How we test

A fountain pen ticking boxes on a handwritten checklist in a notebook

Most tool reviews online are written by people who never opened the tool. This page is the standing promise that CandorStack works differently, and the checklist every single review has to clear before it publishes.

1 · Real accounts, real money

A tool gets the "tested" label only when someone on this team runs it for real: our own accounts, our own workflows, usually our own subscription cost. When a section relies on research instead of first-hand use (for example a plan tier we don't pay for), the text says exactly that.

2 · Facts are dated

Every price, plan limit, and feature claim is verified against the vendor's live page and stamped "as of" the date it was checked. Ranking pages get re-verified on a regular cycle, and each money page shows when it was last updated.

3 · Downsides stay in

Every review lists what's weak, what's overpriced, and who should not buy. If a tool loses a comparison, it loses, whether or not its affiliate program pays more.

4 · Commissions never pick the winner

Some links on this site are affiliate links, disclosed on every page that carries one. The commission has no vote in the verdict: the recommendation is written first, the links are added after. The full policy is on thedisclosure page.

5 · Product images are labeled

Interface screenshots in reviews are either our own captures or come from the vendor's official pages, and vendor-sourced images always carry a "Source" caption. Decorative photography on this site is our own editorial imagery. We never present a mocked-up interface or invented numbers as a real screenshot.

What "tested" means in practice

Set up from scratch, the way a new user would
Run inside a real workflow for a meaningful period, not a 10-minute tour
Pricing table rebuilt from the live pricing page, with the verification date shown
A "who should skip this" section, always

Questions about the method, or a claim that looks wrong? Tell us at hello@candorstack.comand we'll check it against the source: the fastest way to keep this site honest is readers who hold it to this page.