Evidence labels, and where they appear
Evidence labels are attached to the parts of a page that make checkable claims: summary conclusions, comparison tables, cost scenarios, the Website Ownership Check and each cited source. Ordinary explanatory prose does not carry a label of its own. Sources are listed so readers can identify the material relied on for factual claims.
There are four labels:
- Official source: the provider or a public authority states it in its own published material, such as a pricing page, help documentation or a statute. The source is cited.
- Firsthand verified: the editor checked it directly. Pages say when no firsthand testing was done.
- Editorial assessment: the site's own judgement, such as a comparison, a recommendation about what to check, or a risk worth knowing about.
- Illustrative example: a worked example with its assumptions stated. It shows how something works; it is not a measurement or a typical case.
A claim that has not been checked is never published under any of these labels.
How sources are chosen
Where a provider documents something itself, that documentation is the source. Official government and standards material is used for legal and technical background. Third-party reviews, forums and marketing copy are not treated as evidence of what a provider offers.
Dates
Each source records when it was last opened, and each page shows when it was last reviewed. A page's review date changes only when the editor actually reviews it, never because the site was redeployed or a page was re-saved.
Volatile facts
Prices, plan names, billing terms and similar details change without notice. A page that displays one cannot be published unless the figure was rechecked against the provider's own page within the previous seven days. When a recheck finds a change, the old figure is kept as history and a new one replaces it; nothing is quietly overwritten.
Unknown values
When a provider does not publish something, the page says "Not publicly stated". An unknown is never shown as zero, as "free", or as an estimate.
Calculations
Totals are calculated from the recorded figures and show their working. If any figure a total depends on is unknown, the total is not shown at all: the page says "Can't total" and names what is missing, rather than printing a smaller number that looks complete.
Corrections
Errors are corrected under the Corrections Policy. Material corrections are noted on the page.
Money
The site has no affiliate links at present and is not paid by any provider it covers. If that changes, affected pages will say so before the link, and the Affiliate Disclosure will explain the arrangement.
No scores, no paid rankings
The site does not award ratings, star scores or "best" badges, and no provider can pay to be included, ranked or described more favourably.