Theo Renner does the unglamorous part: he installs the app, makes a fresh account like any new user, and tries to complete one real task on the free tier before he writes a word. That's how the things that actually matter — whether a card is required to start, which button greys out, where the "upgrade to export" wall lands, when the trial countdown bites — end up in the verdict instead of marketing copy. He is deliberately even-handed about flaws: if he dings one app for a device limit, he holds the app he likes to the same standard. When an app's pricing page and its real signup flow disagree, he trusts the signup flow.