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Ghacks Review

Depends

Should I use Ghacks?

Not disclosed - ghacks.net

· 4 weeks ago

Ghacks is a free, ad-supported tech news blog, not software — there is nothing to buy, deploy, or integrate. Read it if you track Windows and Firefox tweaks; skip it if you need a supported product or stable editorial ownership.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~20 public sources. Key caveat: this is a tech news blog, not a software product, so product-fit scoring is limited.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security postureNo relevant findings in sources

Pricing

Free

Reading the site

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Windows power users
  • Firefox privacy tweakers
  • Sysadmins tracking Patch Tuesday
  • RSS-based tech news readers

Not for

  • Anyone shopping for software — it's a blog, not a tool
  • Buyers needing vendor support or SLAs
  • r/firefox regulars — the domain is banned there
  • Teams wanting stable editorial ownership

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Ownership changed again in 2026 — tone, ad load, and coverage may shift without notice

medium

Ghacks Deals is affiliate-driven; offers come from third-party marketplaces, not Ghacks itself

medium

r/firefox banned the domain; some communities dispute its accuracy

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Running since 2005 with a long Windows/Firefox archive
  • Free to read
  • Known for the Firefox hardening template
  • Cited by sysadmins and AskWoody for patch and Defender coverage

Cons

  • Not a product: nothing to deploy, integrate, or buy
  • Under new ownership again as of January 2026
  • Banned as a source on r/firefox
  • Comment quality has deteriorated, per sysadmin readers
  • Only one Trustpilot review; little reputation data

Sources & method

- 8 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x2review x3news x3

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 8

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free to read
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Standard blog, no learning curve
  • Feature depth: 2/5. News site: articles, comments, deals only
  • Support quality: 2/5. No support function; comments degraded
  • Security posture. No relevant findings in sources
  • 2005 Founded By Martin Brinkmann
  • Free Cost Ad-supported, plus affiliate 'Deals'
  • 1 Trustpilot reviews Too thin to rate
  • $601.5K Projected annual spend Crunchbase estimate; small operation

Pricing

Reading the site

Free

  • News, analysis, comments
  • Ad-supported
  • Ghacks Deals affiliate offers

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Readers value the Windows and Firefox coverage but question the site's direction, moderation, and ownership churn.

“Why ghacks<dot>net is banned on the subreddit?”
Reddit, r/firefox
“What's happened to the comments on GHacks?”
Reddit, r/sysadmin
“What's Going On at Ghacks?”
Reddit, r/browsers

Alternatives

Compare Ghacks with each alternative.

  • Lifehacker

    Top-rated general tech tips alternative

  • AskWoody

    Deeper Windows patching analysis, frequent Ghacks collaborator

    Ghacks vs AskWoody

  • ghacks-user.js on GitHub

    Firefox hardening config directly, no news site needed

Full analysis

Based on ~20 public sources. Key caveat: this is a tech news blog, not a software product, so product-fit scoring is limited.

Free tech news blog since 2005, not a product. Good Windows/Firefox coverage; ownership just churned again.

Methodology

Based on ~20 public sources. Key caveat: this is a tech news blog, not a software product, so product-fit scoring is limited.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Ghacks — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    news
  2. gHacks homepageghacks.net
    official
  3. Ghacks.net is under new ownership (again) — AskWoodyaskwoody.com
    news
  4. Why ghacks.net is banned on the subreddit? — Reddit r/firefoxreddit.com
    review
  5. What's happened to the comments on GHacks? — Reddit r/sysadminreddit.com
    review
  6. Ghacks Trustpilot reviewstrustpilot.com
    review
  7. Ghacks.net — Crunchbase profilecrunchbase.com
    news
  8. ghacks-user.js — GitHubgithub.com
    official

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