Where software has a free plan or trial, we use it and mark the review as hands-on. We never claim hands-on use we didn't have.
Real costs
Prices come from vendor pricing pages on a stated date, shown at 1, 10 and 50 users, with renewal prices separated from introductory offers.
Security sources
We check independent labs, published audits, NVD/CVE and CISA records. An unresolved breach or critical vulnerability caps the score and removes the product from picks.