# What is a pay-to-rank board?

> A pay-to-rank (king-of-the-hill) board sells position in a ranked list: whoever pays most holds #1 until outbid. Milliboard, The Pixel Orbit, and Square Town.

Source: https://square.pov.town/glossary/pay-to-rank

A **pay-to-rank board** (also king-of-the-hill board) sells *position in a ranked list* rather than a spot on a map: whoever has paid the most — as a single payment or cumulatively, depending on the site — holds #1 until someone pays more. There is no cell to own; there is only your rank. Square Town ([square.pov.town](/)) is the opposite model — spatial ownership of a $1 square you can point at — with exactly one pay-to-rank element, the [Throne](/glossary/the-throne).

> **TL;DR:** pay-to-rank = a queue you outbid your way up. Favicon wall = a place you hold until evicted for double.

## How it works on the boards

1. **Milliboard** (2026) — pay any amount; the highest *single* payment holds #1 and can be outbid by 1¢. Rank plus name, logo and link. Has a "Daily Throne" and a top-3 hall of fame, and freezes forever when it reaches $1,337,690 — it ends on purpose. Compared in full at [/vs/milliboard](/vs/milliboard).
2. **The Pixel Orbit** (2026) — a canvas where the highest *total* payer holds the exact centre and everything re-sorts around them; 5×5 = $2.50; can be outbid; leaderboard. Closest to Square Town's Throne, but rank is by cumulative spend. See [/vs/the-pixel-orbit](/vs/the-pixel-orbit).
3. **FlexList** (2026) — bid via Stripe; the highest bidder ranks #1 per city; bids are non-refundable.
4. **frontpage.sh** (2026) — eight ad squares under perpetual auction, outbid to take one, previous owner refunded plus a share; USDC on-chain.
5. **King of the Ether Throne** (2016, dead) — the ancestor: claim the throne for 0.5 ETH plus 33 % per claim; the monarch "dies" after 14 days and the price resets. **The King of the Internet** (dethrone for $1 more) is also dead as of August 2026.

## How Square Town differs

On Square Town you buy a *place*, not a *rank*: $1 for a 1×1 cell wherever you click in the live area, kept until someone [evicts](/glossary/eviction) you for double. The Throne — the 4×4 centre, $100, doubling with every eviction — is the one king-of-the-hill slot, and even there the rule is a fixed 2×, not +1¢ or +33 %. Square Town's leaderboards rank by clicks and kisses, not money, so nobody can buy their way up them. The argument for one model over the other: [/blog/pay-to-rank-vs-spatial-ownership](/blog/pay-to-rank-vs-spatial-ownership).

## Example

On Milliboard, paying $50 puts you at #1 until someone pays $50.01. On Square Town, paying $1 puts your favicon at (500, 512) until someone pays $2 for that exact cell — and everyone else's squares are untouched. One is a race for a single position; the other is a million positions with local fights.

## FAQ

### What is a king-of-the-hill board?

A ranked list where the top spot belongs to whoever paid most, held until outbid. Milliboard is the current example; King of the Ether Throne (2016) is the ancestor.

### Is Square Town a pay-to-rank site?

No. Square Town sells spatial squares at a flat $1. Only the Throne is bought by out-paying the last holder, and its price doubles rather than rising by a cent.

### Do pay-to-rank boards refund you when you're outbid?

Usually not — Milliboard payments stand, FlexList bids are non-refundable; frontpage.sh is the exception, refunding the previous owner. Square Town never refunds an evicted owner either.

### Which is better for visibility?

A board shows the top few names to everyone; a wall shows everyone a little and lets clicks and location decide the rest. Depends whether you want #1 or a spot of your own.