LinkStash is a bookmarks and favorites manager that promises to be your one-stop for all of your link saving needs. The program is offered on a trial period of 30 days, after which a license must be purchased if you want to keep using it.
Installation & Requirements
The setup is quite comprehensive, offering quite a lot of options to the user. The installation lets you choose between the full and portable versions, a very welcome option. You can also choose to assign the .lns format to the program which you should as it is LinkStash-exclusive. The program supports all versions of Windows from version 2000 and later on both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.
Interface
I am always glad to see first-time setup wizards as it shows the developers have put extra care into ensuring all users will be able to use the program to its maximum potential. LinkStash’s wizard offers simple but very important options like choosing your default browser, setting a location in which bookmarks will be saved, importing bookmarks from your other browsers and installing an IE toolbar, a feature most people will not really need.
After the neat setup has been configured the user is immediately redirected to the main interface of the program. The design is fairly outdated and follows old-school philosophies although that is not really a bad thing here. For example, the toolbar near the top offers tons of options that you would otherwise have to dig through in cluttered menus. Not that those do not exist here but at least you have a variety of options to choose from. Although the menus seem too cluttered for my tastes, others might find the ability to configure everything from a single place much more pleasant.
The thing I could not quite put my finger on at the beginning was the target crowd of the application. I kind of doubt that casual users will have the need of such a comprehensive bookmarks manager and power users might prefer free alternatives. Of course, the program offers things like encryption for your bookmarks, a password generator and a wall in the form of a master password that obviously offers a lot of security that most managers are sorely missing.
If you use hundreds of bookmarks, the program will be pretty much a blessing. Links can be categorized in a variety of ways, including color coding and star ratings that make navigation just that much easier. Having the bookmarks of all your browsers in one place is also extremely convenient, especially if you regularly use two or more browsers for work or entertainment purposes. The application can really help with the workflow as it provides a center from which you are redirected to your intended places on the Internet very quickly.
Pros
-Very useful setup wizard
-A myriad of configuration options
-Deep security features
-Ability to import and manage bookmarks from all popular browsers
-Color-coding and other categorizing utilities
Cons
-Outdated and clunky interface
Conclusion
If you are willing to shell out the cash needed for LinkStash and you are demanding about your bookmarks then you will surely get your money’s worth out of the program. Getting past the outdated interface is easy when pretty much everything else is well designed.
