The ranking
Cost / revenue is monthly infrastructure spend divided by disclosed monthly recurring revenue. Lower values often indicate a leaner operation, not a universally better business. Category, growth, reliability requirements, gross margin, and team time all matter.
When a founder publishes an MRR band, calculations use its representative midpoint. If exact MRR is deliberately public, calculations use that value. A founder may keep exact MRR private while showing a range, or hide revenue entirely; revenue-private records do not receive an efficiency ratio. The open-ended $1m+ band uses its lower bound. Marketing tools and advertising budgets never enter infrastructure totals or ranking.
Dated operating records
Every recurring update creates an immutable snapshot rather than silently replacing history. The current listing reflects the newest record, while its timeline preserves prior revenue visibility, infrastructure costs, optional marketing disclosures, source, timestamp, and evidence status. A founder may correct future information by adding a new record; RealCost retains the history needed to interpret the change.
Evidence labels
Published by the owning founder account and not independently reviewed. Useful context, not proof.
Evidence was reviewed for that specific dated record. A later owner update starts as owner reported and never inherits an older badge.
The initial listing or a material identity revision is awaiting publication checks. Metric updates to an already approved project do not enter this queue.
What we do not claim
A listing is not an endorsement, investment recommendation, security review, or promise that the numbers remain current. We relabel or remove entries when material data changes or proves inaccurate.
Submit responsibly
Only share data you are authorized to publish. Never include customer information, credentials, account numbers, or payment details. RealCost does not request provider credentials or uploadable financial evidence at launch.