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How We Rate Courses

Our review methodology — what goes into every score, and what never does.

Updated 21 October 2026· Covers 33 tracked courses, 3.17M reviews, average 4.57★· 6 min read

Short answer: Every CourseDepth score combines rating × review volume (50%), content freshness (25%), curriculum completeness (15%) and price value (10%), re-checked against the provider's published data. Commissions never change a score — no placement can be bought.

This page explains the four ranking factors, where the data comes from, and what never influences a ranking.

Key takeaways
  • Four weighted factors: rating × volume 50%, freshness 25%, curriculum 15%, price 10%.
  • Ratings come from the provider's own aggregate — we never invent stars.
  • Editorial layer adds what providers don't show: update history, pros/cons, quality sub-scores.
  • Affiliate commissions are decoupled from rankings, entirely.
  • Every page carries a last-reviewed date; corrections update dateModified.

The four ranking factors

FactorWeightWhat we measure
Rating × review volume50%Provider aggregate score weighted by how many students left it
Content freshness25%Last update date vs today; fast-moving topics get a stricter clock
Curriculum completeness15%Sections, hours, projects, coverage of the promised outcome
Price value10%Typical sale price against hours and depth, not list price

Where the data comes from

Ratings, review counts, prices, durations and update dates are taken from each provider's published course page and re-checked regularly. Anything editorial — pros, cons, "our take", quality sub-scores — is written by our team and labelled as such. See how we read reviews for why the star average is only step one.

What never influences a ranking

Methodology — common questions

How does CourseDepth rank courses?

Four weighted factors: student rating × review volume (50%), content freshness — last update date (25%), curriculum completeness (15%) and price value (10%). Providers cannot pay to change any score.

Do providers pay for placement?

No. Some links earn us a commission, at no cost to you, but commission never affects ratings, order or inclusion. Removing a listing is only possible for factual errors, and only after evidence.

How often is the data updated?

Ratings, prices and update dates are re-checked continuously, and every page shows the date of its last editorial review.

What if a rating looks wrong?

Send it through the contact page with the course link. We re-verify against the provider's published score and correct the page plus its dateModified stamp.

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