RankCert - Verified product launch rankings backed by evidence, not upvotes

Core Ranking Mechanism

RankCert runs a weekly leaderboard that opens every Monday and closes the following Sunday. Product positions are determined by an evidence-weighted score instead of raw vote count. Products whose owners provide proof of domain control rank higher than unverified listings, with votes only adjusting position within their evidence band.

Verification proof comes from a DNS record or a public file hosted on the product's own domain. The platform rechecks all proofs weekly. If a product no longer maintains the required verification record, it drops to the ranking level supported by its remaining evidence at the next weekly check. All product pages on the platform list each verification signal with its source and last confirmed date, so any ranking position can be independently verified.

Public Leaderboard Features

Users can browse rankings by week, sort the same week's list by newest launch or number of upvotes, or view specialized views including the all-time trust leaderboard, top 100 list, trending products, and active streak rankings. The platform also includes a full categorized directory of all listed products and a curated free tools section with simple web utilities.

User Workflows

Visitors can browse public rankings without an account. Registered users can submit their own products for listing, view analytics for their submitted products, manage verification evidence, and edit their public profile. The platform also offers a public API and CLI access for developers integrating ranking or verification data into external workflows.

Audience

RankCert is designed for indie software founders looking to launch products on a transparent platform that avoids the vote-manipulation common on traditional product hunt-style sites. It also serves product researchers, tool reviewers, and SaaS users who want to discover new software that has passed basic domain ownership checks before they test or adopt it.