How we test, rank and grade — and how we make money
Every product on RankingRight was bought at retail and put through the same job before it got a score. Every institution is graded from public government data. This page is the whole method: the steps, the rubric weights, the people, and the rules we hold ourselves to.
The test, step by step
1We buy it with our own moneyRetail price, our own card, no vendor-supplied review units or demo accounts. Free tiers are tested as free tiers.
2We run the same job on every product in a lineLaptops: the same 4K export, battery rundown and colorimeter pass. Payroll: a 3-person pay cycle plus a quarterly filing. Hosting: the same WordPress site, speed-tested from three US regions. The job is published on every ranking page.
3We measure, then score against the public rubricEach criterion has a weight; the weights are printed on the ranking and on every score card. Score = the sum of the sub-scores divided by ten.
4We lock the score before any affiliate link is attachedA locked score cannot be edited. A product with no affiliate program is scored exactly the same way and ranked in the same list.
5We re-check prices weekly and re-test on a scheduleEvery price carries the day it was checked and the day it will be checked again. Score changes are listed in the page changelog with a date.
How institutions are graded
Nursing homes, hospitals, banks, colleges and schools are not ranked — they are graded A–F. Each metric (staffing, inspections, quality measures, penalties, complaints, outcomes) is percentile-ranked against peers in the same state and size band, weighted, and summed. Letter cut-offs are fixed per directory and printed on every grade page, together with every raw input, the percentile and the data date. Fewer than 60% of metrics available → "Not graded", never an F by absence.
The default product rubric — 100 points, shown as /10
Pricing transparencyDoes the pricing page match the invoice? Any hidden per-run, per-filing or renewal fees?
25
Core job, done wellThe one thing the tool exists for, measured on our test job.
20
Setup timeMinutes from signup to the job actually done, by a non-expert.
20
Support responseTime to a useful human answer, on the channel the base plan gives you.
15
Integrations & extrasWhat it connects to, and what's bundled versus upsold.
20
What is not in the score: popularity, number of reviews, brand size, or whether the company pays us. All four can be bought.
Per-line rubrics
Smartphones: Smartphones rubric
Performance 25 · Battery 25 · Camera 20 · Display 15 · Value 15
The rules we publish and keep
Affiliate links, disclosed above the foldWe earn a commission when you buy through some links. It is on every page before the first button, not in the footer.
No paid placements, everNobody can buy a rank, a grade, a badge or a "sponsored" slot. Display ads are limited to two units per page and never sit above a Visit button.
Real testing, one named teamEvery review and ranking is signed by the RankingRight editorial team, with the test date and the data date.
Dated prices, dated scores, dated gradesA price without a date is a guess. Ours carry the day we checked and the day we will check again.
Corrections in the openErrors are fixed in the page changelog with what was wrong. Email [email protected] — it reaches the editor.
Company detailsRankingRight is published by Syntara Technologies.