Are you into making money through writing how-to articles? Then, probably you’ve already heard or you’re already a member of either or both of these websites that allow writers to earn from submitting articles – eHow.com and Associated Content . Not yet? Read on.
While checking out some new blogging jobs over at the Problogger job board, one ad caught my attention because of my obsession with bulleted lists and how-to types of writeups. It’s an ad from eHow.com inviting writers to join its Writer Compensation Program. It immediately reminded me of Associated Content, which also pays writers to submit their written work.
Although similar in agenda, the two have considerable differences:
Sign Up Stage
Signing up for both of these programs is quite easy and won’t take you more than a few minutes. But if you’re not from the US, the social security number requirement from eHow might pose as a setback. I don’t know how to deal with the SSN requirement so I stopped there. Associated Content doesn’t have any requirement
But from just reading the FAQ’s of both sites, I’ve learned the following information on how you can make money from submitting articles:
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There are certain topics (niche market) that you should write a lot about to earn a decent amount of money. Both sites update their members about the most requested topics.
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The more articles you write and traffic that your articles receive, the more chances of earning more.
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Using SEO techniques can work wonders in getting your articles more pageviews.
eHow’s Writer Compensation Program looks easier to earn from though because according to the FAQ’s, your article will go live immediately after submitting it while Associated Content makes a writer wait for a few days for the article’s approval.
Show Me the Money
As to how you get paid and the basis of payment, here’s the deal:
eHOw
The payment gets processed via PayPal and is done before the end of the following month.
Q. What is my payment based on?
A. You get paid per article. Your article’s earning potential can be based on a combination of several elements, including the amount of times it’s been viewed and its category. The more useful your articles are to the reader, the more money you could make.
Associated Content
The payment is processed via PayPal, too. However, usually payments are sent every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (except for holidays).
The amount of money you make at Associated Content is unlimited. All of the content you publish can earn you money via performance payments, which pays you $1.50 for every thousand page views your content receives. Some Content Producers earn hundreds of dollars per month in performance payments alone. In addition, sometimes we might make an upfront payment offer for your text or video content (offers range from $3 – 20).
Conclusion
Associated Content’s upfront payment for articles is clearly what killed eHow. However, eHow may not be far from cooking up something similar.
I started submitting articles to Associated Content a few weeks ago. And so far, my two articles earned me a whopping 8 cents! I’m not complaining because I haven’t yet exhausted the means to make the most out of these programs. But if I can find more time to compose useful articles on most-requested topics, I’m thinking that participating in programs like these can be great sources
Have you signed up for these programs yet? If so, what do you think of them? Got any tips to share?
Great overview.
I write for AC and have been thinking about ehow, but with AC, I almost always get an upfront payment and am also doing pretty well on the page view bonus.
Since articles go live right away on ehow, to me that says there is no upfront pay, which makes AC better in terms of pay.
It seems that with ehow I may have to work harder to get page views, while with AC, articles pop up in google, live, yahoo (and others) search results all the time.
Almost every time I search for something online, an AC article pops up somewhere in the results, usually near the top.
However, I don’t come across nearly as many ehow articles, so I’m inclined to believe that ehow would be best for submitting non-exclusive content already published on AC or elsewhere.
I published an article in eHow and liked the way it went, but when I set out to sign up for payments I discovered that the page they use to collect my tax information was not secure. I thought it strange, so I used the eHow “contact us” link to inquire about alternative methods of signing up. No response… I guess they are too busy selling advertising to bother.
those are very good sites. There is another site that pays members for content. wyplanet.com or http://www.wyplanet.com
This sounds like a writing sweatshop to me. A few dollars PER article?! As a young freelancer, I typically make between .50-$1 PER WORD, and that is on the low end of the spectrum. I can’t understand what would propel someone to do this, other than a burning need to see one’s name in print. I am not trying to be aggressive, I just feel that as a writer you shouldn’t sell yourself short.
Nice article. Very informative. For more regarding this issue, visit this site – http://www.5min.com/Video/What-is-Associated-Content-3670629
Nice write-up on the differences betweeen AC and eHow.com!
I’ve been publishing on AC for almost two years now, and recently launched The AC Daily (www.theacdaily.com) to showcase some the talent on the site, and provide tips for writers at all skill levels. When you know what topics to write about, and how to write QUALITY articles, the payoff can be substantial.
