Forum Moderators: DixonJones
We've used the latest version constantly with no problems regarding the SEs or its reliability. I shold add that we ONLY use it for rank checking and for the page analysis tool. And we use the Google API approach (which has a limit of 1000 queries a day). For rank checking, when we had doubts about whether it was reporting accurately on what it saw, we examined the archived SE results pages it keeps and soon realized that any inconsistencies were because of the way we set it up. We really like the exports to pivot tables.
You do have to be careful about your settings and know what you are doing (I think they could do a better job on their setup and help screens). Our main user of the software, a neophyte, gets extremely frustrated with it over things that are not a problem for those of us who have used it for awhile. We also got kinda irritated last month when we found out that giving it its own machine, and having somebody run it by a remote connection, and having me check on it from my own computer when the first person is unavailable, requires an additional license because "2 people are using it from 2 desktop machines." The support person we talked to was a little over the top on his interpretation of the licensing, we thought.
I don't know if this addresses any of the controversialities you are referring to. But all in all, when we take the trouble to examine and research all the settings, and if we can put up with the occasional attitude at the other end of the phone line, it's an essential tool for us that pays for itself over and over.
