Here’s how we review the services in the directory: where the information comes from, how scores are worked out, and what can make them change.
Where the information comes from
We start from each service’s public sources: homepage, pricing page, FAQ, terms of service and content rules. We note what’s actually on offer (content, prices, payment methods, free trial, French support, privacy) rather than the marketing lines. A claim we can’t verify doesn’t count in the service’s favour.
Every listing shows the date it was last checked in its score breakdown. Where we can, we add a homepage screenshot, either blurred or with explicit areas masked.
Five criteria, one score out of 10
- Offering and catalogue (25%): how broad and worthwhile the content or features are, compared with the rest of the category.
- Quality (20%): production quality and how well the service holds up technically.
- Pricing and value (20%): what you get for your money, and how clear the pricing and renewal terms are.
- Usability (15%): how easy it is to find your way around, on desktop and mobile.
- Trust and privacy (20%): operator details, published policies and terms, billing information and overall transparency.
Each criterion is scored out of 10. The overall score is the weighted average of all five, rounded to the nearest tenth (0.05 rounds up). If the score we keep differs from that calculation, the score breakdown says so.
Verification level
Some services publish far more than others, so we use three levels: full (the key points are confirmed on official pages), partial (some details, often prices, aren’t public) and limited. With limited verification, the score stays provisional and trust and privacy is capped at 6/10.
Rankings
Within each category, services are ranked by overall score, highest first. Ties are broken in this order: verification level (full, then partial, then limited), then the site’s public popularity in the Tranco list (tranco-list.eu), then alphabetical order. Whether a service has an affiliate link never affects its score or its position. The same service can appear in more than one category.
Provisional scores, regularly updated
All our scores are labelled provisional, because they reflect an offer at a given moment. The directory is updated regularly with new listings, new guides and re-checked details. When a service changes its prices, content or rules, we update the listing, and the score if needed.
Spotted something out of date? Email us at contact@spiceradar.com.
Affiliate links and independence
Some links are affiliate links, and they’re labelled “Affiliate link”. That never affects scores, rankings or internal links: the only thing that changes is where the button points. A service with no affiliate programme is judged on exactly the same criteria as a partner.
Community reviews
Visitor reviews and votes are shown separately and don’t feed into the SpiceRadar score.