Methodology
How we research software
Every article should let you see where its claims come from. This page explains the process behind our buying guides, comparisons and tutorials.
1. We start with the reader's problem
Each article begins with a specific question a small business owner is trying to answer, such as "How should I choose invoicing software if I bill per visit?" We decide what to cover based on that question, not on which vendors have affiliate programs.
2. We rely on sources you can check
For facts about a product (features, plan limits, integrations, pricing) we use primary sources first: the vendor's own documentation, pricing pages, help center and published terms. For business, tax or legal context we prefer official sources such as U.S. government agencies. Sources are listed at the end of each article.
3. We date every pricing check
Software prices change often. When an article discusses specific prices, it shows the date we last checked them. Where vendors publish no prices, we say so rather than guessing. We do not estimate or fill in prices that are not publicly available.
4. We are explicit about hands-on testing
Some articles are based on using the software ourselves; others are based on documentation research. Each article says which. We never describe tests that did not happen, publish screenshots we did not take, or assign star ratings that are not backed by a documented evaluation.
5. How we compare products
Comparisons focus on what matters to small teams:
- Fit for the workflow. How well the product supports the way a given type of business actually works.
- Total cost. Subscription tiers, per-user pricing, setup fees, add-ons and payment-processing fees, not just the headline price.
- Setup and switching effort. Data import, learning curve and the ability to export your data.
- Integrations. Especially with the accounting software most small businesses already use.
We explain trade-offs rather than declaring a universal winner, because the right choice depends on the business.
6. Editorial review
Articles move through drafting, editorial review and approval before publication. Our publishing system will not publish an article until it has been approved.
7. Keeping articles current
Articles carry a publication date and, when revised, an "updated" date. We schedule periodic reviews and revisit articles when vendors change pricing or features. Confirmed errors are corrected under our corrections policy.
8. Use of AI tools
We may use software tools, including AI writing assistants, to help with research organization, outlining or editing. A human editor is responsible for every published article, verifies its factual claims against the cited sources, and approves it before publication.