How We Evaluate & Score Accounting Software
Our Approach
Every tool on The Phil Collective is scored using a weighted algorithm across 5 dimensions. Scores are computed from verified data — not opinions, not vendor claims. We re-verify pricing and features every 7 days. As a former government performance auditor who worked under GAGAS standards, I apply the same rigor to evaluating financial software that I once applied to auditing government programs.
Scoring Dimensions
| Dimension | Weight | What We Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 30% | Double-entry accounting, bank reconciliation, invoicing, payroll integration, multi-currency, inventory, audit trail. core accounting capabilities per plan tier |
| Pricing | 25% | Cost per user/month, plan flexibility, hidden fees, annual vs monthly savings, free tier availability |
| Ease of Use | 20% | User review scores for usability, onboarding time, learning curve, accountant-friendliness |
| Integrations | 15% | Bank feeds, payment processors, payroll systems, tax software, CRM, e-commerce, API availability |
| Customer Support | 10% | Support channels, response times, user satisfaction ratings, availability of accountant/bookkeeper access |
Data Sources
We aggregate data from multiple sources to reduce bias:
- Pricing: Verified directly from vendor pricing pages. We check monthly and track every price change in our database.
- Features: Tested against actual product capabilities. Double-entry accounting, bank reconciliation, multi-currency — we verify each feature claim against the product itself.
- User Reviews: Aggregated from G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius. We weight by review count to prevent manipulation by vendors with five suspicious 5-star reviews.
- Integrations: Verified from vendor docs, marketplace listings, and API documentation. We distinguish between native integrations, API access, and third-party connectors.
Database Stats
| Metric | Count |
|---|---|
| Tools tracked | 18 |
| Pricing plans | 50 |
| Feature data points | 396 |
| Head-to-head comparisons | 42 |
| Price changes tracked | 27 |
What We Don't Do
- We don't accept payment for higher rankings. Your accounting software vendor can't buy their way to the top.
- We don't let affiliate relationships influence scores. The algorithm runs the same whether we have an affiliate link or not.
- We don't use AI-generated "reviews" — our analysis is based on structured data from real users and verified product capabilities.
- We don't hide pricing — if a vendor won't publish prices, we note it. (Looking at you, enterprise ERP vendors.)
Confidence Scores
Every data point in our database has a confidence score (0.0 to 1.0):
- 0.8+ — Verified from primary source (vendor pricing page, official docs)
- 0.5–0.8 — Cross-referenced from secondary sources (review sites, third-party reports)
- Below 0.5 — Estimated or outdated — flagged for re-verification
Questions about our methodology? See our analyst profile or reach out via the contact info in the footer.