How we rank
A public, weighted rubric applied the same way to every tool, so you can see exactly why each one scores what it does.
Our scoring rubric
Every ranked tool is scored from 0 to 10 on five criteria. Each criterion has a fixed weight, and the editor rating is the weighted average, rounded to one decimal place. The same rubric applies to every tool, and every tool page shows its full breakdown.
| Criterion | Weight | What we look at |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 20% | How quickly a non-technical owner gets useful results. |
| Value & pricing | 25% | Free plan, entry price and how cost scales as you grow. |
| Small-business fit | 25% | Built for teams of 1-20 without enterprise set-up. |
| Features | 15% | Depth and quality of the features a small business needs. |
| Support & integrations | 15% | Help resources, support channels and connections to other apps. |
What the numbers mean
- 9.0 and above: outstanding for most small businesses in its category.
- 8.0 to 8.9: a strong choice, with trade-offs worth knowing.
- 7.0 to 7.9: good for specific situations, but not the default pick for most small businesses.
- Below 7.0: we wouldn't usually recommend it to a small business.
Worked example
A tool scoring 8.5 for ease of use, 10 for value, 9.5 for small-business fit, 9.0 for features and 8.5 for support works out as (8.5 × 20%) + (10 × 25%) + (9.5 × 25%) + (9.0 × 15%) + (8.5 × 15%) = 9.2.
Current scores
| Rank | Tool | Ease | Value | Small-business | Features | Support | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Systeme.io | 8.5 | 10.0 | 9.5 | 9.0 | 8.5 | 9.2 |
| #2 | Canva Magic Studio | 9.5 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.1 |
| #3 | Make.com | 7.5 | 9.5 | 9.0 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.0 |
| #4 | ClickUp | 7.5 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.5 | 9.0 | 8.8 |
| #5 | Tidio | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 8.7 |
| #6 | ChatGPT | 9.5 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 7.5 | 8.6 |
| #7 | MailerLite | 9.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| #8 | Shopify Magic | 9.0 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 8.4 |
| #9 | Grammarly | 9.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 8.3 |
| #10 | Descript | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| #11 | Gorgias | 8.0 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 7.8 |
| #12 | Writesonic | 7.5 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 8.5 | 8.0 | 7.1 |
How we assess tools
Our scores are editorial judgements. We base them on publicly available information: official product and pricing pages, help documentation, plan limits, and official app-store listings such as the Shopify App Store. We look specifically at what a business of 1 to 20 people would use, and what it would cost them.
We're a small independent project, and we're upfront about our limits: we don't currently run formal lab tests or benchmarks, and we never publish invented test results, statistics or quotes. When we state a specific fact such as a price or plan limit, we've checked it on the vendor's official page and we say when we checked it. Where we haven't verified something, we describe it in general terms and link to the official page.
Editorial independence
- Rankings and ratings are not for sale. Vendors can't pay to be included, to move up, or to see reviews before publication.
- Whether a tool has an affiliate programme is not one of our criteria and doesn't change its score.
- We include tools that pay us nothing when they deserve a place. ChatGPT, for example, has no affiliate programme and is in our top 12.
- We'll say when a tool isn't right for small businesses, even if it pays commission.
How affiliate links work
This site is funded by affiliate commissions. Our shortlist focuses on tools we think are useful to small businesses, and many of these vendors run open affiliate programmes. Some "Visit" links (those starting /go/) are, or may become, affiliate links: if you click and later buy, the vendor may pay us a commission. You don't pay any more. Read our full affiliate disclosure.
Update cadence
We review the full ranking at least once a quarter, and update individual tool pages and guides when we notice a significant change in pricing, plans or features. Each page shows when it was last updated. This methodology and all scores were last updated in Oct 2026.
Think we've got something wrong? Contact us and we'll look at it.