How Does HomeStars's Rating Actually Work?
Why Star Score isn’t a simple average
HomeStars displays a Star Score — a percentage out of 100 — on every contractor profile, and it’s built from four components, not a plain average of star ratings. Average Rating (the average of a company’s review scores, measured out of 10) is only one input.
Why Star Score isn’t a simple average
The other three are Recency, how long it’s been since a company’s last published review; Reputation, which is hurt by tampering with reviews, pressuring homeowners to remove or edit reviews, or simply having too few reviews for HomeStars to assess; and Responsiveness, how consistently a company responds to homeowner leads and reviews — HomeStars recommends responding within 24 hours. HomeStars does not publish the formula that weights these four components together into the final score.
The stakes go beyond the number itself: HomeStars’ annual Best of Awards require a Star Score of 85% or higher, a HomeStars Verified badge, and at least one year on the platform — so a stalled score can cost a contractor recognition, not just profile appearance.
What actually moves a Star Score
- Average Rating — the average of a company’s review scores, measured out of 10.
- Recency — how long it’s been since a company’s last published review; long gaps read as an out-of-date profile to homeowners.
- Reputation — hurt by tampering with reviews, pressuring homeowners to remove or edit a review, or too little review volume for HomeStars to assess.
- Responsiveness — how consistently a company responds to homeowner leads and reviews; HomeStars recommends responding within 24 hours.
- HomeStars does not publish the weighting formula that combines these four components, so no calculator can responsibly predict an exact score.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. HomeStars review packages start at $110 for up to 5 reviews, scaling to $690 for 50, with monthly billing at 15% off. Pick a package on this page, or try a free example first.
A steady flow of genuine reviews requested right after each job (Recency), prompt professional responses to every review and lead (Responsiveness), and never pressuring a homeowner to remove or edit a review (Reputation). Because HomeStars doesn’t publish the exact weighting, consistency across all four components matters more than optimizing any single one.