How I research

How I research every tool I cover

These are pricing and features guides, not hands-on reviews. Every one goes through the same four steps, using the vendor's own information.

The four steps

I start at the source

The vendor's pricing page, plan comparison and help docs. Not other review sites, and not last year's numbers.

I look for the catch

Price jumps as you grow, features locked behind higher plans, intro prices that renew higher. If there's a catch in the fine print, it goes in the guide.

I compare it

Every tool is set against the alternatives on this site, so you can see where it fits and where something else may suit you better.

I explain it in plain English

What you get on each plan, what it costs as you grow, and who each plan is built for, with links to the sources.

What every guide includes

What the tool does and who it’s built for, in plain English.
Every plan and price, including what it costs as your list, team or store grows.
Free plan or trial details, and what’s left out of them.
The limits and catches stated in the vendor’s own terms.
Alternatives, with a link to the side-by-side comparison where one exists.
Sources and a “last verified” date, so you can check the facts and know how fresh they are.

How I keep guides up to date

Software pricing changes fast. I re-check every guide against the vendor’s pages at least every 90 days and update the date when I do.

What these guides are not

They’re not hands-on reviews, and I don’t give star ratings for tools I haven’t used. No software company gets to approve or change a guide before it goes live. Spotted something out of date? Let me know.