Associated Content (AC) allows the Content Producer (CP) to be as productive as they want. While the upfront payments are small the potential for payment from page views is significant if the CP wants to spend the time marketing their work.
Associated Content (AC) allows the Content Producer (CP) to be as productive as they want. While the upfront payments are small the potential for payment from page views is significant if the CP wants to spend the time marketing their work. For an example of a typical article go to: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/539383/how_to_make_a_unique_frame_for_your.html
Sabah is right and her AC Daily site is wonderful.
I have gotten some great upfront payments as well as page view bonuses from AC.
By the way, Mommy2Lots above is me, too.
I think you oughta give eHow a try. The whole concept of stationing user generated content on the site is fairly new on the site. If you’ve seen the original eHow, it was all content provided by hired writers. Just last year, eHow opened the site to the public to contribute their own How To articles. It never hurts to just give it a try. I’ve heard positive feedback thus far and, plus, it’s quite easy to write the articles since they are instructional and step-by-step. The articles contributed get indexed high on the search engines for the nature of the article is resourceful.
[...] eHow.com and Associated Content can be pretty lucrative if you’ve got some time and ability. This site lays out the differences between the two in depth. Skill needed (1-10) – 7 Time involvement (1-10) [...]
I currently use Associated content and recently started. Already I’ve made around 25 dollars from upfront payments after about 2 days of some writing. I find it fairly easy and rejected articles are given advice on how to resubmit or make more acceptable.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/176493/shane_mccray.html
Thanks for the interesting comparison. I believe all freelance content producers want to make money for their efforts. However, there are reasons other than money why people write for social media sites like Associated Content or eHow:
1. I do not have a Journalism degree or formal writing training that is needed to make big money, but I do have an MBA and expertise in certain areas. My reason for joining AC a year ago was to explore my interest in writing and test my ability to produce quality content and photos.
2. The name of the game in social media is volume and advertising. My questions: Can I find a focus of interest from a universe of genres and niche topics that will lead me to bigger earnings opportunities? Will I find hidden talents?
Will my AC portfolio of content be a good resume for proving I can attract advertisers, since I have no other writing education/experience on my resume?
It is also important to look at earnings from a social media site over time, since this is where the opportunity is to earn bigger money. I can analyze my AC portfolio of articles each week to see which articles are still bringing in page views. This is important if you want to narrow your niche rather than just producing content for the day’s top searches on Google. If content does not continue to produce money over time – what is the point?
FYI – I have produced 315 articles and 3 slideshows on AC. To date, I have earned $1764 for articles and won a $1000 contest prize for best AC slideshow in 2007. These combined earnings put me at an average of $8.69 per piece. At around 600 words per article, this breaks down to around $.014 per word.
This is not exactly what Rynn (above) earns per word, but when I started at AC – I was so green at writing for the Internet, I was lucky to be offered $3 for an article. I am happy with my progress at becoming a better writer and hopefully we can all move to the next level one day.
Best wishes,
Aly Adair
I have just been playing around with Associated Content for about nine months. I maybe write about ten articles a week. I only get turned down on upfront payment for about one a week. After you submit at least three articles, they are pretty good on accepting most anything of a relevant and interesting topic you might submit. I began making about 4 to 5 an article, and am almost consistanly making 6 now. I do not do any SEO searchers or I could make more. i just write on what interests me. IF you can put the time in, and magamize your money by search word, your earnings are limiteless on AC. I probably make around $150 a month, just toying with it. Think what I could do if i was serious? I’ve tried other outlets, Helium, E How, Constant Content, and I can guarnetee that AC is the only sure way I have found to make money online. I know people who make a living off of Associated Content. They are fair, and I have never had a problem with payment. After three months on pay pal, pay pal gives you a debit card, so I get paid via a debit card now. I get about $50 a month in page views. NOt bad for doing nothing. Think what I could make if I took it seriously. Try Ac
I just published an article on ehow to promote my business, http://barefootstudent.com.
It was an article on starting a moving business while in college. Pretty simple, you can see it at http://www.ehow.com/how_2277366_start-moving-business-college.html. Anyway, within 20 minutes it was indexed in Google and I found it in a search. Don’t know about making money from writing articles but instant seo!
