How we review and research

This page explains how our guides are put together, so you can decide how much weight to give them.

Where our facts come from

• Official sources first. Tax and registration facts come from the ATO, ASIC and business.gov.au. Licensing facts come from each state regulator. Product features and prices come from the vendor's own Australian pages.
• Dated prices. When we quote a price we say when we checked it, for example "checked October 2026". If we couldn't check a price ourselves, we leave the number out rather than guess.
• Sources listed. Each guide ends with the sources we checked, so you can read them yourself.

Hands-on testing

We say clearly whether a guide is based on hands-on use or on research. Where we haven't used a product on real jobs, we don't pretend we have. Over time we'll add first-hand testing, photos and feedback from working tradies, and we'll mark it when we do.

No star ratings

We don't publish star scores or "9.4 out of 10" ratings. A single number hides the trade-offs that matter, like whether an app suits a one-person operation or a crew of ten. Instead you get a quick verdict, the pros and cons, and who each option suits.

Affiliate links and independence

• We decide what to recommend before we look at whether it pays a commission.
• We include good options that pay us nothing, and we say when that's the case.
• Companies can't pay to be included, to be ranked higher, or to review a guide before it's published.
• Affiliate links are marked, and every guide with them carries a disclosure near the top. See the affiliate disclosure.

Updates and corrections

Software prices, insurance products and regulations change. We review our business guides at least every six months and whenever we hear about a change. Each guide shows the date it was last updated. If you spot an error, tell us and we'll fix it and note the change.

Use of automation

We use software tools to help plan topics, check links and keep prices up to date. Every guide is checked against its sources and edited by a person before it goes live, and we don't publish pages just to fill out a keyword list.