How we rate platforms

Every platform gets scored on five dimensions, each 0–5. The overall rating is the plain average: no secret weights, no pay-to-win.

• Returns: advertised rates vs. what a diversified portfolio realistically nets after defaults and cash drag.
• Liquidity: can ye get out? Secondary markets, withdrawal features, lock-up reality.
• Track record: years operating, behaviour in 2020 and 2022 stress, default and recovery history.
• Transparency: audited accounts, originator disclosure, honest statistics pages.
• Usability: onboarding, auto-invest quality, reporting, support.

The rules we sail by

1. Real deposits on every platform we recommend. Reviews of platforms we won't fund say so.
2. Affiliate partnerships never move a score. Plenty of high-rated platforms here pay us nothing.
3. Risk notes are written straight: no pirate jokes inside the risk box.
4. Defunct platforms keep their reviews, marked clearly, as the public record.
5. Every page shows its last-reviewed date and gets re-checked on a schedule.