From reading the comments listed above, the bottom line is pretty clear.
If you’re interested in writing you might pursue this as a fun project and you can pick up some spare change along the way.
If you’re interested in making money, don’t bother. Any minimum-wage job pays better.
I signed up for an ehow account April 1, 2008. I have made to date $360.00, not bad for someone who is not an expert in writing. It may be a fluke but I will take it. I only have 30 articles written so far and I think my quality end of the articles need to improve but the content is pretty good. I have not considered AC or even been to the website but I think the idea of having to resubmit your articles is great, that could be a great learning tool.
I have signed up for AC but never submitted a article. I have been part of ehow for a couple months and have had great success. I have made over $1000 through ehow by submitting articles about things I know about. I do not spend hardly anytime through promotion, I let the articles promote themselves. I find each member has a different story, it is really about finding the best market for your subject area. Ehow just happens to be the place for me. Your welcome to check out my profile. http://www.ehow.com/members/amylaine.html
[...] eHow – A content site where writers can make money online. [...]
[...] See: Associated Content vs eHow Writer Tags: content, eHow, writer resources, writers, writingShare This Related StoriesAssociated Content [...]
I think ehow is great. It’s so easy, the articles seem to promote themselves. I have been writing on ehow for 6 months and have done pretty well. When I publish an article I’m featured in the “featured members” box that’s on every single page on the site, you can’t beat that. It pays to write for ehow.
http://www.ehow.com/members/dalady.html
AC has added many more improvements since I posted here last and I am doing really well on there. Ac keeps me pretty busy lately and because of AC, I have been discovered by other venues as well.
Also, AC often gets requests from other sources, which they call their partners, and those pay higher than the average article that gets posted directly to AC.
Plus, existing AC articles (and new ones which you choose to be) can be picked up for distribution to other sites, which gives a bit of extra payout, too.
There are now numerous ways to make money on AC and if you are committed, write well, and keyword decent, you can make a good amount of money.
Thank you so much for this comparison.
I am looking to write articles to showcase my small business credit expertise, and found this helpful!
Ehow all the way. If you can find the big hit articles you can do very well. Check these out:
http://www.ehow.com/members/mattgeorgia.html
I find I like Associated Content when you can nail the high traffic articles. It is fairly low pay, but how easy it is to get going I think helps to encourage young writers, and if you know how to use marketing and links, AC is great to use in conjunction with other resources.
Bright Hub is another site I highly recommend checking out, they pay $10 upfront for each article published. They do have a writer application process however as long as you have knowledge in one of their 30 science or technology channels and can writing English you shouldn’t have a problem getting in. Their website URL is http://www.brighthub.com
Great article! I just found out about eHow’s program and was looking to see how much they pay per article. They never stated it during the sign up and I thought it was a little odd considering they wanted very personal information from me. I’m glad I found this read. I think I’ll stick to AC from now on.
I only write about 5 articles per week and I’ve been signed up for a few months. I’ve already written 37 articles and made $140 so far. I’m still expecting $3 from page views. I don’t really advertise my articles at all. I bet if I did I would make more per month.
I forgot! Check out my page!
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1043714/fruitarianism_the_pros_and_cons.html
Hello everyone! Thank you so much for the information. I have found it extremely helpful. Have a great day and I hope to be writing articles soon.
I have tried them both and I don’t think any is worth it. I think Associated Content is a little better than eHow, but not by much. Amylaine, I know you from eHow and you’re always adding people there. You write like crazy as well, so that’s why you earned $1000 but I bet it took you quite a while.
Good opening article, and as with many online writing sites it’s always good to look around and see which sites are most suited to your skills, talent, and writing style. Thanks for the post!
I started writing articles for ehow 2 days ago on 10/14/08. It is relatively easy and you can choose to write an article on any subject, or select to write specifically on one of the requested articles. eHow’s information on it’s payment structure is not clear – there is now info on how many page views are required to earn money. There is some money to be made, but if the money is the primary reason you are submitting articles, don’t expect a big payout right up front. But given time and commitment this is a good way for the amateur writer to make a few bucks and to hone your skills.
my comment before should have read “there is NO info on how many page views are required to earn money.” Thank goodness for places like ehow and AC where I can hone my writing skills! Check out my first two articles on ehow at: http://www.ehow.com/how_4547630_check-warrants-free.html and http://www.ehow.com/how_4545639_reduce-credit-card-debt.html. I’ve had 60 page views in less than 2 days with no marketing – so this definitely has possibilities. Drop questions at theproblempool.com
I haven’t found a better place to write and make money then Bright Hub. They give you $10 for each article.. it’s freaking awesome! So far I’ve written 23 articles which means I’ll be getting at least $230.. plus they pay you for page view revenue. It’s awesome!!
