1,380

What they do, according to O*NET: Arbitrate, advise, adjudicate, or administer justice in a court of law. May sentence defendant in criminal cases according to government statutes or sentencing guidelines.

13. Dentists (general) make an average of $173,630 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 7,110

What they do, according to O*NET: Examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums. May treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting oral hygiene and retention of teeth. May fit dental appliances or provide preventive care.

12. Chief Executives make an average of $181,000 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 26,300

What they do, according to O*NET: Determine and formulate policies and provide overall direction of companies or private and public sector organizations within guidelines set up by a board of directors or similar governing body. Plan, direct, or coordinate operational activities at the highest level of management with the help of subordinate executives and staff managers.

11. Surgeons make an average of $189,260 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 1,580

What they do, according to O*NET: Physicians who treat diseases, injuries, and deformities by invasive, minimally invasive, or non-invasive surgical methods, such as using instruments, appliances, or by manual manipulation.

10. Psychiatrists make an average of $203,830 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 1,240

What they do, according to O*NET: Physicians who diagnose, treat, and help prevent disorders of the mind. 

9. General internal medicine physicians make an average of $204,690 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 1,240

What they do, according to O*NET: Physicians who diagnose and provide non-surgical treatment of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. Provide care mainly for adults who have a wide range of problems associated with the internal organs.

8. Physicians (all other) and ophthalmologists (except pediatric) make an average of $212,780 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 27,380

What they do, according to O*NET: This job category includes allergists and immunologists, dermatologists, neurologists, pathologists, physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, radiologists, and urologists.

7. Family medicine physicians make an average of $217,870 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 11,830

What they do, according to O*NET: Physicians who diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries that commonly occur in the general population. May refer patients to specialists when needed for further diagnosis or treatment.

6. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers make an average of $226,930 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 5,290

What they do, according to O*NET: Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft, usually on scheduled air carrier routes, for the transport of passengers and cargo. Requires Federal Air Transport certificate and rating for specific aircraft type used. Includes regional, national, and international airline pilots and flight instructors of airline pilots.

5. Orthodontists make an average of $242,130 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 170

What they do, according to O*NET: Examine, diagnose, and treat dental malocclusions and oral cavity anomalies. Design and fabricate appliances to realign teeth and jaws to produce and maintain normal function and to improve appearance.

4. Obstetricians and gynecologists make an average of $249,380 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 1,090

What they do, according to O*NET: Physicians who provide medical care related to pregnancy or childbirth and those who diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases of women, particularly those affecting the reproductive system. May also provide general medical care to women.

3. Prosthodontists make an average of $263,580 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: Not available 

What they do, according to O*NET: Diagnose, treat, rehabilitate, design, and fit prostheses that maintain oral function, health, and appearance for patients with clinical conditions associated with teeth, oral and maxillofacial tissues, or the jaw.

2. Anesthesiologists make an average of $268,470 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 1,180

What they do, according to O*NET: Administer anesthetics and analgesics for pain management prior to, during, or after surgery.

1. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons make an average of $282,650 a year.

Number of people employed in Florida: 250

What they do, according to O*NET: Perform surgery and related procedures on the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial regions to treat diseases, injuries, or defects.

• Adding pull-ups to your workouts helps build muscle and strength, and improves your grip strength.
• A good at-home pull-up bar should be easy to install and able to support your weight without wobbling or bowing.
• Our top pick, the Garren Fitness Maximiza pull-up Bar, has foam grips and fits in most doorframes. 

Pull-ups aren't for the faint of heart. I remember the days of easily cranking out a dozen or so pull-ups while hardly breaking a sweat. But after years of cheeseburgers and sitting at a computer, easy pull-ups are harder to come by. Fortunately, there are a number of pull-up bars on the market that fit the needs of anyone looking for a new addition to their home gym.

The benefits of incorporating pull-ups into your weekly routine are many. From improving upper body strength to building muscle, pull-ups can have a significant impact on your fitness goals. According to the New York City-based personal trainer and two-time Strongman National Champion Brad Baldwin, pull-ups are "the king of back exercises."

"[Pull-ups] force you to work at a higher intensity," Baldwin told Insider. "They're great for creating that coveted V-shaped torso and for getting stronger." 

For anyone looking to begin strength training, it's smart to start slow. Trust me: I tried to rattle off some pull-ups after years of sedentary living, and quickly tore a muscle in my shoulder. Don't be like me. Start by doing tricep dips and push-ups regularly. Once you're ready to tackle a pull-up, try mounting your pull-up bar lower or standing on a box, which shortens the space you have to pull your body as you build strength. Then, pull yourself up to the bar with your feet on the ground at an increasingly difficult angle.

Because executing a pull-up is a building process, the bars I included in this guide are versatile enough to help you work up to your goals. 

At the bottom of this guide, I've included some helpful tips on how to shop for an at-home pull-up bar and what to consider, as well as some insight into the testing methodology.

Here are the best pull-up bars:

• Best pull-up bar overall: Garren Fitness Maximiza Pull-Up Bar
• Best ceiling-mounted pull-up bar: Ultimate Body Press Ceiling Mounted pull-up Bar
• Best budget pull-up bar: Iron Gym Pull-Up Bar
• Best doorframe pull-up bar: Perfect Fitness Multi-Gym Doorway Pull-Up Bar
• Best freestanding pull-up bar: Stamina 1690 Power Tower

Best pull-up bar overall

The Garren Fitness Maximiza Pull Up Bar is easy on your hands, installs effortlessly, and is made of long-lasting chrome steel.

Pros: Comfortable foam grips, unobtrusive, solidly built

Cons: Installation requires drilling into door jamb, foam grips may wear from heavy-duty use

The Garren Fitness Maximiza Pull Up Bar is made of chrome steel and comes with three sets of mounting hardware, two of which support up to 300 pounds of weight. The medium-duty door mount supports 150 pounds and isn't recommended for use above waist height.

You can also use the bar without door mounts for sit-up foot support and other light exercises. The bar is adjustable and fits doorways between 26 and 36 inches wide, and can be installed so that a door is still able to close. 

The bar features non-slip, extra-long foam grips. Garren Fitness cautions against using the Maximiza for gymnastics, and they suggest applying your weight cautiously during the first few exercises to ensure the bar is safely installed (a smart practice with any pull up bar.) Garren Fitness provides a full satisfaction guarantee, so you can get a no-questions-asked full refund if you're not satisfied for any reason.

Best ceiling-mounted pull-up bar

If you are interested in doing a variety of pull-ups without a door frame, the Ultimate Body Press Ceiling Mounted Pull Up Bar is your best bet.

Pros: Three padded gripping positions, easy installation, sturdy construction

Cons: Some complaints of manufacturer defects

The Ceiling Mounted Pull Up Bar from Ultimate Body Press has three high-density foam grip positions for standard, wide-grip, and 20-inch parallel-grip pull-ups or chin-ups. This model has a powder-coat finish for added durability. The 14-inch reversible risers are designed to fit either 16- or 24-inch joists.

The mounting kit comes with instructions, a template, and mounting hardware. You will need a drill, tape or pencil, and a step ladder. Ultimate Body Press offers a fairly nebulous 100% satisfaction guarantee with this product. The fact the bars aren't welded to the mounting brackets could affect long-term durability (though perhaps the satisfaction guarantee would cover it). 

Best budget pull-up bar

If you are interested in doing pull-ups but don't want to spend a lot of money, the Iron Gym Pull Up Bar is an excellent solution for beginners.

Pros: Inexpensive, versatile, easy to mount and remove, 300-pound capacity

Cons: Contains plastic parts

The Iron Gym Pull Up Bar hangs on a doorframe and uses tension to stay in place. It doesn't require any drilling for installation but still feels secure. The steel construction can support up to 300 lbs of pressure. Because it's not permanently attached, you can also remove the pull-up bar to perform sit-ups, push-ups, and dips. 

The bar is made of a combination of plastic and steel, and it comes with everything you need to assemble the unit, including a hex open wrench. There are foam grips for standard and wide pull-ups. However, the parallel grip handles are fairly small and awkwardly positioned. Lastly, this model comes with a comprehensive workout and nutrition guide.

Best doorframe pull-up bar

If you are looking for a pull-up bar that you can effortlessly attach to your doorframe and take down when you're done, the Perfect Fitness Multi-Gym Doorway Pull Up Bar will serve you well.

Pros: Three grip locations, 300-pound capacity, unlikely to damage your doorframe

Cons: Wide grip may be too wide for some, recent quality concerns, doesn't fit all doorframes

The Perfect Fitness Multi-Gym Doorway Pull Up Bar has three padded grip positions for hammer grip, close grip, and normal grip pull-ups. The 300-pound weight capacity makes it so you can use this model with a weight vest. There is some assembly required, and all of the tools needed are included with the bar.

The Multi-Gym Pro adjusts for height and works with doorframes that are up to 6 inches deep and 33 inches wide. The bar can be placed on the floor to assist with push-ups and sit-ups. And, Perfect Fitness stands behind the quality of this model with a one-year warranty.

Best freestanding pull-up bar

The Stamina 1690 Power Tower allows you to perform platform push-ups, sit-ups, knee and leg raises, dips, pull-ups, and more.

Pros: Wide range of exercises, easy to assemble — no drilling or door frame needed

Cons: Issues with wobbling, expensive compared to traditional bars, takes up a lot of space

The Stamina 1690 Power Tower is a free-standing full-body workout unit made of durable steel and fitted with padded foam in five sets of grip locations. The overall size of the assembled tower is 49 inches long by 42.5 inches wide by 81 inches high. The base of the tower features no-slip endcaps.

Stamina states that the capacity is 250 pounds, but as noted below, it's closer to 200 pounds in practice. In addition to pull-ups and chin-ups, this model is designed for tricep dips, sit-ups, push-ups, and leg raises, though there is no backrest to assist with the leg raises.

What else we considered

The Sunny Health & Fitness Doorway Pull-Up Bar is a solid bare-bones option for under $30. However, it only supports up to 220lbs of weight, which many men are either close to or surpass, and the way it sits inside a door frame increases the chances you'll bump your head while using. For these reasons, the Iron Gym Pull Up Bar is a superior budget pick.

How to shop for an at-home pull-up bar

At-home pull-up bars aren't a one-design-fits-all market, as there are several different styles to choose from, each with its own advantages. Here's a quick breakdown of the most common at-home pull-up bar type:

• Cantilever: One of the most popular pull-up bar variations is the cantilever-style, molding-mounted bars. They don't require permanent alteration to your home and are easy to install and remove. They feature several grip options, too. However, when shopping for these doorframe pull-up bars, pay attention to the dimensions of the bar and what size frames they work on to ensure you get the proper fit.
• Mounted: Then there's a class of pull-up bar that requires drilling and mounting of the unit. We included ceiling-mounted and door-mounted options in our guide. They tend to be rated for heavier weights but are less portable. Wall-mounted bars are also available but we didn't find any models worth recommending.
• Power towers: The final group of pull-bars is called power towers. These are freestanding units that do not require drilling and are often compatible with a wide array of exercises. However, power towers typically cost more, have a large footprint, and many models have problems with wobbling when heavier individuals are performing intense workouts.

How we test pull-up bars

Each pull-up bar featured in this guide went through an array of tests to see how well it compared across these four categories: Ease of installation, build quality, versatility, and value. Here's how each category specifically factored into which pull-up bars made this guide:

Ease of installation: How easy an at-home pull-up bar is to install is a vital feature as you not only want to avoid fumbling with a confusing setup, but you also want to be confident that once it's installed (and installed correctly) that it'll keep in place. It's reasonable to doubt the reliability of a pull-up bar that sits precariously in your doorway, so this was one of the first things we assessed when testing. 

Build quality: Relying on a pull-up bar to hold your weight comes down not just to the above category but to its build quality, as well. If it's susceptible to being easily bent or its components are shoddily built-on and likely to fall off, the pull-up bar will be far less comfortable, and safe, to use.

Versatility: A pull-up bar's versatility is sort of an extension of its ease of installation as most will require you to take them off if you intend to shut the door whose door frame it resides in. There are some, however, (like our top pick) that allow you to still close the door even after they're installed. This category also refers to the actual build design and if it allows for multiple grip positions or not.

Value: A pull-up bar's value comes down to a combination of the three categories above, as well as how much it actually costs. It's not always about spending the most money to get the best pull-up bar, though it is better to shop for a premium, well-built product. While it may be expensive at first, it does save you the hassle of having to buy several, cheaper options more often. 

Snow way!

Colorado has been hailed as the quarantine location of choice for the young and affluent. And while Montana may be home to several of the best cities to move to after the pandemic, it's also a strong bet if you're looking to buy a vacation property right now.

Rental property management company Vacasa just released its annual report on the top 10 places to buy a vacation house. Keep in mind that many of the places listed still have COVID-19 safety precautions in place, meaning that their usual activities and amenities may not be open.

Colorado makes several appearances on the list, although Montana does swoop in to nab the top spot. A few classic New England enclaves also made the cut.

The report is based on a location's cap rate— in short, the rate of return on a real-estate investment. Last year, Vacasa's data trends analyst Thaddeus Hanscom told Insider how the cap rate is calculated: take the property's potential income, subtract any operating expenses, then divide by the purchase price. Vacasa also factored in the markets that have higher average occupancy rates during the winter.

Pandemic-related demand for picturesque locations from folks who are able to work remotely can factor into the decision to take the plunge and buy a seasonal property.

"The spotlight cast on professionally managed vacation homes over the past year not only resulted in an increase in bookings throughout the majority of our portfolio, but also in short-term rental buyer interest," Shaun Greer, the vice president of sales and marketing for Vacasa, said in a statement.

Below, we listed the top locales in reverse order from 10th to first.

SEE ALSO: The top 10 vacation rental markets for real estate investors

10. Mammoth Lakes, California

Median sale price: $495,201

Cap rate, or potential return on investment: 4.8%

9. Granby, Colorado

Median sale price: $452,365

Cap rate, or potential return on investment: 5.0%

8. Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Median sale price: $497,000

Cap rate, or potential return on investment: 5.8%

7. Breckenridge, Colorado

Median sale price: $588,324

Cap rate, or potential return on investment: 5.9%

6. Big Bear Lake, California

Median sale price: $313,667

Cap rate, or potential return on investment: 6.0%

5. Vail, Colorado

Median sale price: $648,651

Cap rate, or potential return on investment: 6.1%

4. Killington, Vermont

Median sale price: $218,917

Cap rate, or potential return on investment: 6.2%

3. Conway, New Hampshire

Median sale price: $238,930

Cap rate, or potential return on investment: 6.5%

2. Poconos, Pennsylvania

Median sale price: $200,190

Cap rate, or potential return on investment: 8.2%

1. Big Sky, Montana

Median sale price: $541,842

Cap rate, or potential return on investment: 9.2%

• HomeKit is Apple's smart-home platform; it's approved every device labeled "Works with HomeKit."
• HomeKit devices should be easy to configure and control with Apple devices.
• These are the best HomeKit devices based on our testing and in-depth research.

