"According to" cites an EXTERNAL SOURCE of information (what someone says or reports); "based on" indicates the FOUNDATION OR EVIDENCE on which a statement, analysis, or decision rests.
ACCORDING TO: introduces an EXTERNAL SOURCE that informs or reports something. The speaker attributes the information to that source. "According to the report" = as the report states. "According to the manager" = as the manager says. ACCORDING TO transfers responsibility for the claim to the cited source. Implication: the speaker is not personally guaranteeing it is true, only that THIS SOURCE says so. Formal uses: citing research ("according to a recent study"), citing laws ("according to regulation 45-B"), citing news sources. NEVER with the first person in citation contexts: "According to me" = very awkward in English (in Spanish "segun yo" is colloquially acceptable). In formal English, instead: "In my opinion" or "As I see it."
According to the latest industry benchmark report, customer acquisition costs in this sector have increased by an average of 34 percent over the past two years.
According to the legal team, the current terms of service do not fully comply with the new data protection legislation that came into effect last quarter.
According to the project timeline that was agreed upon in March, the testing phase should be completed by the end of this month.
BASED ON: indicates the FOUNDATION, EVIDENCE, or DATA on which a statement, decision, analysis, or conclusion rests. It does not cite an external source that says something — it indicates the supporting material that sustains the claim. "Based on the data" = the analysis/decision rests on that data (not citing a source that "says something," but the data is my foundation). "Based on our experience" = our starting point is our experience. BASED ON implies the speaker EVALUATES or ANALYZES something to reach a conclusion. Very common in decision-making contexts: "Based on the results, we recommend..." / "Based on customer feedback, we decided..."
Based on the conversion data from the past six months, we are recommending a full redesign of the landing page to reduce friction in the checkout flow.
Based on the candidate's performance across all four interview rounds, the hiring committee has unanimously agreed to extend an offer.
The pricing strategy was developed based on a combination of competitor analysis, customer willingness-to-pay surveys, and internal cost modeling.
Common mistake
Two common errors: (1) Using ACCORDING TO when you should use BASED ON. "According to the data, we recommend X" = grammatically acceptable but sounds as if the data "says" something verbally. More precise: "BASED ON the data, we recommend X" (the data is the foundation of the recommendation). (2) "According to me, the strategy is wrong" = VERY AWKWARD in English. For personal opinion, use: "In my view...", "In my opinion...", "As I see it...", "I believe that..." "According to me" in English sounds arrogant or non-native — it is used to cite external sources, not to express your own opinion. (3) "Based on John's opinion" = grammatically correct but the mix would be unusual. To cite what a person SAYS = ACCORDING TO John. For data or evidence that forms the foundation = BASED ON the data.
Trick to remember it
The KEY DISTINCTION: ACCORDING TO = "this source SAYS something." BASED ON = "this material GROUNDS/FOUNDS something." Question: are you QUOTING what someone/something SAYS? = ACCORDING TO. Are you indicating the FOUNDATION or EVIDENCE for a conclusion? = BASED ON. Test: think in Spanish. "Segun el informe" (the report says it) = ACCORDING TO. "Basandonos en el informe" (the report is our basis for deciding) = BASED ON. In practice: citing research or sources that assert something = ACCORDING TO. Grounding a recommendation or decision in data or experience = BASED ON.
Quick rule
According to = quotes what an EXTERNAL SOURCE SAYS (as stated by, per). Based on = indicates the FOUNDATION of a conclusion or decision (founded on, drawing from). Never "according to me" for personal opinion: use "in my opinion."
Did you know?
The expression "based on" is one of the most frequent in 21st-century academic and corporate English. Business text corpora show that "based on" appears three times more frequently than "according to" in financial reports, strategic documents, and business presentations. This reflects a cultural shift: contemporary business discourse prefers to frame claims as derived from DATA and ANALYSIS ("based on our analysis") rather than citing external sources that "say" something ("according to the analyst"). The exception is legal and regulatory documents, where "according to" remains dominant because citing the exact legal source ("according to regulation X") is required for legal validity.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
_____ the findings of the independent audit, the company has been significantly underreporting its operational expenses for the past three fiscal years.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
_____ the pilot program results and direct feedback from early adopters, the product team decided to prioritize offline functionality in the next release.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
According to = quotes what an EXTERNAL SOURCE SAYS (as stated by, per). Based on = indicates the FOUNDATION of a conclusion or decision (founded on, drawing from). Never "according to me" for personal opinion: use "in my opinion."
Two common errors: (1) Using ACCORDING TO when you should use BASED ON. "According to the data, we recommend X" = grammatically acceptable but sounds as if the data "says" something verbally. More precise: "BASED ON the data, we recommend X" (the data is the foundation of the recommendation). (2) "According to me, the strategy is wrong" = VERY AWKWARD in English. For personal opinion, use: "In my view...", "In my opinion...", "As I see it...", "I believe that..." "According to me" in English sounds arrogant or non-native — it is used to cite external sources, not to express your own opinion. (3) "Based on John's opinion" = grammatically correct but the mix would be unusual. To cite what a person SAYS = ACCORDING TO John. For data or evidence that forms the foundation = BASED ON the data.
The KEY DISTINCTION: ACCORDING TO = "this source SAYS something." BASED ON = "this material GROUNDS/FOUNDS something." Question: are you QUOTING what someone/something SAYS? = ACCORDING TO. Are you indicating the FOUNDATION or EVIDENCE for a conclusion? = BASED ON. Test: think in Spanish. "Segun el informe" (the report says it) = ACCORDING TO. "Basandonos en el informe" (the report is our basis for deciding) = BASED ON. In practice: citing research or sources that assert something = ACCORDING TO. Grounding a recommendation or decision in data or experience = BASED ON.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy