How we make money

Draft — not yet reviewed by the operator or a lawyer. It describes what this preview site actually does today. It will change before launch.

Catalogue listings

Vendors can apply to list their software. Basic is the entry-level listing plan; pricing is shown on our advertising page when plans are published. Online payments are not open yet. New listings are checked automatically by an AI model (xAI’s Grok) and by simple rules: does the website load and match the company, is the description genuine rather than spam or hype, is the category sensible, and is it a duplicate? Only clear-cut, high-confidence passes with no warning signs go live automatically. Everything else, including anything the AI would reject, is decided by a person on the SoftShop team. AI never rejects a listing on its own. Vendor-added listings are labelled “not independently reviewed”, just like our imported catalogue.

Paid plans: Featured and Partner

Vendors can choose an optional paid plan. Prices are listed on our advertising page.

• Featured gives a vendor a sponsored spot in one category (on the category page and matching Explore results), a richer profile (logo, screenshots, longer description, demo booking link), demo requests passed on only when the buyer has agreed to sharing, and a simple analytics panel.
• Partner adds sponsored spots in up to three categories, a sponsored box below the table on comparison and alternatives pages that involve their product or category, a place in a rotating sponsored strip on the homepage, faster lead delivery and a monthly performance report.

Every paid spot sits in its own box labelled “Sponsored”, separate from our lists and tables, and its links are marked as sponsored for search engines. No category page shows more than three sponsors, and sponsors are shown in a fair rotating order. Early vendors may get a founding price, locked for a stated period. When a plan ends, is downgraded or a payment fails, the extra spots and profile details switch off automatically. The free listing stays.

What payment never changes

Payment never changes our comparison tables, “best for” text, reviewed or desk-research labels, the order of reviewed tools, the guided finder’s ranking or the information we give search engines. Any affiliate link is disclosed right next to it, following the ASA’s guidance on affiliate marketing. Qualified-lead fees, if they are ever used, follow the vendor terms.