Vendors can pay for placement. They can't buy a score.
Every Index Score comes from the same place: we research each platform's features, pricing, plans and documentation, weigh it against what creators report, and grade it on the things buyers actually compare. Some vendors pay for featured placement; we label them PARTNER, and it never moves their number.
How we research each platform
For every platform we work through the same things a creator weighs before committing: the course builder and how lessons, quizzes and certificates are put together, the checkout and what the fees really cost, and the student experience on desktop and mobile. We read each vendor's plans and documentation closely and weigh it against aggregated user feedback, then judge ease of use, the number we weight most heavily, because it is the thing a feature list alone can never tell you.
Consistent scoring
Each platform is graded against the same fixed rubric across all four pillars, so no single reviewer's taste decides a ranking and the scores stay comparable between tools. We re-check pricing and fees regularly, because those change often.
What money can and can't do
EverythingLMS is reader-supported. Some links are affiliate links, and select vendors pay for featured placement — always labelled PARTNER. Neither ever changes a score or a rank. See our full disclosure.