If you use an iPhone, then Apple's HomeKit is the ideal ecosystem to base your smart home around. Platforms like Apple HomeKit are designed to simplify the smart home by enabling you to configure and control all of your smart home devices from the Home app on your iPhone or iPad, or by using voice commands through Siri. 

All HomeKit-compatible products are vetted by Apple and made to work seamlessly together. You can control them on a Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch, or any other Apple device.

The HomeKit ecosystem includes hundreds of products, and it's growing all the time, so it can be tough to find the right devices for your smart home. We've put together this guide to help you find some of the best HomeKit devices for your needs.

To control your devices from outside your home, you'll need to set up a HomeKit hub. Several devices can work as a hub in a HomeKit setup, including an Apple TV, a HomePod, and an iPad. We've noted our favorite HomeKit hub below, along with all the other gadgets you might want for your HomeKit smart home.

These picks were mostly chosen based on first-hand testing and we have full reviews of many. Where necessary we bolstered our research with reviews from other reputable sources.

Here are the best HomeKit devices you can buy:

The best HomeKit hub

The Apple TV 4Kis an effective streaming player, and it works as a HomeKit hub, so you can take advantage of all of HomeKit's automation features.

Pros: Easy to use, great design, works excellently with HomeKit

Cons: Expensive compared to other streaming boxes

If you're looking for a hub for HomeKit and like the idea of bringing your TV into the Apple ecosystem, then the Apple TV 4K is definitely the way to go.

Buying an Apple TV serves multiple purposes: Not only can you use it to control your HomeKit devices when you're outside your home, but you can also use it to make your TV smart and stream video from apps like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and more.

There are a few things that make the Apple TV 4K such a great choice. It supports 4K streaming, but it also supports Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and HDR10. The device itself is relatively sleek and stylish. It's black and has an HDMI port on the back of it, so it should look right at home on any TV stand.

Of course, in the context of Apple's HomeKit, it can come in handy, too. That's because with the Apple TV set up as a hub, your HomeKit devices will connect to it and your Wi-Fi network, so you can control your HomeKit devices from outside your home. Without a hub set up, you can only control your devices when you're on the same network.

Using an Apple TV as a HomeKit hub is better than an iPad, because you shouldn't have to worry about someone leaving the house with it or draining its battery.

I've used the Apple TV 4K since it was released, and it's a perfect content box. It supports Apple Arcade and all the streaming services and has amazing screensavers. Plus, it works like a charm with HomeKit, too. 

Read our Apple TV 4K review.

The best HomeKit smart speaker

The Apple HomePodworks effectively as a HomeKit hub if you don't want an Apple TV, plus it boasts excellent sound and has Siri built into it.

Pros: Excellent sound, works effectively as a HomeKit hub, stylish design

Cons: Expensive, Siri needs work

Want to be able to control your smart home with your voice? The Apple HomePod is a great way to do so. The HomePod was released by Apple a few years ago, and it has Siri built-in. You can ask Siri to turn your lights on and off, change the temperature of your HomeKit-enabled thermostat, and so on. It can also set timers, work as an intercom, and make phone calls. 

One of the main reasons you might buy the HomePod is to listen to music, and thankfully, it sounds impressive. The compact speaker boasts smooth yet powerful bass response, sculpted yet still pleasant-sounding mids, and a ton of clarity and detail in the high-end. In fact, I would argue that the HomePod is one of the better smart speakers in terms of sound. However, it still doesn't work seamlessly with Spotify.

It's important to note that the HomePod can work as more than just a smart speaker. It can actually also be used as a HomeKit hub, so if you don't want to get an Apple TV, then you can use this as your hub instead.

The HomePod has earned some pretty positive reviews since it was first released. TechRadar gave it a 3.5 out of 5, while WhatHifi scored it a perfect 5 out of 5. Insider Reviews recently reviewed the newer HomePod Mini and liked it.

There are some downsides to the HomePod. It is expensive, and Siri lags behind the competition from Amazon and Google. Its lack of Spotify support may be a deal breaker for some. 

The best HomeKit lights

The Philips' Hue smart bulbsare excellent and easy to use with the Home app, where you can control brightness and automate them.

Pros: Reliable, huge range of bulbs, supports main smart home ecosystems

Cons: Higher upfront cost

If you want effective smart lighting that works perfectly with HomeKit, then Philips Hue is absolutely the way to go. Hue lights are the most reliable smart lights out there, and a wide range of lighting products work with the Hue hub.

If you're looking to get started in the world of smart lighting, the Philips Hue starter kit is a great option. There are a few starter kits available, but Hue's comes with four A19 white bulbs and a Philips Hue hub. That hub is a necessary part of any Philips Hue setup, as it connects the lights to your Wi-Fi so you can control them remotely. The hub is what makes Philips' lights more reliable than any other smart lights.

Once you have the hub, you can add bulbs and switches easily. If you want to change the color of your lights, you need the color bulbs, but you can add those to your collection over time.

Philips Hue lights work flawlessly with HomeKit. You will need to connect the lights to HomeKit through the Philips Hue app, but once you've used that app to set everything up, you can safely store it on your iPhone's fourth home screen and only use it to add extra bulbs.

As an added benefit, Hue lights aren't limited to only the HomeKit ecosystem. That means if you do want to switch to Google or Alexa in the future, the lights will work just fine.

I've been using Philips Hue bulbs for a few years now, and have yet to run into any real issues, which is why they top our best smart light bulbs guide. 

The fact that Hue has a higher upfront cost than other systems is its major downside. Some smart bulbs connect directly to Wi-Fi so that you don't have to use a hub, but Hue's hub ultimately makes your system more reliable.

Read our Philips Hue White Ambiance Starter Kit review.

The best HomeKit plug

The Belkin WeMo Miniis small and can usually be found for under $20, so you can deck out your home with these plugs without spending too much cash.

Pros: Inexpensive, easy to use, works with a range of smart home ecosystems

Cons: Basic, WeMo app is buggy

While smart appliances are becoming increasingly common, not everyone wants to replace all their older appliances with new smart ones. Thankfully, you can turn almost any dumb appliance into a smart one with the help of a smart plug, like the Belkin WeMo Mini. They're great for hard-to-reach lamps or for anything you want to power on or off on a schedule. 

There are a few reasons to choose the WeMo Mini over other smart plugs. For one, the plug is shaped so it doesn't block the other outlets. You can even plug two WeMo Minis into a dual-plug outlet. Some other smart switches are too large for that.

The plug is also quite inexpensive, making it a great choice for those who want to outfit their home with smart switches affordably.

Not everything about the Belkin WeMo Mini is perfect. For example, the switch is pretty basic. If you want to be able to do things like track power usage, then you'll want to look at something like the Eve Energy which runs about $40. Also, the WeMo app is very buggy; thankfully, you can use the Apple Home app, instead.

The best HomeKit lock

The Schlage Sense comes in a few different designs and colors, plus it's relatively easy to install and works great with the Apple Home app.

Pros: Nice designs, easy to use, lots of ways to lock and unlock

Cons: Requires replacement of deadbolt, Schlage app can be finicky

The Schlage Sense is an effective, HomeKit-enabled lock. It comes in a few traditional designs and works great in the Apple Home app.

Installing it is very easy, though you will want to set aside a good half hour or so. Thankfully, the Schlage app walks you through the process. 

Once installed, the lock is simple to use through the Home app. Not only can you control the lock with HomeKit, but you can also use the number pad on the outside of the device to lock and unlock the door, or you can use the good old fashioned key. 

There are a few downsides to this lock. Perhaps the biggest is that you have to be willing to replace your entire deadbolt, which means this probably isn't the best lock for someone who's renting. The device is also a little more expensive than some other smart locks. I've installed two of these at different locations and have almost zero complaints. The Schlage app is finicky but rarely gets used after setup.

You can find some alternatives and learn more about the Schlage Sense in our guide to the best smart locks.

The best HomeKit dimmer switch

The Lutron Caséta Wireless Smart Dimming Switch works great with HomeKit and has a clean, simple design.

Pros: Very reliable, doesn't need a neutral wire

Cons: Expensive, requires a hub

The Lutron Caséta Wireless Smart Dimming Switch is simple, elegant, and highly functional. It's packed with features and is one of the most reliable smart-home products, period. The design is intuitive, so visitors should be able to operate the switch without even realizing it's smart. You can set schedules, and it works with Amazon's Alexa and Google Home in addition to HomeKit. 

Lutron's switch requires a hub that you plug into your router via ethernet cable. It can be enormously frustrating to try and turn on a smart light and find it's having connection problems. One of our buying guides editors, Jenny McGrath, has had Lutron switches in her home for years and has never run into that problem. 

Unlike many smart switches, this dimmer doesn't require a neutral wire. That means it should work in a wider variety of homes, including older ones. While Lutron's switches are expensive and the hub is an added cost, they look great and work wonderfully.

The best HomeKit light switch

The Eve Light Switch works great with HomeKit and has a clean, simple design.

Pros: Beautifully simple design, easy to use

Cons: Only connects through Bluetooth, requires a neutral wire

For a basic light switch without dimming capabilities, I recommend the Eve Light Switch. The switch is simple, elegant, and highly functional. 

This switch is specifically built to work with HomeKit, but it can also be used with the Eve app, which can also be used to control all of your HomeKit devices, regardless of whether or not they were built by Eve. 

Unlike some of the other switches, the Eve Light Switch connects to your phone through Bluetooth, so you have to be in range to control it with your phone. You'll also need to have a neutral wire to set the device, which is something to keep in mind.

The best HomeKit security camera

The Logitech Circle 2 has a slick design, works well with the Logitech Circle app, and is one of the few security cameras that connect to HomeKit.

Pros: Quality camera sensor, nice design, easy setup

Cons: Wireless version doesn't work with HomeKit, HomeKit has limited functionality with cameras, Logitech is phasing out this camera

In the past few years, Apple has added more support to HomeKit for security cameras, and you can now see your security camera's feed at any time through the Home app. If you're looking for a security camera to integrate with HomeKit, then the Logitech Circle 2 is the camera to go for. 

The camera has a 1080p resolution with a 180-degree field-of-view, which is more than wide enough for most use cases. Even though you may mostly use the HomeKit app to see your camera's feed, the camera requires setup through the Logitech Circle app. 

Logitech offers you free 24-hour cloud storage of video footage, though you can upgrade to get more storage. Other features include two-way talk, a time-lapse brief for each day, smart alarms, the ability to set motion zones, and more. 

I've been using the camera for a while now, and while there are some limitations in how it works with HomeKit, that has more to do with HomeKit than the camera itself. For example, you can't set a security camera to turn on or off with HomeKit, but you can do that in the Circle app.

While the Logitech Circle 2 is available in a wireless version, it does not work with HomeKit, so if you want HomeKit integration, you must stick with the wired model.

Logitech also recently announced it's phasing out this camera, so you may want to wait for a newer model. It will still support the Circle 2, however, so you're not totally out of luck if you already own it.

Read our Logitech Circle 2 review.

The best non-Apple HomeKit speaker

The Sonos One (Gen 2) has AirPlay 2 built into it, so you can control it straight from iOS, and it sounds great.

Pros: Great sound quality, very smart

Cons: Control in Home app is limited

Any speaker with AirPlay 2 compatibility -- Apple's tech that lets you stream audio between devices -- can be viewed in the Home app, and the second-generation Sonos One is the best of them. For those who dabble with other digital assistants, the Sonos One also has Alexa and Google Assistant built-in.

Sonos has been building its range of smart speakers for a few years now, and the Sonos One is the culmination of that work. The speaker is well-designed, with either an all-black or all-white look. It's easy to set up and integrate with other Sonos products within its app. 

One of the best things about Sonos' speakers is that they sound deep and powerful in the low end, with well-tuned mids and clear and detailed highs, all in a compact size. While it is not a totally natural sound, anyone who's not a dedicated audiophile should be more than happy with the frequency response that it delivers.

There are a few downsides to the Sonos One. While AirPlay 2 speakers can be viewed in the Home app, you can't actually do much to control them in there, though you can use Siri on your phone or another device to play music.

You'll find more information about the Sonos One and some great alternatives in the best smart speakers.

The best HomeKit garage door accessory

The MyQ-G0303-SP turns nearly any garage door into a smart, HomeKit-enabled one for a reasonable price.

Pros: Reasonably priced, very reliable, helpful functionality

Cons: Does not work with every garage door motor

The Chamberlain's My Q Home Bridge enables you to upgrade your garage door without completely replacing it. Adding the MyQ Home Bridge allows you to open or close your garage door from inside the house or remotely from a further distance. You can also set it up to receive notifications, so you'll always know when it is activated. Other notable features include the ability to set a schedule for it to open or close automatically and Siri voice support.

After six months of using this functionality, I've found it very reassuring to be able to confirm the garage door status at any time. There haven't been any issues with its operation so far.

If there is a downside, it's that it doesn't work with every garage door opener. Chamberlain has a compatibility checker to help in that process. You can also find some options in our guide to the best garage door openers.

The best HomeKit thermostat

The Ecobee SmartThermostatallows you to control your home's temperature and works with home automation in the Apple Home app.

Pros: Well-designed, highly functional, very smart, works with external sensors

Cons: Adding sensors can contribute to the price

The Ecobee is a great smart thermostat that works well with HomeKit. One of the best things about it is that it's incredibly functional. While other thermostats focus on adding techy features, the Ecobee4 ensures that the temperature is always within a good range. It also has a remote sensor, so the thermostat can track temperature in different rooms. That's perfect for those who live in a multi-story home, where the top floor can get excessively hot. 

The Ecobee works beautifully in the Home app, too. From the app, you can control the temperature and use the thermostat in home automation. If you want to up your smart home game, the thermostat also has Alexa built-in.

There are a few downsides to consider with the Ecobee4. It's perhaps not as intuitive as the Nest, though once you get used to it, that shouldn't be an issue. If you want external sensors with the device, you'll also need to shell out a little more cash, which can make it quite an investment.

Read our Ecobee Smart Thermostat review. 

The best HomeKit motion sensor

The Eve Motion Sensormay not be the fanciest motion sensor on the market, but it can be used to unlock a ton of home automation in the Home App.

Pros: Basic, simplistic, can be used to control automation in Home app

Cons: Runs on AA batteries that need to be replaced every few months

Adding motion sensors to your HomeKit setup can unlock a ton of possibilities. Not only can you use motion sensors to control your lights, but you can also use them to control other devices, like an essential oil diffuser that fills your office with scent when you walk in. The best motion sensor is the Eve Motion Sensor.

Perhaps the best thing about the Eve Motion Sensor is how elegant it is. It won't draw any attention and should be easy to hide on a shelf or between other items. It runs on two AA batteries, which should last months without needing to be replaced.  

