Methodology

Every ranking on The Tech Leaderboard follows the same process.

1. Pick the question

We start from the questions people actually ask, such as "best AI diagram maker" or "best Napkin AI alternative", and decide which tools belong in the comparison.

2. Collect public information

For each tool we read the official product pages, documentation, pricing page and recent changelog, and we read user reviews on G2, Capterra and Reddit. We record the date we checked each price.

3. Score on weighted criteria

Each ranking publishes its criteria and weights, such as output quality, editing, export, price and user sentiment. We score each criterion and combine them into a Leaderboard Score out of 100. The score is an editorial judgment, not a measurement.

4. Write the verdict first

Every page opens with the answer, then the ranking table, then a section per tool with its strength, its main caution, who should skip it and its starting price.

5. Re-score every month

We re-check prices, plans and features monthly. When a score or position changes, we note it in the page's changelog.

What we do not do

• We do not claim hands-on lab tests we did not run.
• We do not accept payment for rankings.
• We label our own products with "We make this" wherever they appear.