GrowthFriction Score rankings · by category
Audits by category
Browse the audit catalog grouped by product category. Each category ranks its members by GrowthFriction Score — a multiplicative geometric mean of 7 factors via the AUG v3 framework (Acquisition, Activation, Engagement, Retention, Advocacy, Monetization, Performance).
The framework is multiplicative, so the spread within each category reveals the cost of single-factor weakness. Two products in the same vertical can sit 30 AUG points apart for reasons the rubric makes visible.
Design tools
Figma (62) is the highest-AUG SaaS in the catalog — multi-decade category compound. Framer (28) is the late-stage repositioning play. Webflow (10) is the agency-tool ceiling. Carrd (16) is the one-developer-$1M-ARR archetype.
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Payment platforms
Stripe (52) is the textbook multi-factor compound — every factor strong. Lemon Squeezy (21) on merchant-of-record vertical depth. Gumroad (5) and Patreon (4) on creator-economy plateau patterns. Wave Apps (5) on post-acquisition velocity collapse.
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Developer tools
GitHub (52) is the fleet champion — developer-network + workflow-lock-in compound. Supabase (50) on open-source-Firebase. Cloudflare (45) on global edge + DX. Vercel (31) on Next.js platform. PostHog (33) on multi-product suite. Resend (35) on email-API DX-first wins. GitLab (14) on self-hosted differentiation. The category compounds via API + open-source primitives + workflow lock-in.
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Communications
Slack (52) is the team-messaging fleet champion — category-defining + team-level switching cost. Discord (39) on community + voice + viral server invites. Zoom (29) on post-pandemic-plateau video. Loom (16) on async-video utility. The category compounds via team-adoption + per-seat enterprise contracts; video is the post-COVID maturity test.
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AI assistants
ChatGPT scores quintuple-10 on the user-engagement factors but is capped by Monetization. Claude pulls precision-over-breadth (smaller acquisition, higher activation/engagement/retention). Perplexity proves Activation alone is not enough — the daily-must threshold is where compound lives.
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Project management
Linear (38) wins on opinionated depth — refuses to compete on Acquisition volume, wins on every other factor. Notion (27) on generalist breadth. Calendly (26) on scheduling-utility verb-status. Airtable (16) on data-lock-in. Asana (12) on legacy plateau. ClickUp (9) on aggressive-marketing-without-evangelism trap. The category teaches the multi-factor-depth-vs-feature-breadth tradeoff.
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Product analytics
PostHog (33) wins on multi-product-suite breadth + open-source advocacy. Amplitude (28) on enterprise trajectory. Mixpanel (6) on legacy + monetization-mistake compound. Plausible (14) is the privacy-first-niche choice. Hotjar (9) faces free-tier compression from Microsoft Clarity.
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Newsletter platforms
Beehiiv (30) and Substack (26) are healthy-tier — newer platforms out-engineering incumbents. ConvertKit (12) is the legacy plateau. Loops (24) succeeds by unifying products incumbents split. Buttondown (8) is the indie-darling-ceiling pattern.
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Marketing platforms
HubSpot (28) wins on inbound-marketing thought-leadership compound. Klaviyo (28) on e-commerce vertical depth. ConvertKit (12) on creator-economy legacy positioning. Mailchimp (9) on post-Intuit-acquisition velocity collapse.
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SEO tools
Ahrefs (19) beats Semrush (17) despite refusing a free trial — premium positioning + content engine compound past the activation gap. Moz (7) is the post-founder-departure cautionary tale. Frase (4) is the "cheaper alternative" trap.
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