Methodology

This page explains, specifically, how we put comparisons together — what we look at, where the information comes from, and what we don't claim.

Where our information comes from

Comparisons on this site are built from each provider's own pricing pages, product documentation, help-center articles, and other publicly available information, cross-checked across more than one source rather than taken from a single page. This is research-based reporting. We're upfront that it isn't long-term, first-hand testing of every plan on every tool listed — we don't claim to have personally run every subscription for months at a time, and we won't manufacture "we tested this" claims or staged screenshots to imply otherwise. Where we do have direct, sustained experience with a specific tool, the article says so explicitly rather than implying it by default across the site. In practice, that's most consistently true for the tools that overlap with running SoloStack itself day to day — Notion, Slack, and Discord among them — where the write-up reflects actual, ongoing use rather than a read-through of the pricing page alone.

How we write

We start from what the reader needs to decide, then open the provider's own site and pricing page for each tool. We note the pricing, free-plan limits, main features, and who each tool is for, and only then build the structure of the article.

AI helps with outlines, organizing information, and polishing prose. It is not the basis for any price or feature: those come from the provider's pages, and anything we can't confirm there is not stated as fact. Before publishing we check that the comparison table and the body agree, that downsides are covered as well as strengths, and that a reader can tell which option fits them. Last, we re-check the prices in the article and update its date if needed. AI is an aid to writing faster; responsibility for checking what affects a reader's decision rests with the person who publishes the article.

What we compare on

The specific criteria shift slightly by category (an invoicing tool and a password manager aren't judged on the same axes), but every guide is built around the same underlying questions:

Each article's own "What matters" section states the specific criteria used for that comparison, rather than relying on a generic scoring rubric applied identically everywhere.

How current the information is

Every article shows a date. A "Last checked" date appears only when the pricing and free-tier details in that article were actually re-verified against the provider's own pages on that day; otherwise the article shows its publish date instead. Software pricing and free-tier limits in this industry change often, sometimes within weeks of us publishing, so a date is never a guarantee that nothing has changed since. Always confirm current pricing directly on a provider's site before making a decision based on something you read here.

Corrections

If you spot something outdated, or think we got a comparison wrong, tell us — see our Contact page. We aim to fix verified errors as soon as we can rather than only on a scheduled review cycle, and we'd rather hear about a mistake than have it sit uncorrected.

Editorial independence and affiliate links

We don't accept payment to include a tool, rank it higher, or soften a criticism, and we don't publish sponsored write-ups authored by a vendor. Some links on this site may be affiliate links — SoloStack may earn a commission if you sign up for a product through them, at no extra cost to you — and pages may display advertising. Neither changes what we write: when a tool has a real limitation, we say so even in the article where it's the top pick, which is why our guides are framed around "best for" a specific situation rather than a single universal winner. See our About page for more on why this site exists in the first place.