Amy – thanks for the info. I will check out Bright Hub and report back.
I have written for eHow for a year now and it is the best. I tell everyone I know to sign up and start writing. The passive income is the key. Long after you write the how to article it continues to make you money years later.
I’ve been a member of Associated Content for a while, and I love it. At the end of this article, the author asks for some tips to share, and I do! You can look at my tips on how to make the most from Associated Content here, at http://www.savedpennies.com/?p=243
I think my most important tip is never write about anything local. The upfront payment may be higher because it might be original content, but articles about local attractions barely get any views, so in the long run, it’s just not worth it.
ehow.com is better, i have wrote 29 articles, and stared on october 28,2008 and my months earning were $170.28, WOW,. you see i kind stumbled upon the “KEY” to earn more money about 1 1/2 weeks ago….
Visit my ehow page and click on some of my article, then join read, and earn
Trust me: ehow is better, alot,
It’s been months since I first commented. I have tried AC but the returns has been minimal. My ehow has taken off and earning has been great. Yes I do believe it takes a couple of moths before earning add up, but they do with a little practice to find what works for you.
Great article!
I have submitted the same articles to my blog, AC and eHow to see where I would earn more and eHow wins hands down. I also started writing on Bukisa but really only as a way add to link to my eHow articles, which is good because I’m only making pennies there.
From my experience so far, writing on these sites has been a good for makng extra money but not good enought to be my only source of income. If anyone is curious, these are my eHow articles:
http://www.ehow.com/members/cheapcindy-articles.html
I signed up for both. Thanks for this article. It’s motivating me to write!
Great post!
I am disappointed in AC, I signed up and wrote a few articles and have never received upfront payment. My article was declined although I see other articles with the same content. I consider myself a fairly good writer so I don’t understand why. I’ve also read about how there are people on AC that will plagiarize or submit other people’s work and they still get paid for it! What a joke. I tried logging into my account a few days ago and something is wrong with my login. I even contacted AC and they finally got back to me saying I need to clear my cookies…..They don’t deserve to have my work that I worked hard on on their site.
I have been a member with ehow for a few months. I made about $12.00 the first month, $22.00 the second and $49.87 the third. I only have about 19 articles on there and have done absolutely nothing else to promote them. Although I do have a major complaint. I have not been able to log into my account in a long time. I cannot write articles nor can I respond to any comments. I am very frustrated with them because I have emailed at least 30 times and have not gotten any help other than them telling me to clear my cookies and cache which I’ve done and guess what….nope it didn’t work.
I just signed up with AC and I already write for eHow. I can not stand eHow. I have been with them for over 2 years and they really need help. They have very unprofessional staff and the members always and I mean always seem to be aggressive towards every one else. It’s more stressful than it needs to be. A lot of kiss a** towards certain members just because they claim they make a lot of money every month. I don’t even go to the forum anymore. It’s gotten very old. very is used lightly I’m also sick and tired of seeing “why haven’t the pay updated yet?” over and over in one day in different parts of the forums.
I was looking for another place to write because as much as every member there says, “I make blah blah a month” usually over 1000′s of dollars, that might be (doubt it), but with the way eHow is doing things, deleting content without warning, deleting accounts without warning, screwing up accounts, and ads – I could go on and on, but hey, why bore you- you have to work extra hard on finding the correct SEO for Each and Every article you submit. It is very time consuming. Others claim it isn’t, but I know it is.
I was there before they even started the WEO program. It wasn’t as hard before it started, but once they started, because money is involved, it was like having to pick and choose just the right words, or your ads would be about something completely off the mark -and if that’s the case, you wouldn’t make any money. Now they’re saying (ehow staff) members have to comment, rate, recommend and write more articles to even get paid, at all, of any range. If you don’t participate, then you don’t get ratings and money for your articles. It’s become a racket where you work for nothing but given a little piece of cheese to make you feel you’re getting something.
