How we judge
Six checks, the same for every course.
Unhype gives an independent opinion on online courses that sell a way to make money. Here's exactly how we reach it, so you can judge our judgment.
What we look at
We read the course's sales page: the page you paste, the link you give us, or your screenshots. That's the offer you'd be buying, so that's what we judge. We don't judge the people behind a course, only what their page says and what published data shows.
The six checks
Every course is scored 0, 1 or 2 on each check. Income claims count double, so the total is out of 14.
| Check | Scores well when | Scores badly when |
|---|---|---|
| Income claims (counts double) | No income promises, or promises backed by typical-student results | Big income promises with no typical results shown |
| Honest about difficulty | Says plainly how hard it is, the time it takes and the start-up costs | Says it's easy, fast, or needs no money or experience |
| Full cost shown | Price, upsells, tools and ongoing costs visible up front | Price hidden (for example behind a call) or big extra costs left out |
| Fair refund | A clear refund with reasonable conditions, or the course is free | No refund, or conditions that make it near impossible to use |
| No pressure tactics | No fake countdowns, scarcity or exploding offers | Countdowns, "only 3 spots left", "price doubles tonight" |
| Value for price | What you get (hours, support, specifics) matches the price | Vague contents for a high price |
What scores nothing: brand, size, fame, follower count, accreditation, or being a big platform or a university. A solo creator with an honest page can score top marks; a famous name with unproven promises can't. And anything that isn't shown on the page can't score full marks.
How the score becomes a verdict
| Score | Verdict | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 12–14 | Solid | A straight offer at a fair price for what it teaches. |
| 9–11 | Careful | Broadly fair, with gaps or a tough business model to go in clear-eyed about. |
| 5–8 | Don't pay yet | Important facts are missing or claims are unproven. Ask the seller first. |
| 0–4 | High risk | Big unproven promises, pressure, or a high price with a weak refund. |
Two safety rules sit on top. If the income claims score 0, the verdict can't be better than Don't pay yet. If there are also pressure tactics or a weak refund, it's High risk. In a Deep Dive, if our research finds that a regulator or court has ruled against the seller, a Solid or Careful verdict is lowered to Don't pay yet, and the report says why.
An AI model reads the page and fills in the six scores, each with its evidence. The verdict itself is then calculated from the scores by the same rules for everyone.
Evidence, not assumptions
- Quotes from the page. Every claim, red flag and score comes with the exact words from the sales page behind it. We check each quote against the page automatically, and any finding we can't match is removed.
- Clear labels. Each part of a report is marked as from the page, our estimate, market data or other sources, so estimates are never presented as facts about a seller.
- A dated record. We keep a copy of the page text we checked and the date, so we can show what the page said at the time.
- Opinion, clearly framed. Every verdict is our opinion based on these published checks of the sales page as it was on the date shown.
Money estimates and odds
The money section is a projection for a typical beginner, not a promise and not a measure of any particular seller's students. It's built from published market figures (for example ad costs, typical margins and how many new businesses survive), adjusted downward because surveys of survivors flatter results. Sources are listed in each report, with how reliable they are: official, industry, or rough estimate.
Online research (Deep Dive)
A Deep Dive also searches the web for regulator or legal action, review ratings, refund complaints and press coverage. We report only what each source says, attributed to it and linked, and label regulator findings as a ruling or an allegation, not decided. Links that don't match a page our search actually found are removed. Review ratings are shown for context but never change the score, because they mostly reflect how people feel about the content, not what they earned.
What we don't do
- We don't take money from course sellers, run affiliate links, or let anyone pay for a better rating.
- We don't give financial or investment advice. A report is information to help you decide.
- We don't say anyone is a scammer or a fraud. We describe the offer and the evidence.
Mistakes and corrections
We can get things wrong. Every report has a Report an error link, open to buyers and sellers alike. We review every report, usually within 7 days, and correct mistakes. Sellers can also contact us at [Contact email, e.g. hello@yourdomain]. If you change your sales page, a new check will reflect the new page.