Understanding Scores

Learn how StacksFinder calculates technology scores and what they mean for your project.

The Scoring System

Every technology receives a score from 0 to 100:

Score Range	Rating	Meaning
80-100	Excellent	Highly recommended for your context
60-79	Good	Solid choice with minor trade-offs
40-59	Fair	Usable but has significant limitations
0-39	Poor	Not recommended for your requirements

How Scores Are Calculated

1. Base Scores

Each technology starts with a base score in different categories:

Developer Experience
Performance
Scalability
Ecosystem
Learning Curve

2. Context Adjustment

Your project requirements adjust these scores:

MVP projects boost "Time to Market" factors
Enterprise projects boost "Scalability" factors
Solo developers boost "Learning Curve" factors

3. Priority Weighting

Your priority sliders determine how much each category matters:

High priority = More impact on final score
Low priority = Less impact on final score

4. Compatibility Check

Technologies are checked for compatibility:

Known good combinations get a bonus
Risky combinations get a penalty

Confidence Levels

Each recommendation includes a confidence indicator:

High Confidence

Strong match for your requirements
Well-established technology
Plenty of real-world validation

Medium Confidence

Good match with some uncertainty
May have trade-offs to consider
Worth investigating further

Low Confidence

Unusual combination of requirements
Less data available
Consider alternatives

Score Breakdown

Click on any technology to see its score breakdown:

React — Score: 87

Category Breakdown:
├── Developer Experience: 92
├── Performance: 85
├── Scalability: 88
├── Ecosystem: 95
└── Learning Curve: 75

Adjustments Applied:
├── +5 (Large community support)
├── +3 (Excellent documentation)
└── -3 (Steeper learning curve for team)

Final Score: 87 (Excellent)

Why Deterministic Scoring?

Unlike AI chatbots that give different answers each time, StacksFinder's scoring is reproducible:

Feature	StacksFinder	LLM-Based Tools
Same input = Same output	Yes	No
Explainable results	Yes	Sometimes
Version tracked	Yes	No
Auditable decisions	Yes	No

This means you can trust and verify our recommendations.

Comparing Technologies

When comparing two similar technologies:

Look at the total score for quick comparison
Check the category breakdown for details
Read the reasons to understand trade-offs
Consider the confidence level

Questions About Scores?

Next Steps

Exporting Blueprints — Save and share your results
FAQ — Common questions answered