As you would expect, the Eve Motion Sensor easily integrates with HomeKit. Once connected, the device can be used for a range of automation, which is where you'll truly unlock the power of the Home app.

Check out our other great smart home guides

The best smart speaker you can buy: Amazon Echo vs. Google Home vs. Sonos One

We've tested smart speakers that use Amazon Alexa and Google Home and researched numerous reviews and customer feedback to find out which are the best. We've also gone over the basics of what's going on in the smart speaker space and why you might want one in your home. Here are the best Alexa and Google Home smart speakers you can buy.

The best smart displays you can buy

Smart displays can come in handy for a ton of different reasons. For starters, they can be used to control your smart home and offer visual, on-screen controls. On top of that, they can show you things like the weather and upcoming appointments that you might have on your calendar. You can pull up the latest photos from friends and family. You can also use a smart display to video chat with your friends and family, as well as play video from select services. There are a number of things to consider when buying a smart display. We show you how and what to consider. Here are the best smart displays you can buy:

The best Amazon Echo devices you can buy

Amazon was first to the smart-speaker space with the Echo, which introduced the world to its smart assistant, Alexa. The company has since expanded its Echo-family of products, ranging from the affordable Echo Dot to the Echo Show with a color display. Here are the best you can buy:

The best third-party Alexa-enabled speakers you can buy

Amazon's Echo products aren't the only ones that are Alexa enabled. There are plenty of third-party products that support Amazon's smart assistant, ranging from portable speakers to even a clock radio. Here are some of the best you can buy:

• Using a standing desk can contribute to a healthy and ergonomic working environment.
• The best standing desks adjust to a range of heights and offer stability and durability.
• The best standing desk for most people is the Fully Jarvis Standing Desk.

Studies show that standing has many benefits over sitting, including burning more calories, helping regulate blood sugar levels, and reducing back and neck pain. A good standing desk can help you get out of your chair, so you're not sitting all day. 

"The rule of thumb is that too much sitting is going to shorten your life," Alan Hedge, a certified ergonomist and professor in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis at Cornell University, told Insider Reviews.

During the work day, you should be doing a mixture of standing, sitting, and moving. That might mean the ideal standing desk for you can also be lowered enough so you can sit, as well. 

For this guide, we tested and researched several standing desks, as well as standing-desk converters. We spoke with experts and colleagues and peers who use standing desks to get more insight on those desks we didn't personally test. 

The desks and converters in this guide meet our criteria for customization options, ease of assembly, price, durability, and more.

You can read more about our testing methodology and how to best use a standing desk.

Here are the best standing desks:

• Best standing desk overall: Fully Jarvis Standing Desk
• The best standing desk for tall people: Autonomous SmartDesk 2 Premium
• Best standing desk converter: VertDesk Converter
• Best budget standing desk converter: Fully Cora Converter

The best standing desk overall

TheFully Jarvis Standing Desk provides the right amount of customizations for style, height, and accessories to create an ideal desk for many people. 

Pros: Customizable design, quick and easy to adjust, customizable height presets, useful add-ons, priced low to start, seven-year warranty

Cons: Slight wobble at upper heights, the additional crossbar can limit leg space

The Fully Jarvis Standing Desk is a great desk with a good height-adjustment range, a smooth and easy-to-use mechanism, and the ability to accommodate different set ups. It also comes at a relatively reasonable price with a strong warranty.

The metal frame with the motorized adjustment mechanism comes in black, white, alloy, or silver and is about as minimal as you'll find. You can choose from a laminate, hardwood, whiteboard, or bamboo desktop all with varying sizes to suit your space, or even use your own. I have a bamboo contoured desk with a black frame.

You can use your own monitor arms or other accessories but Fully has its own as well. These options cost extra, and some will require you to drill holes (which is a pain). The only one we deem essential is the programmable memory panel, which lets you save four height presets. This is useful if you share the desk with someone else. The adjustment itself is quick, though there is a high-pitched noise as the motor goes to work. It's not terribly loud, but you won't want to adjust it when you're on a call.

The height range goes from 29 to 48.25 inches without the 0.75- or 1-inch desktop (this depends on the material). This should generally accommodate people up to 6 feet 7 inches, according to online calculators. Fully also offers an extended range for an extra $20, which enables the desk to go from 24.5 to 50 inches, to accommodate shorter and taller heights. 

The Fully Jarvis can lift up to 350 pounds and has excellent stability. I have two 27-inch monitors on dual gas-powered monitor arms attached to my desk. It goes up and down with ease. I can also lean on the desk without fear, but when extended to higher levels, there is a perceptible wobble. My monitors sway slightly if I bump the desktop, and I can feel a slight front-to-back movement when I lean on the desk, though it's relatively minor. Side-to-side stability is solid, too. The obvious way to increase stability here would be to add a crossbar, but there's a trade-off — you won't be able to easily extend your legs under the desk when seated.

I've been using the Fully Jarvis, adjusting heights several times daily, for a couple of years now, and the mechanism works every bit as smoothly as it did the first day. The only sign of age is a tiny dent where I dropped a hammer on the bamboo desktop. I have the older control panel with physical buttons; the newer version is a touch-sensitive OLED, which may not be quite as responsive, according to some reviews.

It's worth paying extra for the extended range and programmable panel if you're sharing the desk with a partner or using the desk for a few different types of tasks. You're also looking at another $40 to upgrade to bamboo. The price will jump to more than $1,000 if you want hardwood. Even with a couple of other custom options and extras, the Fully Jarvis comes in cheaper than most comparable alternatives.

The Fully Jarvis arrives well-packed in two boxes, and all the packaging is 100% recyclable. You will need an hour or so for assembly, but it's not too taxing if you take your time and follow Fully's video.

You can also return it for free within 30 days if you decide it's not for you and Fully offers a seven-year warranty on the frame and mechanical and electrical components. — Simon Hill

The best standing desk for tall people

TheAutonomous SmartDesk 2 Premium can go as high as 52 inches to accommodate heights taller than 6 feet 8 inches.

Pros: Fast height adjustment, wide height adjustment range, customizable height presets, customizable styles, meets ANSI/BIFMA and UL certification for office use

Cons: A bit unstable at higher heights, limited customization options

The Autonomous SmartDesk 2 Premium is suitable for a wide range of heights. It also has the fastest height adjustment speed, at 2.3 inches per second, and the lowest noise at 45 decibels. In comparison, our top pick, the Fully Jarvis, moves at 1.3 inches per second, with a noise level of 50 decibels. These factors might be important if you plan on adjusting your desk often. 

The Autonomous SmartDesk 2 Premium can go from 25.4 inches to 51 inches without the 1-inch top, which makes it suitable for people who are 6 feet 8 inches or a few inches taller. The frame is sturdy and the whole unit has a weight limit of 300 pounds. The 70.5-inch XL table length can accommodate two 32-inch monitors and two office chairs comfortably.

As for customization, there aren't as many as the Fully, which is great for anyone who gets overwhelmed by choice. You can choose from seven top-and-frame combinations. You can also customize your own from a selection of two top lengths, five top materials, and three frame colors. I tested an XL walnut top with a white metal frame. 

Each Autonomous standing desk comes with one or two grommets (holes for passing cables through) for a standard or XL top and a programmable control panel to easily adjust preset heights for different users. You can also adjust the height by pressing the up and down arrows. The programmable control panel comes included with the base price — something that other brands charge extra for. There are plenty of add-on accessories that cost more, such as monitor arms and trays.

The desk arrives in two cardboard boxes, one for the desktop and one for the frame, and includes the tools needed for assembly. If you have the space to unbox and remove all the packaging first, I'd suggest doing so to prevent losing screws and wrenches halfway through construction. Setup took about an hour and a half and required two people. The instructions are clear enough, but I thought watching a video was easier and more efficient.

In testing this over the course of six months and adjusting the height several times a day, I never worried my monitors would fall off the desk, though they would wobble at the highest height. That's on par with the other standing desks in our guide, though.  — Jada Wong

The best standing desk converter

TheVertDesk Converter boasts a stable, two-tier design that's easy to raise or lower, and it's suitable for use with monitors or laptops. 

Pros: Great stability, good range of height adjustment, separate keyboard tray, easy to use, durable, five-year warranty

Cons: Too heavy to be portable, few customizations

With a versatile and roomy design and a smooth adjustment mechanism, the VertDesk Converter is our favorite standing desk converter. You can set it up on a traditional desk or table to accommodate a laptop, one or two monitors with stands, or a monitor arm for mounting. There's a separate keyboard tray, so your arms and elbows are more ergonomically placed. It's a smart design that's easy to use, and it includes some thoughtful extras.

The converter ships fully assembled, and the desktop and keyboard trays are finished in a durable laminate, with a Z-shaped metal frame. There are rubber stops and feet to help grip and prevent any damage to the desk or table you place it on.

At 40 pounds, it's not portable, so you'll want to set it up where it makes the most sense. If you want something that can be put away easily when not in use, this isn't it.

The VertDesk Converter is not attractive, but there are a few customization options, at least. You can get the standard VertDesk Converter in black or white, and with or without a single monitor arm. There's also a larger, heavy-duty version that only comes in black, with an optional single or dual monitor arm.

The standard VertDesk Converter measures 35.5 by 22.5 and provides enough room and stability for two, 24-inch monitors. The separate keyboard tray has space for a keyboard and mouse. There is also a single grommet for routing monitor cables.

When it's folded down, the monitor shelf still sits quite high on your desk, working well to elevate monitors with their own stands but monitor arms might need some adjustment. The height adjustment range goes from 6.25 to 20.25 inches. The keyboard level sits 0.75 inches above the desktop when folded down and goes up to 14.75 inches. If you use this with a desk at a standard height of 29 inches, this adjustment range should suit people up to 6 feet 7 inches, though the lowest position might have the monitor sitting too high for shorter people.

When adjusting the VertDesk Converter during testing, the transition was smooth, silent, and effortless. I just press both handles under either side of the monitor shelf. There are no fixed positions, so you can adjust to the exact height you want. It does swing toward you a little when you raise it, but not by much. The keyboard tray can be adjusted separately by turning a knob on the right, then tilting the tray to the position you want, and tightening it again. The keyboard tray is a little small, which could be a problem if you use a large mechanical or ergonomic keyboard.

This is the most stable converter I've used. It barely moves, and you won't have to worry about wobbles even when it's fully extended. Rubber feet prevent it from sliding around and the metal frame feels very solid. The maximum weight limit is 35 pounds, so a dual monitor setup is no problem, and it doesn't budge at all if you lean your weight on it, though that's not recommended. — Simon Hill

The best budget standing desk converter

With a minimal design that's easy to adjust and a value-oriented price, theFully Cora Standing Desk Converter is perfect for laptop owners looking to stand while they work. 

Pros: Simple design, accessible price, easy to use, stable at different heights, durable

Cons: Too heavy and awkward to be truly portable, not suitable if you're over 6 feet 2 inches, no attachments or add-ons

If you're on a budget, the Fully Cora Standing Desk Converter could be the ideal way to try out the standing desk life without spending too much. It's designed to sit on top of a traditional desk or table and provides a workspace that's suitable for a laptop. It can also accommodate a monitor, separate keyboard, and mouse. The simple design enables it to fit in anywhere, and it can fold down when you don't need it.

There's no setup required with the Fully Cora, as it comes assembled out of the box. The desktop is made of a durable laminate material. The frame is aluminum, with soft pads on the bottom that help it stay in place and prevent it from damaging the furniture it's sitting on.

There isn't much customization on offer here — you just have a choice of a black or white frame. It may not blend in perfectly with your decor, but it's unobtrusive when folded down at 31.3 x 22 x 1.3 inches. It can fold flat to be stowed away neatly, but I think that the weight (22.5 pounds) and awkwardness of picking it up will deter a lot of people from doing this. There's also no cable management, and you won't be able to attach a monitor arm to this standing desk converter so it's best used with laptops.

With a height adjustment range of 1.3 to 15.7 inches, the Fully Cora can accommodate most heights. You'll likely have it sitting on top of a standard desk at about 29 inches, which would enable it to go up to almost 45 inches. That's approximately high enough for people up to 6 feet 2 inches tall. To adjust the desk height, you simply push in the side levers and lift up or down. It's a smooth and silent mechanism, and there are no pre-set levels so you can adjust it to the exact height you want. 

I tested the Fully Cora Standing Desk Converter with my laptop on my dining table, and it felt very stable even when fully extended. The rectangular aluminum frame base is solid, and the padded sections add grip, so it doesn't slide easily if bumped. Once I had the height I wanted, I didn't have any qualms about putting drinks and other things on the desktop. The laminate has a durable, water-resistant finish that's easy to wipe clean.

The maximum weight limit is 22 pounds, which is plenty for a laptop and accessories. It's best not to lean your weight on it unless you're trying to lower the desktop, but it held firm when I tried during testing.  — Simon Hill

What else we recommend

Although it didn't make our final list, here is a great standing desk we still recommend based on our testing.

Uplift V2: While this is a great all-around choice, it was a much more expensive standing desk that offered few benefits to justify the price difference. To compare the specs to our top pick of the standard Fully Jarvis, the Uplift goes higher by a little over an inch and a half — enough to accommodate people as tall as 6 feet 8 inches, approximately. It holds five pounds more weight but is $100 more expensive. 

Even if you pay extra for the extended height range of the Fully Jarvis, the Uplift is still $80 more expensive. Given how little that $80 gets you, the Jarvis is a better value for most people. If the Uplift V2 was less expensive, it would've been a strong contender for our best overall pick. But if you want the extra height, weight, and customizations (there are 19 finishes), and have the budget to spare, the Uplift V2 might be a good choice. Read our full review.

What else we considered

There are many other good standing desks out there that may be worth considering, depending on your needs. Here are some of the standing desks and standing desk converters we considered for the guide during our research.

VariDesk Electric Standing Desk, from $650: This may be a good choice if you hate assembly as it's very easy to put together. It also offers a good range of height adjustment, customizable height presets, and relatively quiet operation. On the downside, customization options are scant and it has a 200-pound weight limit, which doesn't come close to our top picks.

VertDesk V3, from $867.99: Offering solid construction, excellent stability, and lots of customization options, the VertDesk V3 came very close to making our list. It's a well-built, reliable standing desk that comes with a good warranty, but it can get expensive as you begin to add extras or jump up sizes. It also has a limited range of height adjustment, and it's tricky to assemble.

Ergo Desktop Kangaroo Pro Junior, $399: This is a smart converter that you can add to a regular desk, and it offers separate keyboard and monitor platforms that are adjusted via the built-in pneumatic spring mechanism. Unfortunately, it's not designed for laptops, the stability leg is an eyesore, and it has a limited weight capacity.

IKEA Idasen, from $579: With a distinctive look and great stability, this is a solid standing desk from Ikea, and it comes with a reassuring 10-year warranty. Unfortunately, the weight capacity is very low, the tabletop is particle and fiberboard, and it's slow to adjust with no preset height option on the keypad.

