Our methodology

Every product on RankedFive gets a RankScore from 0 to 100, computed by an algorithm — not chosen by an editor, and never influenced by advertisers or affiliate commissions. This page explains exactly how it works.

What goes into a RankScore

1. Rating quality

We aggregate ratings across every source we track and adjust them with a Bayesian average. A product with a 4.7 average across 8,000 reviews outranks one with a perfect 5.0 from a dozen reviews, because large samples are more trustworthy than small ones.

2. Review volume

More independent reviews mean more confidence. Volume is log-scaled so that going from 50 to 500 reviews matters a lot, while going from 5,000 to 50,000 matters less.

3. Source trust

Not all sources are equal. Independent testing organizations that buy their own products weigh most, followed by expert editorial reviews, then aggregated user ratings, then blogs and videos. We maintain a trust weight for every source we use, and we cite our sources on every ranking page.

4. Sponsorship penalty

Reviews that are sponsored, gifted, or affiliate-driven are down-weighted — in some cases excluded entirely. If a source's business model depends on the brands it reviews, its opinion counts for less.

5. Recency

Review data decays. A five-year-old rave about a product that has since been redesigned tells you little. Recent reviews carry more weight, and every list shows the date its data was last refreshed.

6. Consensus

A product recommended independently by multiple unrelated sources gets a consensus bonus. One glowing review is an opinion; eight glowing reviews from unrelated sources is a signal.

When we publish a list — and when we don't

A category only gets a RankedFive page when it clears minimum thresholds: enough distinct products with real data, enough total reviews, and enough independent sources. If the data isn't there, we don't publish a list — no filler content, ever.

How we make money

Some outbound links are affiliate links: if you buy through one, the retailer pays us a small commission at no extra cost to you. Commissions have zero effect on rankings — the algorithm doesn't know which products carry affiliate programs, and brands cannot pay to appear on RankedFive. See our full disclosure.

Corrections

Spot something wrong — a discontinued product, a bad link, a score that seems off? Email hello@rankedfive.com and we'll investigate and correct it.