Rules you can read. Numbers you can check.

We keep three layers apart. Product facts come from makers and retailers and carry a source. Interpretation is what our rules say about those facts. Personal matches, when you use the matcher, stay in your browser and never change the facts.

• Maker reported The maker published this figure, on its own page, which somebody here read. We did not measure it.
• Maker, relayed The maker's figure, reaching us relayed rather than read: nobody has opened the maker's page for it yet. Still the maker's claim.
• Via retailer The maker's figure, reaching us through a retailer's listing rather than the maker's own page. Still the maker's claim, and still not measured here.
• Verified Measured by an independent test we cite. None yet in this prototype.
• Demo data Placeholder value in the prototype. Not a real measurement.
• Not stated The source was read and does not state this. We do not fill the gap with a number.
• Unverified Source did not state who measured it.

• Best Overall. Highest quality score in the category.
• Best Value. Highest blend of quality and affordability. Weights per category are below. When the same product wins both, the card shows Best Overall and notes the value win.
• Best Budget. Highest score at or under the category budget line. Awarded only when at least two products qualify.
• Best Premium. Highest score at or above the premium line. Same two-product rule.

• Whether a retailer pays us. Affiliate status is not an input to scoring. A test in our code flips every relationship and checks the ranking does not move.
• Medical outcomes. We compare products by stated attributes and price. We do not claim any product treats, cures or prevents a condition, and the matcher declines those questions.
• Experience we have not had. No claim about how a product feels, sounds or performs appears without a cited source.