The Trades List / Methodology
How we rank, with no exceptions.
Everything used to rank a business is on this page: the entry conditions, the six criteria, their weights, the sources and the calculation dates. The same rules apply to every business in a ranking, and we never change them for any one business.
1. Three conditions to be ranked
- Be allowed to practice the trade where the business works. The rule depends on the city. The table below shows what we check in each one.
- Have a location in the ranking city. We use the address on the business’s Google listing.
- Have at least 25 Google reviews. Below that, a rating says little about how consistent the work is.
| City | Plumbers | HVAC contractors | Electricians | Roofers | Painters | Landscapers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal | Active Régie du bâtiment du Québec contractor license in subcategory 15.5 (plumbing). In Quebec this license is issued through the CMMTQ, and membership is mandatory. | Not open yet in Montreal. | Active Régie du bâtiment du Québec contractor license in subcategory 16 (electrical work). In Quebec this license is issued through the CMEQ, and membership is mandatory. | Active Régie du bâtiment du Québec contractor license in subcategory 7, which covers insulation, waterproofing, roofing and exterior cladding. | Not open yet in Montreal. | Not open yet in Montreal. |
| Chicago | Business located in Chicago, open, with at least 25 Google reviews, whose recent reviews are mostly about plumbing. Its State of Illinois plumbing license is being checked. | Business located in Chicago, open, with at least 25 Google reviews, whose recent reviews are mostly about heating and cooling. Its City of Chicago license is being checked. | Business located in Chicago, open, with at least 25 Google reviews, whose recent reviews are mostly about electrical work. Its City of Chicago electrical contractor license is being checked. | Business located in Chicago, open, with at least 25 Google reviews, whose recent reviews are mostly about roofing. Its State of Illinois roofing license (IDFPR) is being checked. | Business located in Chicago, open, with at least 25 Google reviews, whose recent reviews are mostly about painting. | Business located in Chicago, open, with at least 25 Google reviews, whose recent reviews are mostly about landscaping and yard care. |
When a business has several Google listings under one license, we keep the listing with the most reviews. A business whose license we cannot find is not ranked; it can ask us to check again.
2. Six criteria, each scored out of 10
The final score is the weighted average of the scores, rounded to one decimal. Ties are broken by number of reviews. The weights below are Montreal’s. In Chicago, while City licenses are being checked, four criteria count: satisfaction 70%, volume 15%, recency 10%, response to customers 5%.
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Satisfaction
The average star rating, adjusted for the number of reviews: a 5.0 from eight reviews does not beat a 4.8 from three hundred.
Weight 35 % -
Volume
The total number of reviews, on a scale that rises fast at first and then slows: 25 reviews score 0, 2,000 reviews score 10.
Weight 20 % -
Recency
The number and rating of reviews received in the last twelve months. A business has to be good now, not five years ago.
Weight 15 % -
Response to customers
The share of reviews from the last twelve months that the business answered publicly.
Weight 10 % -
Seniority
Years since the license was first issued, capped at twenty.
Weight 10 % -
Record
Starts at 10, minus points for each sanction by the licensing authority and for any current restriction.
Weight 10 %
Exact formulas
- Satisfaction
- Bayesian average: (n × business average + 50 × ranking average) ÷ (n + 50), where n is the number of reviews. Score = (Bayesian average − 4) × 10, between 0 and 10.
- Volume
- Score = 10 × ln(n ÷ 25) ÷ ln(2,000 ÷ 25), between 0 and 10.
- Recency
- Half the number of reviews in the last 12 months (10 × ln(1 + reviews) ÷ ln(101), capped at 10), half their average rating ((average − 4) × 10).
- Response
- Share of last-12-month reviews with a public owner reply, × 10.
- Seniority
- Years since the license was issued, capped at 20, ÷ 2.
- Chicago
- Satisfaction = (Bayesian average − 1) × 2.5, so that 5 stars score 10. Volume = 10 × ln(n ÷ 25) ÷ ln(N ÷ 25), where N is the review count of the most-reviewed business in the same trade in Chicago. Weights: satisfaction 70%, volume 15%, recency 10%, response 5%.
- Record
- 10, minus 5 if the license has a current restriction, minus 3 per sanction by the licensing authority published in the last five years.
3. A worked example
The number one plumber in Montreal at the October 9, 2026 calculation: Plomberie Soltech.
| Criterion | Input | Score | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Satisfaction | 4.9 average from 542 reviews | 8.5 | 35 % | 3.0 |
| Volume | 542 reviews | 7.0 | 20 % | 1.4 |
| Recency | 157 reviews in 12 months, average 5.0 | 9.8 | 15 % | 1.5 |
| Response | 99% answered | 9.9 | 10 % | 1.0 |
| Seniority | license issued February 21, 2014 | 6.3 | 10 % | 0.6 |
| Record | no restriction or sanction found | 10.0 | 10 % | 1.0 |
| Final score | 100 % | 8.5 |
4. Sources
- Google listings — rating, number of reviews, star breakdown, review dates and owner replies, collected by us from each public listing. We never reuse an existing ranking.
- Régie du bâtiment du Québec — list of active licenses, published daily as open data under CC-BY 4.0. Données Québec
- City of Chicago — building permit records, as open data. Chicago Data Portal
- IDFPR — public lookup of State of Illinois roofing licenses. idfpr.illinois.gov
5. Calendar
Rankings are recalculated four times a year with the same rules. The title is annual: a business that enters the top 10 at any calculation is a 2027 winner until December 31, 2027, even if it drops later. The title is withdrawn only if it loses the right to practice.
- October 9, 2026First calculation of the 2027 edition
- January 15, 2027Recalculation
- April 15, 2027Recalculation
- July 15, 2027Recalculation
- October 20272028 edition opens
6. What money does not change
Rankings are calculated and published before we contact any business. A ranked business can say so for free, in its own words, and link to its page. What it can pay for is a license to use the badge (the logo, the sticker, the plaque). Paying changes neither the position, the score, the display order nor the profile. Not paying does not either. We do not sell featured placement, “recommended” spots or customer leads.
7. Reporting an error
A business can report incorrect data within 30 days of a calculation: license not found, wrong address, duplicate Google listing. We check the official source and correct it if the source confirms. Requests are free and give no advantage.
Request a review