RackDiff
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Methodology: How RackDiff Ranks Offers

This page describes every rule RackDiff uses to show and rank offers. It applies to every result list on rackdiff.com, and every list links here.

Ranking of comparison lists

On the homepage, the VPS and dedicated comparisons and the provider pages, offers are ranked by ascending price (monthly price incl. VAT). Price is the only ranking parameter and carries 100% weight. Offers with the same price have no further defined order.

  • A provider's commission or partner status: 0% weight in these lists.
  • Trustpilot ratings and the RackDiff Score: 0% weight in ranking.
  • Filters (CPU, RAM, storage, price, provider) only hide offers; they do not change the order.
  • The "Best Value" marker and list use the value score (RAM × vCPU ÷ price), independent of commissions.

Exception: use-case recommendations

The offer lists on use-case pages (e.g. "n8n self-hosting") take into account partners we have an affiliate agreement with:

  1. The list first shows only partner offers that meet the calculated minimum requirements. If no partner offer matches, it shows all matching offers.
  2. Within the list, offers are sorted by price, with non-partner prices weighted 3% higher for sorting. The actual price is always displayed.

These lists therefore carry the note "This list shows partner offers first".

Affiliate links

Links through which we may earn a commission are labelled "Affiliate link ⓘ" directly at the button. Links to providers without a partner agreement are plain links without a label. See the affiliate disclosure (German).

Data sources

  • Prices and hardware: collected automatically from provider websites twice daily (06:00 and 18:00 UTC). "Prices as of" shows the oldest collection date across all providers.
  • Trustpilot: we take the average rating and review count from trustpilot.com, with the retrieval date. It is the rating of the provider, not the plan. RackDiff does not verify whether reviews come from real customers.
  • Reddit: mentions in public subreddits are analysed automatically and shown as context, also without influence on ranking.

Gross or net

All prices are monthly prices in euros incl. VAT. Setup fees, discounts and minimum terms may differ; the provider's website is authoritative.

Updates

Prices and Trustpilot ratings are refreshed with every collection run, i.e. twice daily. If collection fails for a provider, its last state stays visible and the "Prices as of" date shows it.