How we review

1. We only review what we'd actually recommend

Our starting point is simple: is this something we'd tell a friend about? We don't review every platform that exists — we review platforms worth knowing about. That means genuine UK coverage, honest pricing, and a booking experience that works. If a platform doesn't clear that bar, it doesn't get a review.

We have assessed platforms that we ultimately couldn't recommend. Those reviews are published too — with honest explanations of what didn't work. A negative assessment is more useful than silence.

2. Research is done by named team members

Every article on Hobbify is written by a named person. Workshop and experience reviews are handled by team members who have either attended sessions in that category, have a background in teaching or running workshops, or have spent significant time researching that specific area of the UK craft market.

Online course reviews go through a structured assessment process: full curriculum review, preview clip analysis, student outcome research (forum threads, Q&A sections, post-course feedback), instructor responsiveness checks, and pricing versus comparable courses. We read one-star reviews as carefully as five-star ones.

You can read the background of every team member on the team page. No anonymous content appears on Hobbify.

3. Platform reviews follow a consistent framework

When we assess a craft workshop or course platform, we evaluate it across five dimensions: course or workshop quality (range, instructor credentials, student outcomes), pricing transparency (what's included, whether prices are clearly stated), booking experience (how easy it is to find and book something), UK coverage (how well the platform covers different regions and cities), and customer support (how the platform handles problems and complaints).

Each dimension is assessed on evidence — Trustpilot scores, Google reviews, customer feedback, our own experience navigating the platform — not on the platform's own marketing claims.

4. We test booking flows directly

For every platform we review, we navigate the full booking process — search, filter, course page, checkout. This is where the real differences between platforms show up: whether search results are actually relevant, whether prices include materials, whether the checkout process is straightforward. We note problems we find, including ones the platform might prefer we didn't.

5. Affiliate relationships are disclosed but never shape recommendations

Hobbify earns affiliate commissions from some of the platforms we cover, including CraftCourses, ClassBento, Hobbycraft, and Domestika. When you click an affiliate link and book or buy something, we earn a small percentage at no extra cost to you.

We disclose every affiliate relationship on every page that contains affiliate links. Our ratings and recommendations are not influenced by whether a platform is an affiliate partner — we have published critical assessments of platforms we link to, and recommended platforms we have no affiliate relationship with.

If you want to support Hobbify, using our links is the best way to do it. But if our recommendation is to book direct, we'll say so.

6. We don't accept paid placements or sponsored content

No platform can pay to be featured, pay to receive a positive review, or pay to appear in a roundup. We don't run sponsored articles, advertorials, or any form of paid editorial. The only commercial relationship we have with platforms is the affiliate arrangements listed above — and those are always disclosed.

If a platform approaches us for paid coverage, we decline. This is non-negotiable.

7. Content is updated when things change

Platform reviews and price comparisons are checked at least twice a year. We update them whenever a platform makes a significant change — new features, pricing changes, ownership changes (such as the Obby acquisition by ClassBento in December 2024), or any development that affects our assessment. The "Updated" date on each review reflects the most recent substantive check, not just a cosmetic edit.

If you spot something that's out of date, you can email us. We take corrections seriously.

8. Our standard is: would we book this ourselves?

The final check on every recommendation is straightforward: would we genuinely book this, or give it as a gift to someone we care about? If the answer is no, it doesn't go on the site. This is especially true for workshop experience recommendations, where the gap between a good studio and a disappointing one is large and the price is meaningful.

We're aware that "we'd book it ourselves" is not a rigorous scientific framework. But it's a better filter than many of the alternatives — and it's the one we actually apply.