Our Research Methodology

Every guide on this site follows the same process so you get consistent, useful and honest information.

1. Category definition

We start from real buyer intent and search demand, then define a category tightly enough to be useful. We separate industry-specific software from functional B2B categories so you don’t land on a page that mixes two different jobs.

2. Feature and buyer research

For each category we identify the buyer, the jobs the software must do, must-have versus nice-to-have features, and how vendors typically price. This comes from vendor documentation, product trials where available, public reviews and category expertise.

3. How we score — two honest numbers

On comparison pages we show two separate scores, and we never invent either one:

• User rating is the real aggregated score from public review sites (such as Capterra, G2 or Trustpilot). We report the figure and review count as published, link to the source, and date when we captured it. We do not average sources into a made-up number or inflate ratings.
• Our score is a transparent editorial rubric out of 100, based on public information, documentation and recurring themes in real reviews — not a paid placement and not a claim that we lab-tested every product. It weighs: features & depth (30), ease of use (20), value & pricing transparency (20), support (15) and scalability/fit (15).

Because our score reflects a specific buyer’s needs (often the independent, small-to-mid operator), a well-known market leader may rank below a leaner tool that serves that buyer better. That is intentional and is the point of independent research.

We do not publish invented star ratings, claim to have tested products we haven’t, or copy vendor marketing copy.

4. Pricing honesty

Software pricing changes constantly and is often custom. We describe pricing models and general market ranges, and we always tell you to confirm current pricing with the vendor. Ballpark figures are context, not quotes.

5. Review cadence

Each guide shows a last-reviewed date. We revisit pages as categories evolve, products change, and we gather more first-hand evidence.

6. Boundaries with our specialist sites

When a vertical has a dedicated independent guide (see Featured Guides), we link to it instead of publishing a competing ranking here.