How We Review Software

The rule that comes first

We do not rate software we haven't used.

Every product with a rating on this site has a real account behind it, a real test, and original screenshots. We don't rate from marketing pages, feature matrices, or other people's reviews.

If we haven't tested it, it either doesn't appear or it appears clearly marked as "not yet tested."

What we test

Each product is evaluated hands-on against six dimensions:

| Dimension | Weight | What we're assessing | |---|---:|---| | Core capability | 30% | Does it do the main job well? | | Usability | 20% | Time to first useful result; how much training it needs | | Pricing & value | 20% | Real total cost, including add-ons and required tiers | | Integrations | 15% | Does it fit a real stack, or create an island? | | Support & docs | 10% | Response quality; whether documentation answers real questions | | Scalability | 5% | Does it survive growth, or force a migration? |

Scores are 1–5 on each dimension, weighted to a single rating out of 5.

How we test

We use a real account on a paid tier where the free tier isn't representative.

We run a standard task set appropriate to the category — for a CRM, that means importing contacts, building a pipeline, automating a follow-up, and pulling a report. The same tasks across every product in the category, so comparisons mean something.

We record time-to-value — how long from signup to the first genuinely useful output.

We test support by submitting a real question and timing the response.

We verify pricing directly from the vendor's own pricing page, including what's hidden behind "contact sales."

Comparisons

For any "X vs Y" page, both products are tested. We won't compare a product we've used against one we've only read about. If we can't test both, we don't publish the comparison.

Last Verified

Software pricing and features change constantly. Every product page carries a Last Verified date. We re-verify pricing quarterly.

If a page's date looks stale to you, treat the pricing as indicative and check the vendor directly — and let us know so we can move it up the queue.

What disqualifies a rating

• We couldn't get a working account
• The vendor restricted our testing
• The product changed materially mid-test
• We couldn't verify pricing

In each case we say so rather than publishing a guess.

Commercial independence

Ratings are set before any commercial relationship is considered. Commission rates play no part in scoring or ranking. Many of our top picks earn us nothing, and we say so on the page.

Full detail: affiliate disclosure and how we make money.

Disagree with a rating?

Tell us why. If you're a vendor and you think we got something factually wrong, send the specifics and we'll re-test. We correct errors; we don't remove accurate criticism. Contact us.