Every review on this site carries an overall rating out of 5, built from five weighted categories. This page explains exactly how those numbers are formed — and why our affiliate relationships never move them.
The five categories we score
- Ease of use — how quickly a non-technical owner can set up and run the software day to day.
- Features — depth and fit of the core jobs: scheduling, dispatch, quoting, invoicing, payments.
- Value — what you get for the real monthly cost, including per-user fees and add-ons.
- Mobile app — how well the field app works for technicians on site.
- Support — quality and availability of help when something goes wrong.
We weight ease of use and value most heavily, because for a small home-service crew those two factors decide whether the software actually gets used. You can see the per-category breakdown on the score card in every review.
Our rating scale
- 5.0 — Exceptional
- 4.5 — Excellent
- 4.0 — Very good
- 3.5 — Good, with limitations
- 3.0 — Average
- 2.5 or lower — Weak / not recommended
How the score is formed
Our reviews are research-based (see how we review): we assess each tool from its pricing pages, product documentation, app-store listings and public customer feedback, then rate each category on the scale above. The overall figure is the weighted average shown as the score-breakdown bars on every review. Where we haven't verified something first-hand, we say so rather than guess.
Missing features and pricing
A missing feature only lowers a score if it matters for the businesses that tool targets. Pricing feeds the Value score — but because vendors change prices often, we date every price check and ask you to verify current pricing before you buy.
When scores change
We revisit a rating when a tool meaningfully changes its features or pricing. Any change to a published score is noted on our corrections log.
Affiliate relationships never affect a score
We earn a commission when some readers sign up through our links, and that keeps the site free. Scores and rankings are decided before any affiliate link is added, and no vendor can pay to raise a score or placement. We rate tools with no affiliate program, and criticise tools that pay us, wherever the research leads. See our affiliate disclosure.