How we score an opportunity

Last updated: 25 September 2026

This site shows you two different numbers, and they answer different questions. The percentage on the results page is your match: how well one platform fits the country, time, skills, devices, goals and experience you gave us. The score on a listing is the platform itself: how usable it looks for someone starting out, whatever your answers. A 95% match on a weak platform is still a weak platform, which is exactly why we keep them apart.

The four dimensions

Each dimension runs from 0 to 5. Nothing is averaged into a single figure, because an average would hide which part is weak.

Beginner friendly: experience_level is none or beginner (+3), difficulty is 1 or 2 (+2)
Easy to start: time_required is under 30 minutes, about an hour, or flexible (+3), startup_cost is 0 (+2)
No investment: startup_cost is 0 and application_fee is false
Availability: worldwide (+3), 3–4 countries (+2) or 1–2 (+1), then verification_status verified (+2) or partially verified (+1)

“No investment” is a fact we checked, not an opinion we hold: either the cost on record is zero or it is not. The other three dimensions add up contributions, so a middling score means “good on part of this”, never “average”.

When we do not know

If the columns a dimension reads are empty, that dimension shows Not enough data instead of zero stars. A missing figure is not evidence that something costs money or takes a long time, and showing it as such would push you to decide on our gap in the record. The same principle governs the matcher: an axis you never answered stays out of your score.

Risk flags

Four checks, each derived from the same stored figures. A listing with no flags has passed all four, which is not the same as a recommendation.

⚠ Requires paid membership
Shown when: application_fee is set, or startup_cost is above 0.
Money leaves your pocket before any earnings start.
⚠ Income varies significantly
Shown when: income_confidence is recorded as low.
We could not verify a narrow pay range for this platform.
⚠ Limited countries
Shown when: not listed as worldwide, and either fewer than 5 countries covered or country_exclusions set.
Confirm you are in an eligible country before you invest time.
⚠ Requires previous experience
Shown when: experience_level is intermediate, advanced or professional.
This is not a platform for a first online job.

The “limited countries” check treats a listing recorded as available worldwide as open everywhere, and stays silent when we have no country data at all rather than guessing that a short list means a restricted one.

What these rules will never do

Rise because a platform pays us a commission or bought a placement.
Change because a listing is popular. Popularity is not earnings evidence.
Predict what you will earn. Earnings depend on your country, availability and work.

Spot an error in a record? Write to us from the contact page with the listing name and the figure you can verify, and we will correct it and re-date the check.