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Our Software Review Methodology

Our Software Review Methodology

We’re a passionate community of HR professionals, leaders, and managers. We love sharing knowledge through our articles, podcasts, newsletters, membership community and independent, unbiased software and tool reviews.

What’s included on this page:

Software Reviews You Can Trust

We know how critical it is to make the right decision when selecting HR software so we invest in deep research to help our audience make better software purchasing decisions. 

We ensure we provide up-to-date, detailed, practical,  reviews and information to help decision-makers compare and evaluate software to make more informed buying decisions.

What Makes Us Qualified?

We’ve been testing and evaluating HR software and tools since 2019. We’re HR professionals and practitioners who understand the software and needs of users, teams and HR teams better than anyone.

  • Completed research for 2,000+ software tools
  • Written 1,500+ comprehensive software reviews

Why Our Reviews Are Useful, Honest & Trustworthy

Our reviews team is committed to bringing you unbiased evaluation and information with editorial independence.

To do this we rely heavily on:

  • first-hand software product testing
  • user interviews
  • product data
  • expert insights from HR practitioners

Our commitment is to provide superior guidance and insights, assisting your HR team and organization in making informed decisions.

How We Test Software

We know that each company’s software needs are unique and depend on a variety of factors, all of which are taken into account in our stringent set of review criteria, outlined below.

When considering which tools to include in our lists, our process might include any of the following:

Hands-on Testing & Evaluation

We ensure we personally test and use the software ourselves, so we are able to accurately evaluate and review its strengths and weaknesses. Our hands-on approach lets us test how the software works in practical scenarios, not just in theory. 

Our robust testing process typically includes:

  • Reviewing product demos
  • Registering for a product trial 
  • Hands-on software testing 
  • Feature benchmarking and evaluation
  • Functionality gap analysis

In our testing process, we set specific criteria for each software category. This ensures our reviews are thorough and relevant. For example, we might focus on ease of use for collaboration tools or data security for financial software.

Our detailed approach to software testing means we’re able to offer insights that are truly helpful for anyone considering these tools.

User Feedback Analysis

To provide additional quality control for our software reviews, our review process also includes detailed analysis of user feedback. 

Here’s how we do it:

  • Gathering Diverse Feedback: We collect opinions from various users across different platforms (ensuring we exclude testimonials from the software companies themselves)
  • Analyzing Real-World Use: This feedback gives us insights into how the software performs in actual work environments.
  • Assessing Effectiveness: We evaluate the practicality and efficiency of the software based on user experiences.

This approach ensures our reviews are not just informative, but also directly applicable and useful for your software selection process.

Direct Conversations With Software Vendors

To ensure our reviews are factually accurate, we work with software companies directly to better understand their customer offering, product roadmap, features and functionality.

Getting this first-hand information ensures our software reviews are up-to-date and accurate.

Our Comparison Criteria for Software Evaluation Explained

With so many different software features and slightly different functionality it can be hard to compare one tool with another. 

We help you make more informed decisions about software and aim to make that comparison simpler and easier. 

Here are some of the aspects we consider when reviewing and evaluating software, to ensure the most accurate, comprehensive, and relevant software reviews.

Features & Functionality

Our tool analysis begins with developing a thorough understanding of the feature set to  understand what’s included – and what’s not. 

  • Feature Set Analysis: We begin by identifying what is included in the tool, and what isn’t.
  • Functionality Testing: Each feature is rigorously tested and evaluated for effectiveness.
  • Standout Feature Review: We focus on exceptional functionalities that set the tool apart from others.

Usability & Onboarding

By learning how to use the software ourselves, we review how steep the learning curve is, and we evaluate how easy the software is to use with minimal training. 

  • User Experience (UX) & Design Evaluation: Assessing tool usability and design for team enjoyment.
  • Onboarding Features Assessment: Examining templates, mobile apps, and automations for quick team integration.
  • Usability and Time-Saving Analysis: Evaluating design quality, ease of use, and efficiency in saving team time, enhancing the tool’s overall value.

