Version 1.2 · September 8, 2026
Don't trust a ranking you can't understand.
How the TRI Score is built: six weighted factors, what we test, what we take from public data, and what we refuse to claim.
The score
Six factors, one number
Every entity receives a score from 0 to 100. The framework below is shared across the index; the weights are then tuned per category, because a hotel cannot be judged like a CRM. Each category page states its own adjustment.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 30% | How much the product can actually do, and how well it does the core job. |
| Value | 20% | What you get for the price, including what the free plan really covers. |
| Ease of Use | 15% | Time from signup to useful result, without training or a consultant. |
| Reliability | 15% | Consistency, uptime, support responsiveness and predictable behaviour. |
| Professional Utility | 10% | How well it fits real professional workflows, not demos. |
| Momentum | 10% | Rate of meaningful improvement over the last two evaluation cycles. |
Bands
What a number means
- 95–100.0Elite
- 90–94.9Exceptional
- 85–89.9Excellent
- 80–84.9Very Good
- 70–79.9Good
- Below 70Not Recommended
We never publish a score without the reasoning beside it. If you cannot see why something scored what it did, treat the score as unfinished.
Evidence
Where the data comes from
- Public data
- Pricing pages, documentation, published fee schedules, statutes and official statistical releases. Checked on the date shown.
- Tested by The Rank Index
- Hands-on evaluation against a fixed task battery. Applied only where testing is genuinely possible.
- Editorial assessment
- Human judgement on factors that cannot be measured, stated as judgement rather than data.
- Not enough verified data
- Used when we do not know. We would rather show a gap than invent a number.
We do not claim to have analysed thousands of data points, and we do not publish invented review counts, fake users or unearned "expert verified" labels. Trust is the only asset this index has.
Cadence
How often scores change
- Full re-evaluation every quarter.
- Immediate review after a major product, model or pricing change.
- Pricing re-verified every cycle, with the verification date shown on the page.
- Every score change is logged with a reason on the product page, and every position change appears on Movers.
Independence
Money and conflicts of interest
- Placement is never for sale. No vendor can pay to rank higher.
- Where affiliate links exist, they are disclosed, and they never affect a score or a position.
- Sponsored placements, if any, appear outside the ranking and are labelled.
- Any conflict of interest relevant to an entity is stated on that entity's page.
Per category
Category adjustments
- AI Assistants
Capability carries the heaviest weight here because breadth is the reason people pay for an assistant at all.
- AI Coding Tools
Reliability is weighted up: a coding agent that breaks a working project costs more than it saves.
- AI Image Generators
Output control and licensing clarity are scored inside Capability and Professional Utility.
- AI Video Generators
Value is weighted carefully: credit systems make headline prices misleading, so we score cost per usable clip.
- AI Search
Citation accuracy is scored inside Reliability, and it is unforgiving.
- Website Builders
Ease of Use and long-term ownership costs weigh heavily.
- CRM
We score the plan a five-person team can actually afford, not the enterprise tier.
- Email Marketing
Deliverability and price-per-subscriber curves dominate Value.
- Automation
Professional Utility is weighted up: breadth of real integrations is the product.
- Business Banking
Scored on published fee schedules, coverage and account features.
- Credit Cards
Value is modelled on realistic annual spend, not maximum theoretical redemption.
- Brokerages
Fees, product range and platform reliability carry the ranking.
- Cities for Entrepreneurs
Public statistical data only: cost of living, formation rates, talent, taxes.
- States to Form an LLC
Filing fees, annual reports, privacy and case law, from public statutes.
- Universities
Graduate outcomes and net cost are weighted above selectivity.
- Airlines
On-time performance, cabin consistency and change policies.