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Our ranking method
Every ranking follows a scoring grid published before we write it: criteria, weights, required proof and check dates. No business pays for its rank.
How we find candidates
We combine 3 sources so that new or specialized places also get a fair chance.
- Google Maps for places: open, rated at least 4.2 with at least 30 reviews. Coworking spaces, real estate agencies and exchange offices get few reviews, so 10 are enough for them.
- Official registers for regulated businesses: the Banco Central del Paraguay list of supervised entities for banks and casas de cambio (exchange offices), and the Corte Suprema de Justicia lawyer register to check each lawyer's matrícula, the license to practice.
- Recommendations from communities of foreigners living in Paraguay.
The Google Maps rating only helps us find candidates and counts toward no criterion. Each ranking lists its sources, the number of candidates reviewed and the options set aside, with the reason.
How we score
Each ranking uses at least 5 criteria whose weights add up to 100%. Each criterion gets a score from 0 to 10 on a numeric scale published with the grid, and the final score out of 100 adds up the weighted scores.
- An unverified must-have condition puts the candidate on hold; if it proves false, we set the option aside and publish the reason.
- A criterion without proof scores 0 and shows as “not verified.” When more than 20% of the total weight lacks proof, the option leaves the ranking until we verify it.
- Ties go to the higher score on the heaviest criterion, then the higher average proof level, then the most recent check.
- A ranking lists 3 to 20 options. With 2 verified options, the title says so; with fewer, we publish no ranking.
Our 3 proof levels
Every fact shows its proof level and the date of its last check.
Our first rankings are checked remotely, without a visit: every fact comes from a dated public source or a written answer from the venue, and each ranking says so. The “Visited” badge appears only after we have actually visited.
How we collect each fact
The same protocols apply to every option in a ranking.
- Internet speed comes from 3 speed test screenshots the venue takes on its customer network on a weekday between 2 and 5 p.m. We keep the median and show it as reported speed.
- We record prices in guaraníes (₲), taxes included, from the venue's published rates or its written answer, with the date and the US dollar equivalent at the Banco Central del Paraguay reference rate for that day.
- A language counts when a written question in that language gets a useful answer.
- Foreign card acceptance is shown as the venue states it, publicly or in writing.
- We measure response time by sending the same request, on the same day, to every option.
- Noise, chair comfort and the state of the premises need a visit. Until we make one, these criteria stay unscored and the ranking says so.
When we check again
- Every 30 days for banks, insurance, currency exchange and official procedures.
- Every 90 days for prices, opening hours, internet speed and equipment.
- Every 180 days for the stable description of a place.
Once a fact passes its deadline, it shows “Recheck due.” If no new proof arrives within 30 days, the option leaves the ranking and ranks are recalculated on every affected page.
Writing and review
Our texts rely on the proof gathered for each option. A label such as “English spoken” or “newcomer friendly” needs its own proof and is never inferred from a Google Maps rating.
For guides on residency, banking and taxes, we check each decisive fact against a dated official source before publication. Personal circumstances may call for professional advice.
When a grid changes
Each grid is approved before its ranking is written, then frozen on that date. Any change recalculates the published ranks and is announced on this page.