Yo-Yo Desk Mini, from $299.99: This is a versatile standing desk converter that can sit on a table or regular desk. It's easy to adjust, thanks to a gas spring mechanism, and it supports various heights. It comes in a few sizes, but the keyboard tray is a bit too small, and the mechanism isn't as smooth as we'd like.

NewHeights Elegante XT, from $1,687.54: Extremely stable, with top-quality internal electronics and plenty of customization options, there's no denying this is one of the best standing desks around. It offers reliable adjustment with a wide, 24-to51-inch range and has no obvious weaknesses. The problem is simple: It's just too expensive for most people.

Xdesk Terra 2s, from $1,697: This is a very good-looking standing desk, with lots of customization options, including dual-level desktops and beautiful build quality that combines bamboo, oak, or glass desktops with an aluminum frame. Sadly, it's way beyond most people's budget and doesn't do quite enough to justify the premium.

Prices are accurate at time of posting but they may fluctuate.

How we test standing desks

There are a lot of things to consider when assessing a standing desk or a standing desk converter. Where possible, I will test out the standing desk in everyday use, changing from standing to sitting positions several times throughout the day. For standing desks I've been unable to test myself, I'll talk to a colleague or another trusted source with hands-on experience living with that desk to find out what the pros and cons are. I also consult trustworthy product-review websites and dip into customer reviews.

Here are the main criteria during our tests of the best standing: 

Height adjustment: I'm interested in the full range of height adjustment for each standing desk, how well the mechanism works to raise and lower, how quickly and easily you can adjust it, and how noisy it is. A good standing desk will offer presets for different heights and an easy mechanism for adjustment. Charts from BOTD and Autonomous helped us figure out recommended general heights for the desks' adjustment ranges, and we cross-referenced them with calculators from The Human Solution and OmniCalculator. The heights for people that we mention in this guide are approximate.

Customization: Any piece of furniture must fit in with its environment, and so the materials and desktop finishes are important. It's also important to look at how big each standing desk is in terms of the overall footprint and the available desktop space. Does it offer a lot of customization options, add-ons, and accessories? And what kind of extras, like cable management, drawers, and monitor arms, can you choose from?

Stability and durability: A wobbly desk can be very distracting, and stability is often a problem when standing desks are adjusted to the limits of their height. I look at how the desk copes with bumps or being leaned upon and how being fully loaded impacts the stability. The stated durability for long term use and the warranty that's being offered is also taken into consideration. Other important factors include the weight limit and the returns policy.

Set up: Some assembly is usually required, but you don't want to spend all day building your standing desk. I look at how quickly you can have it set up out of the box, if you need help to build it, and whether there are any potential issues with setup.

How to properly use a standing desk

A standing desk alone isn't going to improve your occupational health — you can't just simply substitute standing for sitting. According to Alan Hedge at Cornell University, people tend to hunch over their desks after just 10 minutes at a standing desk, even if they started off with a good posture.

"You're not really getting a lot of benefit from doing that," Hedge said.

For the biggest impact, you'll want to mix sitting, standing, and moving throughout the day. Hedge suggests a 20-8-2 pattern based on his research and real-world testing — sit for 20 minutes, stand for 8, stretch or walk around for 2, and repeat. These numbers aren't absolute, but what's most important is not to stay in one position for too long, Hedge said.

"Mixing things up reduces any negative effects [of sitting or standing] in terms of musculoskeletal discomfort, your level of alertness, or productivity," Hedge said

Since buying a standing desk a few years ago, I feel that changing positions and moving more throughout the day boosts my productivity, but I've also experienced far fewer back problems.

Once you're settled with your standing desk, you may want to pair it with a standing desk mat to encourage more movement and provide cushioning.

Each person is different. If you aren't sure if a standing desk is right for you, check with a doctor first to see if you'd benefit from one.

Check out our other office gear guides

The best office chairs

Make sure you have the best posture possible when sitting with our guide to the best office chairs.

The best active seating for your office

Active seating encourages you to move a bit, even when sitting.

The best desk lamps for your office

Round out your workspace with quality lighting.

The best desk for your home office

Here are some other options, if a standing desk isn't right for you.

• Lingerie should accomplish one main goal: It should make you feel incredibly special.
• Luckily, there are plenty of brands out there making beautiful lingerie, whether you love something sexy or sweet.
• Ahead of Valentine's Day, we've rounded up the best lingerie brands carrying everything from thongs to teddies and beyond. 

Like shopping for bras and underwear, buying lingerie is a seriously personal experience. And the range of styles doesn't make it any easy. While some may love a lot of cut-outs and deep red lace, others are looking for a more subdued look when it comes to their underthings. 

But that choice doesn't have to be a hindrance. In fact, the wide range of lingerie styles means you have more options than ever. And since so many of the newer brands and startups are carrying more inclusive sizes and styles, lingerie has never been more accessible. 

So whether you're shopping for a teddy to titillate a partner on Valentine's Day or a bra and panty set for your eyes only, these are the best lingerie brands to shop. 

Where to buy the best lingerie in 2021:

Journelle

Journelle is a leading lingerie store that carries multiple luxury lingerie brands as well as its own line of underpinnings.

If you are looking for a one-and-done lingerie shop, Journelle is the place for you. Journelle has both a website and small chain of boutiques so depending on if you prefer to shop online or in brick and mortar shops, Journelle has you covered.

Journelle has one of the largest offerings of intimates we've ever seen. Its offerings span everything from fancy Fleur of England chemises to Spanx shapewear and everything in between including bridal sets, everyday basics, silk pajamas, and barely-there special occasion pieces.

While the shop carries dozens of lingerie designers, Journelle also sells its own line of intimates. The Journelle collection offers a great array of sizings, ranging from A-G cup bras and XS-L underwear, but some of the other brands the company sells have more limited size ranges.

What to buy: 

Cosabella

Cosabella is a family-owned lingerie company that uses Italian craftsmanship to produce luxe feminine intimates.

Cosabella has been producing well-crafted, luxurious lingerie since 1983 when husband and wife duo Valeria and Ugo Campello founded it. The brand is known for making high-quality, fashionable intimates from the best materials available.

Since each piece is hand-crafted by Italian artisans, a single thong can take up to 10 hours to create. Cosabella's attention to detail and timeless designs have won it a legion of celebrity fans including Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Naomi Campbell, and Jessica Alba.

The shop's offerings include a variety of bras including nursing and training bras, panties in multiple silhouettes, bodysuits, bustiers, slips, robes, and shapewear.

What to buy:

Adore Me

Love the look and feel sexy lingerie sets but don't have a ton of money to spend? Give Adore Me's affordable yet stylish lingerie a try.

Adore Me is a direct-to-consumer lingerie brand that was started with the sole purpose of offering affordable, fashion-forward underpinnings to the masses. The inclusive brand offers stylish intimates at an accessible price point for women of all shapes and sizes.

The offerings range from 30A to 46G in most styles. The company's lingerie collections include everything from bodysuits, slips, corsets, and garters, but Adore Me's most popular products have to be the bra and panty sets.

The company has more than 600 stylish sets to choose from with prices starting as low as $24.95. While there are a few basic everyday sets available, the majority of bra and panty sets are trend-driven and feature sleek or sexy embellishments and designs.

Adore Me also has a monthly subscription box. For $39.95 a month, you'll be sent a curated box of lingerie for you to try on at home. You can send back anything you don't like and will only be charged the fee for the styles you keep.

What to buy:

Eres

If subtlety is sexy to you, then you'll love Eres' minimal, elegant approach to lingerie.

Not everyone loves lace, glitter, and cutouts — and that's totally fine. Sometimes subtlety can be sexy, and French brand Eres proves just that. The brand creates delicate pieces in muted pastels, embracing a less-is-more approach to lingerie. Lace panels and unlined mesh offer the classic aesthetics of lingerie, but without the bold cutouts and high cuts of some other brands. 

And while Eres' lingerie looks super dainty, it actually holds up to daily wear. The bras are surprisingly supportive — even those that don't reply on underwire. The panties are sets that you'd want to wear daily — not just for special occasions. 

The one caveat is that Eres doesn't have the most extensive sizing available. And while the price tag may seem high, these are hand-crafted pieces that, with proper care, can last a while. And since Eres' lingerie is incredibly minimal and classic, it will always be in style. 

What to buy:

Savage X Fenty

Rihanna's Savage x Fenty brand creates size-inclusive lingerie that is bold and incredibly sexy. 

To say that Rihanna's Savage x Fenty line changed the lingerie game is an understatement. The brand regularly offers sexy pieces in bold colors and prints — from teddies to thongs to corsets. But Savage x Fenty doesn't just do lingerie well. Its bras and underwear are supportive and beautiful, whether you're looking for something lacey or simple. 

Where Savage x Fenty really wins, though, is in its inclusive sizing. The brand's bras go up to an H cup, and most of its lingerie goes up to a 3XL. 

And while Savage x Fenty's prices are already seriously accessible, the brand also has a VIP program you can join. For a monthly membership fee, you get discounts every time you shop, as well as access to special VIP boxes and more.

What to buy:

La Perla

 La Perla is a classic lingerie brand for good reason — it offers classic styles with a major dose of luxury.

It's impossible to talk about lingerie without talking about La Perla. The brand made a name for itself as the go-to spot for elegant, yet sexy, pieces of lingerie. From gossamer babydoll dresses to delicate lace bralettes, La Perla has a piece for just about anyone's sensibility. 

And while La Perla has a reputation for having a high price tag, in recent years, the brand has offered lingerie at a wider price point, depending on the style you're getting. La Perla also focuses on sustainability and is committed to ensuring its materials are coming from ethical suppliers. 

This isn't the spot to go for super trendy pieces or lingerie with a lot of cut-outs and tassels. But a little whisper of lace, or a gorgeously embroidered bra you will still love when you're 70? La Perla is the place. 

What to buy:

Anya Lust

Anya Lust's pieces look like they're straight out of a fantasy, with lots of lace and silk. 

If you want proof that lingerie is an art form, take a scroll through Anya Lust's online shop. The store has a mix of Anya Lust's own curated collection of lingerie, along with a collection of other designers, as well. The main theme of all of the pieces, however, is luxury. Thing sensual lace bras, mesh teddies, and silky robes. 

Aside from offering up gorgeous lingerie, the Anya Lust site also acts as a resource, offering sensuality classes, literature, and art. You can also pick up candles and bath products, making this a true one-stop-shop. 

Plus, the brand is dedicated to inclusive styles and sizes. Most bras are sized up to an F, while lingerie is sized XS-4X. And with dedicated collections for honeymoons, bondage play, and role-playing, there's something for every sensibility at Anya Lust. 

What to buy:

Free People

For cool-girl pieces you can wear every day, look no further than Free People.

 Free People's cool-girl aesthetic translates pretty gorgeously to its lingerie. With lacey bras, delicate panties, and beautiful matching sets, there is a lingerie style at Free People for just about everyone. It's a great option for folks who want to mix and match their pieces. 

If you love a vintage-inspired aesthetic with your lingerie, Free People provides. Pieces like high-waisted briefs and two-toned bras give major throwback vibes. But if you're more interested in bold colors, Free People has picks for you, too. Its bras and panties come in a range of hues, from lime green to bright purple.

The sizing of Free People's lingerie leaves a little to be desired, but the pieces it does have are beautiful and affordable. And with ever-present bundles and discounts, you can renew your lingerie drawer without breaking the bank.

What to buy:

Check out our guides to the best women's underwear and bras

The best women's underwear you can buy

The best bras you can buy

• he best home security cameras are easy to use and offer stable streaming. 
• The Arlo Pro 3 is the best home security camera. It has high quality video and useful features.
• We'll help you pick the best security camera for your home.

Home security cameras can provide peace of mind. The right camera for your home will depend on what you're hoping to use it for. Some people like to use them to check up on their pets or kids during the day. Others don't want a camera on at all when they're home. 

The best security cameras offer reliable alerts and a minimum of false alarms. They should also give you plenty of time to review any events, in case you're not looking at your phone when something triggers an alert. 

Many cameras can fit in well with other smart-home devices, so you'll want to think about whether you want your device to work with HomeKit, for example. 

Unfortunately, a lot of home security cameras have hadprivacy issues. Cameras with two-factor authentication can alleviate some concerns, but consider placement and the ability to schedule times when the cameras are off, as well.

Here are our top picks for the best home security cameras:

SEE ALSO: These are the best smart locks we've tested

SEE ALSO: These are the best smart doorbells we've tested

The best home security camera overall

TheArlo Pro 3 produced the highest quality video footage of any camera we tested, and the smart alert system is excellent. 

Pros: Easy installation, excellent quality video day or night, smart motion detection, great alert system

Cons: Requires subscription for cloud storage

While there are caveats with this top pick, the Arlo Pro 3 delivers the best video of any I tested. It's easy to set up, comes with an accessible mobile app, and boasts a truly versatile set of features. These wireless cameras are IP65-rated and have batteries inside capable of going months between charges, so they're suitable for indoors or outdoors use. The smart notifications offer alerts that are actually useful on your phone. 

If top-quality video footage is your priority, this camera's 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution is sure to impress. The Arlo Pro 3 has a 160-degree field of view. HDR support smooths out sharp contrasts in lighting and prevents areas from showing up as overly bright. You can double tap to zoom in 2x or pinch to zoom in further. There's a spotlight for when night falls, but I got better results with the infrared, which also provides color video. 

The Arlo Pro 3 has a configurable smart notification system that's very good at categorizing videos, distinguishing between people, animals, vehicles, and other motion quite accurately. This allows you to set up alerts only for the events you're interested in, and to quickly filter your video clips. A feature I particularly appreciated was the highlight thumbnail of each video, which pops up as a smartphone or smartwatch notification. Even on my wrist, I found this was clear enough that I could recognize the person in the video immediately. 

There's a deep range of customization for motion detection, so you can finetune the sensitivity for different locations, reducing false positives. 

Each Arlo Pro 3 camera also has a microphone with noise cancellation and a speaker offering crystal clear two-way audio, so you can easily carry on a conversation. You can set audio alerts, if you want alarms or other noises to trigger recordings. There's also a siren option that hits 100 decibels to scare away intruders. 

The Arlo Pro 3 was consistently swift in connecting to the video feed compared to other cameras I tested. It was also slightly quicker to send video alerts. Smart-home support is another selling point here. The Arlo Pro 3 works with Google Assistant Amazon Alexa, so you can pull up a live feed on your smart TV or smart display.

What gives me pause in recommending the Arlo Pro 3 for everyone is the price, and the fact that you need an Arlo Smart subscription for cloud storage and to unlock the best features, like smart detection and activity zones. 

The two-camera kit, which comes with the required Smart Hub base station, costs $499.99, though it does go on sale for as low as $366.91. Sadly, there's no way to view video through the mobile app without a subscription, which starts at $2.99 per month per camera or $9.99 per month for up to five cameras, which gets you 30 days of rolling footage.

