Methodology & Disclosure

Affiliate disclosure

Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you sign up for a vendor we link to, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. This applies to most outbound vendor CTAs (the “Try [Vendor]” buttons on vendor profiles, comparisons, and ranked lists).

Affiliate links use the rel="sponsored noopener nofollow" attribute and open in a new tab. The vendor's brand or URL is not modified; we simply append UTM tracking parameters so we can measure which content converts.

For any vendor without a current affiliate program, links open directly to the vendor's site with no compensation to StackMatch. These are marked the same way for consistency — you can always check the linked URL.

Editorial independence

Rankings on StackMatch reflect operator fit, not commission size. We do not adjust vendor positioning based on affiliate payout amount, nor do we exclude vendors that lack affiliate programs. Several of our top-ranked vendors pay us nothing.

Featured Listings are paid placements clearly marked with an “Editor's Pick” badge and visual distinction. Featured status affects placement visibility (top-of-page pinning) but does not affect our editorial rating or written analysis. A vendor's Featured Listing status is independent of whether they appear in our editorial recommendations.

How we rank

Our editorial rating (0–5 scale) is composed of:

• Operator fit (40%) — how well the tool serves its stated target customer size and use case
• Pricing transparency & value (20%) — public pricing, predictable scaling, total cost of ownership
• Feature depth in vertical (20%) — for pool service: chemistry workflows, route optimization, customer portal quality
• Ecosystem maturity (10%) — integrations, mobile experience, community resources
• Vendor stability (10%) — customer count, review volume, product roadmap activity

Where our data comes from

• Vendor websites (pricing pages, feature pages, partner program pages)
• Vendor sales conversations and demo notes (where conducted)
• Independent review aggregates (G2, Capterra, Software Advice) — for review counts and patterns, not for our rating
• Operator-reported pricing and feedback from customer interviews
• Industry community forums (Reddit, Facebook groups, vertical-specific communities)

How often we update

Vendor profiles carry a lastUpdated date in their frontmatter. Comparison pages and pricing pages are reviewed quarterly; structural changes (new vendors, deprecated tools, major pricing shifts) trigger immediate updates.

Conflicts of interest

StackMatch has no current investments in, equity stakes in, or employment relationships with any of the vendors we cover. We do not accept paid editorial placements outside of Featured Listings (which are clearly marked).

Feedback

If you spot an error, an outdated pricing tier, or a vendor we've missed, let us know. We'd rather be corrected than wrong.