Guides
Practical notes from our research. Each guide names the tools and pages it draws on.
Choosing tools for a small business? Start with the business buying hub.
Guide · Published 22 Oct 2026
Avoid unexpected AI software charges
Where surprise AI software bills come from, and a checklist to prevent them: renewals, overage, extra credits, seats, taxes and trials.
Guide · Published 22 Oct 2026
Test an AI tool before buying annually
A two-week pilot method for deciding whether to pay for an AI tool, with trial and refund terms several vendors state and a scorecard you can reuse.
Guide · Published 22 Oct 2026
Why AI tools use credits so quickly
Credits drain faster than expected for six common reasons. How to find which one applies to you, what the vendors' pages say and how to slow the drain.
Guide · Published 22 Oct 2026
Why is my AI summary inaccurate?
Common reasons an AI summary leaves out or invents details, how to tell them apart and a prompt and checklist that make errors easier to catch.
Guide · Published 21 Oct 2026
Five AI workflows for a small business
Illustrative workflows for meetings, follow-ups, product photos, marketing video and team documents, with the free-plan limits that matter at each step.
Guide · Published 21 Oct 2026
Buying AI software: US, UK, Canada and Australia
A practical AI software buying checklist for US, UK, Canadian and Australian teams: currency, seats, annual billing, regional offers and pilot tests.
Guide · Published 21 Oct 2026
Coding assistant for an existing repo
What to compare before you point an AI coding tool at a real codebase: usage metering, data and IP terms, editor support and agent behaviour.
Guide · Published 21 Oct 2026
Free AI image tools and their restrictions
How free plans for AI image tools differ on ownership, privacy, daily allowances and commercial use, based on each vendor's own plan pages.
Guide · Published 21 Oct 2026
Free plan, trial or credits: which is it?
Ongoing free plans, free trials and one-time credits are different offers. How to tell them apart, with examples, and how to decide whether free is enough.
Guide · Updated 21 Oct 2026
From call to a follow-up you can trust
Turn a client call into a checked follow-up email: free-plan limits for three recorders, a reusable prompt, a checklist and fixes for a wrong summary.
Guide · Published 21 Oct 2026
How automation tools bill their usage
Tasks, credits and executions are not the same unit. How Zapier, Make, n8n and Lindy count usage, and how to estimate yours before you compare prices.
Guide · Updated 21 Oct 2026
How to read an AI tool pricing page without getting caught out
Seven checks that matter when you compare AI tool pricing: currency, billing interval, credits, seats, trials and promotions.
Guide · Published 21 Oct 2026
Remove a product photo background
How to cut a product out of its background: a no-purchase method, free web options, paid editors, a quality checklist and what to do when edges break.
Guide · Published 21 Oct 2026
Seat costs and annual commitments, worked out
How to turn per-seat prices into a real yearly cost, with worked examples from USD-confirmed pricing pages and the minimum-seat and commitment traps to check.
Guide · Published 21 Oct 2026
Web research vs document research tools
How to choose between answer engines that cite the web and tools built for academic papers, with the limits and prices each vendor states.
Guide · Published 21 Oct 2026
Why an automation runs twice, and what to do
Duplicate runs and duplicate messages: the common causes, how to tell them apart, the simplest fix for each and a safer pattern for customer messages.
Guide · Published 20 Oct 2026
Choosing a meeting note-taker on a free plan
How Otter.ai and Fathom draw the free-plan line differently, and what to check before you rely on either.