We're here to help you find the best software, apps, and tools for your work and to show you the best ways to use them to move your work forward. Here's a look at how we pick the products we feature in our "best apps" articles.
How we select and test apps
Before we select which apps we'll highlight, we define the category—for example, project management software or calendar apps—and research which features most people find necessary for an app in that category. For calendar apps, for example, we might focus on customization, the ability to share events and calendars, and availability across devices. This feature list allows us compare apps on an objective basis and narrow down the field of apps to select (we always share the necessary features explicitly in the final article).
Then we do hours of more research, looking for popular apps and often referencing other respected sites like PCMag and Product Hunt as well as community sites where people are talking about apps in the category, to come up with a comprehensive list of apps to test. We also consider any requests that have come through our request form.
We do in-depth testing on every app we recommend (and those that don't make our lists) based on the criteria we set up at the beginning. In our tests, we use each app just as a regular user might. For example, when reviewing project management apps, we might sign up for each one, add multiple projects and tasks in the tool (projects and tasks we're likely actually working on), ask other teammates to collaborate with us in the app, evaluate the user interface, and try out all the other main features important to that category—logging our notes in a spreadsheet for comparison. If we run into issues, we contact whatever support resources are available.
Once we've completed our testing, we select the best apps and write about them, noting their unique features. Our aim is to show you what it's like to really use that app and who it's best for—because everyone has different needs.
FAQs
Are you biased toward including Zapier partner apps?
We believe that robust integrations are important for almost any app category, so many (not all) of the apps we review are Zapier partners, but we don't base our evaluation on that fact. Our editorial team works independently of other Zapier stakeholders to ensure that the apps selected are the best in their category—regardless of whether or not the app is a Zapier partner.
We are also never paid for placement in our articles from any app (partner or not) or for links to any site. We value the trust readers put in us and, because of that, always maintain our editorial integrity.
Are you biased toward including apps that Zapier employees use?
Many (not all) of the apps we review are apps that our Zapier teammates use, but we don't base our evaluation on that fact. Our editorial team works independently of other Zapier stakeholders to ensure that the apps selected are the best in their category—regardless of whether or not the app is one we use at Zapier.
Why isn't X app included here?
There are times when we don't include an app because it didn't fit our criteria or we had a poor user experience while testing. Other times, it's an excellent app, but there's another app that better embodies the "best for" label it would have had.
But also, oops. Though we typically spend several weeks researching and testing apps for each roundup, sometimes we miss things because the app universe is huge. Please do let us know if you think something should be included in one of our articles.
How do I get my app included in your article?
You can complete this form, and we'll take a look. We try to update our articles regularly, but we can't promise to include your app.
