The small print, enlarged
The feature list is never the problem. The fine print usually is.
Two tools can look identical on a comparison grid and behave completely differently once a small business actually runs on one. The difference is almost always in details stated once, near the bottom of a pricing page. This site is organised around those details.
What is worth looking at closely
The details that change the answer, and why each one matters.
What the free tier actually resets
Free tiers are quoted as a number, but the number is per day, per month or once ever, and those are three different products.
A daily allowance you cannot bank is a different proposition from a monthly pool you can spend in one afternoon.
What happens to your work if you leave
Export is usually offered. What is exported, in what format, and whether it is usable anywhere else varies enormously.
The cost of a tool includes the cost of getting out of it later.
Who owns what comes out
Terms differ on commercial use, on whether output can be used in advertising, and on what applies to a free plan versus a paid one.
For a business this is not a technicality. It decides whether the output can be used at all.
What the second year costs
Introductory pricing, per-seat jumps and usage overages mean the headline figure and the renewal figure are often not close.
A tool is a recurring cost, so the only honest price is the one it settles at.
There are no placings on this site and no scores. Which tool is right depends on the business, and a number would only disguise that. What is offered instead is the set of questions worth asking before committing.