How we assess
How the order comes about, what we check and how we earn money.
The total score
Lists are sorted by default on a total score from 0 to 100. We calculate it from facts we have for each tool. That way a strong tool from abroad can end up just as high as a Dutch one. Each part has a fixed weight:
- Our verdict (weight 4). The rating out of 10 that we give ourselves, with the reason. If a tool has no verdict yet, this part does not count and the other parts weigh proportionally more.
- Netherlands check (weight 2). The share of the points below that a tool meets. Useful if you do business in the Netherlands, but one part of the whole.
- Integrations (weight 2). The number of integrations according to the vendor, on its own marketplace or integrations page. On a logarithmic scale: the first integrations count most, full from 300 integrations according to the vendor.
- Free to try (weight 1.5). A free plan counts in full, only a free trial counts in part.
- Public price (weight 0.5). The vendor puts a price on its website, or is free.
What a tool pays us does not count. You can also sort a list by the Netherlands check, our verdict, price or name.
Part of the total score
The Netherlands check
Something other guides do not have: for every tool we check the same seven points that matter if you do business in the Netherlands. We do this on the vendor's website: pricing page, terms, privacy policy and help pages. Each point gets one of three outcomes, with the date of the check.
- Yes, the vendor says so itself
- No
- Unknown: we could not verify it
Support in Dutch
You would rather ask a question in Dutch, to someone who knows how things work in the Netherlands.
Only counts for accounting, CRM, email marketing, scheduling and HR, online store, payroll, time tracking, POS systems, payment providers, website builders, appointments and bookings, e-signatures, invoicing, business phone, project management, business bank account, forms and surveys, social media scheduling, customer service and chat, reviews and testimonials, SEO tools, AI assistants and meeting notes, AI tools and video and screen recording.
105of 261 tools
App in Dutch
An app in Dutch is quicker to use and avoids mistakes, also for colleagues who read less English.
Only counts for accounting, CRM, email marketing, scheduling and HR, online store, payroll, time tracking, POS systems, payment providers, website builders, appointments and bookings, e-signatures, invoicing, business phone, project management, business bank account, forms and surveys, social media scheduling, customer service and chat, reviews and testimonials, SEO tools, AI assistants and meeting notes, AI tools and video and screen recording.
113of 261 tools
Data in the EU
Data in the EU falls under the GDPR. Outside the EU, especially in the US, other laws can give access to your data.
More about data in the EU →117of 267 tools
Data processing agreement
If a tool processes personal data of your customers, the GDPR requires you to sign a data processing agreement.
Only counts for accounting, CRM, email marketing, scheduling and HR, online store, payroll, time tracking, POS systems, payment providers, website builders, appointments and bookings, e-signatures, invoicing, business phone, project management, forms and surveys, social media scheduling, customer service and chat, reviews and testimonials, SEO tools, AI assistants and meeting notes, AI tools, video and screen recording and developer tools.
More about the data processing agreement →205of 255 tools
iDEAL
Most Dutch people pay online with iDEAL. If customers cannot pay with iDEAL, they drop out sooner.
Only counts for accounting, online store, payment providers, website builders, appointments and bookings, invoicing, business bank account and forms and surveys.
More about iDEAL and Wero →53of 91 tools
Peppol e-invoices
Peppol is the network for e-invoices. The government already asks for it, and the EU is making e-invoicing between businesses mandatory in the coming years.
Only counts for accounting and invoicing.
More about Peppol →16of 30 tools
Company in the Netherlands
A Dutch company falls under Dutch law. For some businesses that matters, for example in a dispute.
100of 267 tools
Badges
A badge stands for one fact that you can verify yourself. A tool without Dutch support or a Dutch app gets the badge English only, even if we earn money from it.
The order in a list
The tools with the highest total score are at the top. You can also sort and filter differently. A sponsored tool is shown separately above or within the list, with the label Sponsored, and does not count in the numbering.
The verdict
The rating out of 10 is our own verdict, with the reason. A tool only gets a rating once we have assessed it ourselves. It is the heaviest part of the total score.
Reviews and interviews
Reviews come from logged-in users and we read them before they go online. We do interviews with the makers. Neither counts towards the verdict or the badges.
Errors and corrections
Spotted an error? Report it at the bottom of the tool page. We check every report with the vendor within 5 working days and show on the page what we changed. Read our policy on corrections and reviews.
Logos
The logos belong to their owners. We show them so you recognise a tool. They do not imply a partnership.
How we earn money
We earn money in three ways:
- A fee per subscription. We get a fee if you take out a subscription through us. That does not change our verdict. The button then has "partner link" underneath. We manage some partner links in Made by Spin Advertise, the advertising system behind Stackwijs; that does not change anything about the list or the verdict either.
- Sponsored placements. Makers can pay for a placement above a list, among the results, in the search box or on the homepage. Such a placement is advertising and always has the label Sponsored, with a link to this explanation. The button to the vendor is marked as a paid link.
- Advertisements. Companies can book an advertisement per week above or within the list of a category, next to a tool page, in the search box or at the bottom of the newsletter. A paid advertisement has the label Sponsored, a programme for which we receive a fee has the label Partner, and an empty slot showsAdvertise on Stackwijs. We only load an advertisement when it comes into view and only count anonymously, per day, how often it was seen and how often it was clicked: no cookies, no profile of you.
What is not for sale: the order of a list, the Netherlands check, our verdict and the badges. A sponsored tool also keeps its own place in the list, with the same number as without payment. So you can always see where it would be without advertising. More for makers: advertising on Stackwijs.