A lazy man’s dream come true. One place that lists hundreds of systems, has user reviews, breaks down software into categories and subcategories, explains what you should be looking for in a solution, and how to go about it. Ever since discovering Capterra a few years ago it has been my first step whenever I have had to explore new business requirements or needed to figure out how I wanted to run a specific aspect of my own business.

Originally launched by a man who refused to continue playing the game of cat and mouse with software solutions, Capterra is 100% free to those who visit their site. There are no paywalls for specific vendors or their reviews, no “sign up to see more” pop-ups, and none of the other tricks of the trade that many sites rely on to improve their conversion metrics. 

Instead, they take a fee from the service providers who choose to sign on to a program which rewards Capterra for any increased site traffic these third parties experience originating. What makes this situation quite interesting is that it is an optional program, Capterra will not remove software products which are not a part of the program, software companies are choosing to support the network of their own volition. Granted it is most likely due to the fact that they have good reviews and are seeing a better return off of Capterra than they are from other advertising sources.

While it started off as a small homegrown project, Capterra grew at an incredible pace in its initial years and was quickly purchased by Garter in 2015, a company renowned for their insights and consulting work. They own multiple solutions similar to Capterra’s offering, and have added it and many other companies in a variety of industries to their portfolio. Tied into their offerings is the fact that sites like Capterra allow them to collect unrequested feedback about potential service offerings which they can then use to better serve their very well paying customers. In the end, Capterra is free for us users, because our feedback and reviews are really the product they are selling.

Where we as consumers gain from this particular scenario is that they genuinely do want us to find the best software for our needs. If we get paired with three or four less than ideal systems along the way it doesn’t necessarily hurt them either, as those reviews (and pageview hits) will also give them a better idea of what the more popular and more importantly valuable service offerings are. Capterra actually goes about the education of their users in a simple yet effective way. One which has been replicated by many sites who hope to market themselves as a resource for the community. Blogs & articles.

By investing in the research, writing, and review processes necessary for the distribution of quality written content, there is again a deeper gain for Capterra. The articles found on their site can help shape the perspective of their users towards software alternatives, imbuing them with knowledge they may not have otherwise had access to, and allowing them the opportunity to make a better informed decision about their next system. Covering topics from Church Management to B2b Marketing, there is no shortage of options or target demographics. WIth something for everyone, and everyone who needs something, this becomes a huge selling point for those who may not be gifted in the art of software shopping. 

To help in the beginnings of your software searches, here are my 5 steps to finding what software services you should consider, and what resources Capterra can offer you.

1. Identify the problem you are trying to solve and be able to answer the following questions:

• Is it something your current system doesn’t support / support well?

• Are these new requirements you didn’t have before?

• Is this a temporary problem?

2. Once you have answered the questions in step 1, narrow down the types of software you are looking for:

• If it is a temporary problem, a small add-on you need to complement a system you own, or are unsure of how the requirements may manifest themselves

  • Look into an open-source system, or a software service which has a free tier available

• If it is a permanent requirement, a new area of your business which you have not managed in the past, and are unsure of how the requirements will manifest themselves

  • Look into a tiered software service (ideally with a free tier) or an inexpensive service which gives full access to its features without a high price tag

• If it is a permanent requirement, an area of the business of which you have experience with, or are certain of how the requirements will present themselves

  • Look into a paid service with support services, preferably one with multiple tiers where the one which suits your needs is among the lower tiers (to be able to scale up in the future)

3. With a general idea of what you need to be searching for, the next step is to do a bit of background research on the type of software you want to implement in order to solidify the requirements your solution must meet

• By going to the Capterra site and searching for the type of software you are looking for (eg: Email Marketing) it will bring up an unfiltered list of results

• There will be a tab called the “Buyers Guide” which should be read and understood as to how the points they present match with the needs of your business

4. Now having set your requirements with the help of the Capterra Website, they have a tool which you can use to help compare between options that have caught your interest

• If you search for comparisons between two software solutions, under the “resources” tab of the search results you can often find in depth comparisons between both offerings, and other pairings which you may not have thought of

• The “Small Business Trends” blog section has wonderful tools including a blank software comparison template for you to use

• Each softwares review page is filled with useful shorthand information about the best and worst aspects of the offering, as well as links to the offerings web page for you to discover further information

5. Finally, if possible, test out the software you want to use. See if a trial is available, or contact the creators to see if one can be made available.

• Many software providers will extend the opportunity of a trial if they believe it has the chance to increase their subscriber base

• If the system is not needed right away, take the time to properly stress test multiple options before committing to any one