Our approach in one paragraph
We compare products using information the providers publish themselves: pricing pages, plan comparison tables, terms and conditions, help centre articles and, for regulated products, official registers. We put that information side by side, weigh it against what a UK small business actually needs and explain the trade-offs. We do not claim hands-on testing we have not done. If a page ever includes our own hands-on checks, it will say exactly what was checked, how and when.
What we check for every product
- Total cost: the introductory price, the renewal price, the contract length needed to get the advertised price, whether VAT is included and any set-up or add-on fees.
- What is included: the features that matter for the job, and the limits that bite (storage, sites, users, sends, devices).
- UK fit: pricing in pounds, UK support, UK or European data centres where relevant, UK-specific features such as Making Tax Digital and FSCS protection.
- Exit and safety nets: money-back guarantees, free trials, cancellation terms and how easy it is to leave.
- Trust signals: regulator status for financial products and security practices for software.
Criteria by area
Web hosting and website builders
Renewal price and term, number of sites, storage type, backup frequency, support channels (especially phone and UK hours), money-back period, free domain terms, email included, and where servers are located.
Business software
Whether there is a genuine free plan and what its limits are, the price of the first paid tier, per-user pricing, UK GDPR basics such as data processing terms, integrations with UK accounting tools, and whether software is recognised for Making Tax Digital where relevant.
Business bank accounts and money
Monthly fee, free tier limits, transaction and cash deposit fees, whether eligible deposits are protected by the FSCS or the money is held as e-money, accounting integrations and Making Tax Digital tools. For investing topics we explain how things work and how to check a firm on the FCA register. We do not recommend specific investments.
VPNs and security tools
Monthly and long-term prices, renewal terms, money-back period, number of devices, independent audits that the provider publishes, business features (admin console, shared vaults, user management) and the provider's jurisdiction.
How often we check
- Prices on our main comparison pages are checked at least once a month and whenever a provider announces a change.
- Every page shows a "Last updated" date. Prices show the date they were checked.
- Each year we review every ranking in full rather than just changing the year in the title.
Rankings and affiliate links
Some providers pay us a commission if a reader buys through our link. Those links are marked Ad. We decide rankings first, using the criteria above, and do not move a product up because it pays more or include it because it pays at all. Several products we mention do not have an affiliate programme with us, and we link to them anyway when they are a good fit.
What we cannot check
Some things are hard to verify from published information, such as day-to-day support quality or real-world speed from your location. Where that matters, we say so and suggest how to test it yourself during a free trial or money-back period.
Corrections
If you think something on the site is wrong or out of date, please contact us. We check every correction request and update the page if we got it wrong.