How We Test
We test every AI tool with real-world tasks across multiple use cases. No vendor demos, no cherry-picked outputs — we use the same messy, ambiguous prompts that real users throw at these tools.
Scoring Criteria
Every product receives a score from 0 to 10 based on weighted criteria. Here is exactly how we calculate it.
Output Quality
We run standardized prompt suites across writing, coding, analysis, and creative tasks. Outputs are blind-graded by two reviewers on accuracy, coherence, and usefulness.
Features & Capability
We test every major feature: file uploads, web search, image generation, API access, plugins/extensions, and custom instructions. Edge cases matter.
Value & Pricing
We compare free vs paid tiers, rate limits, per-token costs, and feature gating. We calculate cost-per-task for common workflows.
UX & Integration
We evaluate onboarding friction, response speed, mobile experience, API documentation quality, and integration with popular tools (Slack, Notion, VS Code).
Tools & Equipment
The tools we use to produce consistent, reproducible results.
- Standardized prompt benchmark suite (200+ prompts across 8 categories)
- Automated output scoring pipeline
- Token usage and latency measurement tools
- Side-by-side comparison framework
- Real-world task simulations (email drafting, code review, data analysis)
Independence Pledge
- No sponsored rankings. Our scores are never influenced by advertising or affiliate relationships.
- We buy everything ourselves. Products are purchased at retail price with our own funds. No vendor-supplied review units.
- Affiliate transparency. We earn commissions from some links. This funds our testing but never affects our scores. Full disclosure.
- Corrections policy. If we get something wrong, we update the article with a visible correction notice and date.
Update Cadence
Reviews are updated within 1 week of major model releases. Comparison articles are refreshed monthly. Pricing is verified weekly.
Every article shows its publish date and last update date. If a review is more than 6 months old without an update, we flag it as potentially outdated.
Our Testing Team
The people behind the scores.