Integrations

We know how important it is to acquire software that plays nicely with the other tools and software you already use. 

  • Integration Ease: Checking how simple it is to connect other tools and services, making HR tasks easier.
  • Quick Setup: Focusing on easy and fast setup to reduce HR’s workload.
  • Live Data Sharing: Assessing real-time data sharing to help HR make faster decisions.
  • Effortless Data Movement: Looking at how smoothly data moves between systems to simplify HR processes.

Support

We test how quick and easy it is to get help when you’re stuck. We review and evaluate the quality and quantity of tools available to customers to get help and get unstuck. 

  • Support Response Testing: Evaluating the speed and ease of getting help when needed.
  • Support Tool Quality & Quantity: Reviewing available customer support resources, like wikis, forums, and live chat.
  • Support Effectiveness: Assessing response time and the thoroughness of assistance provided across various support channels.

We know good support means less hassle and we know that’s crucial for our readers.

Price

We know SaaS tools are not just a one time purchase, but an ongoing investment, with high switching costs. 

  • Value-for-Price Assessment: Evaluating if the monthly cost per user aligns with the software’s value.
  • Price-Functionality Comparison: Comparing costs and features, especially how different pricing tiers affect functionality.
  • Cost-Effectiveness for Startups and Small Businesses: Focusing on price sensitivity, particularly for startups and small businesses, to ensure our assessments are relevant to their needs.

Ethics

We believe it’s essential for our audience to understand how our company earns money. The following statement is at the top of every story on our site:

Our reviewers evaluate software independently. Clicks may earn a commission, which supports testing. Learn how we stay transparent & our review methodology.

The editorial team, however, does not handle commissions in any way, nor receive any of the commission earned. Reviewers are paid for their work and do not earn bonuses based on referral of one software or tool over another. Sponsored articles exist on this website, but are disclosed as such.

Addressing Specific Business Challenges

We know that different software solutions are built to address different business challenges (and we know that it’s different for everyone). We focus on their practical applications in real-world scenarios to help you understand where we’re coming from in our software evaluation process. 

Software for Enhancing Hiring and Retention

Our reviews focus on software offering these key benefits:

  • Streamlining the Hiring Process: Making recruitment more efficient.
  • Boosting Employee Retention: Enhancing strategies to keep valuable staff.
  • Improving Candidate Experience: Ensuring a positive journey for applicants.

Why? We focus on these benefits because efficient hiring and strong retention strategies are essential for building and maintaining a high-performing workforce, a key priority for our audience of business leaders and HR professionals.

Hiring and Retention Software Reviews:

Tools for Optimizing Performance and Development

Key benefits we look for in performance and development tools: 

  • Enhancing Team Performance: With effective tracking and management tools.
  • Fostering Talent Development: Through learning and development features. 

Why? Because effective management of team performance and employee development is crucial for organizational growth and success, aligning with the goals and challenges faced by our professional audience.

Employee Performance and Development Software Reviews

Managing Hybrid/Remote Work and Change

We assess software for modern hybrid and remote work challenges. Key benefits we look for:

  • Effective Virtual Collaboration: Tools that facilitate seamless team interaction.
  • Efficient Project Management: Software that streamlines remote project workflows.
  • Reliable Communication Platforms: Ensuring constant and clear communication among teams.

Why? This approach helps our readers find tools that adapt to the dynamic nature of today’s work environments.

Reviews for Remote/Hybrid Work Software

Balancing Compliance and Innovation

We review software for its ability to balance legal compliance and innovation. Benefits we focus on:

  • Regulatory Adherence: Features ensuring compliance with laws and regulations.
  • Innovation Facilitation: Tools that encourage and support new ideas.
  • Efficiency Improvement: Software that enhances operational workflows.

Why? This helps our readers choose software that keeps them compliant while driving innovation.

HR Compliance Software Reviews