How to make a tier list

You can make a tier list in about five minutes. Here’s the whole process, using our free tier list maker — no account needed.

Step 1: Choose a focused topic

The best tier lists compare things that are genuinely comparable. “Food” is too broad; “pizza toppings” or “fast food chains” is perfect. A focused topic makes every placement feel fair — and much easier to defend.

Short on ideas? Browse our tier list ideas or pick one of the ready-made templates, which come with every item pre-loaded.

Step 2: Add your items

In the item pool under the board:

• Type a list separated by commas, or paste one item per line, then press Add.
• Start a line with an emoji (🍕 Pizza) to give it an instant icon.
• Upload images with the Images button, or drag image files onto the pool. See how to make a tier list with pictures.

If you only need words, the text tier list maker shows items as clean text labels.

Step 3: Drag items into tiers

Drag each item into the tier it deserves. On a phone, tap an item, then tap a tier. With a keyboard, focus an item and press 1–9 to send it to a tier or 0 to return it to the pool.

Tip: go fast on the first pass and trust your gut. Then do a second pass just for the borderline items.

Step 4: Customise your tiers

• Rename a tier by clicking its label — “Must try”, “Maybe” and “Skip” work great.
• Recolour it with the swatch beside the row (see tier list colours).
• Add, remove or reorder tiers with the controls on the right.

Step 5: Order items within each tier

Optional, but it adds precision: the leftmost item in a tier is the strongest. Your S tier now doubles as a top-three.

Step 6: Export and share

• Export PNG downloads a crisp, high-resolution image.
• Share link copies a link that opens your exact list for anyone.
• My lists keeps saved copies in your browser so you can come back later.

More detail in our guide on exporting and sharing tier lists.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Overloading S tier. If everything is special, nothing is. Read what S tier means.
• Mixing criteria. Decide whether you’re ranking by quality, nostalgia or popularity — and say so in the title.
• Too many items. Past about 40, the list becomes hard to read. Split it into two lists instead.

Ready? Open the tier list maker and start ranking.