This page states the rules that govern what we publish. It covers sourcing, independence, corrections, how we use research tooling, and how to send a copyright notice.
Last updated: September 21, 2026
1. Accuracy and sourcing
Every factual claim in an article must be traceable to one of the following:
- a vendor’s pricing page, plan comparison table, help-centre article, documentation, changelog, or published policy;
- a published statistic or statement from a named third party, cited as such;
- aggregated user reporting, described as a pattern rather than as individual testimony;
- our own calculation, with the inputs and assumptions printed.
Each article ends with a Sources list of the URLs consulted, with the date each was checked. A claim that cannot be traced to that list must not appear in the article, and if you find one, we want to hear about it.
Pricing and plan limits are treated as perishable facts. Every price or limit we publish carries the date we checked it, because a price without a date is not information.
Where a figure is not published by the vendor, we write that it is not published. We do not estimate and present the estimate as fact. Where we could not verify a claim against a primary source, the article labels it unverified.
2. Independence
This site publishes two clearly separated kinds of content, and the rules differ. Knowing which one you are reading is the point.
A. Editorial content
Editorial content is everything we research, write, and publish on our own initiative: pricing breakdowns, alternatives comparisons, migration guides, reviews, and troubleshooting articles. It is the overwhelming majority of the site. These rules are absolute:
- No vendor pays for editorial coverage, placement, a score, or a ranking. Not once, not indirectly.
- No vendor reviews or approves editorial content before publication. We do not send editorial drafts for approval, and no vendor sees an editorial article before you do.
- No free accounts, credits, or upgraded plans in exchange for an editorial review. Where we describe a paid tier, it is from published pricing.
- No tool is added to, or removed from, a ranking because of a commercial relationship. If the best tool for a job pays us nothing, we still recommend it, and we say so where relevant.
- No paid links are inserted into editorial content, at anyone’s request, ever.
- We never accept access to a reader’s account, and we never ask for one. See section 2.1 of our Privacy Policy.
B. Sponsored content
Sponsored content is content paid for by a vendor. It is a normal part of a commercial publication, and we are willing to publish it — under conditions that keep it from contaminating the editorial side.
| Editorial content | Sponsored content | |
|---|---|---|
| Who initiates it | Us | The vendor |
| Who pays | Nobody | The vendor |
| Can the vendor review a draft? | Never | Yes — for accuracy and brand voice only, not to change a finding |
| Can the vendor set or veto conclusions? | Never | Never. A sponsored piece explains what the product does; it does not rate it against competitors or enter a ranking |
| Labelling | None needed beyond our byline | Labelled “Sponsored” or “Paid partnership”, prominently, above the fold, in a form that cannot be missed |
| Affected by commission rates? | No | Not applicable — the fee is disclosed |
What sponsorship will never buy:
- a place in a ranking, a score, a “best of” list, or a recommendation;
- a favourable conclusion in an editorial article;
- the removal or softening of a critical finding about the sponsor’s product elsewhere on the site;
- silence about a known defect, pricing trap, or migration problem in a sponsored piece.
What we may accept in a sponsored piece: a paid article explaining a product on its own terms and at published pricing, clearly labelled, that does not claim to be our independent verdict and does not compare itself to competitors in our voice.
A vendor reviewing a sponsored draft for accuracy and tone is normal publishing practice, in the same way a magazine’s advertising department checks an advert. It is not the same as a vendor reviewing an independent review — and on this site only the first is ever permitted.
C. Display advertising
Display advertising, if the site ever carries it, is sold by an advertising network against page impressions and is separate from both editorial and sponsored content. An advertiser cannot buy a ranking, a score, a recommendation, or a place in an article. Advertising is disclosed in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, and any third-party advertising cookie will be disclosed and consented to before it is set.
Current status. As of the date above, the site carries no display advertising and no sponsored content. Every article published here is editorial content.
3. Use of research tooling and AI
We are explicit about this because most sites are not.
- We use software to gather and organise public information — fetching published pricing, plan limits, and documentation, and arranging them for comparison.
- We do not use AI to invent experience. No fabricated test results, no invented user quotes, no imaginary reviewer personas, no synthetic testimonials, no made-up prices or ratings.
- Every published claim is checked against the sources listed in the article. Automation helps us collect and compare; it does not decide what is true and it does not get to fill a gap with a guess.
- We do not represent that we hold an account with, or personally operate, a product unless an article states that we do.
4. Corrections policy
When an error is reported:
- We verify the claim against a primary source before changing anything.
- If the published figure was wrong, we correct it as soon as practicable.
- Material corrections are noted at the foot of the affected article, stating what changed and when. We do not silently rewrite a conclusion and leave the original version looking as though it always said that. This matters most for pricing, where a silent edit hides the fact that a recommendation was made on a stale number.
- Minor typographical and formatting fixes are made without a note.
- The “last updated” date on an article changes only when its substance changes.
If you disagree with a correction decision, reply to our response and set out which source you are relying on. We will reconsider.
5. Reviewing and updating articles
Software changes faster than almost any other product category: pricing restructures, free tiers shrink, features are gated, and products are acquired or discontinued. We revisit articles when:
- a vendor changes pricing, plan structure, or a published limit;
- a vendor discontinues a product, acquires another, or is itself acquired;
- a new billing or reliability pattern becomes visible in user reporting at scale;
- a reader reports a substantive error.
An article’s date reflects its last substantive review, not its first publication. Pricing articles are prioritised for review, because a stale price is the fastest way to become useless.
6. Intellectual property and copyright
Original text, comparison tables, pricing models, and analysis on ecomtoolshed are our property. Short excerpts may be quoted with attribution and a link to the source article.
Product names, company names, brand names, and logos are the trademarks of their respective owners and are used here for identification, comparison, and commentary. ecomtoolshed is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any vendor named on this site, except where we state otherwise in writing.
Copyright complaints
If you believe content on this site infringes your copyright, send a notice to dmca@ecomtoolshed.com containing all of the following:
- identification of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed;
- the exact URL of the material you say is infringing, with enough detail for us to locate it;
- your name, mailing address, daytime telephone number, and email address;
- a statement that you have a good-faith belief the disputed use is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;
- a statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorised to act on the owner’s behalf;
- your physical or electronic signature.
We will respond to valid notices promptly, which may include removing or restricting access to the identified material.
7. Privacy of the people we write about
We do not publish private individuals’ personal information, and we do not quote individual reviewers in a way that identifies them without a public basis. User reporting is used in aggregate. Where we describe a vendor’s published case study, we say that it is the vendor’s own material.
8. Contact
- Corrections and editorial matters: editor@ecomtoolshed.com
- Privacy requests: privacy@ecomtoolshed.com
- Copyright notices: dmca@ecomtoolshed.com