An independent buyer's guide · Est. 2026
The shortlist, before the sales call.
The Shortlisted publishes independent buying guides for B2B software and services.
Buyers now ask an AI assistant first. So every guide starts there: we ask the buyer's question, record who gets recommended and which sources it relied on, then check the claims ourselves.
Tested, not collected.
Each guide begins with a real buying question, asked in fresh AI chats. We record the answers and every source they cite before we write a word.
The whole field.
We review the category, not one vendor. Lists include companies that have never spoken to us, and say plainly who each option is not for.
Paid is labelled.
Companies can sponsor a placement. It is marked Sponsored, linked as paid, and it never moves the editorial ranking.
The method
How a shortlist is made.
Frame the question
We write the question the way a buyer would actually ask it, including budget, team size and region where they matter.
Ask the assistants
The question goes to leading AI assistants in fresh, unpersonalised sessions, many times over. Every answer is kept.
Read the sources
We trace the pages the assistants relied on, and note where an answer rests on a single review site or a vendor's own claims.
Check the claims
Pricing, features and fit are checked against vendors' own documentation, product trials and public reviews.
Publish, then revisit
Each guide carries its test date and method notes, and is re-run on a schedule. When the answer changes, the guide changes.
The first edition
Shortlists in preparation
Each guide publishes with its test date, the questions we asked and the sources we checked.
Best AI search (GEO) agencies
Marketing servicesIn preparationBest tool tracking software for contractors
Construction & field operationsIn preparationBest restaurant accounting software
Hospitality financeIn preparationBest employee scheduling software
Workforce managementIn preparationBest inventory software for e-commerce warehouses
Operations & fulfilmentIn preparationBest CRM for small B2B teams
Sales softwareIn preparationBuyers now ask a machine first. We check the machine's homework.The Shortlisted · Editorial principle
Free to read. Nothing to sign up for.
No gated reports, no lead forms, no sales calls. Read the guide, see how it was tested, and make your own call.
Our editorial standards →Put your product in front of the review.
Ask to be considered for an upcoming guide at no cost, or enquire about a sponsored placement. Inclusion in the editorial list is never part of the sale.
List your company →