They all and I mean all say “It’s the content of the article.” I completely disagree. They have people on there they’ve marked “expert” they don’t know a hole in the ground!! I have been waiting for the lawsuit complaints.
That site, eHow, since this main post was written, has become a lot worse.
The 1099 that was to be sent to those that are members of the WCP program, didn’t get it until around the 20th of Feb. when it’s supposed to be filed by the end of the month of Feb. They wait until the very last minute to send it out, and there are still some that didn’t even get it at all, and they made way above the amount to get it. They had to file without it. There was a lot of complaints on that issue alone.
If you need help from the staff, good luck with that. You’ll be lucky to hear from them at all, on anything unless you offer money. (I know, I’ve tried) I got a faster response with my legal name, than with my alias.
The only thing and I mean only thing nice about eHow I’d have to say, if asked, I would have to say – nothing. I have deleted my files before, closed my account, made a new one, and started again because I couldn’t find anything else to write for. I write for leisure and eHow makes it seem like it’s supposed to be a job due to all the freaked out members “why haven’t the ratings and views and money updated yet?!?!?!” and on and on about things that you would think these people have nothing else to do.
I recommend if you want stress, want to waste your time, hang out with chowder heads, write for basically nothing (even when you have great ads and high view clicks) – check it out. They suck, but check it out.
That’s my view on it. I am sure there are others that feel this way, but for some freaked out reason, they won’t say…I guess maybe they think eHow will come and kick their a** or something and probably think they are the only site to write for and maybe they feel they own them. They do in some way, make you feel that way.
Those that do have a “great” experience, it’s only because they kiss a** with the staff and other members (and I do mean that)….
For me, that’s not worth my time, at all. I’d rather give my husband a job then some stranger.
They only have an A in BBB because they don’t have to touch the payments – they’re sent auto. If they had to, they would have a much lower score I’m sure. With the IRS though, that’s another story. They had so many complaints dealing with them this past year, my accountant advised me to seek my “hobby” elsewhere – that they won’t last. The IRS will see to it.
Just some food for thought. No matter how harsh it is. Sorry couldn’t be brighter, but No One can polish a turd, no matter how hard you shine!
I have written for both. However, at the moment I am only writing for eHow. I suppose it’s just a matter of personal preference.
I have just written 5 articles for E-how. I’ve only had about 38 hits in total and my earnings are $0. I would really like to know how many hits they need before I earn money. I write for a web company and get paid 5-10 cents per word plus extras. I wnt to know if these articles are worth it? The main reason I started doing it was to promote my site http://www.familyfriendlylasvegas.com.
Pepita, ehow is a site where they (not Google Adsense) base your earnings on how many friends you have, recommendations that you have, how many people you talk to, on how many you have recommend and how many articles you have (and the articles have to be up to their standards -they’ve changed their rules around without even letting you know what they are (they aren’t even in the TOS/Guidelines); so once you write something, it’s the luck of the draw if it’ll stay on ehow or not -and if it doesn’t, they will claim you are plagirising or spamming someone- and then have one of their editors re-write your article). <almost all members (those that aren’t brainwashed; have complained about this)
So… Once you have all that, then you’ll see a kick in your views. The views you’re getting right now, are from your “friends”. The “staff” claim what I just said, is all untrue, but if you’ll read the forums, they bluntly state it, even in the TOS about your earnings and how to get them -but not the new “rules”, in other words, things that benefit them, not you, are listed in the rules.
…So, if you have over 100 friends, and over 100 recommendations, along with over 100 articles, written friends, recommended them, you’ll start making some ‘Okay’ money. I will point this out though, there are a few on there that claim that they make over 1,000 dollars a month. I was a smart ass and looked it up…ehow is only budgeted to give out $600.00 this year (’09) in ad revenue. In ’07 they were only budgeted to give $900.00; which this means, if you talk in the forum or anywhere else there, be aware that most (if not all) of those people that “write” there, think they’re the Bomb -they lie; and this includes the staff. I am being honest here. Maybe too honest, but it’s best to hear it like it is, then sugar coat it….you’re wasting your time there, and talents.
