How we compare software
SmallCrew HQ compares software by researching public vendor documentation, not by running paid trials or hands-on tests. This page explains exactly what that means so you can judge our guides accordingly.
What we look at
Every comparison draws on the same set of public sources:
- Vendor pricing pages for plan names, monthly and annual prices, user limits, and add-on fees.
- Feature pages and help centers for what each plan actually includes and how features behave.
- Changelogs and release notes for how actively a product is maintained.
- App-store listings for mobile app availability and update frequency.
- Review-site feature data (the structured feature checklists, not the star ratings).
- Owner forums and communities for recurring pain points, which we paraphrase and never quote.
What we do not do
- We do not claim to have tested software hands-on unless an article says so explicitly.
- We do not publish star ratings, scores, or "editor's choice" badges.
- We do not invent statistics, user counts, testimonials, or quotes.
- We do not use review or rating structured data (schema.org Review or AggregateRating) anywhere on the site.
- We do not accept payment for placement or for a favorable comparison.
How prices are verified
Each article shows the date its prices and features were last checked against the vendor's own pages. We re-verify roughly every 60 days and update the date when we do. Vendors change plans without notice, so treat our numbers as a starting point and confirm on the vendor site before you buy. If you find a price we missed, tell us and we will fix it.
How we decide what to recommend
We segment every recommendation by business size, because the right tool depends on it:
- Solo: one person doing the work. Often a calendar and a payment app are enough, and we say so.
- 2 to 5 people: the owner plus a small crew. Scheduling software usually starts paying for itself here.
- 6 or more: multiple crews. Dispatching, crew tracking, and accounting integrations matter.
Within a size band we weigh: total monthly cost at that crew size, whether the tool is built for the trade or is generic, how much setup it demands from a busy owner, and whether it has a real free trial.
Affiliate relationships
Some vendors pay a commission when a reader signs up through our link. This is disclosed above the first affiliate link on every page and in full on the disclosure page. We cover tools that pay us nothing with the same depth as tools that do.
Corrections
When we correct a factual error, we update the article and its "updated" date. Substantive corrections are noted in the article itself. Email [email protected].