Read our full Arlo Pro 3 review.

The best subscription-free home security camera

Boasting good quality video, theEufyCam 2C can be used without a subscription indoors or out.

Pros: No subscription needed, local storage, affordable, high-quality video, smart motion detection

Cons: No theft protection, no two-factor authentication in the US, occasional delays connecting

While Eufy's early security cameras had issues, Anker's smart-home brand has hit its stride with the EufyCam 2C system. Impressively, this home security camera matches many more expensive options on features but is far cheaper. It also boasts onboard local storage and full access to all features, which means there's no need to pay more for a subscription. 

Like our top pick, the EufyCam 2C cameras are suitable for indoors or outdoors use, with an IP67 rating. They can go up to six months between charges, offer good quality footage, and come with an accessible mobile app that has enough features to satisfy most people.

Video footage from the EufyCam 2C is good quality and maxes out at a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. This camera has a 135-degree field of view. In daylight, footage is sharp and colorful, but there's no HDR, so camera placement is important. Night vision employs infrared to offer black-and-white footage, but there is also a built-in spotlight for enclosed areas, such as porches.

You can tweak the sensitivity of the camera's motion sensing via the mobile app, which is very easy to use. You can also define activity zones and choose to have daytime alerts triggered only when humans are detected, all of which helps to cut down on false positives. There's also support for scheduling, some automation based on other sensors, and geofencing, though the latter is still in beta.

The EufyCam 2C has a microphone and speaker for easy two-way conversations. There's a built-in siren you can trigger to scare people off. There's no provision for audio triggers; only motion will start video recordings.

I found some lag when connecting to the live feed and alerts can sometimes take a few seconds to come through on your phone. The cameras connect to the HomeBase station, which plugs directly into your router with an ethernet cable. The HomeBase has 16GB of eMMC storage (which is a bit slower than SSD storage), so you can record somewhere around three months of video clips. This footage can be accessed via the mobile app from anywhere. 

You can also get 30 days of rolling cloud storage for $2.99 per camera per month, but the beauty of the EufyCam 2C system is that you don't need a subscription. All the top features are accessible without it, and the local storage will be enough for most people. 

Smart-home integration is limited. The EufyCam 2C works with Apple's HomeKit and Amazon Alexa, though it took some fiddling to get my live feed up on an Echo Show. I couldn't get Google Assistant working with it at all, and there's no IFTTT support. Unfortunately, Eufy only offers two-factor authentication in Canada and Germany at the time of writing, though it has promised to deliver it in the US and elsewhere soon.

Despite some of the weaknesses here, the EufyCam 2C is a compelling prospect, especially when you consider that it costs just $219.99 for a two-camera system with the required HomeBase included. With no need for a subscription, the EufyCam 2C is excellent value for the money. 

Read our full EufyCam 2C review.

The best budget indoor security camera

The best budget indoor security camera

A cute design, 1080p video support, local storage, and all the basic features you could want at an unbeatably low price makes theWyze Cam V2 our top budget pick.

Pros: Very affordable, local storage, lots of features

Cons: Narrow field of view, slow to connect

You don't need to spend very much to get a good home security camera, but it's still impressive how much the Wyze Cam V2 offers for $20. This is an indoor-only camera offering 1080p footage, two-way audio, motion and sound triggers, custom zone detection, and infrared night vision. It also supports MicroSD cards for local storage and comes with 14 days of cloud storage.

Setup is as easy as plugging into an outlet and connecting the camera via the Wyze app. It has a cute, boxy design with a flexible folding frame and a magnetic base that enables you to position it facing wherever you want. There's no hub, so it connects directly to your Wi-Fi router and only works with 2.4GHz networks.

Video quality is quite good. You get full-color video at up to 1920 x 1080 pixels and 15 frames per second. The 110-degree field of view is relatively narrow, so you'll want to be careful about placement. There's also no HDR, so it will be hard to see detail in brightly lit areas.  The infrared night vision offers black-and-white footage.

You can configure the camera via the Wyze app, which is easy to use. The Wyze Cam V2 supports motion and sound detection to trigger recordings and you can tweak the sensitivity for both. You can also set a specific detection zone, which is useful for reducing false positives. The Wyze Cam can also detect smoke and CO alarms. There's support for scheduling and you can choose to filter notifications, so only videos of people alert you, for example. 

I did get a few false positives with the Wyze Cam V2. Spookily, it recorded several videos in the middle of the night with the person-detected flag, but I couldn't see any motion in the recordings. 

There is a microphone and speaker, so the Wyze Cam supports two-way conversation, though the sound quality is not great. There was a lot of random echo, and there doesn't seem to be any noise cancellation. 

It takes a few seconds to connect to the Wyze Cam, and it was the slowest of the cameras on our list to alert me to new recordings — though only by a  couple of extra seconds. You get 14 days of cloud storage for video recordings for free with the camera, and you can insert a MicroSD card with up to 32GB of capacity for local storage. 

Wyze has added Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT support, which makes the Wyze Cam V2 easy to integrate with your smart-home system. 

There are inevitably some compromises here, but the quality of the footage and the features on offer are nothing short of incredible for the price. If you're on a very tight budget, the Wyze Cam V2 is your best bet. It provides all the features you're likely to want without the need for a subscription. Buy direct from Wyze, and it costs just $19.99. 

Read our full Wyze Cam V2 review.

The best security camera for smart homes

For advanced features like facial recognition, there's no better camera than theGoogle Nest IQ, which comes in outdoor or indoor versions.

Pros: High-quality video day or night, motion tracking, facial recognition, Google Assistant built-in

Cons: Very expensive, no local storage, the best features require a subscription

The Google Nest Cam IQ boasts an attractive, minimal design that carries through to the accessible companion app. It offers all the basic features that you'd expect to find in a good home security camera, but also adds facial recognition, motion tracking, and onboard Google Assistant. This is the smartest security camera around, but it comes at a high price and many of the best features require a subscription. 

Setup is very easy through the companion app, and the cameras connect directly to your Wi-Fi router and support 2.4GHz or 5GHz networks. The camera must be plugged into an outlet, which can make installation of the outdoor version tricky. The outdoor camera has an IP66 rating, so rain is not an issue. 

The Nest Cam IQ supports video at up to 1920 x 1080 pixels and 30 frames per second. It offers a 130-degree field of view. There's support for HDR, which helps balance out mixed lighting and boost overall clarity. Google equipped the Nest Cam IQ with a 4K image sensor, which enables it to digitally zoom in on people's faces. There's also infrared for night-time video in black and white.

You can use your Nest Cam IQ with the Nest app or through Google's Home app. Both are straightforward and reliable. Motion or sound can trigger recordings, and you can configure what kind of notifications you want to receive. You can set multiple activity zones, so it ignores certain areas. You can also set up schedules or have the camera turn on or off automatically when you leave or return home. 

What sets the Nest Cam IQ apart is the face recognition. Over time the camera will learn to recognize faces you tag. This allows you to filter clips by person and see when a stranger triggers an alert. If you're concerned about privacy, you don't have to use this feature. 

The Nest Cam IQ also offers two-way audio with built-in noise cancellation for clear, real-time conversation. The audio is high quality, but there's no siren option with this camera.

There's no local storage option, and you only get three hours of video history for free. To get 30 days of video history, you'll need a Nest Aware subscription at $5 per month. The Nest Aware Plus plan is $10 per month and gives you 10 days of 24/7 video recording and 60 days of event history. 

You also need a Nest Aware subscription to get intelligent alerts, familiar face detection, activity zones, and the ability to create and share video clips. It's hard to recommend the Nest Cam IQ without all these features, so you should factor this cost in.

The Nest Cam IQ also has Google Assistant built-in, but there is limited support for Amazon Alexa. Unfortunately, IFTTT is no longer supported, but some of the same options for setting up routines are coming soon via Google Assistant.

If you want a Nest Cam IQ Indoor camera then you'll need to pay $299; the outdoor camera costs $399. It may be expensive, but there's no smarter home security camera out there right now. 

Read our full Nest Cam IQ review.

The best outdoor security camera

Boasting all the same features as our top pick, theArlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera adds powerful lighting, which illuminates everything and works as a deterrent for unwelcome visitors.

Pros: Easy installation, excellent quality video, large floodlight, smart motion detection

Cons: Requires subscription for cloud storage

Our top pick, the Arlo Pro 3, can also be used as an outdoor camera, but it lacks a powerful light. The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight offers all the same features, but you also get a floodlight capable of fully illuminating your property.

The large floodlight is capable of putting out 2,000 lumens without wiring and 3,000 lumens if you connect a charging cable. It also has a larger battery inside than the regular Arlo Pro 3. It's UV and weather resistant, and, since it's wireless, you can install it anywhere. Arlo suggests you'll get up to six months of battery life from a full charge. 

This camera boasts a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, a 160-degree field of view, and HDR support for more balanced images. It has an excellent companion app, smart alerts, adjustable sensitivity, and activity zones. There's also good-quality, two-way audio and a built-in siren that goes up to 100 decibels. 

As one of the few security cameras that offers full-color video footage in 2K day or night, the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight is an excellent choice for the outside of your home. You can set up motion detection, so the light and recordings are triggered automatically. It can also measure ambient light and determine how much light is required in each situation, which helps to preserve battery life. 

The video quality is top notch, with alerts that clearly highlight the subject, making it easy to recognize familiar faces. The floodlight is bright enough to illuminate a backyard and will work just like any motion light to scare off most intruders. However, you can expect the floodlight to drain the battery. Also, the floodlight may not be dark-sky friendly and might contribute to light pollution. 

While the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight can connect to the same Smart Hub base station as the regular Arlo Pro 3 cameras, it can also connect directly to your Wi-Fi router on a 2.4GHz network. Support for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT makes smart-home integration easy. 

You get a three-month trial of Arlo Smart with the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight, but after that you'll need to pay $2.99 per month. Arlo Smart gives you 30 days of rolling cloud storage for 2K video recordings and access to the smart features, like advanced object detection, package detection, activity zones, and intelligent alerts. 

The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight camera costs $249.99. You'll need to factor in the Arlo Smart subscription and think about installation if you want to connect power for maximum brightness. You can also buy an optional solar panel accessory from Arlo for $79.99. 

What else we considered

We tested out a few other home security cameras that may be good options for you, particularly if you already use cameras from any of these manufacturers. If you're looking for a smart doorbell, the Nest Hello is our top pick. Check out our guide to the best smart doorbells for more.

• Swann Tracker Security Camera ($79.99): Boasting a wide 180-degree viewing angle, auto-tracking capability, two-way audio, and free video recording to the included 32GB microSD card, this is a smart indoor camera at a reasonable price. In our review, however, we found the app was unstable, it was frequently slow to connect, and the wide angle causes some distortion in the picture.
• Amazon Blink Mini ($34.99): This affordable home security camera has plenty to recommend it. Easy setup, a straightforward app, and good-quality video make it compelling for the price, but the cloud storage subscription fee makes it far less of a bargain. You can read more about it in our Amazon Blink Mini review.
• Ring Spotlight Camera ($199): While this is a good outdoor option if you want something with a spotlight, the quality is capped at 1080p, and it's not the best-looking device to have stuck on your home. You can get this camera in wired or wireless models, but it requires a subscription if you want cloud video recordings.
• Logitech Circle 2 ($179.99): This camera used to top our list, but with a new Circle View camera in the works, this older model is being phased out. It comes in wired or wireless options, is easy to set up, and offers up to 1080p video. It also boasts two-way audio, a wide 180-degree field of view, and an affordable price. Read our full Logitech Circle 2 review to learn more.
• Eufy Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt ($49.99): There's a lot to like with this Eufy model. It offers sharp video, pan and tilt to follow subjects, local or cloud storage, and smart features. With excellent video quality, an 8x zoom, and the ability to rotate a full 360 degrees, the camera shouldn't miss much of what's happening in your home. Read our full Eufy Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt review for more information.

How to choose a home security camera

What areas are you looking to cover? The best camera for you depends on where you want coverage. Are you looking to watch over a porch, backyard, hallway, kitchen, or several locations? Work out how many cameras you need and scope out potential locations to place your new cameras. There may be areas, like bedrooms, where you want to avoid cameras.

Do you want a wired or wireless camera? Wired cameras never run out of power, but they can be trickier to install, especially outside or in awkward indoor spots, because they require an outlet. Wireless cameras come with rechargeable batteries inside that can offer up to a year of battery life between charges, depending on how often they're triggered and what settings you choose.

What video quality do you need? The main two things to consider are resolution and field of view. Most security cameras now offer at least full-HD quality video at 1080p, and we recommend this is the minimum you look at. While you can get higher resolution video, all the way up to 4K if you want it, you need to consider available internet bandwidth and storage space. The field of view describes the angle that the camera can cover, which ranges from around 110 degrees all the way up to 180 degrees. Some cameras also support HDR, which can boost overall quality significantly and be enormously helpful in reducing overexposed areas when lighting is mixed. 

What about connectivity? Every home security camera requires a Wi-Fi connection. Many systems come with their own hub that plugs directly into your Wi-Fi router via an ethernet cable. The hub will also need a power outlet. Some cameras support both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies, while others are limited to 2.4GHz. In general, 2.4GHz has better range but offers slower speeds than 5GHz. Bear in mind that the higher the quality of the video being recorded, the more bandwidth you will need to send that video to your local or cloud storage. While 4K quality might be tempting, you'll need a fast internet connection to handle it. 

Do you need a subscription? There are some home security camera systems that allow you to record video locally and review videos through your mobile app from anywhere, but most require you to sign up for a monthly subscription if you want cloud storage. You'll want to at least be able to access any recordings for several hours after they occur, in case you miss alerts as they happen. Many of the best features in the top home security cameras are also only available to subscribers.

What detection features do you need? Motion triggers video recordings, but you'll likely want some sort of recognition or smart alert system. False positives can be a real pain with home security cameras, so you may want the ability to define activity zones. Many cameras can also distinguish between general motion, people, and animals. Some systems offer extras like package detection and facial recognition. You should also consider audio capability if you want loud sounds or alarms to trigger your cameras. 

What about the risk of someone accessing your camera? If you're concerned about people hacking into your camera, then look out for two-factor authentication (2FA). Without 2FA, anyone with your username and password can log into your camera. It's worth noting that you have to activate 2FA in your account with some cameras.

Are you concerned about privacy? It can be a little uncomfortable to live with security cameras in your home. You'll want to be able to shut them off at certain times. Some cameras even come with physical shutters, so you know they're not watching you. Facial recognition might be convenient, but you may not want companies analyzing and storing pictures of your children, for example. 

• Black tights are a versatile, cold-weather staple.
• Brands like Spanx, Commando, and DKNY make some of our most durable pairs.
• From tights with smooth control tops to a pair with maternity sizing, you'll find it on this list. 

Tights are a closet staple that will never go out of fashion, whether you wear them for work, formal occasions, or general fall and winter weather.

