This paper consists of an initial response to the first version of the Digital Preservation Coalition’s (DPC) Rapid Assessment Model (RAM) released in September 2019. This is not a detailed critical analysis of this archive maturity self-assessment. The RAM is new and explicitly subject to further testing and revision based on the experience of DPC members. With the exception of the discussion of maturity levels and the conclusion this paper predominantly follows the structure of the RAM paper. The intention is to provide an initial ‘compare and contrast’ between two sets of criteria which, though related, have different purposes and scopes.