Research services
The reports on this site are free because the research pays for itself in other ways. There are four of them, and all four are stated openly, because a research publication that hides its funding is not a research publication.
Industry reports
Commissioned or syndicatedA defined market, measured properly: the size of it, who buys, what they pay, what they already run, and what the primary statistics actually support rather than what a vendor deck claims. Delivered as a numbered-data-point report in the same format as everything on this site, plus the underlying spreadsheet.
- Commissioned. You set the question. We agree the sources and the method before starting, and you see the method before you see the findings.
- Syndicated. We choose the topic, you buy early access and the right to use the figures in your own marketing with attribution.
- Refresh. An existing report re-run when the source data updates, so a number you quoted last year does not quietly go stale.
Every commissioned report states who paid for it, on the page, permanently.
Data licensing
CSV, JSON or feedOur market data index is free to quote with attribution. A licence adds the parts it does not include: the full time series behind a figure, country and size-class breakdowns we have not published, a scheduled feed rather than a download, and the right to redistribute the data inside your own product or client deliverable.
Ranked placement
Positions 1–6Positions one to six in any of our 15 category rankings can be bought. We say so above every ranked list, on this page, and in our disclosure, because the only version of paid placement that is defensible is the version the reader can see.
What it does and does not buy:
- It buys the position. Where a listed product appears in the order, and the visibility that comes with the top of a page.
- It does not buy the words. The tagline, the verdict and the drawbacks are written by the editorial team, are not sent to the vendor for approval, and are not changed because a placement was purchased.
- It does not buy entry. A product is listed because it belongs in the category. Products that do not belong are not listed at any price.
- It does not buy silence. A factual correction is applied whoever asks for it, and a paying vendor gets exactly the same treatment as a reader.
Positions seven and below are editorial and are not for sale. Ask for the rate card through the contact form.
Advisory and briefings
By the dayShortlist reviews, category briefings and second opinions on a selection already in progress, for buyers rather than vendors. We do not take a commission on the outcome of an advisory engagement, which is the only way that advice is worth anything.
Questions
What does a commissioned industry report cost?
It depends on whether the data already exists. A report built on public statistics we can reach through an API is a matter of days; one that needs a survey fielded across several countries is a matter of weeks. Tell us the question and the deadline and you get a fixed price and a scope before any work starts.
Can we commission research and keep it private?
Yes. Commissioned work can stay entirely yours, or be published here under our name with the commissioner disclosed on the page. What we will not do is publish work under our name without saying who paid for it, or let a commissioner change a finding after the fact.
How does paid placement in a ranking work?
Positions one to six in any category ranking are commercially available. The disclosure sits above the ranking on every page. Placement moves the order and nothing else: the write-up, the drawbacks and the verdict are written by the editorial team and are not shown to the vendor for approval.
Can we buy a position and have the review rewritten?
No. If you think an entry is factually wrong, send the evidence to our corrections address and we will check it and fix it, whether you are a customer or not. That is the only route to changing what a page says, and it is free.
Do you license the underlying data?
Yes. The published index is free to quote with attribution. Licensing covers the things the index does not give you: the full series behind a figure, country and size-class cuts we have not published, a scheduled feed, and permission to redistribute inside a product.