Two kinds of review
- Hands-on reviews are based on our own testing. We describe the tasks we ran, the prompts or files we used, how long things took and what went wrong, with original screenshots.
- Researched reviews are based on official documentation, independent hands-on tests by named reviewers, third-party ratings and user feedback. We credit the testing we rely on and never present it as our own.
Each review makes clear which kind it is. When we test a product after publishing a researched review, we update it and say so.
What every review covers
- What it is and who makes it.
- Key features, and whether they work as promised.
- Pricing: every plan, what the free plan really includes, and the date we checked.
- Performance: our tests or attributed independent tests.
- What video reviewers say: independent YouTube reviews, credited and quoted word for word.
- Ratings around the web: scores from sites such as G2, Trustpilot and the app stores.
- What users are saying: a summary of recent user feedback.
- Pros and cons, alternatives and a clear verdict.
Our scores
Each review has an overall score out of 5, in half-point steps, and four sub-scores out of 10:
- Features: what it can do compared with rivals.
- Ease of use: how quickly a typical user gets good results.
- Value: what you get for the price, including the free plan.
- Performance: quality, speed and reliability.
The overall score is the editor’s judgement informed by the sub-scores, not an average.
What the scores mean
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 4.5 – 5 | Outstanding. Among the best available for most people. |
| 4 | Very good. Easy to recommend, with minor drawbacks. |
| 3.5 | Good, with caveats worth knowing before you pay. |
| 3 | Mixed. Right for some people, not for most. |
| Below 3 | Not recommended for most people, or no longer available. |
Third-party ratings and user sentiment
Ratings from other sites are shown only when we have seen them, with the review count, a link and the date checked, and are never part of our score. User sentiment is our estimate from reading recent comments on forums, social platforms and app stores; we say how many we read and where, and flag small or one-sided samples.
Independence
Companies cannot pay for a review, change a score or see a review before it is published. Affiliate links never affect our verdicts. If a company gave us free access to test a product, the review says so.
Keeping reviews current
We revisit reviews when products, prices or plans change. Significant changes to a verdict or score are explained in the review.