Methodology
How we test.
Published in full so you can judge the conclusion by the process that produced it.
The sequence
Every review follows the same order. The order matters: the rubric is fixed before the product is opened, so the test can't quietly reshape itself around whatever the tool happens to be good at.
- Pick a real buyer question. Something an agency owner is actually deciding this month, not a topic chosen for search volume.
- Verify the commercial facts first. Current pricing, plan boundaries, and the product version, each recorded with the date and source URL.
- Write the rubric before opening the product. What we're asking it to do, what counts as success, what we'll measure.
- Obtain access lawfully and record how — free tier, paid account, or vendor-provided.
- Run the workflow and capture everything, including the attempts that fail.
- Do the cost math at realistic client volume, not at the headline entry price.
- Write the verdict, naming both the buyer it fits and the buyer it doesn't.
- Fact-check every claim against the captured evidence before publishing.
The evidence standard
| Requirement | Why it's there |
|---|---|
| Test date and product version recorded | SaaS changes monthly. A review without a date is a review you can't age. |
| Access method stated | Vendor-provided access is a different situation from a paid account, and you should know which one you're reading. |
| Real interface shown | Screenshots of the actual product, not stock imagery or vendor marketing renders. |
| Test input and rubric published | So you can decide whether our test resembles your work. |
| Observed fact separated from judgment | “It produced X in 4 minutes” and “that's good” are different kinds of statement. |
| Limitations documented where they exist | Where a product has real limits, they appear in the review — including attempts that failed. We don't manufacture criticism to look balanced. |
| Poor-fit buyer named | A recommendation that fits everyone fits no one. |
| Dated sources for prices and changing facts | So you can re-check the number yourself. |
Trust stamps
Two marks appear on coverage here. Both have conditions, and both are withheld when the conditions aren't met.
Workflow tested
Applied only when the product was used to complete a real workflow end to end — not opened, not demoed, not evaluated from documentation.
Price checked
Applied only when pricing was read off the vendor's own page on a stated date, with the source linked. It is a statement about a moment in time, not a promise about today.
What disqualifies a recommendation
- We could not obtain genuine access to the product.
- The vendor made approval of the conclusion a condition of access.
- Pricing or terms could not be verified from an official source.
- The test could not be made repeatable enough to describe honestly.
- The product is a poor fit for this audience, regardless of its commission terms.
Any of these means the piece either doesn't publish or publishes with the gap stated plainly in the text.
How commercial relationships are handled
Affiliate and referral relationships are disclosed on every page where a monetized link appears, before you reach the link — and in video, at or before the point of endorsement. Sponsored placements carry both our own label and the platform's partnership disclosure.
A sponsor can buy placement. A sponsor cannot buy the conclusion. If a vendor makes approval of a verdict a condition of the arrangement, we decline the arrangement.
See the full affiliate disclosure for specifics.
Approval gates before anything publishes
| Content type | Required check |
|---|---|
| Educational post, no product claim | Visual and copy check |
| Tool review or comparison | Visual, methodology and evidence check |
| Anything with an affiliate link | Review check plus disclosure check |
| Sponsored content | Review, disclosure and sponsorship-label check |
| Any pricing claim | Source and date verification |
| Any savings or performance claim | Documented evidence, conservative wording |
Corrections policy
Material errors are corrected in the article body and noted, not silently edited away. Where the error appeared in a video, the correction goes in the description as well. Pricing content is re-checked before any new claim is made against it.
If something here is wrong, tell us.