Hands-on "best of" product picks from a real Nevada testing lab, monetized through affiliate links and syndicated across Nexstar's local TV newsrooms; it says vendors can't buy placement.
What it's really for A product-recommendation site with its own test lab; earns affiliate commissions on its picks.
What our grade covers The grade on this page is about its lab-tested 'Best of the Best' picks, not everything the site does.
High Scoring Confidence Checked against primary sources. We are confident in the facts and the grade here.
Revenue comes from affiliate commissions paid by retailers when readers buy through BestReviews' links; the site states it "does not accept any form of compensation or consideration from manufacturers in exchange for reviews," so by its own disclosure paying does not buy placement, though commission income still depends on readers purchasing the ranked products.
Source →- Operating since
- 2014 (12 years) · source
- What it costs you
- Free to read The reviews are free to read.
- How they make money
- Affiliate-commission product-recommendation site that earns when readers click through and buy the items it ranks, with content syndicated to its owner Nexstar's local TV stations.
- What they do
- Selects up to five top products per category and tags a "Best of the Best" and "Best Bang for the Buck" pick after hands-on testing in its own lab combined with expert input and consumer research.
- What to watch for
- The catch: BestReviews makes money only when you buy through its affiliate links, so every recommendation doubles as a revenue opportunity, even though the site says manufacturers can't pay for placement or positive reviews.
- Composite score
- 3.40 / 5.00 → grade B
How the grade was reached
Does the site take money from the very entities it ranks? Pay-for-placement, vendor-funded data, and affiliate commissions all pull this down. The less the ranking can be bought, the higher the score.
What is the ranking actually built on? Hands-on testing scores highest, then verified first-hand reviews, then opinion or popularity surveys and self-reported figures, then pay-to-rank, which scores lowest.
Is the methodology published, specific, and reproducible? Can a reader see how a given rank was reached, or is it a black box?
Are commercial relationships, sponsorships, and affiliate arrangements disclosed clearly and near the rankings themselves, rather than buried?
How hard is it to game? Controls against fake reviews, solicited reviews, and vendor gaming raise this; an open box anyone can stuff lowers it.
Evidence
- Nexstar agreed to acquire BestReviews for $160 million in December 2020 from Tribune Publishing and the company's founders, confirming current parent/owner. Source: Kirkland & Ellis press release →
- BestReviews says: "We only make money if you click to purchase a product after reading a review," and "BestReviews does not accept any form of compensation or consideration from manufacturers in exchange for reviews" and "We never accept free products from manufacturers in exchange for positive reviews." Source: BestReviews FAQ →
- BestReviews describes a physical Testing Lab in Nevada where each product "receives a hands-on evaluation by one of their skilled testers" in real-world environments, with photos and videos taken during testing. Source: BestReviews How We Test →