What is the RICE score formula?

RICE = (Reach × Impact × Confidence) ÷ Effort. Reach is how many people it affects in a period, impact is scored 3 (massive) to 0.25 (minimal), confidence is 100%, 80% or 50%, and effort is in person-months.

Intercom’s product team introduced RICE as a way to compare ideas on the same scale and make the reasoning behind a priority visible, instead of ranking by gut feel or the loudest voice.

How should I estimate reach?

Use a real number for a fixed period: customers per quarter who would use the feature, or sign-ups per month who would see the change. Use the same period for every idea so scores compare.

What are the weaknesses of RICE?

Impact and confidence are guesses, and a precise-looking score can hide that. RICE also scores solutions, not problems, so it can rank features well without asking whether they serve the outcome you are after. Use the ranking to start a conversation, not end it.

Can I share or save my list?

Yes, without an account. Your list lives in the page address, so “Copy link to this scenario” shares it exactly, and “Download as CSV” gives you a spreadsheet. Nothing is stored on a server.

Free tool · no sign-up

RICE score calculator

List your ideas, rate each one’s reach, impact, confidence and effort, and see them ranked. Share the list with a link or download it as a CSV.

Your ideas

IdeaReachImpactConfidenceEffort

ReachImpactConfidenceEffort (person-months)
ReachImpactConfidenceEffort (person-months)
ReachImpactConfidenceEffort (person-months)
ReachImpactConfidenceEffort (person-months)

Ranked by RICE score

1Usage-based pricing page1,500
2Guided onboarding checklist960
3Slack integration320
4Rebuild the reporting module200

The four factors

Reach: people or events affected per period, as a real number.
Impact: how much it moves each person, on Intercom’s scale: 3 massive, 2 high, 1 medium, 0.5 low, 0.25 minimal.
Confidence: how sure you are about reach and impact: 100% with data, 80% with some evidence, 50% on a hunch.
Effort: person-months across product, design and engineering.

Make confidence honest

Confidence is the factor most worth arguing about. If an idea’s impact rests on a guess, give it 50% and go find evidence: a few customer interviews or a quick test can lift it to 80% or drop it off the list. That is cheaper than building the wrong thing.

Start from the problem

RICE compares solutions. Before scoring, check that every idea serves the same outcome and a customer need you have actually heard. Ideas that serve no known need don’t deserve a score yet.

Free in Outcomify

Know what customers ask for before you score it

Reach and confidence are guesses until customers tell you. A free Outcomify feedback board collects their requests and votes, and shows the need behind each one, so your RICE inputs come from evidence.

Create your free feedback board

More free tools

SaaS growth calculatorProject customers and MRR from sign-ups, activation and churn, and see which lever moves growth most.LTV:CAC calculatorCustomer lifetime value, LTV:CAC ratio and CAC payback from four numbers.Funnel conversion calculatorFind the step where most people leak, and what fixing each step is worth at the end of the funnel.A/B test sample size calculatorHow many visitors each version needs, and how many days your traffic takes to get there.A/B test significance calculatorIs the winner real? A p-value, a confidence interval and a verdict in plain words.NPS calculatorNet Promoter Score with its margin of error, and whether a change since last time is real.