Photos · Headshot Rating
Compare two photosPricingDoes your headshot earn trust?
Upload your LinkedIn or profile photo and get its score across first impression, expression, photo quality, framing and attire - plus a one-line read on what it says about you - free, in seconds. Unlock the written assessment and a concrete retake plan with a one-time launch-offer unlock. No subscription.
- Free headshot score and full 5-marker breakdown - no payment required
- Unlock the written assessment behind each marker - one-time promotional offer, price at checkout
- A concrete retake plan for this photo - the light, the crop, the background
- It scores the photo, not your face - a strong headshot is a solvable problem
Your free score has no obligation to buy. Full reports are a one-time payment, secured by Dodo Payments. Your photo is used only to generate your score and is never sold - see our pricing, privacy policy and refund policy.
Scoring a dating photo instead?Different question, different rubric - the Dating Photo Rating asks whether it earns the swipe.What makes a headshot work?
Not the face - the photo. Every study of profile performance lands on the same fundamentals: a head-and-shoulders crop with the face filling about a third of the frame, the camera at eye level, soft light on the face, direct eye contact with a genuine smile, a simple background, and clothes that fit and suit the field. Most profile photos fail on execution, not looks - which is why the same person can score 4 on a cropped party photo and 7.5 on a shot taken by a window.
Instant and strict, not a studio upsell
Headshot services charge for a session and photo-voting sites take days to return a verdict skewed by whoever showed up. This scores in seconds against a fixed rubric that refuses to flatter - because an honest 4.3 that gets a photo replaced before the next application is worth more than a kind 6.5 that keeps it on your profile. Score every candidate, use the winner, retake the one with the best bones.
The 5 markers, explained
First impression
The two-second credibility read a recruiter or client makes before reading a word: competent, present, at ease - and instantly findable in the frame.
Expression
Approachable confidence. Direct eye contact, a genuine smile that reaches the eyes, a relaxed jaw. Passport stares, squints and hidden eyes cost.
Photo quality
Lighting, sharpness, resolution, exposure. Soft front or 45° light scores - harsh overhead light, filters, beauty-smoothing and compression cost heavily.
Framing
Head-and-shoulders, face filling a third to a half of the frame, camera at eye level, a simple background. Car seats, bathrooms and cropped-out friends cost.
Attire & grooming
Neat hair, groomed facial hair if any, clothes that fit and suit the apparent field - coherence and care, not formality for its own sake.
What each tier means
Standout
Executive-grade. Well-lit, well-framed, warm and sharp with a clean background. Roughly 1 in 50 photos.
Strong
Recruiter-ready. Most markers independently strong: good light, eye contact, tidy framing, coherent attire.
Solid
Professional enough. Clean light, clear face, no red flags - it won't cost you an interview or a client.
Middling
The median profile photo: a cropped casual shot. Survivable, forgettable - it earns no trust on its own.
Costing you
Below the bar for a professional profile: a selfie, bad light, a busy or odd background. Keep only until anything better exists.
Replace
Actively undermining you - blurry, dark, cropped from a group, or clearly not a headshot. Replace before anything else.
FAQ
Is the headshot rating free?
Yes. Your overall headshot score, tier, percentile, confidence, the one-line read on what your photo currently communicates, and the full five-marker breakdown are free, with no account or payment. The written assessment behind each marker plus a concrete retake plan for this photo are a one-time promotional unlock - the price is shown at checkout. No subscription.
Does it rate my face or my photo?
The photo. This scores how well the picture works as a professional asset - the two-second credibility read, your expression, the light and sharpness, the framing and background, and whether your grooming and attire read as coherent. The same person can score 4 on a cropped party photo and 7.5 on a properly lit head-and-shoulders shot. If you want your face rated, that's the PSL Score or The Face Report.
What makes a good LinkedIn profile picture?
The same fundamentals every study of profile performance keeps finding: a head-and-shoulders crop with your face filling about a third of the frame, the camera at eye level, soft natural light on your face (a large window works), direct eye contact with a genuine smile, a simple background that separates you from it, and clothes that fit and suit your field. Shot by someone else from 1.5-2 metres rather than at arm's length.
Do I need a professional photographer?
No. Most of the score comes from light, framing, expression and background - all free. A phone on a tripod or held by a friend, facing a window, at eye level, with a plain wall behind you, will out-score the majority of paid studio shots taken under hard flash. The report's retake plan tells you exactly what to change for this photo.
How is this different from the Dating Photo Rating?
Different question, different rubric. The dating tool asks whether a photo would earn a swipe - warmth, context, what it says about your life. This one asks whether a recruiter, client or colleague would trust you in two seconds - credibility, eye contact, clean framing, coherent attire. A great dating photo (beach, dog, activity) is usually a poor headshot, and vice versa.
Should I smile in a professional headshot?
Usually yes - a genuine, relaxed smile (with or without teeth) consistently reads as more competent and more likeable than a neutral face, as long as it reaches the eyes. What costs you is a forced grin or a stiff passport stare. The expression marker scores exactly this, and the report tells you which one you've got.
Which photos should I test?
Every candidate - your current profile picture, any recent photos someone else took of you, and a couple of fresh attempts by a window. Score them all, use the highest scorer, and run the retake plan on the one with the best bones. Rerun the retake to confirm it actually improved.
Is my photo kept private?
Scoring never stores your photo - it's used in memory to generate your result and discarded, and it's never sold or shared. The one exception is entirely yours: clicking "Save to my progress" on a result stores that photo privately to your account, and you can delete it on the progress page anytime.