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Skip or Ship — Compare + Decide
Skip or Ship FAQ — answers to every common question
Everything founders ask about Skip or Ship — how scoring works, what's free, what's premium, privacy, comparisons to AI chat, edge cases and more.
Competition
How crowded is the space for this exact outcome?
Execution
Can a focused team ship a credible first version quickly?
Revenue path
Is there a believable way to monetize early?
Customer clarity
Do you know exactly who owns this pain day to day?
Most-asked questions
If your question isn't answered here, the deepest walkthrough of how the engine works lives at How Skip or Ship works. For real verdict examples, see business idea examples.
Is Skip or Ship free to use?
Yes. The first-pass verdict (Skip/Fix/Ship), the per-category breakdown across 10 categories, and the brutal analysis are free with no signup. Premium reports unlock real-world signal cards — search demand intensity, competition density mapping, and brand viability checks across domain and trademark databases.
Do I need to create an account?
No. You can validate an idea anonymously and see the verdict immediately. Sign-up is only relevant when you want to save reports, share them, or upgrade to the premium signal-card layer.
How is Skip or Ship different from ChatGPT?
ChatGPT returns a different opinion every time. Skip or Ship's engine is deterministic — the same idea always produces the same verdict. It also runs real-world signal checks (demand, competition, brand viability) that a chatbot can't perform. See the full comparison at /skip-or-ship-vs-chatgpt.
How accurate is the scoring?
The engine is designed to be consistent rather than predictive. Same inputs always produce the same scores, which is what makes it useful for iteration. Real outcomes still depend on execution, timing and luck — Skip or Ship is a decision aid, not a guarantee.
What does Skip, Fix and Ship mean?
Skip (0–54): significant structural issues — needs meaningful changes before this is worth building. Fix (55–79): potential, but needs iteration on demand, defensibility or distribution. Ship (80–100): strong opportunity worth pursuing. The thresholds are derived from the weighted score across 10 categories.
What are the 10 categories?
Real Pain (20%), Market Demand (15%), Defensibility (15%), Competition (10%), Clarity (10%), Monetisation (10%), Distribution (10%), Execution Difficulty (5%), Speed to MVP (3%), and Name Strength (2%). Each scores 0–100; weighted sum gives the final score.
What types of ideas can I validate?
Startups, SaaS, mobile apps, ecommerce stores, agencies, side hustles, productised services, marketplaces, content businesses — anything that has a buyer and a monetisation model. The engine isn't industry-specific; it scores commercial viability signals.
How long does it take to get a verdict?
About 30 seconds for the free verdict. The premium signal cards (live demand, competition, brand viability data) take longer — typically 60–120 seconds — because they call live data sources.
Does Skip or Ship store my idea?
Only if you choose to save it after seeing the verdict. Anonymous evaluations are not retained after the session. Saved reports are stored encrypted and never sold or shared with third parties.
Can I share or export the report?
Yes. Saved reports get a sharable link and a downloadable PDF. The PDF includes the verdict, per-category scores, brutal analysis, and any premium signal cards if you unlocked them.
What if I disagree with the verdict?
Read the per-category breakdown to see what specifically scored low. Often the issue is description clarity rather than the idea itself — sharpen the buyer, pain, channel or pricing and re-run. The engine's feedback loop is how you iterate toward Ship territory.
Can I validate the same idea multiple times?
Yes, and you should. The point of the engine is iteration — change one aspect of your pitch, see exactly how the score moves, repeat. Most founders run 5–15 variants before locking in a direction.
What does the premium tier add?
Real-world signal cards: search demand intensity (is there actually search volume?), competition density mapping (how many funded competitors exist?), brand viability (is the .com clear? are trademarks clear?). These are facts about the world that complement the structured score.
How much do premium reports cost?
Tiered: from £1 for a single deep report through to £25 for full brand + domain + trademark analysis. There's no recurring subscription unless you opt for one.
Is my data secure?
Idea descriptions submitted anonymously are not retained. Saved reports are stored encrypted at rest with industry-standard access controls. The site uses strict CSP, HSTS, and other modern security headers. Payments are handled by Stripe.
Does Skip or Ship work for international markets?
