How We Score
Every PriceWorld score is derived from a measurable, auditable data point. No opinions, no "feel." If you can't link to the source or show the math, it doesn't go in.
"Show Your Work" Philosophy
PriceWorld is not a review site. We don't hand out subjective ratings based on how a tool "feels." Instead, every score follows a three-layer model:
- Raw data — the actual number, price, boolean, or string (e.g., "$26.50/mo for 1,000 subscribers on the Standard plan")
- Published rubric — a deterministic formula or lookup table that converts raw data to a 1–5 integer score
- Weighted composite — dimension scores combined via published weights into a single X.X rating
This means you can disagree with our weighting but verify our data. Every raw data point includes a source URL and verification date. If the formula produces a wrong-feeling result, we fix the formula — we never patch the score.
Integer Scale
No false precision. A 3.7 implies accuracy we don't have. Integers force honest bucketing.
Staleness Check
Scores not re-verified within 90 days get flagged. Stale data is clearly marked.
Versioned Weights
Changing weights = new version = re-score everything. No quiet edits.
Composite Score Labels
Composite scores range from 1.0 to 5.0 (one decimal place) and map to these labels:
| Score Range | Label | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 4.5 – 5.0 | Excellent Value | Best-in-class for cost-conscious users |
| 3.5 – 4.4 | Good Value | Above average on total cost of ownership |
| 2.5 – 3.4 | Average | Industry standard — no major surprises or savings |
| 1.5 – 2.4 | Below Average | Notable hidden costs or poor value |
| 1.0 – 1.4 | Poor Value | Significant cost surprises or lock-in risk |
Email Marketing Scoring
Benchmark: 1,000 subscribers on the lowest paid plan with automation.
Weight Table
| Dimension | Weight |
|---|---|
| Entry Cost | 20% |
| Price Stability | 15% |
| Hidden Cost Exposure | 15% |
| Sends per Dollar | 15% |
| Scaling Cost | 15% |
| Automation Depth | 10% |
| Data Portability | 10% |
Dimensions Explained
1. Entry Cost (20%)
Monthly price at 1,000 subscribers on the lowest plan with automation. Scored on a $10–$55+ scale.
2. Price Stability (15%)
Percentage price increase over the past 24 months for the same plan and subscriber count. This is PriceWorld's differentiator — nobody else tracks this systematically.
3. Hidden Cost Exposure (15%)
How much can your bill exceed the sticker price? We check: charges for unsubscribed contacts, auto-overage billing, and add-on fees for core features.
4. Sends per Dollar (15%)
How many emails per $1 at the benchmark tier. Tools with unlimited sends score highest.
5. Scaling Cost (15%)
Monthly cost at 10,000 subscribers on the same plan. Future-proofing for growing creators.
6. Automation Depth (10%)
Objective feature count from a fixed 8-item checklist: welcome sequences, tag triggers, conditional branching, A/B testing in flows, and more.
7. Data Portability (10%)
How easy is it to leave? 5-point checklist covering CSV export, tag export, engagement history, no lock-in fees, and API access.
Web Hosting Scoring
Benchmark: Shared hosting, single site, most commonly promoted starter plan.
Weight Table
| Dimension | Weight |
|---|---|
| True Monthly Cost (Yr 1) | 15% |
| Renewal Price Multiplier | 20% |
| Total Cost of Ownership (3yr) | 20% |
| Included Features | 10% |
| Performance (TTFB) | 15% |
| Uptime | 10% |
| Migration / Exit Cost | 10% |
Dimensions Explained
1. True Monthly Cost — Year 1 (15%)
Actual cost per month in year 1, including required annual commitment divided by 12. We check the cart total, not the promotional banner.
2. Renewal Price Multiplier (20%)
How much more expensive is year 2+ vs year 1? This is THE PriceWorld differentiator for hosting. Most comparison sites show promo price only.
3. Total Cost of Ownership — 3 Year (20%)
Total spend over 3 years including renewal pricing. The complete picture of what you'll actually pay.
4. Included Features (10%)
Count of features included in the base price from a fixed 8-item checklist: SSL, domain, email hosting, daily backups, CDN, staging, SSH, unlimited bandwidth.
5. Performance — TTFB (15%)
Time to First Byte from neutral testing. Measured via WebPageTest: default WordPress install, no caching plugin, stock theme.
6. Uptime (10%)
Verified uptime percentage over trailing 12 months from third-party monitoring.
7. Migration / Exit Cost (10%)
How hard and expensive is it to leave? 5-point checklist: free migration in, file access for export, no long-term lock-in, easy domain transfer, money-back guarantee.
Domain Registration Scoring
Benchmark: .com TLD at standard (non-promotional) registration price.
Weight Table
| Dimension | Weight |
|---|---|
| Registration Price (.com) | 15% |
| Renewal Price (.com) | 25% |
| Renewal Markup | 20% |
| WHOIS Privacy | 15% |
| Transfer Ease | 15% |
| Checkout Transparency | 10% |
Dimensions Explained
1. Registration Price — .com (15%)
First-year cost for a standard .com domain at non-promotional rates. Lower weight because entry cost is generally cheap across registrars.
2. Renewal Price — .com (25%)
Year 2+ renewal cost. This is the PriceWorld differentiator for domains — the ongoing real cost that most comparison sites bury in fine print.
3. Renewal Markup (20%)
Percentage difference between registration and renewal price. A $0.99 first-year promo that renews at $18.99 is a 1,818% markup. We flag this as bait-and-switch pricing.
4. WHOIS Privacy (15%)
Is WHOIS privacy included free? This is an essential feature that some registrars charge $10+/year extra for. Scored on a 3-point scale: free (5), paid under $10 (3), or unavailable/expensive (1).
5. Transfer Ease (15%)
How easy is it to transfer your domain away? 4-point checklist: auth code in dashboard, no extra lock period, no outbound fee, automated unlock process.
6. Checkout Transparency (10%)
Does the registrar try to inflate your bill at checkout? We audit for pre-selected email hosting, website builder, domain privacy (if not free), SSL upsells, and hidden auto-renew toggles. Fewer dark patterns = higher score.
Weight Philosophy
Weights are tilted toward cost transparency and total ownership cost (50–65% weight across cost-related dimensions in every category). This is our editorial position: PriceWorld believes the real price is what matters most.
Feature depth gets lower weight because most tools in a category are "good enough" — the meaningful difference is what you actually pay. We'd rather tell you a tool is expensive but full-featured than pretend feature count offsets hidden costs.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure
PriceWorld uses affiliate links where available. However, scores are derived automatically from raw data via published rubrics — there is no manual override mechanism. Affiliate relationships never influence scores. If a tool scores poorly, we still link to it (with its real price) and explain why. See our full terms.
Open for Correction
If you're a vendor or user and believe a data point is wrong, we want to hear from you — with evidence. Submit corrections via our contact page. We'll verify and update within 48 hours.
Version History
Expanded coverage to 21 providers across 3 categories (8 hosting, 8 email marketing, 5 domain registrars). Added savings rates vertical.
Added domain registration category (6 dimensions). 5 registrars scored. Category index pages now sorted by composite score.
Initial scoring framework launch. Email marketing (7 dimensions) and web hosting (7 dimensions) categories scored. 5 vendors per category.