# Editorial Methodology & Verification Standards (2027)

Canonical: https://caniforkit.com/methodology
Last updated: 2026-11-07

> **Zero Paid Placements · 100% Hand-Vetted Independence**

How we research, vet, and verify 5,613 free and open-source software alternatives to 1255 paid SaaS applications at https://caniforkit.com.

## 1. Genuine FOSS & Forever Free
- We strictly exclude 14-day trials and freemium apps with artificial limits.
- Tools labeled "Open Source" must carry an approved OSI license (MIT, Apache 2.0, AGPLv3, GPLv3, BSD).
- Tools labeled "Free" must offer a long-term, genuinely productive tier without credit card requirements.

## 2. Transparent "Catch" Disclosures
- Every software transition involves real-world trade-offs.
- We document the honest limitations of every alternative: self-hosting overhead, mobile support, real-time collaboration limitations, or command-line setup.

## 3. Rigorous Pricing & Savings Math
- Benchmark subscription costs are audited against live commercial vendor tiers.
- Annualized savings models (1-seat, 5-seat, 10-seat) reflect actual enterprise licensing structures.

## 4. Active Repository Health
- Repositories are monitored for active release cadences, issue responsiveness, and recent commits.
- Stale or abandoned forks are systematically removed during directory audits.

## Open Source Maintainer Badges
Open source projects indexed on Can I Fork It? can add the verified badge to their GitHub README:
```markdown
[![Featured on Can I Fork It](https://caniforkit.com/badge.svg)](https://caniforkit.com/alternatives)
```

Official Repository: https://github.com/vmkbuilds/caniforkit