Every recommendation on this site is scored the same way: 11 pillars, 100 points, evidence-based. No product gets special treatment, and no score is for sale. This page explains how the Certify Digital Trust Framework™ works, so you can weigh our conclusions for yourself.
The 11 Pillars
| Pillar | Points | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Core Capability & Effectiveness | 20 | Does the product excel at the core job it exists to do? |
| Trustworthiness | 15 | Vendor reputation, track record, and honesty about limitations |
| Security | 11 | Technical and organizational security posture |
| Privacy | 10 | How the product handles user and business data |
| Ease of Use | 10 | Learning curve and day-to-day usability |
| Value | 10 | Cost relative to capability and outcomes delivered |
| Transparency | 7 | How openly the vendor communicates limitations, pricing, and data practices |
| Long-Term Viability | 5 | Company stability, update cadence, and competitive position |
| Live/Human Support | 5 | Whether a user can get help from a real person when something breaks |
| Self-Serve Docs & Resources | 4 | Depth and quality of public documentation and guides |
| Accessibility | 3 | Whether a genuine free tier or trial exists |
What the Badges Mean
| Badge | Score |
|---|---|
| Gold Standard™ | 95–100 |
| Recommended™ | 85–94 |
| Reviewed™ | 70–84 |
| Use Caution | 50–69 |
| Not Recommended | Below 50 |
A badge reflects the score at the time of publication, not a permanent judgment — see “How Scores Change” below.
Confidence Level
Confidence Level is reported separately from the Trust Score. The score reflects the quality of the product itself; Confidence Level reflects how much evidence we were able to gather for that specific evaluation — generally described as High, Medium, or Low. A Medium-confidence score is not a lesser score, just one where the evidence base is described plainly rather than overstated.
How Scores Change Over Time
A Trust Score reflects the evidence available at the time of publication — not a fixed, permanent verdict. Every recommendation gets revisited when new evidence emerges: a policy or pricing change, new independent evidence, or a deeper evaluation than the one before it. That’s true whether the next piece of evidence points a score up or down.
Editorial Independence
Every recommendation is scored using the same methodology, regardless of whether Certify Digital has any commercial relationship with the company being evaluated.