Each scored on the same 6-axis rubric
FDA, PubMed, peer-reviewed, .gov/.edu
Affiliate revenue never moves position
We make nothing we review — fully independent
The six-axis scoring rubric
Every product on this site is scored 0–10 on six axes by editorial staff against primary sources. The axes are weighted differently per page template (a diabetes page weights A1C reduction higher than a cash-pay cost page).
- Effectiveness
- Clinical outcomes from published trials and meta-analyses, plus real-world results data.
- Safety
- FDA/regulatory status, side-effect profile, contraindications, post-market surveillance.
- Value
- Out-of-pocket cost, insurance/coverage likelihood, and total cost over 12 months.
- Accessibility
- Telehealth availability, geographic coverage, supply stability, prescription ease.
- User experience
- Onboarding flow, ongoing support, app and portal quality, customer service responsiveness.
- Trust
- Brand reputation, regulatory compliance, transparency on pricing and clinical claims.
How weights shift per page type
Not every page weighs axes equally. On a “best for type 2 diabetes” page, effectiveness and safety dominate. On a “best in California” page, accessibility matters more. The literal weight constants below are pulled live from src/lib/ranking.ts. When that file changes, this table changes.
| Page template | Effectiveness | Safety | Value | Accessibility | User experience | Trust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (homepage, generic rankings) | 30% | 25% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 15% |
| Best [product] for [condition] pages | 40% | 30% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 15% |
| Best [product] in [location] pages | 25% | 20% | 10% | 25% | 10% | 10% |
| Head-to-head comparison pages (X vs Y) | 35% | 25% | 10% | 5% | 10% | 15% |
| Alternatives to [product] pages | 30% | 25% | 15% | 10% | 10% | 10% |
| Best [category] pages | 35% | 25% | 10% | 10% | 5% | 15% |
Emerald percentage = highest weight per template. Every template’s weights sum to ~100%.
Manual override (editor judgment)
Each product has an optional manualOrder field. When set, it overrides the computed score and forces a fixed position. We use this sparingly. For example, we may bump an FDA-approved product above a compounded one even when the math is close, because we believe regulatory safety should weigh higher than the algorithm sometimes admits. Every manual override is logged in our editorial changelog.
Medical review
Every clinical claim is checked against primary sources — FDA labeling and peer-reviewed studies — and linked inline through our review process before it ships. We link the underlying source inline so any claim can be traced. If a claim cannot be sourced, it does not ship.
Update cadence
- Every featured product is re-reviewed at least quarterly.
- FDA labeling changes trigger a re-review within 7 days.
- Pricing is verified monthly.
- Shortage status is synced daily.
Affiliate relationships do not move ranking position.
The six-axis rubric is the only input to scoring. We have affiliate relationships with some brands we cover and not with others. When a product without an affiliate relationship outscores one with, the unmonetized product still ranks higher. See our affiliate disclosure for full details.
How to flag an error
Editorial: [email protected]. Clinical: [email protected]. We respond within 5 business days and publish a correction notice on any updated review.