I left when I noticed how things didn’t match up, how they claimed to make so much money, when they can’t (the budget)- this information is public knowledge. How most that have been there a little while make it seem that they are “real” writers, but all they do is write ‘how to’ articles. I got tired of the spam. Your “friends” will write you about checking out their stuff, and people that just join to send you other types of spam. The ‘staff’ is unprofessional. They do not handle anything. You write to complain about someone ‘stalking’ you; or bothering you or anything else that would cause you to have to take time away from there, they ignore you, even if you write through the emails you get at Whois site. <that’s how bad it got there, and I kept to myself!!! I had to go to the Whois site to find out who ran ehow and get in touch with them…and still today, NO Reply!!
When tax time comes…you won’t get your tax info until 9 days until you have to file. With 1099′s you have to have them in by Feb. 29th (or 28th -whatever the date is in the end of Feb) and ehow sends your info out no earlier than Feb. 20th. This is their “rule”. They wait until the very last minute to send it out. And if you make $10.00, with ehow, you might or might not get one. I don’t know if you want to file it on your return or not. They have you up and down saying you don’t get one if you make so and so, and then say you do, then again you don’t and this is the members because the staff never talk to you only to say some crap that isn’t even helpful….you don’t know if you’ll get one or not….it’s a waste of your stress level.
My honest advice, do not waste your stress energy, health and talents writing for them. I had written for them for 2 and half years. I quit this new year and I am exteremly happy I did. I took my actual talents to a real site that does what it says and when I checked them out with my attorney and accountant, they came back with a report that made me embarrassed on how stupid I was to stick with ehow as long as I did. My attorney did actually tell me that I was wasting my time.
My accountant said that I’d be lucky not to be audited in 09. The IRS had a lot of complaints this past year on ehow, about their 1099′s.
Other than all the negative, the only thing you can take away from ehow….
maybe, just maybe, if you’ll do everything they ask (considering they seem to think their the only site you can write for, out there) and do it to a “T”, and I strongly say to a “T”, then you’ll make some extra money, but don’t expect to do like a handful on their say “I quit my day job!”. Like I said, I got tired of hearing it, and checked it out. They can’t make the money they claim when ehow is only budgeted to give out so much, and between all the members they have, there is no way they could make the money they claim.
Anyway, just be aware that there are a lot on that site that are full of themselves, thinking they are the ‘sh*t’ because they write how to articles and that they paid someone to publish a book for them….it will get very sickening…you’ll need some meds just to get through it.
Just being very honest.
Wow, thanks for the advice. Fortunately I have a good writing job and was using Ehow to boost my own web site ratings. It was fun writing the articles though and I would like to do more. Can you recommend a site that will actually pay me some money for these articles?
You’re welcome…I read over what I said, and I had some type-o’s! blah.
I would use Triond or AC for that instead of ehow. You will get better coverage and with both of those places, you can write about what ever you feel.
Triond has a bigger budget than AC, but they are both way, and I mean way up there past ehow’s budget…so you’d get more coverage and money.
AC gets promoted a lot on television (& radio, I believe) a lot, so they get a lot of coverage. I have been writing for them since Feb. when I quit ehow and I only have 5 articles. I haven’t felt like writing much…but I have way over 600 views.
With ehow, if I had 5 articles, I would only have about 80 views or so. I was testing both out at the same time before I officially quit them. Ehow claims they have good coverage, but the only coverage they get is through Google and maybe a hint in the news when they use it for a small story. The story isn’t about them, just something they use ehow for. But with AC, the story is about them, not just using them for something in the story…so needless to say, I’ve done some research. I got tired of being smoked.
Triond, like AC, has very nice people in the forums and staff. Although with AC, they don’t contact you back, they just fix what it is you have a problem with. They do what they say, just don’t let you know “its fixed”.
I feel with the 3, ehow, AC and Triond….now I may be blunt here, but this is just my opinion, although a lot agree with me…
ehow is the troubled kids school for those in special classes and/or needs
Triond is the Tech school where you go to make something out of yourself
AC is the school for gifted and smart ones
You can see this yourself in the member forums and in the article writing.
There are other writing sites out there, and I’ve tried almost all of them out..but as the 3 here…I’d go with AC (1st) and/or Triond (2nd)