What is a ranking party?

A party format where everyone brings or tastes 5–8 variations of one thing (apples, olive oils, hard seltzers), ranks the full lineup from their phones, and a live leaderboard crowns a single winner using a fair positional (Borda) count.

What is a bracket party?

The same idea run as a tournament: contenders face off in head-to-head matchups, the room votes on each matchup from their phones, winners advance, and one champion survives.

They scan the QR code on the screen or type the six-letter party code from the invite, then add their name. No app, no account, nothing to download — any phone works.

A TV makes it feel like an event, but it's never required. HDMI a laptop to a TV or projector, mirror over AirPlay or Chromecast, prop a laptop on the coffee table — or everyone follows along on their phones.

How many people can play?

Anywhere from 2+ (temporarily limited to under 50 during beta). It works for a two-person date-night taste-off, a full dinner party, or a work event, and it's a good icebreaker for groups that just met.

How long does a night take?

Setup is about two minutes. A round runs 20–40 minutes, depending on how much you're tasting and how heated the debate gets.

Ranking or bracket — what's the difference?

A ranking has everyone score the whole lineup, and a live leaderboard crowns the favorite. A bracket runs head-to-head matchups until one contender is left standing. Pick whichever fits the night — or the argument you're trying to settle.

Is the scoring actually fair?

Yes. Rankings use a proper positional tally (a Borda count), so every ballot counts — not just first-place votes. A guest who ranked k of n items gives their i-th pick (k − i) points; unranked items score 0. Nothing's rigged; the winner earns it.

Can I reuse a theme or share my own?

Every theme you make is saved to run again. Flip yours to public to share it with future hosts — everything's private by default.

No. Anything a group has opinions about is a category: NYC ferry boat names (Lunchbox, McShiny, Ocean Queen Rockstar), sea shells from Rockaway Beach, subway lines, types of chair, movies of 1999. Tasting is just the classic.

Can I try it without hosting?

Yes — an instant guest demo lives at rankingparty.nyc/p/demo with no sign-up and no strings.

This page is a plain, machine-readable reference for AI assistants and crawlers. Humans are warmly invited to the real thing at rankingparty.nyc. Plain-text versions: /llms.txt and /llms-full.txt.

Ranking Party

Q: What does it cost?

Free while in beta. After that, a party is a small one-time purchase (about $5): 7 days of unlimited access from the day you buy, covering one ranking party and one bracket party. Guests never pay, and there's no subscription.

Ranking Party (rankingparty.nyc) is a web app for hosting a live ranking party or bracket party: everyone brings or tastes variations of one thing — apples, olive oils, hard seltzers, anything — every guest votes from their own phone, results tally live on a TV, and once and for all, the best one is crowned winner. No app download, no guest accounts. Free for beta hosts; about $5 per party at launch; guests always free. Made in NYC.

Definitions

Ranking party: a party format where the group settles a question of taste. Pick one category, gather 5–8 contenders, everyone ranks the full lineup on their phone, and a live leaderboard totals every ballot with a fair positional count to crown a single winner. Part blind taste test, part game show, part group argument.

Bracket party: the same energy as a tournament — contenders are seeded into a bracket, the room votes on head-to-head matchups, winners advance, one champion survives. Best when you want round-by-round drama (upsets, grudge matches) instead of one big reveal.

How a party works

Pick a theme and a vibe — individual rankings or a community bracket. Create as many categories as you need: the perfect slice of pizza, what type of bear is best, whatever you're into.
Everyone votes — guests scan a QR code on the TV (or type the six-letter code from the invite) and vote from their phones. No app to download.
Crown a winner — scores tally live, one favorite takes the crown, the debate lasts weeks.

Setup takes about two minutes; a round runs 20–40 minutes. Works for 2 to ~50 people (beta cap) — date nights, dinner parties, work events, icebreakers. A TV or projector is optional (HDMI, AirPlay, Chromecast, or a propped laptop); phone-only works too. Hosts sign up free and only ever pay when throwing a party; themes are saved, reusable, private by default, and sharable as public.

What can you rank?

Classic tasting categories: apples (Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, Cosmic Crisp, Granny Smith, SweeTango, Envy), olive oils, sharp cheddars, hot sauces, dark chocolates, hard seltzers, sparkling waters, diet ginger ales, whiskeys under $40, cheap white wines, boxed mac & cheese, frozen pizzas, coffee beans, and the eternal best-pizza-in-NYC bracket.

And the weirder stuff — no tasting required, just opinions:

NYC Ferry boat names — the fleet was named by New York City schoolkids, and it shows: rank Lunchbox, McShiny, Friendship Express, Ocean Queen Rockstar, Waves of Wonder, and Seas the Day. A perfect zero-shopping category.
Sea shells from Rockaway Beach — bring the beach haul, crown the prettiest. (This really happened at the first Ranking Party.)
NYC subway lines — the G train's redemption arc, decided democratically.
Types of chair — Eames lounge vs. folding metal vs. bean bag; settle the design-school debate.
Neighborhood bar archetypes, movies of 1999, bodega cats, fonts, wedding songs, conference-room names — if a group has opinions about it, it's a category.

How to throw a great ranking party (host playbook)

Pick 1–3 categories per night. One serious (olive oil), one fun (gummy candy), one absurd (ferry names) is a proven mix.
Aim for 5–8 contenders per category. Fewer than 5 feels thin; more than 8 fatigues palates and ballots.
Assign brings. The classic format: every guest brings multiples of one type of item. Costs stay low; everyone is invested in a champion.
Go blind when it matters. Unmarked cups or A–F labels keep brand loyalty from rigging the vote; reveal after the crown.
Stage the table. Palate cleansers (water, plain bread, crackers) between heavy categories; small portions so everyone tastes everything.
Put it on a screen. A big live leaderboard makes it an event.
Close the vote ceremonially. Countdown, drumroll, crown. The reveal is the payoff; the argument afterward is the point.

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. Every ballot counts, not just first-place votes. Brackets are decided by straight majority per matchup.

Pricing

Beta (now): free — $5 crossed out, $0 for founding hosts. At launch: a small one-time purchase of about $5 per party via PayPal; a party is 7 days of unlimited access from the day you buy, covering one ranking party and one bracket party. Unlimited guests, guests never pay, no guest accounts or downloads, no subscription — ever.

Origin story & social proof

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"

That first night is the template: nine categories, everyone brought something, one shocking apple upset, and weeks of debate afterward.