RICE score calculator: prioritize your product backlog objectively
Add every feature, score Reach, Impact, Confidence and Effort, and get an auto-ranked backlog - with a MoSCoW view, an MVP cut-line, and CSV export.
Score and rank your backlog
Add each feature, fill in Reach, Impact, Confidence and Effort, and the ranked list below updates live.
Features scored
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rows with a full RICE score
Top feature
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highest RICE score
Top RICE score
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build this first
Ranked backlog
Fill in Reach, Impact, Confidence and Effort for at least one feature to see your ranked list.
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Bring this result to an engineerWhat is a RICE score?
The RICE score ranks features by (Reach x Impact x Confidence) / Effort. Reach = users affected per period; Impact = effect per user (3 = massive ... 0.25 = minimal); Confidence = how sure you are (10-100%); Effort = person-months. Higher scores win. Developed at Intercom, RICE replaces gut-feel and "loudest voice" prioritization with one comparable number. Add your features above to get an auto-ranked backlog.
Key takeaways
- RICE = (Reach x Impact x Confidence) / Effort - one number to compare any features.
- Impact uses a fixed scale: 3 / 2 / 1 / 0.5 / 0.25.
- Confidence (10-100%) keeps optimistic estimates honest.
- Effort includes design, dev, testing, and deployment - not just coding.
- Sort high-to-low; the top scores are your build order.
The four RICE factors
Reach
How many users or customers this affects in a set period - for example, new signups per quarter or active users per month. Use real data wherever you can.
Impact
How much it moves the needle per user, on a fixed scale: 3 = massive, 2 = high, 1 = medium, 0.5 = low, 0.25 = minimal. Reserve a 3 for genuine step-changes.
Confidence
How sure you are about your estimates, from 10% to 100%. Dropping confidence to around 50% when you are guessing discounts optimistic, unproven bets.
Effort
Total person-months across design, development, QA, and deployment. Counting only coding time understates cost and inflates the score.
The RICE formula (with a worked example)
RICE = (Reach x Impact x Confidence%) / Effort
Example: a feature that reaches 2,000 users, has an impact of 1 (medium), 80% confidence, and takes 2 person-months scores (2,000 x 1 x 0.8) / 2 = 800. Score every feature the same way, then sort high-to-low.
| Feature | Reach | Impact | Confidence | Effort | RICE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onboarding checklist | 6,000 | 2 | 80% | 3 | 3,200 |
| One-click sign-in | 4,000 | 1 | 90% | 1.5 | 2,400 |
| Dark mode | 8,000 | 0.5 | 100% | 2 | 2,000 |
Same three features the "Load example" button fills in - the onboarding checklist wins despite higher effort.
How to score each factor (tips)
- Use real analytics for Reach instead of round guesses.
- Reserve Impact = 3 for features that genuinely change behavior.
- Drop Confidence to ~50% when an estimate is mostly a hunch.
- Count all effort - design, dev, QA, and deployment.
- Re-score as you learn; RICE is a living ranking, not a one-time exercise.
RICE vs ICE vs MoSCoW
| Framework | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| RICE | Data-informed ranking with effort | Needs estimates for 4 factors |
| ICE | Faster, lighter (Impact x Confidence x Ease) | Less rigorous on reach/effort |
| MoSCoW | Must / Should / Could / Won't buckets | Qualitative, not a ranked number |
| Value vs Effort | Quick 2x2 visual | Coarse, subjective |
The calculator above includes a MoSCoW toggle, so you can flip the same scored features between a precise numbered ranking and Must/Should/Could/Won't buckets without re-entering anything.
What is RICE prioritization?
RICE is a scoring framework created by Intercom's product team to bring objectivity to the question every team argues about: "what do we build next?" Instead of trusting whoever lobbies hardest, it combines the upside of an idea - its reach, impact, and your confidence in those estimates - against its cost in effort, producing a single, sortable score. The point isn't false precision; it's a shared, comparable way to talk about trade-offs.
Which features make your MVP? (the cut-line)
Once your backlog is ranked, draw a line where your effort budget or runway runs out. Everything above the line is your MVP scope; everything below is the post-launch backlog. The tool's MVP cut-line does this for you: enter a capacity in person-months and it walks the ranked list in order, marking features "In MVP" until cumulative effort hits your capacity, then "Backlog" for the rest. It's a fast way to turn a prioritized list into a concrete first release.
Why multi-feature ranking beats scoring one at a time
A single RICE number tells you very little on its own - the framework is comparative. The real value shows up when you score a whole backlog and sort it, because the ranking exposes the features that look exciting but score poorly once effort and confidence are honest. Export the ranked list as CSV to share with your team, or copy a result link that restores every feature exactly as you left it.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a RICE score?
- A single priority number = (Reach x Impact x Confidence) / Effort, used to rank features objectively against one comparable metric.
- How do you calculate RICE?
- Multiply reach by impact by confidence (as a decimal), then divide by effort in person-months.
- What are the RICE impact values?
- 3 = massive, 2 = high, 1 = medium, 0.5 = low, 0.25 = minimal.
- What's a good RICE score?
- There's no absolute threshold - RICE is comparative; rank your own features and work top-down.
- RICE vs ICE - what's the difference?
- ICE drops Reach and Effort for a faster Impact x Confidence x Ease score; RICE is more rigorous.
- What should Effort include?
- All work to ship: design, development, testing, and deployment - usually in person-months.
- How is RICE different from MoSCoW?
- MoSCoW sorts into Must/Should/Could/Won't buckets; RICE produces a precise ranked number.
- Can I export my prioritized list?
- Yes - copy or export the ranked backlog as CSV to share with your team, or copy a result link that restores it.
Glossary
- RICE -
- a prioritization score = (Reach x Impact x Confidence) / Effort.
- Reach -
- the number of users or customers a feature affects in a defined period.
- Impact -
- how much a feature moves the needle per user, scored 3 / 2 / 1 / 0.5 / 0.25.
- Confidence -
- how sure you are about your estimates, from 10% to 100%.
- Effort -
- total work to ship a feature, in person-months across design, dev, QA, and deployment.
- ICE -
- a lighter framework scoring Impact x Confidence x Ease.
- MoSCoW -
- a qualitative method sorting work into Must, Should, Could, and Won't.
- Backlog -
- the prioritized list of features and work not yet built.
- Person-month -
- one person working full-time for one month; the unit for Effort.
- MVP cut-line -
- the point in a ranked backlog where your effort capacity or runway runs out.
Keep planning
Last updated June 2026
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