Rating Methodology: Genius Score 

Matija Kolaric
Reading time5 mins
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We want to help you make informed decisions about software by providing comprehensive reviews and ratings. On this page, we’ll explain how we rank software using the Genius Score methodology, our comprehensive rating system that takes into account pricing, usability, features, and support.

How We Test And Rank The Software

We use a score, called Genius Score, to rate all software on SaasGenius. The Genius Score is rated between 0 and 100, with 100 being the highest score and 0 being the lowest score.

You can find the Genius Score at the top of each pricing page, review, and alternative page. The Genius Score alone is a good indicator of the value of money and the quality of each software. However, combined with our detailed breakdown of pricing and features, you’ll get a good idea of what to expect from the software you’re interested in.

Each Genius Score has four values:

  1. Pricing
  2. Usability
  3. Features
  4. Support

Pricing, usability, features, and support are the four key factors that determine the quality of a software product. By considering these four factors, we can provide a comprehensive assessment of the software’s capabilities and help businesses make informed decisions.

  • Pricing indicates the value for money offered by the software. We analyze the software’s pricing structure and compare it to similar products in the market to determine whether it offers a fair price for the features and usability it provides.
  • Usability shows how user-friendly the software is. Ease-of-use and simplicity are taken into account.
  • Features describe how feature-rich the software is compared to others software in the category.
  • Support indicates the quality of customer support.

How We Get The Numbers

Each Genius Score is calculated from existing customer reviews on the Internet and the reviews of our internal testers.
This ensures the right combination of external factors and internal reviews. Let’s take a look at how we get the numbers.

We use two numbers to calculate the Genius Score.

The Calculated Genius Score takes into account usability, features, and support.

The Adjusted Genius Score takes into account the pricing and is the most important factor we use.

The Calculated Genius Score

We collect online reviews from reliable and verified industry-leading sources. We use at least two sources of online reviews for every software we test.

We calculate the average rating of usability, features and support based on all the reviews we have analyzed.

Expressed in a mathematical equation, the Calculated Genius Score is worked out as follows:

Calculated Genius Score = (average usability rating + average features rating + average support rating) / 3

It’s important to know that we convert online reviews into a scale from 0 to 100. So for example, if we find an online review that rates the usability of a software as 4.8/5, we convert this to 96/100 points for our Calculated Genius Score.

The Calculated Genius Score gives us a good indication of the quality of the software. It represents the average customer feedback.

But sometimes that isn’t enough. Features, support, and usability can change, and the online ratings don’t take those changes into account.

For example, a Saas product may completely change its user interface and drastically improve the tool’s usability. Existing online ratings don’t take this into account, and we have to manually adjust the Genius Score.

Adjusted Genius Score

We use two factors to calculate the Adjusted Genius Score – The Adjustment Factor and The Pricing Factor.

Our team of reviewers and testers analyze every piece of software we review. We test everything we can to see how well the software works.

To begin with, we rigorously test each software provider. This includes evaluating the usability of the software, comparing its features with other software in the same category, and evaluating the responsiveness of the support team.

We put the software through its paces to ensure we can give you a thorough and informed evaluation. Sometimes we have full access to all the features of the software, while sometimes, we have to work with a demo version. But you can rest assured that we will give you an unbiased and objective review of the software.

Assume our reviewers discover a significant disparity between the Calculated Genius Score and the actual usability, features and support. In that case, they have the option to adjust the Genius Score that is published on our website with The Adjustment Factor. 

At least one other reviewer must approve any adjustment to ensure objectivity.

Pricing is the most important factor in determining a software product’s value for money. The Pricing Factor compares the software’s pricing structure to similar products in the market to determine whether it offers a fair price for the features and usability it provides.

The mathematical formula for the Adjusted Genius Score is:

Adjusted Genius Score = Calculated Genius Score * Adjustment Factor * Pricing Factor

We usually use an adjustment factor that is between 0.8 and 1.2. This means that our reviewers can upgrade or downgrade a software provider by 20%. In extreme cases, we can also use a higher adjustment factor.

An example of an extreme case is when a software provider drastically changes its user interface or features. Existing online reviews don’t take this into account, and it’s up to our reviewers to adjust the Genius Score, so it accurately represents the quality of the software.

The Pricing Factor can be any number, but it usually falls between 0.5 and 1.5. In practical terms, this means that the Pricing Factor can upgrade or downgrade a software provider by 50%.

To give you an example – if we review a software that has limited features, usability, and support but is free to use, we will upgrade its Genius Score because it provides good value for money.

The Adjusted Genius Score is the score you see on the website. It’s the score that represents the value for money of each software on SaasGenius. 

How to Use The Numbers

When it comes to software reviews, it’s important to know that the scores or ratings given by reviewers are useful for getting a general idea of a product’s strengths and weaknesses. We strive to provide reviews that are based on real-world applications and reflect our honest assessment of the software’s performance. We have spent a lot of time and effort testing the software in various scenarios to give you an accurate assessment of its capabilities.

However, we realize that everyone’s needs and use cases are different. What works well for one person or business may not be so well suited for another. That’s why we encourage our readers to use our Genius Score as a starting point and do their own research and evaluate the software, ensuring it meets their needs and requirements.

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