This versatile piece of hosiery does tend to be delicate, though. Even when you take care not to snag them on your surroundings, they often still find a way to rip, rendering them unwearable.

I've gotten tired of throwing out tights that rip with impressive ease, which is why I asked the women of Insider Reviews about the styles and brands that they know can hold up to regular wear. These are the tights you can trust not to tear right before you need them the most. They're also comfortable, supportive, and usually available in different colors. 

Here are our favorite tights that never rip:

SEE ALSO: The best black ankle boots you can buy

Wolford Matte Opaque Tights

Wolford Matte Opaque Tights, $61, available at Nordstrom

I bought these tights on a whim to see what all the fuss was about with Wolford, and they're by far the best tights I've ever owned. They're comfortable enough to wear all day and even though they're opaque, they have just a touch of sheer that goes well with nicer dresses and skirts in the winter. I'm not exactly careful with them (I throw them in the washing machine), and they have yet to rip five years later. Even though $60 is kind of insane for tights, they've been worth every penny. — Ashley Phillips, Insider Reviews Style & Beauty Editor

Spanx Tight-End Tights

Spanx Tight-End Tights, $28, available in 3 colors at Spanx and Nordstrom

Spanx makes my all-time favorite tights. The Tight-End Tights are a true workhorse in my fall and winter wardrobe since they never rip, never pill, and hold me in in all the right places, without suffocating me in the process.

I wear and wash them many, many times throughout the season and am consistently impressed by how well they hold up compared to tights from other brands. I buy two new pairs at the beginning of every fall — it is $56 incredibly well spent. Spanx makes a very similar pair of tights for expecting moms too! — Ellen Hoffman, Insider Reviews Executive Editor

The Spanx tights are ideal for fancier occasions or for wearing slim-fit dresses that show any extra pudge you have around the middle. The fabric is strong and densely black, which I like — I've never been fond of tights that are nearly sheer. I sized up in these tights because I knew they'd be form-fitting, and I'm glad I did. — Malarie Gokey, Insider Reviews Deputy Editor

DKNY Super Opaque Control Top Tights

DKNY Super Opaque Control Top Tights, $16, available at Macy's

Although I more or less live in tights as soon as the temperature drops below 60, I had never actually bought high-quality tights until a year ago. Then I bought Spanx and DKNY tights, both of which I love. I wear the DKNY ones most often, though. The 60 denier tights are comfortable, opaque, and strong. I wore mine almost daily last fall and they haven't ripped or snagged at all. I'm also a fan of Spanx's tights, but the DKNY ones are less restrictive around the middle, making them ideal for everyday wear. — Malarie Gokey, Insider Reviews Deputy Editor

My experiences with tights used to be restricted to last-minute trips to CVS and the first time I bought a "nice" pair was revelatory. DKNY's Control Top Tights are comfortable without feeling restrictive, opaque without passing for leggings, and they've outlasted every other pair I own in terms of ripping — making the few extra bucks well worth it for the convenience and security. — Mara Leighton, Insider Reviews senior reporter 

Commando Ultimate Opaque Control Top Tights

Commando Ultimate Opaque Control Top Tights, $38, available at Nordstrom

I bought my first pair of Commando tights at a sample sale in Chelsea years ago for maybe $20. Even at their full price of $38 a pair, I still consider them a great value buy for women like me who wear tights on most winter days. This pair is extra opaque (which adds warmth) and has a high-waist control top that's impressively dig-free at the stomach for all-day comfort. Like Spanx's tights, Commando's also hold up very well to frequent wears and machine washings. — Ellen Hoffman, Insider Reviews Executive Editor

While living in a sorority house in college was both a blessing and a curse, I miss the days when I could turn to one of my roommates to help me pick my outfits. There was one winter night when I had no idea what to wear but knew I wanted to wear a skirt, so my stylish roommate let me borrow a pair of her black tights. Now, these Commando tights are my go-to, mainly because they're warm enough to wear when it's cold out, have a control top so I can cheat a little and suck everything in, and won't rip when I use my long nails to pull them on. — Ciannah Gin, former Insider Reviews editorial fellow

UNIQLO HeatTech Tights

UNIQLO HeatTech Tights, $5.90, available at UNIQLO*

I am very thankful to own Uniqlo's $6 HeatTech Tights on brutally cold days. I'm not sure what witchcraft went into the design of these tights, but they do a great job of keeping my legs warm during NYC winters. Uniqlo says they are specially engineered to protect your legs from dryness and chill — and that they even incorporate argan oil to help your legs better retain moisture — I just know that they're warm and comfortable and that they look nice, too. — Ellen Hoffman, Insider Reviews Executive Editor

*currently sold out

• A good cookbook stand makes it easier to read recipes while cooking.
• Our top choice is the Wishacc Bamboo Adjustable because of its versatility. 
• We also have options for tablets, those on a budget, and more.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

If you're ever tried holding a cookbook open with one hand to read recipe instructions while also trying to mix ingredients together, you've likely had the frustrating experience of the pages flipping everywhere as your dish overcooks or, maybe even worse, splatters all over said cookbook. This is why a cookbook stand can be an immensely helpful tool in the kitchen. A good cookbook stand should keep your book or tablet off the messy counter and make it easy to secure the pages. We found a range of options to suit various needs, including traditional stands, space-saving options, those for tablets, and more.

Here are the best cookbook stands

• Best overall: Wishacc Bamboo Adjustable Book Stand
• Best on a budget: Actto BST-09 Green Portable Reading Stand
• Best for tablets and phones: PWR+ Adjustable Tablet and Cell Phone Holder
• Best for small spaces: Clear Solutions Under Cabinet Mounted Cookbook Holder
• Best acrylic: Norpro Acrylic Holder 

Best overall

Lightweight and versatile, the Wishacc Bamboo Adjustable Book Stand works well for both traditional cookbooks and tablets.

What we like: Made of quality but lightweight bamboo, adjustable stand, fits tablets and books of various sizes, folds flat for easy storage 

Made from high-quality bamboo, this cookbook stand is lightweight yet durable. It's easy to balance a tablet on its lip, and the springy clips mean you can hold pages in place for cookbooks of various thicknesses. The stand can be locked into five different positions for customized angling, or folded flat to store when not in use. Choose from three different sizes depending on your needs: 11 x 8.1 inches, 13.2 x 9.2 inches, or 15.4 x 11 inches. The largest size is your best bet to ensure even oversize cookbooks will fit with ease.

Best on a budget

The Actto BST-09 Green Portable Reading Stand is a cost-effective and easy option. 

What we like: Affordable, sturdy, adjustable

While it may not be quite as sleek as a wood or marble stand, the Actto BST-09 still offers a simple solution at an attractive price. This is a sturdy stand with plastic clips to easily hold pages in place. You can adjust the back stand to various levels and angles and it's lightweight enough to easily transport around the kitchen. Measuring 10.5 x 7.9 inches, it may not be suitable for particularly large or thick books, but for your average cookbook, it will work just fine.  

Best for tablets and phones

The PWR+ Adjustable Tablet and Cell Phone Holder makes it a breeze to follow recipes on devices of all sizes.

What we like: Sturdy, adjustable, fits a wide range of devices, small

If you primarily find recipes and cooking videos online and like to use your tablet or phone to follow along, then it's wise to have a device stand in your kitchen. This one is small enough that it won't take up too much counter space. Plus, it features an adjustable mount and the clips can be sized to hold phones and tablets ranging from four to 11 inches. The metal stand is durable but lightweight enough to carry around the kitchen, or even from room to room if you want to use this stand in your office or bedroom too. 

Best for small spaces

The Clear Solutions Under Cabinet Mounted Cookbook Holder doesn't use up any counter space.

What we like: Doesn't take up any counter space, folds up when not in use

If you have a tiny kitchen and can't afford to give up even an inch of counter space, it may be worth splurging on this space-saving cookbook stand. Screw it underneath your kitchen cabinets and you can quickly pull it down to hold your cookbook, tablet, or even laptop. After your done, fold it right back up into place. It's important to note that this option requires your cabinets to be a minimum of 10.5 inches deep and 20 inches wide to work. 

Best acrylic

The Norpro Acrylic Holder ensures your cookbooks stay mess-free.

What we like: Clear front protects cookbooks and devices from spills, wipes down easily

Acrylic is an ideal material for ensuring your cookbooks or devices don't end up with any spills or stains. This stand is very straightforward and isn't adjustable, but the large, clear front ensures extra protection from messes bound to happen in the kitchen. Any splatters can also quickly be wiped down so it's ready to be used again. Measuring 12.5 x 9 x 3.25 inches, it may not protect the very top of oversized books.

• A good desk lamp should add light for different tasks throughout the day while helping to minimize eye strain.
• We tested seven desk lamps and consulted three experts to determine the best ones.
• The BenQ e-Reading LED Desk Lamp is the best desk lamp thanks to its tall design, wide range of movement, and adjustable settings.

Desk lamps provide the task lighting needed to answer emails, read over important documents, take notes, and more. However, while it's tempting to prioritize aesthetics when shopping for a desk lamp, there are a number of other factors that impact a light's functionality, including the lighting type, light temperature and brightness, and its range of movement. 

To find the best desk lamp, I consulted with health experts, ergonomists, and engineers, and used their insights to narrow down my search to seven top-rated products. I tested each over the course of several consecutive days, assessing their design, performance, ease-of-use, and extra features. You can find the details of how we tested, what to look for in a desk lamp, and more here at the end of our guide.

Here are the best desk lamps in 2021 

• Best desk lamp overall: BenQ e-Reading LED Swing Arm Desk Lamp
• Best budget desk lamp: AmazonBasics Dual Head LED Desk Lamp
• Best desk lamp for eye health: Dyson Lightcycle Morph
• Best desk lamp with phone charging: Lumicharge II
• Best desk lamp for small spaces: TaoTronics LED Desk Lamp

SEE ALSO: The best standing desks you can buy for your home or office

The best desk lamp overall

Not only does it have a cool modern design, the BenQ e-Reading LED Swing Arm Desk Lamp provides wider light coverage, a large range of motion, and highly adjustable brightness and temperature settings. 

Pros: Modern design, numerous warmth settings, tall enough to illuminate desktop computers, a wide range of motion, simple controls

Cons:  Large frame might not suit small spaces

Extending vertically up to 30 inches, the BenQ e-Reading LED Swing Arm Desk Lamp is significantly larger than any of the other desk lamps we tested, which is what makes it stand out. While many desk lamps I researched and tested have two arms — the main one that offers height and a second that holds the light bulbs and offers a range of motion. The lamp's head is mounted on a ball-joint, allowing you to pivot it in any direction, and the arm itself also pivots 360 degrees on the base, making this lamp extremely versatile and easy to arrange how you need it. Despite its somewhat complex design, however, the lamp was extremely easy to set up, simply requiring me to attach the main arm to the base.

The light's head is just over 15 inches in length, and its unique curved design not only looks sleek but also casts wider lighting coverage compared to the other desk lamps I tested. It easily illuminated my whole desk, which is 56 inches wide and includes a desktop computer, printer, and often a notebook or planner, and I rarely needed my usual overhead light.

It's quick and easy to adjust both the brightness and color temperature of the BenQ Desk Lamp. There's a small dial on the light's head to increase or decrease the brightness of the dual-color LED bulbs. When you press the dial and then turn it, you can adjust the color temperature of the light to 12 different settings — the most of any lamp we tested. 

The lamp also has an ambient light sensor, so when you turn it on, it automatically adjusts its brightness to the settings that best suit your environment. While these settings sometimes had to be tweaked to suit my preferences, it was useful that the lamp's settings were tailored to the current state of the room and didn't just default to the setting I last used. Additionally, the BenQ Lamp has a special e-reading mode that you can turn on by touching and holding the "on/off" wheel at the back of the lamp's head. This mode decreases the amount of light given off in the center of the head, helping to reduce glare when you're reading on a computer screen. 

This 18-watt lamp isn't Energy Star-certified, but it does have a panel of energy-saving LED lights that will last up to 50,000 hours, and it produces an impressive 1,800 lux — the most of any lamp we tested. The lights provide constant flicker-free illumination to reduce eye strain, and it doesn't hurt that the unit has a cool modern design with a colorful braided cord that matches its accent color. The lamp has a substantial weight of just over 10 pounds — the heaviest we tested — so I was never worried about it tipping over, even as I adjusted the arms.

The best budget desk lamp

While its features are limited compared to other desk lamps, the AmazonBasics Dual Head LED Desk Lamp delivers a solid performance at a reasonable price point. 

Pros: Inexpensive, flexible gooseneck provides a range of motion, split-head design for versatility, three light modes 

Cons: Challenging to adjust the brightness level

Some of the desk lamps we tested cost hundreds of dollars, but we know that's not within everyone's budget. If you're looking for a lamp that checks all the boxes but won't break the bank, the AmazonBasics Dual Head LED Desk Lamp is a small, yet extremely functional choice. It comes ready to use out of the box and it stands around 13 to 15 inches tall, depending on how you angle its adjustable gooseneck.

This desk lamp is lightweight, weighing just over a pound, and has a useful unique split-head design. When arranged together, the head provides bright, targeted light, but you can split the two pieces apart for more diffused lighting that covers a larger area. Plus, the dual-head design is mounted on a flexible gooseneck that can be adjusted nearly 360 degrees in any direction or brought closer to your work surface as needed.

The AmazonBasics Lamp has 48 energy-efficient LED bulbs, and there's a button on the base that lets you toggle between three color modes: natural, white, and yellow light. You can also adjust the brightness level by leaving your finger on the power button, but I found it was a bit tricky to get the brightness exactly at the desired level, as the sensor isn't quite sensitive enough. 

The only other feature this light offers is a 40-minute timer, which I thought was a strange duration. Overall, it's a fairly simple lamp with a minimalistic design, but it works well and would make a good addition to a student's desk or other small workspaces.

The best desk lamp for eye health

The Dyson Lightcycle Morph automatically adjusts its brightness and light temperature throughout the day based on your precise location, helping to reduce eye strain. 

Pros: Wide range of movement, automatically adjusts warmth and brightness based on your location, turns on/off automatically when you leave or enter the room, can be controlled via Dyson Link app 

Cons: Very expensive, physical controls are tricky to use

After working at a desk all day, it's common to experience symptoms of eye strain, which can include sore or tired eyes, headache, and more. When I consulted Benjamin Bert, MD, an ophthalmologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California for this guide, he explained that adjusting lighting temperature throughout the day can help minimize eye strain. But let's be honest — most people don't have the time or patience to tinker with their light every few hours, let alone remember to do it. 

Few lamps with auto-adjusting dimmers came up in my research, but the Dyson Lightcycle Morph met our criteria for testing. 

