How PORNAGG tests sites

1. We load the site, we don't just link to it

Every profiled destination is opened in an automated Chromium browser from a clean profile — no ad blocker, no logged-in session, default settings, US IP. We record what the landing page does in the first few seconds, because that is the experience a real first-time visitor gets. Age gates are clicked through the way a person would.

Discovery records — the long list under "Also in this category" — have not been through this process. They are domains we track for completeness only. They carry no grade and are not indexed by search engines.

2. What we measure

Transport & trust: HTTPS, certificate validity, whether the page loads insecure sub-resources, and whether the domain currently appears in the URLhaus malware feed.

Interruption: ad slots and banner units on the landing page, known popunder / ad-loader scripts, autoplay video or audio with sound, browser notification-permission nags, and full-page click-hijack overlays.

Weight: how many distinct third-party domains the landing page contacts, and how many of those are known ad or tracking hosts.

First click: we click the largest content thumbnail and check whether it sends you to another site or spawns popunders.

Access & basics: whether the whole page is walled behind a signup form, and whether it renders on a 390px phone screen without horizontal scrolling.

We also save a screenshot of the landing page as we saw it, so the grade is not the only evidence.

Not yet automated, so not in the grade: exact free resolution, working free-download controls, and region-by-region reachability.

3. How the grade is built

Each signal carries a fixed weight. A malware flag is heavily penalised; a notification prompt is a minor deduction. The score starts at 100, each triggered penalty is subtracted, and the result is clamped to 0–100, then mapped to a letter: A (90+), B (75–89), C (55–74), D (35–54), E (below 35).

We only publish a number when at least a third of the scored signals were actually measured. Below that threshold — or when the site blocked our crawler with a bot challenge — the profile shows "Not yet measured" rather than a misleading grade. Every profile lists the coverage percentage so you know how complete the picture is.

One caveat: our ad and tracker counts are for third-party hosts. A site that serves its own ads from its own domain can score better than it feels. We're working on it.

4. Money, stated plainly

PORNAGG earns from outbound links. Some "Visit" buttons are affiliate links; the destination pays us if you sign up or subscribe. This never changes a grade. The score is computed from measured signals by a fixed formula before any commercial relationship is considered, and sites with no affiliate program are graded the same way as sites that pay.

A few listed sites are run by the same team as PORNAGG. Those carry a disclosure line on their profile and are crawled and graded by the identical formula — no manual adjustment, no special placement in any list.

5. Corrections

Sites change. Grades are re-checked on a schedule and the "Last checked" date on each profile tells you how fresh the measurement is. If a profile is wrong or out of date, email [email protected] with the details.

Common questions

What is PORNAGG?

PORNAGG is an independent index of adult websites. Every profiled site is opened in an automated real browser from a clean profile and graded on the first-visit experience — ad slots, popunders, first-click redirects, third-party trackers, HTTPS, signup walls and mobile layout — then scored 0–100 and given an A–E Safety Index grade.

How is the safety grade calculated?

The score starts at 100. Each measured problem subtracts a fixed weighted penalty — a malware-feed listing is heavily penalised, a notification prompt only slightly. The result maps to a letter: A is 90 or above, B is 75–89, C is 55–74, D is 35–54, E is below 35.

Does paying PORNAGG improve a site's grade?

No. The score is computed from measured signals by a fixed formula before any commercial relationship is considered. Sites with no affiliate program are graded the same way as sites that pay. Some outbound links are affiliate links; that never changes a grade.

How often are sites re-checked?

Grades are re-checked on a schedule, roughly twice a week for stale entries. Each profile shows a Last checked date so you can see how fresh the measurement is.

What does "Not yet measured" mean on a profile?

It means fewer than about a third of the scored signals were captured, or the site blocked the crawler with a bot challenge. Rather than publish a misleading grade, the profile is left unrated until a clean measurement is possible.

Can I cite PORNAGG's grades?

Yes, with attribution to "PORNAGG Safety Index" and a link to the profile or the methodology page. The data is offered under CC BY 4.0.