RealCostLabs
Scores marketing software on real cost at scale instead of the pricing-page teaser
RealCostLabs benchmarks 32 email, CRM, SEO and all-in-one marketing tools on a 0-10 Lab Score, weighting real cost at scale at 30% alongside quality, features, ease of use and support. It publishes industry-specific breakdowns — restaurants, HVAC, therapy practices — showing the fee structure that actually applies, and discloses that affiliate commissions never change a score. Prices are dated to when they were last checked (e.g. August 2026).
What holds up
- +Computes real cost at scale (per-contact tiers, overage, gated features) rather than repeating the teaser price
- +Discloses affiliate income directly and states commissions never affect the Lab Score
- +Industry-specific breakdowns cite concrete numbers, like a named SEC rule for financial advisors
Mind the limits
- −Still earns affiliate commissions on signups — worth weighing even with the no-pay-to-play claim
- −Covers only 6 categories today (email, CRM, SEO, all-in-one, plus two more), so many tool types aren't scored yet
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