How we score, rank and grade — and how we make money
Every product on RankingRight is scored on the same public rubric from primary sources: manufacturer specifications, official pricing pages and independent professional and owner reviews. Every institution is graded from public government data. We say plainly on each page when a score rests on published sources rather than our own hands-on use. This page is the whole method: the steps, the rubric weights, the people, and the rules we hold ourselves to.
The method, step by step
1We research every product from primary sourcesManufacturer specifications and documentation, official pricing pages, warranty and return terms, and recall or safety notices. Nothing is copied from another ranking.
2We read what independent reviewers and owners reportProfessional reviews from established outlets and verified owner feedback are read against the same criteria. A score moves only when sources agree; where they disagree, the page says so.
3We 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 say when we have not used the productHands-on notes appear only on pages that state we used the product. If a page does not say so, its score rests on the sources above, not on our own lab work.
6We date prices and re-score on a scheduleEvery price carries the day it was checked. Score changes are listed in the page changelog with a date.
How institutions are graded
Nursing homes, 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.
One named team, honest sourcingEvery review and ranking is signed by the RankingRight editorial team, with the score date and the data date. Where a score rests on published sources rather than hands-on use, the page says so.
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.