This Energy Star-certified smart desk lamp automatically adjusts its warmth and brightness throughout the day based on your exact location, and it offers a color temperature range of 2,700 to 6,500 Kelvin, as well as an average lux level of 1,546. During testing, I was impressed to find that the lamp optimized its settings to suit my environment, and I never experienced any eye strain thanks to its near-constant micro-adjustments, which happen every 60 seconds. However, in order for the lamp to do this, you have to give the Dyson Link app permission to access your GPS location.

The Dyson Lightcycle Morph has the sleek modern design you'd expect from the brand, and you wouldn't expect that the base weighs around seven pounds — I was surprised at its weight when I was setting up the lamp, a process that entailed screwing the arm into the base and attaching the power cord. The vertical stem of the lamp offers a 360-degree range of motion, and you can also twist the upper half of its horizontal arm to point the light sideways or upward for ambient lighting. Plus, when the arm is placed back over the lamp's base — which the brand refers to as its "docked" position — it lights up the stem, creating a gentle ambient light that reduces blue light. 

You're able to adjust both the lamp's warmth and brightness from the top of its arm, but frankly, these controls are a bit finicky to use. I found it significantly easier to adjust the lamp via the Dyson Link app, which also allows you to save custom brightness and warmth settings for specific situations and even your age — though this is an extremely specific function. The Lightcycle Morph also automatically turns itself off and on when you leave and enter the room, which is particularly handy for those like me who frequently forget to turn off their desk lamp.

The besk desk lamp with charging abilities

There's no need to have a phone charger at your desk when you have the Lumicharge II, which boasts both a universal phone dock and wireless charging pad. 

Pros: Wireless charging, three physical chargers, built-in digital display, easy-to-use controls, a wide range of motion

Cons: Somewhat cheap-looking appearance, the night light is too bright, the clock is confusing to program 

It's common to keep your phone nearby during the workday, which is why a few lamps that we tested — including the ones from TaoTronics, Pablo, and Lumicharge — come with the ability to charge smartphones. Of the three, the Lumicharge II stood out thanks to its varied charging methods, which include a wireless Qi-enabled pad, universal phone dock, and USB port. Since not all phones support wireless charging, this range of options makes the lamp useful to more people.

The Lumicharge weighs just three pounds and requires no setup, and it has an adjustable arm with an impressive range of motion. The stem offers 145-degree rotation, and the arm itself can be tilted 120 degrees up or 90 degrees side to side. The lamp contains LED bulbs covered by a plastic diffuser that help reduce the harshness of the light, and you can choose from three light color options and 10 brightness levels. During testing, I was able to adjust the lamp to my preferred brightness levels with no issues, and it never caused any eye strain or other discomfort.

To charge your phone, this lamp has a "charging dial" in the base that you can rotate and access three common charger styles — a lightning charger, micro-USB, and Type-C charger. Alternatively, you can place your smartphone on the wireless charging pad and press the button to activate it, but as with most wireless chargers, it only worked when I removed my phone case first. 

The Lumicharge II has a few other interesting features, including a digital display on the arm that shows the time, date, and temperature. While the idea has potential, I found the display to be frustrating to program and antiquated in appearance — with all of today's high-tech display technology, the blocky, old-fashioned numbers seemed out of place. The lamp also has a motion-activated night light, but it was far too bright and would "shock" my eyes when it turned on in the dark.

Finally, while functional in every way, the Lumicharge has somewhat of a cheap, plasticky appearance, despite costing $100.

The best desk lamp for small spaces

The TaoTronics LED Desk Lamp has a fairly short, yet adjustable design that lends itself well to working with a laptop. It also offers wireless phone charging and a night light feature, making it well-suited to use in a dorm room or other small space. 

Pros: Easy-to-use controls, lightweight, wireless charging, night light feature 

Cons: Short, limited range of motion, stiff hinges

As one of the best-selling desk lamps on Amazon, we had high expectations for the TaoTronics LED Desk Lamp, and despite its reasonable price, the lamp proved to be quite effective. It didn't require any setup beyond plugging it in and it weighs roughly three pounds, making it easy to move around. When compared to other lamps we tested, the TaoTronics Lamp is one of the smallest options at 16.5 inches high, and its compact form and night light feature make it well-suited for use in a small space, such as a dorm room or even an office/bedroom combo. 

This lamp gives off 400 lumens and has five brightness levels that you can select via a touch-activated bar on the base of the lamp, as well as five color settings controlled by the "M" button, delivering both warm and cool lights with a range of 2,700 to 6,500 Kelvin. There's even a wireless charging ring that can juice up Apple and Samsung phones, but it only worked when I removed the case from my iPhone X — this is a common caveat with wireless chargers though, so I wasn't surprised.

The TaoTronics Desk Lamp's stem rotates 180 degrees at the base and the arm can be tilted up or down 180 degrees on its hinge — not bad, but also not the best we tested. However, the hinges are fairly stiff, and I had to hold down the base of the lamp to keep it from moving as I adjusted the arm.

While it does offer a decent range of motion, the lamp simply wasn't tall enough to use with my desktop computer, which is around 20 inches tall, and it occasionally caused eye strain, as I had to tilt the arm upward and the LED lights were very bright when they shined directly into my eyes. The lamp worked much better when I was using a laptop, as the arm could stay angled downward — another reason we think it's better suited for smaller desk setups. 

In terms of other features, the TaoTronics Desk Lamp includes a USB port for charging electronics, as well as a night light mode that lights up the tip of the lamp in a warm hue — both useful if you choose to use it in your bedroom or a dorm. It also has a 60-minute automatic shut-off timer, and the lamp remembers your settings, defaulting to them the next time you turn it on.

What else we tested

We tested a few other desk lamps while writing this guide. Here's what else we tested that didn't ultimately make our top picks.

What we recommend

Pablo Pixo Plus ($285+): The Pablo Pixo Plus has an absolutely stunning modern design, and it's easily the most aesthetically appealing desk lamp we tested with its sleek form and wide range of color options. However, it left something to be desired in terms of functionality. The stem has a 180-degree range of motion, but it only moves side to side — similar to a windshield wiper. The head can also rotate 360 degrees, but I found it was hard to get the lamp into a comfortable position for working without placing it sideways on the desk. Additionally, while the 325-lumen light is dimmable, the control mechanism is frustrating to use. It involves holding your finger over a small sensor on the head of the lamp, and it never stopped at the brightness I wanted. Still, if a sleek design and wireless charging are priorities for you, this lamp is an attractive choice.

What we don't recommend

Luxe Lamp Cordless Desk Lamp ($69.95): While I can see the Luxe Lamp Cordless Desk Lamp being useful for certain tasks, it's much too small to cut it as a desk lamp. Its flexible arm offers 180-degree movement, but it's only 15 inches long, and when you bend it over to focus the light, it ends up being less than a foot away from the desk. The lightweight, cordless design is nice if you don't have an outlet nearby, and the lamp can run for three or more hours per charge thanks to its 28 energy-efficient LED bulbs. However, the overall design is better suited for small tasks that require you to be really close to the work surface, like sketching.

Testing methodology

I've been a product reviewer for four years now, so I used my experience testing household products, including lamps, to develop a comprehensive testing methodology. I also consulted with a variety of experts, including Benjamin Bert, MD, an ophthalmologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center; Blake McGowan, Director of Ergonomics Research at VelocityEHS; and Matthew Thorpe, a senior sales engineer at Fagerhult Lighting in London. 

Using their input, I came up with several important testing areas to evaluate, and from there, I was able to determine which desk lamps to test. While there are hundreds of desk lamps for sale, all the lamps selected meet the criteria outlined below.

When testing these desk lamps, there were several key factors I took into consideration, including their range of motion, brightness levels, and ease of control. I used each one in my home office for at least two full consecutive workdays, taking the following into account:

• Ease of setup: After receiving each lamp, I unboxed and assembled the products, noting whether the setup process was confusing or challenging in any way.
• Size and form: The lamps we tested include many different shapes and sizes, and after a few days of use, I noted whether the form of the lamp was useful for tasks like taking notes, working on a computer, and reading documents. 
• Eye strain: At the end of each workday, I noted whether I had experienced any eye strain from using the lamp and if I had to adjust the lamp in any way to avoid it. Eye strain can manifest as eye soreness, headaches, light sensitivity, and more, according to the Mayo Clinic. 
• Brightness: Preferences may differ depending on whether you want a lamp that's brighter or softer, so I made sure to note the lumens/lux emitted by each for comparison, when available. Unfortunately, this measurement wasn't listed for every product, so I also tested the highest and lowest settings and evaluated whether the light was adequate for detail-oriented tasks, ambient lighting, and more.
• Movement: Our experts recommended looking for lamps that offer a range of movement, as this allows you to adjust the positioning of the light for different tasks. For each lamp, I assessed how far the stem and head could be adjusted and in what directions, as well as how easy it was to make these adjustments. 
• Features: Most of the lamps we tested included at least a few extra features, including automatic timers, wireless charging of electronics, or night light. I tested out all these features to assess their usability, noting whether the functionality was actually useful or merely a gimmick. 

What to look for in a desk lamp

Buying a desk lamp might not seem like a complicated task, but there are a number of features you'll want to look for when selecting the best ones for your needs. Here are the most important factors to consider, as recommended by our experts as well as my own research and experience with the topic. 

Range of motion: All of the experts consulted for this guide agreed that it's important for lamps to be adjustable, and the larger the range of movement, the better. McGowan explains lamps should have "the ability to be positioned to exclude glare on the work surface, keyboard, input display, computer display, or other equipment." A wide range of motion also allows you to move a lamp's light source closer to paper or other objects when needed.  

Brightness and color temperature: Extended computer use can cause eye strain, but proper lighting can help to minimize the effects. "A lot of eyestrain is created by our habits," said Dr. Bert. "When we work or read on a computer, we blink less. As the day progresses, our eyes get drier and drier, it's as if we have been having multiple small staring contests with our computer screen throughout the day. Having the appropriate color spectrum has been shown to benefit our sleep/wake cycle, which can contribute to fatigue and thus, eye strain.  

To this end, it's beneficial to look for a light that has adjustable brightness and also offers different light temperatures, allowing you to adjust the color spectrum throughout the day: "In the middle of the day you may want to use a full spectrum LED light that would simulate the color spectrum of the sun," said Dr. Bert. "However, in the evening you would want to use a warmer spectrum light that has less of the high energy blue wavelengths."

Energy efficiency: If you're going to be using a lamp all day, an energy-efficient model can help save you money. Luckily, most of today's desk lamps use LED bulbs, which consume less energy and last significantly longer than incandescent bulbs. You may also want to look for a light that is Energy Star-certified, which must use 90% less energy than traditional models using incandescent light bulbs. 

However, LEDs can be harsh on your eyes when not diffused: "Good quality LEDs are great for energy efficiency and longevity compared to traditional bulbs or fluorescents, but do consider visual comfort," said Thorpe. "Bare LEDs are an extremely bright point source — lots of light from a very small space — so look for a well-made fitting that will control the light with a diffuser."

Additional features: Many desk lamps offer additional features, including phone charging capabilities. If you're looking for a model that can charge your phone, be sure it's compatible with your particular phone model, as some only work with the latest iPhones and Androids. 

How should you position a desk lamp?

The way you position a lamp on your desk can affect whether you experience eye strain, and our experts recommend finding a spot that ensures the lamp won't reflect off the screen of your computer. "If you're using a desk lamp in conjunction with a backlit screen (tablet, laptop, or desktop computer), it's best to have the illumination provided by the desk lamp be similar to the brightness of the backlit screen and be predominantly directed behind the screen," said Dr. Bert.

"You don't want to have the desk lamp reflecting off of a glass screen," he said. "The reflection can cause additional glare that can increase eye strain. For that reason, it is sometimes best to have the light behind your computer, but easily moveable if you want to have it in front of printed documents."

Additionally, our experts recommend placing your desk in a location that has good natural light, which is easy on the eyes and will help supplement the illumination provided by your lamp throughout the day.

Check out our other great guides to home office accessories

• Ergonomics, wired or wireless, and other factors come into play when choosing a keyboard.
• Our tips for choosing a keyboard will help you pick the right one for your setup.
• The Das Keyboard 4Q is our pick for the best keyboard because of its unique notification system. 

When it comes to your home or office setup, a keyboard shouldn't be an afterthought. You want something that's comfortable and won't strain your wrists, but there are also a lot of decisions to make. While there are a lot of inexpensive options, you don't want to sacrifice comfort and support for something you use for hours every day.

If your computer doesn't have a ton of USB ports, you might want to consider a wireless keyboard. Gamers will have a different set of priorities than someone who's using a keyboard mainly for typing. Whatever you choose, you'll want to make sure it's compatible with all the devices you'll use it with. 

Ergonomics are an important component of any good work or gaming setup. Be sure to factor in keyboard layouts and height, so they work with your typing style. Sound and key feel matter a lot to some people, with some preferring a clickier, responsive experience. Whatever your criteria are for a keyboard, you should find something on our list.

Here are our picks for the best keyboards:

• Best keyboard overall: Das Keyboard 4Q 
• Best gaming keyboard: Razer Huntsman Elite
• Best ergonomic keyboard:Logitech Ergo K860
• Best multi-device keyboard:Logitech K780 Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard
• Best large-print keyboard: Nuklz N Large Print Computer Keyboard
• Best portable keyboard:IKOS Bluetooth Folding Keyboard
• Best quiet keyboard:HP Wireless Elite Keyboard V2

The best keyboard overall

The RGB backlighting on theDas Keyboard 4Q doubles as a notifications platform, you can get alerts on your keyboard.

Pros: Unique alert system, two USB ports 

Cons: Q software takes some getting used to

Many keyboards come with RGB backlighting, but the Das Keyboard 4Q puts it to use, letting the colors serve as notifications as reminders. The logo is dark and unobtrusive, so it looks more like a work keyboard than a gaming one, until all the lights start flashing. 

The Q utility allows you to set up individual keys to light up for reminders like Google Alerts and weather forecasts. You can even customize it so that the keyboard lights up if you're tagged on social media or blinks when it's time to take a break and move around. 

In its full review, PCMag says the Das Keyboard 4Q's N-key rollover feature is what makes it perfect for people who need a keyboard that keeps up with them. The device packs a lot into its 18-by-6.8-inch layout. There are media controls in the top right, including a large volume knob. The switches are Cherry MX Brown, not quite as clicky as the MX Blue.

The Das Keyboard 4Q includes two USB ports and an instant sleep button, rounding out an already excellent feature set. 

The best gaming keyboard

TheRazer Huntsman Elite gaming keyboard has optical switches designed for faster speed and performance. 

Pros: Optical switches, discrete media controls, wrist rest is very soft 

Cons: Keyboard takes up second USB port on your PC

Speed is essential for gaming keyboards, and that's what the Razer Huntsman Elite offers with its optical switches. Instead of using metal contact leaves, it has a laser under every switch. It's among the first gaming keyboards to feature the technology, which uses infrared light beams to detect keystroke actuation. 

