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How we score — the whole method
No black box. This is the entire scoring system, public and fixed. If a ranking ever looks bought, this page is how you'd catch us.
SoftwareScore = ( Σ ( axis_score₀₋₁₀ × weight ) ) × 10 → personalized by f(your quiz answers)
Value (price vs features) 20%
All-in cost — free tier plus paid tiers — versus what you get.
Ease of use 18%
How fast a new user gets productive (inverse of learning curve).
Feature depth 15%
Blocks, databases, backlinks, PDFs, templates, extensibility.
Cross-platform & sync 15%
Platforms covered, offline support, and sync reliability.
Data ownership / privacy 12% under-served
Local-first storage, open/markdown formats, export, lock-in risk.
Collaboration 10%
Sharing, real-time co-editing, comments, and permissions.
AI capability 10%
Native AI — writing help, Q&A over your notes, summarization.
The rules that keep it honest:
1. Every app is scored on the same seven axes, 0–10 each. 2. Your quiz answers reweight what matters to you — they never touch an app's underlying scores. 3. Apps we earn nothing from are ranked identically to ones that pay us. 4. Affiliate status is shown on every page. 5. Community star ratings are a separate, display-only signal — never mixed into the score.
Scores follow a fixed rubric (anchored 0–10 scale per axis); pricing verified Jul 2026. Axis scores are analyst-rated and get sharper with hands-on testing + verified user reviews. 1. Every app is scored on the same seven axes, 0–10 each. 2. Your quiz answers reweight what matters to you — they never touch an app's underlying scores. 3. Apps we earn nothing from are ranked identically to ones that pay us. 4. Affiliate status is shown on every page. 5. Community star ratings are a separate, display-only signal — never mixed into the score.
Get matched to your best app
Compared everything, or just starting? Answer 5 quick questions and we'll match you to the right app — reweighting the axes live for how you work.