How we test AI tools
Most AI tool reviews for accountants and advisors are written by the companies that sell the tools. Our reviews follow the same method every time, and we publish it here so you can judge our results.
What we test
We test tools on the tasks finance professionals actually do, for example:
- extracting data from bank statements and invoices;
- drafting client emails, notice replies and reports;
- summarising long documents such as annual reports and contracts;
- writing and checking Excel formulas;
- answering tax and regulatory questions, where we check every citation.
The data we use
We never put real client data into a tool we are testing. We use sample documents, or real documents with every identifying detail removed. Each test article describes the test set: how many documents, from which kinds of sources, and whether they were digital or scanned.
How we score
- Accuracy: we compare output with the source line by line. For bank statements, we also check that opening balance plus credits minus debits equals the closing balance.
- Usefulness: how much editing the output needs before a professional could use it.
- Data safety: where data is stored, whether it is used to train models, and what business plans offer. We read the vendor’s current terms and privacy policy.
- Cost: current prices, checked on the date stated in the review.
- Ease of use: how long it takes a busy professional to get a useful result.
What we tell you in every review
- the date of the test and the version or plan we used;
- the limits of the test, such as a small sample size;
- whether we have an affiliate link for the tool.
Only articles with a real hands-on test carry our “Tested” label.
What we never do
- Accept payment for a review, a ranking or a better verdict.
- Let a vendor approve or edit a review before publication.
- Repeat a vendor’s accuracy claims as fact without testing them.
Free access and affiliate links
Vendors sometimes give us free access for testing. If they do, we say so in the review. Some reviews contain affiliate links; see our Affiliate Disclosure. Neither affects our scores.
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All reviews
Browse every review and comparison in Tool Reviews.