Edge Rewrite
everything Source code View original
// HTMLRewriter · presentation

This page was redesigned at the edge.

Cloudflare fetched the original article and streamed it through HTMLRewriter to apply an entirely new visual system without rebuilding the source page.

// request.cf · coarse context

A page that knows where it met you.

Only coarse request metadata is shown. This demo does not display or persist visitor IP addresses.

Country
US
Cloudflare location
CMH
Connection
HTTP/2
Language
Not provided

Ray ID: a402a66f3c1f8043

Jump to content

Software Advice

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Software Advice
TypeSubsidiary
NYSE: IT
Founded2005 (as River Guide, Inc.)
FoundersDon Fornes
Austin Merritt
HeadquartersAustin, Texas
United States
Key people
  • Blake Clark (General Manager)[1]
    • Don Fornes
ParentG2
Websitewww.softwareadvice.com

Software Advice is a company that provides advisory services, research, and user reviews on software applications for businesses in over 300 market categories including medical, CRM, HR, construction, business intelligence and marketing automation.[2][3] The service is free to software buyers, and the company is paid by the software vendors to which it refers them.[4]

Co-founded in 2005 by CEO Don Fornes and Austin Merritt, it was a subsidiary of Gartner from 2014 until 2026.[5][6] Under Gartner it was operated alongside the comparison sites Capterra and GetApp as part of the division Gartner Digital Markets. In February 2026, all three sites were sold to the Chicago-based review platform G2.[7]

History

[edit]

Founding and early years

[edit]

Software Advice, Inc., formerly known as River Guide, Inc., was co-founded in 2005 in San Francisco, California by CEO Don Fornes and Austin Merritt, the company's former general manager and COO.[8][5] The company provides advice on different software for buyers in several verticals: construction, medical, retail, property, manufacturing, distribution, electronic health record, CRM, applicant tracking systems, and more.[9][10][11] In 2009, the company's headquarters moved to Austin, Texas.[12]

Gartner ownership (2014–2026)

[edit]

In March 2014, Software Advice was acquired by Gartner, Inc., a global information technology research and advisory company.[2] The company employed about 100 people at the time.[13] Gartner paid $103.2 million in cash at closing and was obliged to pay up to a further $31.9 million.[14] Software Advice was the first of three comparison sites Gartner bought for the division it named Gartner Digital Markets. It acquired GetApp in July 2015 and Capterra in September 2015.[7]

The company announced Blake Clark as its new general manager in November 2018.[15][16]

Acquisition by G2 (2026)

[edit]

In January 2026, G2, a Chicago-based software insights platform company, announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire Software Advice along with two other Gartner-owned companies, Capterra and GetApp.[17][18][19] The sale closed on 5 February 2026.[20]

Business model

[edit]

Software Advice does not charge software buyers for access and software recommendations, and earns its revenue from software vendors on a pay-per-lead basis. Its advisors conduct a needs analysis with a prospective buyer, and vendors whose products match the buyer's requirements are charged for the referral. Vendors can bid for leads by industry and by buying organization's size.[4][2]

Product

[edit]

The company advises buyers on software products via free telephone consultations with software advisors.[2][21] The Software Advice website gives pricing and demo information on individual systems, as well as market reports based on buyer interactions, and detailed reviews and comparisons.[3][22][23] The company's reports have been used as a source of expertise in Forbes,[24][25][26][27] Entrepreneur,[28] Huffington Post,[29] Business Insider,[30] Yelp,[31] Inc.,[32][33] and the Wall Street Journal[34] among others.

Reports

[edit]

Software Advice releases biannual reports to highlight top software products in different categories.[35]  Its FrontRunners for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), April 2019 report analyzed the software that companies use to track information such as inventory management, accounting, and customer relationship management.[36] In the report, Software Advice analyzed data to plot the market’s top ERP products graphically, based on Usability and User Recommended.[36] The other FrontRunners reports also base scores on Usability and User Recommended.[37]

