How to read the evidence behind a comparison
A category guide helps readers explore a task, an alternatives article evaluates substitutes for a named product, and a direct comparison addresses a specific pair. Keyword data helps choose the question; search volume does not prove that an answer is useful or correct. Missing local-market data is treated as unknown.
Prices, billing periods, free limits, platform support and licenses should be traceable to the official pages listed in the article. The source-check date is different from the date an explanation or FAQ was edited. A reachable link does not by itself verify every claim on a page. Connection restrictions and 403 responses are not automatically classified as broken links.
A missing price is not zero. A trial is not a permanent free plan. An open-source license does not remove the costs of hosting and operating software. Unknown performance, compatibility or regional availability should not be turned into a favourable result.
Documentation reviews are labelled as such. Historical test reports describe their stated environment and limitations; they are not described as independently rerun in the current review. Screenshots show appearance or a specific artifact, not an unmeasured performance advantage. We do not manufacture star ratings or review counts.
FAQ answers summarize the evidence and choices in the article. The visible questions and answers must match their structured data. Contextual internal links should connect real tasks and products; source links should lead to the supporting vendor documents. Index eligibility does not exempt a page from these standards.
Research and drafting can use automation and AI assistance. The named editor remains responsible for publication and corrections. The commercial disclosure states the current sponsorship status and the absence of configured article affiliate commissions.
Send the page URL, the disputed claim and a primary source to hello@freeinsteadof.com. A correction should change the affected explanation and source reference; changing an update date alone is not a correction.