How we research
Our Methodology
Every summary on StackZen follows the same process. Here’s exactly what we do — and what we refuse to do.
Documentation-based research
We do not test these tools ourselves. Our summaries are desk research: vendor documentation, published pricing pages, changelogs and public sources. Nothing here should be read as a report of first-hand use, and we say so plainly rather than implying experience we do not have.
How we score
The 0–5 score is computed, not assigned. It measures how well documented, capable on paper and transparently priced a tool is — NOT how good it is to use. Capabilities the vendor documents (API 9, data export 9, collaboration 5, multilingual 4, templates 3, mobile 3, AI features 2) carry up to 35 points; published pricing tiers with real prices up to 25; a genuine free tier up to 20; the published integration list up to 20. A tool with no free tier scores lower here even if it is excellent — read the score as "how much can I verify before paying", not "is this the best tool".
Pricing we can verify
We list the real monthly cost, the true limits of any free plan, and where a "from" price hides the number that matters. When pricing isn't public, we say so rather than guess.
Keeping it current
Tools change fast. We revisit pages as products and prices move, and each page shows when it was last updated. Found something stale? Tell us and we'll fix it.
Independence
No vendor pays for a ranking, a review, or a kinder verdict. Affiliate links help fund the work but never influence it — the full policy is on our editorial policy page.