Every list on this site is sorted by rules you can read here. No company can pay for a better position, and the ranking code never reads referral or payment data. Entries with a paid link: 1 of 76. It makes no difference to where they appear.
The match quiz
The quiz ranks options for you in two steps. It runs in your browser; your answers aren't sent to us.
1. Filters: options that can't work for you are removed. An option is left out, with the reason shown under "Not shown and why", when:
- it's closed to new people;
- it isn't available in your country, or it requires work authorization you don't have;
- it needs a computer and you only have a phone;
- it needs things you ruled out: being on camera, heavy selling, posting on social media, monitoring software, unpaid tests or fixed schedules;
- its startup cost is clearly above your budget.
2. Score: the rest get a score out of 100. The score adds up these factors with these weights:
| What we look at | Weight | In plain words |
|---|---|---|
| Skills & background | 35% | How well your skills and background match the skills the option uses |
| Income goal | 15% | How well its pay and ceiling fit your income goal |
| Hours | 12% | Whether its minimum hours fit the hours you have |
| Speed to first money | 12% | Whether the first money arrives as soon as you need it |
| Risk & budget | 10% | Whether its risk and startup cost fit your risk preference and budget |
| Way of working | 10% | Whether the work matches the kinds of work you enjoy |
| Trend | 6% | Its AI outlook and whether it's open right now |
The score is then multiplied by a factor for how well-sourced the entry is: grade A ×1.0, B ×0.95, C ×0.9, D ×0.8. So a well-documented option ranks slightly higher than an equally good fit we know less about. At most three results come from the same category, so you see a mix.
Your path. "Earn now → build next" pairs the best option that pays soon (ladder steps 1–2) with the best thing you could own later (steps 3–5). Pairs get a small bonus when we've marked a natural next step between them or when they share skills you have.
The exact code is public: /api/matcher.js.
The library
- Fastest first money (the default): fewest days from signing up to the first payment, comparing the fastest reported case first and then the typical case.
- Best documented: highest evidence grade first, then the most sourced facts.
- Highest realistic pay: the middle of the realistic hourly range, highest first. Entries without an hourly figure come last.
- Recently checked: the entries checked against their sources most recently come first.
- A–Z: alphabetical by name.
Ties go to the better-documented entry, then the alphabet.
Entries that aren't checked yet and closed entries are hidden by default; you can show them with a filter.
The Board on the home page
The Board shows 12 entries: first the best-documented entry on each of the five ladder steps, then the next best-documented ones (grade first, then the number of sourced facts, with a bonus for a change in the last 30 days), at most 2 per category and 4 per step; unchecked and closed entries are left out, and the rows are sorted by how soon the first money arrives.
Comparisons and "best" lists
Comparisons show both options with the same fields and the same dates. Where a page says "best", it names the formula behind the order. Paid links never change the order or the facts shown.
Grades
The grade (A–D) on every entry and fact says how well-sourced it is, not how good the company is. See How we know for the full method.