Maybe it's time to be final and state that any and all recommendation questions are just off topic and out of scope with the site.
The current close reason listed reads:
Questions seeking application recommendations are off-topic unless they detail what has already been tried and rejected. Describe your situation and the specific problem you're trying to solve
This still ends up where users will ask questions and list apps or websites that don't meet a criteria instead of actually using one for a time and trying to ask about that web app or website specifically.
A clearer, more exact and concise close reason could be:
Application/website recommendations are off-topic and out of scope. It is better instead to use a particular web app or website and ask for help in any issues you have with it specifically.
This would remove the "prior research" angle and instead be direct about the question and the scope of questions preferred on this site.
It would be more helpful, and many-user applicable, to target an active issue (configuring/fixing/hacking a particular app) than it is to satisfy a list of requirements (recommendations).