How products are ranked and recognised

A product's backers are the distinct people who upvoted it. Votes from the people who made, added or claimed the listing don't count, so the number on the button is the number of other people backing it.

Accounts less than a week old count half, and members who have completed an assessment count a little more. A product is given a rank once 3 people back it; below that it is listed without a number, so one enthusiastic person can't put something at #1. Ties go to more people in the discussion, then more backers, then the newer launch.

This week and This month count only backing in the last 7 or 30 days. Within a category, ranks restart at #1.

Every Monday, for the week just ended (Monday to Sunday, UTC): #1, #2 and #3 by backing from votes cast that week, by the rules above. Any live product can win. Each place needs at least 3 backers that week; a quiet week can have fewer than three winners, or none. Once decided, a week is never recalculated.

Decided on the 1st for the month just ended, each needing at least 3 people:

• Product of the Month (#1–#3): products launched that month, by backing from votes cast that month.
• Rising Sprout: the launch of the month with the most backing in its first 7 days.
• Community Pick: the product with the most different people in its discussion that month.
• Top in a category: for categories with 3 or more launches that month, the best-backed of them.

Every award is listed in the awards archive, and makers can embed a badge for each one from Maker Studio's Media Kit.

A product page shows “#N on Most backed” while it is in the top 10, and “#N in its category” while it is in the top 3 of a category with at least 3 products. They update as backing changes. The embeddable badge makers put on their own sites shows the same numbers.

Anyone can add a product they found. Their profile shows how those products did: how many were added, how many reached 3+ backers, how many were claimed by the real founder, and how many were removed by moderators. It rewards adding things people actually want, and adding them accurately.

Seeders earn 50 XP per product, paid once it reaches 3 backers rather than when it's submitted.

If you were among a product's first backers (the first 30%, at least the first 3 and at most the first 10, of a product with 5 or more) and it went on to reach the top 3 on Most backed or win Product of the Week, your profile shows it under “Backed early”. It credits spotting something good, not voting a lot.

Certifications are not ranked and not verified by SOE. They are listed by the maker or the person who added the product, each with a link to the certificate so you can check it yourself. They play no part in any rank or badge.

Paid placements appear in marked ad slots and are never mixed into rankings.

XP never changes a rank. It measures participation on SOE and buys conveniences like streak freezes. See how XP works.