Recommendations

Specific tools we recommend, with the criteria, tradeoffs, and reasoning stated in full, no affiliate links, no sponsorships.

Recommendation pages name specific products. That obligates us to some rules, stated here once:

  • No affiliate links, no sponsorships, no paid placement. Nothing on these pages earns this project money. If that ever changes, it will be disclosed on this page, loudly.
  • Criteria before brands. Every page states what qualifies a tool before naming any, so you can re-run the evaluation yourself when the landscape shifts.
  • Tradeoffs in plain sight. Every recommendation lists drawbacks. A tool with no listed drawbacks means we haven't looked hard enough, not that none exist.
  • Vendor claims are claims. We prefer properties that have been audited, tested in court, or demonstrated in incidents over properties asserted in marketing.
  • Dated reviews. Each page shows when it was last reviewed. Software changes ownership, licenses, and behavior; check the date before acting on an old page.