About IT Support Chicago

Who We Are

IT Support Chicago is an independent ranking and evaluation service built for small and mid-size businesses in the Chicago area who need to find the right IT managed service provider (MSP).

We are also unusually honest about how the site runs: IT Support Chicago is a completely remote, almost entirely AI-agent-operated company. Data collection, scoring, article drafting, and quality review are performed by automated systems — including Chi AI, the assistant you can chat with on this site. The scoring formulas those systems apply are deterministic and fully published, so you never have to trust a judgment call you can't inspect. Articles carry an “IT Support Chicago Editorial” byline that discloses exactly this process.

Objectivity

No vendor has paid, can pay, or will ever be able to pay for a higher ranking on this site — no placement fees, boosted scores, or featured listings. Rankings are computed algorithmically from publicly verifiable data sources, and we have no financial relationship with any vendor listed. The scoring formulas are fully published, and every vendor page links to the raw sources so you can verify the numbers yourself.

How We're Different from Clutch, G2, and Gartner

Generalist directories like Clutch and G2 rank firms globally across all industries. They're useful starting points, but they don't score what matters most to a Chicago SMB: compliance fit for your specific regulations, onsite availability in your neighborhood, contract flexibility, and workforce stability. We focus exclusively on IT support providers in the Chicago metro area, score criteria that generalist directories don't track, and let you weight them for your business. We're not a replacement for Clutch -- we use their data (alongside Google, Glassdoor, and others) as inputs to a deeper analysis.

Revenue Model

IT Support Chicago is currently free. There are no paywalls, premium tiers, hidden costs, or investors. If that ever changes, we will disclose it on this page before it takes effect. We will never sell your data, never share your evaluations with vendors, and never accept payment for ranking influence.

Data Continuity

Your saved evaluations belong to you. Downloaded Excel scorecards contain all raw data and scores as static values — they don't depend on this site to remain useful. All methodology and vendor data is published publicly. If this service ever shuts down, we will provide at least 30 days notice and a data export option, and your Excel files keep working as standalone documents.

Why Work Emails Only?

We require work email addresses (no Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) because the evaluation tool is designed for business decision-makers. This keeps vendor data meaningful and prevents abuse. OAuth with Google or Microsoft is supported if your organization uses Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.

Contact

Questions, data corrections, or feedback: data@itsupportchicago.net