Yes. The engine evaluates commercial signals universally, and pricing in any currency is recognised. The premium brand-viability checks use international domain and trademark databases (UK, EU, US, and other jurisdictions).
Can I use Skip or Ship to compare multiple ideas?
Absolutely — this is one of the strongest use cases. Score 5–10 candidate ideas, see them all on a 0–100 scale, then double down on the top scorers. Because the engine is deterministic, the comparison is genuine.
Where can I see real examples of scored ideas?
The /business-idea-examples page shows 15 worked examples across Ship, Fix and Skip verdicts with full reasoning. Useful for benchmarking your own idea before submitting.
Can I integrate Skip or Ship into my workflow?
API access is on the roadmap. For now, the primary interface is the web tool and saved-report exports. Drop an email to the team via the site footer if you want early API access.
What if I have a question that isn't answered here?
Email the team through the footer contact link, or check the /how-it-works page for a detailed walkthrough of the engine. Most questions about scoring methodology are answered there.
Direct answer
The Skip or Ship Idea Lifecycle System evaluates ideas with five consistent signals: market demand, competition intensity, execution difficulty, revenue potential, and customer clarity. Same inputs, same verdict — every time.
What to prove first
One buyer segment with recurring pain and a clear trigger to pay now. If that is vague, validation can't fix it.
What kills momentum
Generic ICPs, vague outcomes, and zero distribution plan. These collapse execution speed within weeks.
What to decide next
One channel, one wedge use case, one pricing hypothesis to test in the next 14 days.
Validate this idea before building
Move from idea generation into evidence-based validation with the core Skip or Ship Idea Lifecycle System. Free verdict, premium signal cards, no signup needed for the first run.
Frequently asked questions
Is Skip or Ship free to use?
Yes. The first-pass verdict (Skip/Fix/Ship), the per-category breakdown across 10 categories, and the brutal analysis are free with no signup. Premium reports unlock real-world signal cards — search demand intensity, competition density mapping, and brand viability checks across domain and trademark databases.
Do I need to create an account?
No. You can validate an idea anonymously and see the verdict immediately. Sign-up is only relevant when you want to save reports, share them, or upgrade to the premium signal-card layer.
How is Skip or Ship different from ChatGPT?
ChatGPT returns a different opinion every time. Skip or Ship's engine is deterministic — the same idea always produces the same verdict. It also runs real-world signal checks (demand, competition, brand viability) that a chatbot can't perform. See the full comparison at /skip-or-ship-vs-chatgpt.
How accurate is the scoring?
The engine is designed to be consistent rather than predictive. Same inputs always produce the same scores, which is what makes it useful for iteration. Real outcomes still depend on execution, timing and luck — Skip or Ship is a decision aid, not a guarantee.
What does Skip, Fix and Ship mean?
Skip (0–54): significant structural issues — needs meaningful changes before this is worth building. Fix (55–79): potential, but needs iteration on demand, defensibility or distribution. Ship (80–100): strong opportunity worth pursuing. The thresholds are derived from the weighted score across 10 categories.
What are the 10 categories?
Real Pain (20%), Market Demand (15%), Defensibility (15%), Competition (10%), Clarity (10%), Monetisation (10%), Distribution (10%), Execution Difficulty (5%), Speed to MVP (3%), and Name Strength (2%). Each scores 0–100; weighted sum gives the final score.
What types of ideas can I validate?
Startups, SaaS, mobile apps, ecommerce stores, agencies, side hustles, productised services, marketplaces, content businesses — anything that has a buyer and a monetisation model. The engine isn't industry-specific; it scores commercial viability signals.
How long does it take to get a verdict?
About 30 seconds for the free verdict. The premium signal cards (live demand, competition, brand viability data) take longer — typically 60–120 seconds — because they call live data sources.
Does Skip or Ship store my idea?
Only if you choose to save it after seeing the verdict. Anonymous evaluations are not retained after the session. Saved reports are stored encrypted and never sold or shared with third parties.
Can I share or export the report?
Yes. Saved reports get a sharable link and a downloadable PDF. The PDF includes the verdict, per-category scores, brutal analysis, and any premium signal cards if you unlocked them.
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