Any time I buy software I start by reviewing the top ~5 vendors that are easy to find. So I know the alternatives and just need to decide which one I think will

Any time I buy software I start by reviewing the top ~5 vendors that are easy to find. So I know the alternatives and just need to decide which one I think will work best for my needs. It's extremely rare that I encounter something novel and incorporate it into my life be it personal/business. Once I use something, I might be more aware of what friction I am encountering and I might review the available solutions again to see if one of them solves it more elegantly. In any case, I compare alternatives that are readily available. Sometimes I ask around or stumble on conversation that surfaces a new product that has a different approach to the same old problems and I feel like "they get me". Those products tend to catch fire.