While the Razer Huntsman Elite is a clicky switch, the click mechanism is separate from the switch's actuation mechanism, making this ideal for rapid tapping. The switches have their own stabilizer bars to ensure consistent switch behavior no matter which corner you press. Each switch is rated to last 100 million keystrokes, according to Razer, compared to Cherry MX's 50 million keystrokes.

You can easily program the Razer Huntsman Elite with Razer's Synapse software, which allows for all keys and keypress combinations to be remapped for complicated commands. This should help with players of first-person shooters as well as various esports. 

Tom's Guide raves that this keyboard is comfortable while maintaining a futuristic look, although they thought the light-up padded leather wrist rest was a little gaudy. The wrist rest magnetically attaches to the keyboard, so you don't have to use it. 

For its hefty price tag, this keyboard boasts layers of personalization options and in-came effects like underglow lighting unlike any other.

The best ergonomic keyboard

The ergonomic design of the Logitech Ergo K860 can help support your wrists and improve posture. 

Pros: Terrific ergonomic design, comfortable palm rest, Bluetooth support for up to three devices

Cons: Ergonomic design takes getting used to, pricier than standard Bluetooth keyboards

Logitech's wireless Ergo K860 is the best ergonomic keyboard we've used. Not only does it provide a more comfortable typing experience, it can help improve posture and alleviate wrist strain. 

The keyboard rises to a slope in the middle, and the layout of the alphanumeric keys is split apart. If this is your first ergonomic keyboard, you will have to get used to the different typing position, and you'll probably make some mistakes for a bit. This design puts you in a proper typing position, as it reduces pronation, and places your arms, neck, and shoulders in a more relaxed posture as well. Logitech says the palm rest along the bottom can reduce wrist bending by 25%. Flip-out legs can tilt the keyboard even higher if needed. 

The Ergo K860 operates on two AAA batteries, which provides the keyboard with two years of power, according to Logitech. The device only connects to a computer wirelessly, either via Bluetooth or with a USB dongle that's neatly stored beneath the keyboard. 

We tested the Ergo K860 with a MacBook Pro using Bluetooth. Set-up was quick and easy, and the keyboard quickly re-pairs every time we start up the laptop, without fail. It can pair with up to three Bluetooth devices. In addition to the MacBook Pro, we paired it with an iPhone and iPad, and we seamlessly switched between three without issues.

The keyboard is very lightweight, but the unique design does require annexing a bit of table surface. The plastic makes the Ergo K860 feel deceptively cheap, but from our experience, it's well-made.

Insider Reviews Senior Editor Les Shu tested the keyboard for several months, and he hasn't noticed significant improvements to his sitting posture (good workplace ergonomics requires more than just changing a keyboard), but the Ergo K860 has alleviated any pain or discomfort in his wrists. This was especially noticeable when he returned to using a non-ergonomic keyboard. While it is pricey for a keyboard, he thinks the ergonomic features are well-worth the cost.

The best multi-device keyboard

The Logitech K780 Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard allows you to use tablets and other devices like a PC.

Pros: Easily share files among connected devices, soft keys for quiet typing

Cons: Circular keys may not be for everyone

If you want to turn your tablet into a computer, the Logitech K780 Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard could be the right keyboard for the job. At 6.2 by 14.9 inches and less than an inch in height, it has a low profile and fairly compact footprint. A built-in cradle holds smartphones and tablets right above the keypad. You can connect to your devices via Bluetooth or use a USB receiver to connect to a laptop or desktop.

A Tom's Guide review noted that its circular keycaps will be a turn-off for some users, but also says Logitech's software offers a lot to make up for that. Logitech's Flow technology allows for file-sharing from one device to another, as long as both are connected to the keyboard via Bluetooth. 

The keyboard's customization options allow you to remap keys. The keyboard already has designated keys that allow you to switch back and forth between three connected devices. It does weight just under two pounds, so you might not want to lug it everywhere.

The best large-print keyboard

TheNuklz N Large Print Computer Keyboard makes typing easier for novice computer users or for those with visual impairments. 

Pros: Good for new typists and those with visual impairments, easy to use

Cons: Large footprint, no backlighting

The Nuklz N Large Print keyboard has high-contrast keys in large, bold type that are easier to see in low or dim lighting. It's lightweight, and the keys are soft and quiet. There aren't a ton of features, so there's no backlighting, for example.  

The Nuklz N connects via a USB cable, so you'll need an available port to use it. In order to make it highly visible, some keys, like delete, are abbreviated, so it may take some time to familiarize yourself with them. 

The keyboard is on the large side, measuring 18 by 7 inches, and it's 1.5 inches tall. It weighs just over a pound. 

The best portable keyboard

When folded, the Ikos Bluetooth Folding Keyboard is smaller than an iPhone 6 Plus. 

Pros: Lightweight, folds up fairly small, good battery life 

Cons: Keyboard layout may be a deal breaker for some

The Ikos Bluetooth Folding keyboard is a bifold-style portable keyboard that has a tactile feel when typing. Slim and lightweight, it's half a pound and measures 11.54 by 3.32 inches. It's 0.47 inches thick when you fold it up.

A two-hour charge produces 80 hours of battery life, about two months on standby mode. Its case doubles as a stand for your phone or tablet, but it works remotely with devices that are about 30 feet away. 

If you're using multiple devices, this keyboard's built-in memory feature will track and remember those connections. You can switch back and forth between three devices by toggling between slots. Because it folds up, the Ikos keyboard has a gap in the middle of the keys. That may take some getting used to when you're typing. 

Some reviewers pointed out that you'll need a hard, flat surface to use the keyboard and noted that unfolding and folding the unit doesn't turn it on or off; you will have to do that manually. 

The best quiet keyboard

The HP Wireless Elite Keyboard V2 opts for quiet over clicks. 

Pros: Nearly silent typing, battery indicator light 

Cons: Uses 2 AAA batteries instead of rechargeable ones

Some people love the click and clack of a keyboard, but others will prefer the quiet of the HP Wireless Elite V2. One of the reasons this keyboard is so quiet is its scissor-style keys, which have a silent, spring-like rebound. 

The full-size keyboard is 17.28 by 6.02 inches and 0.61 inches high. It can connect to up to five devices at once and has a 16-month battery life, though it runs on 2 AAA batteries you'll have to replace. An indicator light illuminates when they're running low. 

This keyboard's wireless connection allows you to move it around to find the right typing distance, within a 30-foot radius. There are hotkeys dedicated to volume control and other desktop features, as well as additional media playback controls. 

In its review, PC World noted that the V2 responds quickly and quietly to each keystroke and is very comfortable to type on.

How to choose a keyboard

Our top pick is a great keyboard, but it won't be right for everyone. Some people might need an ergonomic keyboard or prefer wireless options. Here are some basic features you'll want to think about when selecting a keyboard. 

What are you using it for: The first question to ask yourself is how you'll be using your keyboard. Gamers will want responsive keyboards, while someone doing a lot of data entry won't want a layout without a numeric keypad. Some keyboards make it easy to switch between devices, so that's important to take into consideration if you're looking to use yours with a laptop, phone, and tablet, for example. 

Ergonomics and layout: If you find yourself with a lot of wrist pain during the day, you might get some relief with an ergonomic keyboard. These are shaped very differently from a flat keyboard. They curve upward in the middle and separate the keys into two groups. That means you'll have to get used to a new way of typing. Folding keyboards will also split up keys. If you're used to typing on a Macbook, you might want to look for keyboards with a similar layout or one that you can remap; the order of some keys is different for Mac and PC keyboards. 

Wired or wireless: You'll never have to worry about your keyboard suddenly running out of battery if you use a wired keyboard, but they also take up valuable port space. If your laptop doesn't have room for something to be always plugged into it, then wireless might be right for you. You'll want to make sure your devices are compatible with the keyboard as well. 

Mechanical keyboards: Mechanical keyboards are big with gamers, because of their responsiveness. Their design does make them louder, however. The type of switch will make the sound level and feel of the key different. A mechanical key tester can give you an idea of what it's like to type with different switches. 

• This Valentine's Day, don't forget the little ones in your life. 
• You can't go wrong with teddy bears or sweets, but if you're looking to get a little more creative, we rounded up great Valentine's Day gifts kids will love. 
• Looking for more gift ideas for everyone in your life? Check out all of Insider Reviews' Valentine's Day gift ideas, including our favorite gifts for him and her.

You found the perfect gift for your partner — now it's time to find something special for the little ones you love. As adults, we show the kids in our lives we love them every day with our kindness, support, and all that good stuff, but Valentine's Day is a unique time to show your little ones you love them with some good old-fashioned gifting. 

Whether you're looking for a gift for a newborn, a rambunctious toddler, or a clever elementary-schooler, we've got you covered. We rounded up 24 Valentine's gifts ideas that are great for all kinds of kids — think books, crafts, and lots of sugary treats. 

Keep reading for 24 Valentine's Day gifts that any kid will love:

An adorable new stuffed animal

Lulu the Llama, available at Brooklinen, $38

Brooklinen's aptly and adorably named baby line, Brooklittles, has everything you need to make the cutest nursery ever, including this soft and cuddly stuffed animal that your little one will love snuggling with. 

The cutest little mittens

Valentine Mittens with Heart, available at Etsy, from $31.50

These adorable mittens will keep their little hands toasty on cold days, plus the red heart adds a festive touch. There are sizes to fit babies, children, and even adults, so everyone can have a pair. 

A cute pair of knit loafers

Kids Loafer, available at Rothy's, $65

Little kids will love getting to wear the same shoes as the big kids. Rothy's are made out of recycled water bottles and are comfortable enough (and machine-washable) for all of their adventures. There are sneakers too if that's more their style.

A super sugary treat

B'Day Truffle Dozen Box, available at Milk Bar Store, $24

Is there anything kids love more than sugar? These dense, chewy, rainbow cake truffles are sure to satisfy their sweet tooth. 

A kinetic sand bakeshop

Kinetic Sand Bake Shoppe Playset, available at Target, $9.59

This kinetic sand can be easily molded into all sorts of fun shapes. This set comes with some "baking tools" so they can make cookies and cupcakes to start. Sensory toys like kinetic sand are also great for soothing overstimulated kids.

A Disney+ subscription to watch their favorite movies

Subscribe for $6.99/month or $69.99/year

Get unlimited access to movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and 20th Century Fox. Read everything there is to know about Disney+ over here. And if you need some binge-spiration, here are all the new movies available to stream.

A city they can build themselves

Arckit Play Little Architect, available at Maisonette, $69

With 130 pieces of all different shapes, kids can create the pastel-colored city of their dreams with this STEAM toy.

A festive pair of pajamas

Rainbow Heart PJ Top, available at Primary, $16

Rainbow Heart PJ Pant, available at Primary, $16

Any kid will love getting these cozy pajamas with a festive twist in the form of lots and lots of colorful hearts. 

A heartfelt book you've filled out

"What I Love About You by Me" Book, available at Barnes & Noble, $9.95

Give your kid a book filled with all of the reasons you love and appreciate them. They can look back on it whenever they need a little reminder that they're awesome. 

A fuzzy, decorative pillow

Heart Faux Fur & Velvet Throw Pillow, available at Target, $16.99

Show your kids you "heart" them with this heart-shaped decorative pillow that adds a warm and fuzzy touch to their bed. 

A rainbow silk streamer

Sarah's Silks Rainbow Silk Streamer, available at Amazon, $12.95

Kids love using their imaginations, which makes something as simple as a rainbow silk a great gift. Whether they use it for twirling, dancing, or playing dress-up, they'll have fun getting creative with it.

A festive and funny book

"Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentime" by Barbara Park, available at Amazon, $4.24

Junie B. Jones is an iconic and hilarious Kindergartner that kids love. Little ones have been reading her series for over 25 years! Any tiny bookworm will love working on their reading skills with this funny story about Junie B. Jones navigating "Valentime's Day".

A rainbow scratch-off note pad

Melissa & Doug Scratch Art Box of Rainbow Mini Notes, available at Amazon, $8.99

A note pad doesn't seem all that exciting, unless you give them this one. Once they scratch off the black coating, a bright rainbow pattern will be revealed. They can use it to write notes or just create fun drawings. 

Crayons that are customized with their name

Personalized Rainbow Name Crayons, available at Etsy, from $19.95

Show your love for a young artist in your life with a personalized gift. Coloring gets a lot more fun with these giant rainbow crayons that spell out their name. 

A challenging LEGO set

LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle, available at Amazon, $85.43

This LEGO set is a challenging and fun way for kids to work on their building and problem-solving skills. 

An inspiring poster

Heroic Girls in Books Poster, available at Uncommon Goods, $29

Inspire your kids, no matter their gender, with this cute poster, featuring 100 inspiring women characters from great books. 

A heart-shaped teether

Chewbeads Brooklyn Teether, available at Amazon, $14.50

On theme for Valentine's Day, this teether — which features silicone and wood parts — can be attached to strollers and car seats so babies are distracted from the discomfort of teething.

A snuggly teddy that turns into a hoodie

Cubcoats hoodies, available at Cubcoats, from $35

What looks like an adorable stuffed animal at first glance can be rolled out into a full-sized, fuzzy hoodie. Kids will be so excited when they realize they can take their favorite snuggly toy with them everywhere they go. 

Read our full review here.

A singing pillow inspired by a viral song

WowWee Baby Shark Official Song Cube, available at Amazon, $12.99

Kids are constantly singing a song about baby sharks — we don't know why, but it seems like they're really into it. Give them this plush cube that sings four different versions of "Baby Shark" so they can listen to the viral song all the time.

A playset for an aspiring baker

Melissa and Doug Slice and Bake Cookie Set, available at Target and Walmart, from $15.79

Start little bakers off with a wooden slice and bake cookie set. They can use the knife to slice through the cookie "tube" and mix and match the icing toppings. 

Recommended ages: 3 years and up

A craft kit for making sweet cards

Kid Made Modern Valentines Craft Kit, available at Amazon and Maisonette, from $16.99

Make home decorations or little love notes with these art supplies, from gel pens to metallic paper and more. The popsicle sticks and felt hearts are perfect for handmade valentines, but the crafting can continue long after February 14.

Recommended ages: 6 years and up

A tee to spell out how you feel

ABC I Love You Shirt, available at Etsy, $21.94

This love-themed baseball tee is sweet and neutral enough to wear year round. Stick with red and white, or choose from a variety of color combinations.

Available sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL

A colorful slime pack

Elmer's 20 Count Mini Premade Slime Party Pack, available at Amazon, Target, and Walmart, from $14.99

For a slime super-fan, nothing says love like 20 jars of premade slime. Each slime comes with a set of mix-ins for even more gooey fun. 

Recommended ages: 3 years and up

A toy full of surprises

Zuru Mini Brands Double Pack, available at Amazon, $13.99

Surprise them with Mini Brands and let the unboxing joy begin. Plus, in this two-pack, collectors have double the chances to find a rare gold or glow-in-the-dark Mini Brand.

Recommended ages: 3 years and up