Who is SmartThoughts LLC for?

Associations with $500K–$7.5M budgets DIY AMS selection teams Exec directors wanting vendor-neutral advice

Who is SmartThoughts LLC not for?

Non-association businesses buying general software Teams wanting a hired consultant — engagements closed Small orgs under ~$500K budget — use peers and a spreadsheet Buyers wanting volume user reviews — use G2 instead

shouldiuse.io

SmartThoughts LLC Review

Depends

Should I use SmartThoughts LLC?

14 free assessments and 88+ Independent association software reviews to run your own AMS selection. Built from 200+ selections experience since 2002. No vendor commissions. For your "Do It Yourself search needs". - smartthoughts.net

Analyzed September 19, 2026 · 1 month ago

Worth using if you're an association running a DIY AMS search and want free, vendor-neutral reviews and assessments. Not usable if you want a hired consultant — the site states it is no longer taking selection or assessment engagements.

Confidence

Low. Based on ~8 public sources; several review-site results were unrelated similarly named companies, so confidence is low.

Ratings

Value for money
Ease of useNo usability evidence found
Feature depth
Support qualityEngagements closed; no support evidence
Security posture

Pricing

Free assessments & reviews

ModelNot disclosed

Monthly feesNot disclosed

HardwareNot disclosed

Free tierYes

Selection/assessment engagementsNot published

Best for

Associations with $500K–$7.5M budgets
DIY AMS selection teams
Exec directors wanting vendor-neutral advice

Not for

Non-association businesses buying general software
Teams wanting a hired consultant — engagements closed
Small orgs under ~$500K budget — use peers and a spreadsheet
Buyers wanting volume user reviews — use G2 instead

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Site states it no longer takes AMS selection or assessment engagements — DIY content only.

medium

Trustpilot and Glassdoor results are for unrelated 'Smart' companies; no verified reviews exist.

low

No security page found on the site.

Pros

Vendor-neutral since 2002; 200+ selections, no vendor commissions.
88+ independent AMS reviews and 14 free assessments for DIY searches.
Guides target associations with $500K–$7.5M operating budgets.
Delivers 30+ page keep/optimize/replace assessments.

Cons

No longer taking AMS selection or assessment engagements.
No verified customer reviews found; review-site hits are unrelated companies.
Effectively a content library now, not an active consultancy.

Sources & method

Analyzed September 19, 2026 - 8 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x5review x1security x1news x1

Key stats

Value for money: 4/5
Rating
$0
Starting price
8
Sources
September 19, 2026
Analyzed

Value for money: 4/5. Free assessments and reviews; paid work closed
Ease of use. No usability evidence found
Feature depth: 4/5. 88+ AMS reviews; 30+ page reports
Support quality. Engagements closed; no support evidence
Security posture: 2/5. No security page published; content site

2002 Advising associations since 23+ years, self-reported
200+ AMS selections completed self-reported
88+ Independent AMS reviews self-reported
14 Free assessments for DIY selection

Pricing

Free assessments & reviews

14 assessments
88+ AMS reviews

Selection/assessment engagements

Not published

30+ page vendor-neutral report
Currently not accepting engagements

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

No verified user reviews of SmartThoughts itself; review sites surfaced similarly named but unrelated companies.

Alternatives

Compare SmartThoughts LLC with each alternative.

G2
Volume user reviews and ratings for association management software.
SmartThoughts LLC vs G2
Capterra
Filter AMS options by size, price, and features.
SmartThoughts LLC vs Capterra
ASAE
Peer references and tech resources from the association industry body.
SmartThoughts LLC vs ASAE

Full analysis

Based on ~8 public sources; several review-site results were unrelated similarly named companies, so confidence is low.

Free vendor-neutral AMS reviews and assessments for associations, but no longer taking consulting engagements.

Methodology

Based on ~8 public sources; several review-site results were unrelated similarly named companies, so confidence is low.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

SmartThoughts LLC — official sitesmartthoughts.net
official
Independent AMS Consultants | Chad Stewart, Foundersmartthoughts.net
official
Association Software Assessment: Keep, Optimize, or Replacesmartthoughts.net
official
What Is AMS Software? [2026 Expert Guide]smartthoughts.net
official
SmartThoughts YouTube channelyoutube.com
official
Spotting Unbiased AMS Selection Advice (LinkedIn)linkedin.com
news
Trustpilot results for similarly named companytrustpilot.com
review
SmartThoughts security page checksmartthoughts.net
security

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SmartThoughts LLC Review

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