Editorial Standards

The internet has no shortage of software reviews written by people who have never clicked past the pricing page. Marketing copy gets repackaged as editorial content, affiliate commissions drive recommendations, and readers are left wondering whether anyone actually tested the product or simply paraphrased the vendor’s own feature list. Open Rate Club exists because we grew tired of this particular form of performance art.

Editorial Independence

Rankings cannot be purchased. Vendors pitch paid partnerships with predictable regularity; the emails get deleted. We participate in affiliate programmes and may earn commissions when you click through and subscribe, but commercial relationships do not influence our assessments. When a platform is mediocre, we say so. When the pricing model punishes growth or support has declined since an acquisition, we document it. Your trust matters more than any commission.

Hands-On Testing

We sign up for real accounts with real email addresses. We navigate onboarding sequences, build test campaigns, trigger automation workflows, and discover which platforms interpret “intuitive” the same way airlines interpret “comfortable seating.” Pricing analysis uses actual tier structures, not vague ranges. Feature comparisons reflect observable functionality, not marketing claims.

Living Documents

Email marketing platforms change constantly. Pricing increases, features disappear, acquisitions alter support quality. A review from two years ago describes software that no longer exists in the same form. We regularly audit our guides to update screenshots, verify pricing, and note when a platform’s promise no longer matches reality.

Critical Honesty

Every platform we review includes documented limitations alongside strengths. If the automation builder induces paralysis in newcomers, we mention it. If support response times have deteriorated, we note it. The goal is utility: helping you choose software that actually fits your needs rather than the option with the most persuasive sales page.

Corrections

We make mistakes. Software updates faster than any publication can track, and occasionally we get details wrong. If you spot an error or notice that a workflow has changed since we reviewed it, tell us at [email protected]