Log entry
2026-11-03
Checked 2026-11-03
Why does every score on this site say desk review?
A desk review scores an app from its official listing, documentation, pricing pages and published terms, using the same eight-criterion rubric as a bench test. A bench test adds what only use can show: setup timed on a stopwatch, taps counted to capture a task, a trial canceled to see the flow. Until an app has been through the bench, its receipt says desk review and the timed fields read NOT MEASURED. Right now, every app on the site is a desk review.
A reader asked why every receipt on the site carries the same red line: desk review, provisional. It is a fair question, and the answer says a lot about how to read any ADHD app ranking, ours included.
What is scored at the desk?
Everything that can be read from the outside: what the app does, what it costs, what the trial terms say, which platforms it runs on, what accessibility features are documented, how often it has been updated over the past year. Those map onto most of our eight criteria, so a desk score is a real score, just one built from published material.
What can only the bench show?
Which rubric criteria need hands-on testing (see the methodology for weights)
| Criterion | Weight | Desk | Bench adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup friction | 20 | Steps described in the docs | Minutes and decisions on a stopwatch |
| Capture friction | 15 | Capture options listed | Taps to capture, counted |
| Forgiveness | 15 | Streak and repair features described | What a missed day actually looks like |
| Reward design | 10 | Mechanics described | How the loop feels after a week |
| Notification quality | 10 | Settings documented | Real nudges, snooze behavior |
| Price honesty | 10 | Trial terms as written | The cancellation flow as experienced |
| Accessibility | 10 | Documented features | Screen reader and text scaling checks |
| Staying power | 10 | Update history, team signals | Same |
Why publish desk scores at all?
Because the alternative is worse. Most ADHD app lists publish rankings with no method at all. A desk score on a published rubric, clearly labeled and dated, lets you see why an app ranks where it does and argue with the inputs. When we bench an app, its receipt will show the timed numbers and the date, and the changelog will record any score change.
Newer reading tools go one step further in caution: Magic Bookmark, Speechify and Libby carry partial desk scores, counting only the criteria we could assess from the outside, and no total out of 100.
How should you read a desk score?
- Compare apps within the same job, not across jobs.
- Look at the breakdown on the receipt, not only the total. Forgiveness and setup tell you most about whether an app will last for you.
- Treat a TRIAL FIRST verdict as an instruction: use the free version for two weeks before paying.
- Check the date. Prices and features change; every receipt shows when it was checked.
Questions people actually ask
Has Best ADHD Apps tested these apps hands-on?
Not yet. Every score is currently a dated desk review on our published rubric, and each receipt says so.
Will scores change after bench testing?
They can. Any change will be shown on the receipt with a date and recorded in the page's changelog.
What does NOT MEASURED mean on a receipt?
That field needs hands-on testing, such as taps to capture or a timed setup, and has not been measured yet.
Sources
Related
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