shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Capterra?

Not disclosed - capterra.co.za

Depends. Fine as a free starting point for software discovery, but paid vendor placement means never trust its rankings alone. Vendors should expect listing and ad costs from roughly $3,000.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~20 public sources; several snippets were truncated, so some figures are approximate.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo direct evidence found
  • Feature depthDirectory; no feature evidence
  • Support qualityNo support evidence found
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Buyer

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly fees3M+
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Vendor — Free listing$0
Vendor — PaidFrom ~$3,000

Best for

  • Early-stage software discovery
  • Small businesses comparing categories free
  • Shortlisting before vendor demos

Not for

  • Anyone treating its rankings as neutral — placement is paid
  • Vendors without budget for paid listings or ads
  • Buyers who won't cross-check reviews on G2 or Trustpilot
  • Teams needing security transparency on regional domains

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Free listings get low visibility; ranking boosts are paid. Verify shortlists independently.

medium

Review incentives reported ($100 gift cards) — weigh review authenticity carefully.

medium

Vendor ads require minimum starting budgets; spend climbs fast.

low

G2 acquisition (announced Jan 2026) may change listings and pricing.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free for buyers — monetization is vendor-side
  • 3M+ monthly visitors and broad category coverage
  • Runs a public bug bounty program
  • Users consistently praise Capterra on G2

Cons

  • Paid vendor placement skews rankings and visibility
  • Incentivized reviews reported: $100 Amazon gift cards for reviews
  • Buyer trust contested; some pros openly distrust its reviews
  • Vendor lead-gen requires starting ad budgets; costs escalate

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/20/2026 - 10 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; 12,669 infostealer credentials tied to capterra.com surfaced in cybercrime markets; bug bounty is active.

official x1review x3security x2news x4
  • Infostealer credentials linked to capterra.com, Hudson Rock lists 12,669 credentials from infostealer logs associated with the domain — likely user/employee exposure, not a product flaw.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free for buyers; vendors pay
  • Ease of use. No direct evidence found
  • Feature depth. Directory; no feature evidence
  • Support quality. No support evidence found
  • Security posture: 2/5. Infostealer creds tied to domain; bug bounty exists
  • 1,077 Trustpilot reviews reviews of Capterra itself
  • Free Price for buyers vendors pay; listings reported from $3,000
  • 3M+ Monthly visitors per SaaS Counter
  • G2 (agreed 2026) Ownership acquiring Capterra, GetApp, Software Advice

Pricing

Buyer

Free

  • Search and compare software
  • Read reviews

Vendor — Free listing

$0

  • Basic profile
  • Limited visibility

Vendor — Paid

From ~$3,000

  • Paid placement
  • Lead generation
  • Ad budgets extra

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; 12,669 infostealer credentials tied to capterra.com surfaced in cybercrime markets; bug bounty is active.

  • Infostealer credentials linked to capterra.comHudson Rock lists 12,669 credentials from infostealer logs associated with the domain — likely user/employee exposure, not a product flaw.⁷

What users say

Feedback is mixed: many use it for free discovery, but Reddit threads question review incentives, paid placement, and trustworthiness, with 1,077 Trustpilot reviews of Capterra itself.

“You should be using capterra. It's absurd. $100 amazon ...”
Reddit, r/beermoney
“Well, not that I trusted it to begin with, but certainly ...”
Reddit, r/msp
Full analysis

Based on ~20 public sources; several snippets were truncated, so some figures are approximate.

Free software directory, fine for shortlisting — but paid placement means never trusting its rankings alone.

Methodology

Based on ~20 public sources; several snippets were truncated, so some figures are approximate.

Sources

  1. Capterra: Find The Right Softwarecapterra.com
    official
  2. Read Customer Service Reviews of Capterratrustpilot.com
    review
  3. Capterra Reviews on G2g2.com
    review
  4. Capterra review incentives threadreddit.com
    review
  5. Capterra Pricing for Vendors: Free vs Paid Plansblastra.io
    news
  6. G2 to Acquire Capterra, Software Advice, and GetAppprnewswire.com
    news
  7. Capterra Infostealer Credential Exposurehudsonrock.com
    security
  8. Capterra Bug Bounty Programopenbugbounty.org
    security
  9. What Are Capterra Ads and How Do They Work?team4.agency
    news
  10. Capterra Pricing, Features & Moresaascounter.com
    news

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