How we evaluate AI tools
OTGS only recommends tools that Paolo has personally deployed in a real business. Here's the exact process — what we test, how long, and what disqualifies a tool from this site entirely.
The short version: Every tool on this site has been used to run an actual business — not skimmed, summarized from a product page, or tested for 20 minutes. Paolo is a former travel advisor who now helps solopreneurs build AI-powered businesses. The tools he recommends are the ones he would put his own operations on.
What we actually test
We run the tool in a live business context — not a sandbox demo. For Marblism, that means deploying specific AI employees to handle real tasks: inbox management, outbound follow-up, content drafts, social posts. We measure output quality, calibration time, and how often a human needs to intervene.
We test against specific, stated claims. If a product page says "handles 80% of inquiries automatically," we verify whether that holds in practice — not just in ideal conditions.
Minimum testing period
We do not publish a review after a 7-day trial. Minimum testing period is 4 weeks of active use — long enough for the AI to calibrate to real workflows, long enough to see patterns in failure modes, and long enough to determine if the product holds up after the novelty wears off.
For tools with longer calibration cycles (outbound AI, content AI), we extend to 8 weeks before publishing a recommendation.
What we score
- Output accuracy — does it do what it says, at the rate it claims?
- Calibration time — how long before outputs stop needing heavy editing?
- Human review burden — how often does a human need to intervene per output?
- Real cost vs. stated cost — are there hidden overages, add-on fees, or "contact sales" walls that make the listed price misleading?
- Failure modes — what does it get wrong, and how does it fail? (Gracefully or catastrophically?)
- ROI against alternatives — does it beat hiring a freelancer, using a cheaper tool, or doing nothing?
What disqualifies a tool from this site
- Tools we have not personally used for at least 4 weeks.
- Tools where the operator is the product (MLM, pyramid structures, "earn from home" schemes).
- Tools with predatory billing: hidden overages, cancellation friction designed to trap, or auto-renew without reminder.
- Tools that make unverifiable statistical claims as their primary marketing argument.
- Tools where the affiliate commission is the reason for the recommendation — not the product quality.
How affiliate relationships are disclosed
Every affiliate relationship on this site is disclosed:
- On our standalone Affiliate Disclosure page.
- In the footer of every page on this site.
- With a "$" affiliate label on every affiliate CTA.
- In a disclosure paragraph at the top of every review and comparison article.
Today, Marblism is the only tool on this site we have an affiliate relationship with. If that changes, this page will be updated and every affiliate page will carry a named disclosure.