Under the methodology from January 2026, products are scored on two dimensions: usability, which combines functionality and ease of use, and customer satisfaction, which combines value, support and likelihood to recommend. To be eligible a product must have at least 20 user reviews published within the 24 months preceding the analysis period, of which at least 10 must fall in the most recent 12 months. Reviews are drawn from the Software Advice website, Capterra website, and getapp.com.[38]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Software Advice Selects New General Manager".
  2. 1 2 3 4 Shultz, Ross (March 18, 2014). "Gartner, Inc. Small Acquisition Provides New Solution for Small Businesses". TechInsider. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Edwards, Andrew (February 14, 2014). "Software Fatigue and How to Fight It". ClickZ. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Pay-Per-Lead (PPL) Service Description". Software Advice. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  5. 1 2 "Software Advice, Inc" (Company Profile). Bloomberg Business. Archived from the original on 2017-12-08.
  6. ↑ Rivera, Janessa (March 11, 2014). "Gartner Acquires Software Advice" (Press release). Stamford, Connecticut: Gartner. Archived from the original on March 10, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  7. 1 2 Pastore, Mike (2026-01-30). "B2B software marketing takes a turn with consolidation of review sites". MarTech. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  8. ↑ "Their first office was a bedroom—wait until you hear about their first hire". Built In Austin. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  9. ↑ Sommer, Brian. "The Learner Buyer – Why Software Advice is taking off". ZDNet. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  10. ↑ "Report: 40% of EHR Buyers Replacing Current System". www.beckershospitalreview.com. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  11. ↑ Schwartz, Heidi (2014-06-24). "Spreadsheets Instead Of CMMS?". Facility Executive - Creating Intelligent Buildings. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  12. ↑ "Software Advice: Igniting Success in the Lone Star State". Texas Public Policy Foundation. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  13. ↑ "Gartner takes Software Advice". Research Live. 2014-03-12. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  14. ↑ "Gartner, Inc. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  15. ↑ "These 7 Austin tech companies welcomed new leaders in November". Built In Austin. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  16. ↑ "Blake Clark". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  17. ↑ Bhattacharya, Nabaparna (29 January 2026). "G2 Buys Capterra, GetApp And Software Advice From Gartner". benzinga.com. Benzinga. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  18. ↑ Abel, Godard (29 January 2026). "G2 to Acquire Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp from Gartner". company.g2.com. G2. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  19. ↑ "G2 to Acquire Gartner's Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp". Demand Gen Report. 2026-01-29. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  20. ↑ Stanciuc, Ana-Maria (2026-02-20). "Gartner $110M sale of Digital Markets division in latest SEC filing". The Next Web. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  21. ↑ Lyons, Dan (April 7, 2014). "The 'Yelpification' of the Software Buying Process: A CMO's Guide". Hubspot. Archived from the original on July 24, 2016.
  22. ↑ Bredenberg, Al (June 11, 2014). "Successful Software Selection: Do Your Due Diligence". ThomasNet. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Don Fornes, Founder & CEO - Software Advice". Business Interviews. 2013-06-26. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  24. ↑ Council, Forbes Agency. "Five Strategies (Old And New) To Improve Communications In The Senior Care Industry". forbes.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  25. ↑ LaPlante, Alice. "CenturyLinkVoice: 4 Tips For Securely Accepting Payments". forbes.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  26. ↑ LaPlante, Alice. "CenturyLinkVoice: Get Your Daily Fiber...Network". forbes.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  27. ↑ Guppta, Kavi. "5 Roles That Will Power 21st Century Human Resources Departments". forbes.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  28. ↑ Herrick, Jonathan (10 October 2017). "4 Ways You're Misusing Your CRM Data". entrepreneur.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  29. ↑ Flannery, Marki (17 March 2017). "Supporting Home Health Aides in Their Vital Work Assisting America's Seniors". huffingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  30. ↑ GmbH, finanzen.net. "AdvancedMD Named Leader in Gartner's FrontRunners for Electronic Medical Records Quadrant - Markets Insider". businessinsider.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  31. ↑ "Survey: Yelp is #1 Choice for Finding Doctors, Lawyers & Home Service Providers - Yelp". yelpblog.com. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  32. ↑ "Insight Job: CRM Lets You Use Data You Already Have To Win More Business". inc.com. 3 July 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  33. ↑ "4 Companies That Can Help You Find Better Customers". inc.com. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  34. ↑ Wang, Shirley S. (26 June 2017). "What Doctors Are Doing About Bad Reviews Online". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018 – via www.wsj.com.
  35. ↑ "Best Donor Management Software for Non-Profits - ASI". www.advsol.com. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  36. 1 2 Quirk, Elizabeth (2019-07-09). "Software Advice Names FrontRunners for Enterprise Resource Planning, April 2019". Best ERP Software, Vendors, News and Reviews. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  37. ↑ "Gartner's Software Advice names Buildium to 2018 FrontRunners Quadrant". Buildium. 2018-12-07. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  38. ↑ "FrontRunners Methodology (Version 5: January 2026)". Software Advice. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Software_Advice&oldid=1374875906"