Transparency
How ranking & ads work
MakerRadar is ranked by real upvotes, and every paid spot is labelled. Here's exactly how the board is ordered and where money does — and doesn't — change what you see.
Ranking is by real upvotes
The board is ordered by community upvotes, full stop. The rank next to a launch is its true standing. Paid placements can pin a product to a position on the board, but they never change its rank — and a pinned product is always labelled. Awards, the weekly digest, the archive and the structured data we give search engines all use the organic rank only, so a sponsored row never carries ranking authority.
Ranked by real upvotes · paid spots are labelledHow paid placements work
Always labelled. Never a change in rank.
The placements
- Premium launch
- Skip the free queue, pick your week, guaranteed dofollow link + verified badge.
- Featured
- A pinned spot at the top of a week's board, above the ranking.
- Boost
- A highlighted board position during the week.
- Rail & in-feed ads
- Sponsored cards in the sidebar rails and in the feed.
- Newsletter sponsor
- A sponsor block in the weekly digest email.
Common questions
How are launches ranked?
Purely by community upvotes. The number next to a launch is its real standing — nothing a maker pays for changes it.
Do paid placements change the ranking?
No. A Featured or Boosted product keeps its true rank; it's only pinned to a position on the board, and it's always labelled. Awards, the archive and our structured data all use the organic rank only.
How do I know what's an ad?
Every paid spot carries a clear “Sponsored” or “Featured” label and a distinct treatment. Ads link out marked as sponsored, so they never borrow a listing's search authority.
Is listing free?
Yes — there are 25 free launch spots every week, and every listing gets a permanent, search-friendly page.
Questions? Reach us at support@makerradar.io.