The 100-point formula
Every listed tool carries an index score out of 100, built from five graded fields with fixed, published weights: engine coverage 25 points, execution features 25, ease of use 20, value for money 20, and transparency 10. A listing marked "Index score: 92/100" earned exactly that weighted total, and each ranking page prints the same formula beside its table. Frontmatter stores the score on a 0 to 5 scale for display components; the native grade is always the 100-point figure.
Grades come from the directory’s own test cycle, run in June and July 2026 on live accounts, vendor documentation, and published pricing pages. Each field is scored on its own, the weighted fields are summed, and the total is filed with a last-verified date. A claim that cannot be traced to a source scores zero in the transparency field.
The verification rotation
Listings are re-checked on a fixed rotation: pricing pages monthly, feature and engine claims quarterly. A vendor change that moves any graded field triggers a re-score of the affected entry. The "Updated" date on a page records its most recent verification pass, and every material change gets a line in the directory notes.
Corrections
The index treats an error like any other record: it gets corrected, dated, and logged. Every entry price is re-checked monthly and every engine and feature claim is re-verified each quarter, so a wrong price, an inaccurate engine claim, or a stale feature entry is caught on the next verification pass, fixed, and given a dated line in the directory notes.
See the latest ranking at /rankings/.