How We Test
A review is only as good as the testing behind it. Here's exactly what happens before we publish a verdict on any AI tool.
The non-negotiables
- We create a real account — free trial or the cheapest paid tier, the same door you'd walk through.
- We run the same core tasks through every tool in a category, so comparisons are apples to apples.
- We use each tool for real work, not just demo prompts — actual drafts, actual workflows.
- We note where it breaks, what's missing, and who should skip it.
The testing process
- Sign up like a customer. We go through the standard onboarding — no sales demos, no guided enterprise trials. If the signup flow is confusing, that's data.
- Learn the core workflow. We spend enough time to get past the tutorial stage and into real usage: creating projects, generating content, configuring settings.
- Run standardized tasks. For each category we define a fixed set of tasks every tool must complete. For AI writers, that means the same blog outline, product description, and email rewrite prompts across all tools.
- Stress the edges. We deliberately try the things marketing pages don't show: long documents, tricky formatting, revision workflows, exporting, and cancelling.
- Evaluate the full picture. Output quality is only one dimension. We also weigh ease of use, pricing fairness, support responsiveness, and how the tool fits into an existing workflow.
- Re-test before major updates. Tools change fast. When a flagship review's facts go stale, we re-test and update the published date — you'll see "Last updated" on every post.
What we score
Every review evaluates the same six dimensions, weighted by what matters for the category:
- Output quality — Is what the tool produces actually good, or does it need heavy editing?
- Ease of use — Can a motivated beginner get value in the first session?
- Feature depth — Does it go beyond the basics when you need more?
- Pricing fairness — Does the price match the value, and are the plan limits reasonable?
- Reliability — Does it work consistently, or crash, stall, or lose work?
- Support & docs — When you're stuck, can you get unstuck without a support ticket?
What we don't do
- We don't review from press releases or marketing pages. If we haven't logged in, we don't cover it.
- We don't publish lab-style benchmark scores as if they were scientific. AI output quality is partly subjective, and we say so.
- Verdicts are never for sale. The testing comes first and the content answers to readers — there are no advertisers to keep happy.
- We don't accept payment for reviews, placements, or altered conclusions — from anyone, ever.
Corrections
Tools update constantly and we sometimes miss things. If you spot an error in a review, tell us — verified corrections get fixed and the post's "Last updated" date is bumped.