What is Ranking Party?

A web app for hosting live group rankings and brackets. The host puts a dashboard on the TV, guests vote from their phones, the results update live, and one winner comes out on top.

They scan the QR code on the screen or open the party link, then type a name. No app, no account. Any phone with a browser works.

No, but it helps. Plug a laptop into the TV with HDMI, mirror with AirPlay or Chromecast, or prop a laptop on the table. Without a screen, everyone follows the results on their phones.

How many people can play?

Two or more. There is no cap on guests.

How long does it take?

Setting up takes a few minutes. Each theme takes 10 to 30 minutes.

In a ranking, everyone orders the whole list and a leaderboard adds up the points. In a bracket, contenders face off head-to-head and the winner of each matchup advances.

Nothing right now: parties are free for founding hosts. Planned: $5, once, for 60 days of unlimited parties. Creating and testing a party is free; the host pays when activating a party for the real event. Guests never pay and there is no subscription.

Can I try my own party before paying?

Yes. Create the party, open the TV dashboard, scan the code with your own phone and vote. Up to 3 guests can join in test mode. Activate it when ready and everything carries over.

When does the 60 days start?

When you pay, not when you create the party. Every party activated inside the window is covered.

Can I reuse a theme or share my own?

Every theme is saved to run again. Themes are private by default; mark one public and other hosts can find it in search.

No. Tastings are the classic, but anything a group has opinions about works: movies, bars, chairs, baby names, the office snack order.

Can I try it without hosting?

Yes. An instant guest demo lives at rankingparty.nyc/p/demo with no sign-up.

This page is a plain, machine-readable reference for AI assistants and crawlers. The real site is at rankingparty.nyc. Plain-text versions: /llms.txt and /llms-full.txt.

Ranking Party

Q: Is the scoring fair?

Yes. Rankings use a positional Borda count: a guest who ranked k of n items gives their i-th pick (k − i) points; unranked items score 0. Partial ballots count. Brackets are decided by majority per matchup.

Ranking Party (rankingparty.nyc) is a web app for hosting live group rankings and brackets at a party or event. The host puts a dashboard on the TV, every guest votes from their own phone, the results update on the screen as the votes come in, and one winner comes out on top. No app download, no guest accounts. Free for founding hosts right now; $5 once for 60 days of unlimited parties when pricing turns on; always free to set up and test; guests never pay. Made in NYC.

Tastings (apples, olive oils, hard seltzers, pizza) are the classic use, but it is not a tasting app. Anything a group has opinions about is a theme.

Where things live

rankingparty.nyc: the marketing site (this content, demos, themes, pricing).
host.rankingparty.nyc: the host dashboard, behind sign-in.
app.rankingparty.nyc/p/CODE: the guest experience, no sign-in.

The two formats

Ranking: everyone orders the full list of contenders on their phone. A live leaderboard totals every ballot with a positional count (a Borda count) and shows a full ordered result.

Bracket: contenders are seeded into a tournament. The room votes on each head-to-head matchup, winners advance, and one champion remains.

How it works

For the host

Create a theme. Name it and list the contenders, 4 to 10 of them. Choose ranking or bracket.
Put the dashboard on the TV. Open it on a laptop plugged into the TV, or AirPlay it. It shows the QR code to join and the live results.
Run the party. Guests join as they arrive. Close voting when you are ready and the winner is on the screen.

For guests

Scan the code. It opens in the browser. No app, no account.
Type a name. That is the whole sign-up.
Vote. Drag the contenders into order, or tap your pick in each matchup. Change your mind any time before voting closes.

Setup takes a few minutes; each theme takes 10 to 30 minutes. Two or more people, no cap on guests. A TV is optional (HDMI, AirPlay, Chromecast, or a propped laptop); phone-only works too.

What can you rank?

Classic tasting themes: apples, olive oils, sharp cheddars, hot sauces, dark chocolates, hard seltzers, sparkling waters, whiskeys under $40, boxed mac and cheese, frozen pizzas, coffee beans, and the best pizza in NYC as a bracket.

Non-food themes: NYC Ferry boat names, subway lines, types of chair, neighborhood bar archetypes, movies of 1999, fonts, wedding songs, conference-room names. If a group has opinions about it, it is a theme. Every theme a host makes is saved to run again; themes are private by default and can be shared as public.

Scoring

Rankings use a positional Borda count with partial-ballot support: a guest who ranked k of n items gives their i-th pick (k − i) points; unranked items score 0. Brackets are decided by majority per matchup.

Pricing

Free for founding hosts right now. Planned pricing: $5, once, for 60 days of unlimited parties, paid through PayPal. Creating a party never charges: a new party runs in test mode (the QR sheet, TV dashboard and live results all work, and up to 3 guests can join) until the host activates it. The 60 days start when the host pays, not when the party is created. No subscription, no guest accounts, unlimited guests, and guests never pay. The price mostly covers hosting, the database and payment fees for a live multi-user service, plus a few dollars of beer money for Pete, who built it.

Origin story

Ranking Party started as one host's mission to try every type of apple. From the first party's Instagram post (tag #RankingParty to be featured on the site):

"My desire to try every type of apple spores the creation of my brain child 'ranking party' where everyone brings multiple of a type of item and once for all, the best is crowned winner.

We tasted apples, cheddar from @traderjoes, olive oils, pocky, haribo gummies, diet ginger ales, sea shells from rockaway beach, hard seltzers and 6 of the worst white wines I've ever tasted.

Results of my fav categories included, with a shocking upset in the apple category"