The short version
We read the documents nobody reads, do the math the marketing skips, and publish what we find. Every guide gets an editorial review for clarity, sourcing, and consistency before it goes live.
What we do for every product we cover
- Read the fee schedule. The real price lives in the terms page, not the headline. We read it in full: fees, minimums, rate conditions, and what triggers penalties.
- Run realistic math. We price each option against believable scenarios, a beginner balance or a typical household, so you see costs as you would actually pay them.
- Read long-term user reports. Forums, app stores, and detailed write-ups from people who have used the product for months. Patterns across dozens of users beat any single review.
- Compare against real alternatives. Every guide answers "why this instead of X," including the option of doing nothing.
- Check what changed. Finance products change constantly: rates move, fees appear, features get cut. We revisit major guides and mark each with its date.
What we do not do
- We do not promise returns. No honest publication can tell you an investment will grow.
- We do not take paid placements. Rankings cannot be bought.
- We do not pretend. Our assessments are research-based: published specs, pricing, and long-term owner feedback, not lab tests.
MintPilot publishes research and education, not financial advice.
Our scoring rubric
When we score products, we weight four factors:
- Value: 30%. What you get for the price, including free tiers and long-term costs.
- Features: 30%. How complete the feature set is for the job.
- Owner feedback: 25%. Patterns from long-term user reports, not single anecdotes.
- Support and warranty: 15%. Help quality, guarantees, and company track record.
Ratings are editorial judgments based on research, not lab-test measurements.