The benchmark. Buys what it tests, takes no ads, answers to members.
What it's really for A product-testing nonprofit. Reviewing is its entire reason to exist, so the grade is the whole story.
What our grade covers The grade on this page is about the products it buys and lab-tests, not everything the site does.
High Scoring Confidence Checked against primary sources. We are confident in the facts and the grade here.
- Operating since
- 1936 (90 years)
- What it costs you
- Partly paywalled Some content is free, but the full reviews or detailed ratings sit behind a paid subscription.
- How they make money
- Membership and subscriptions. No advertising; products are bought anonymously at retail.
- What they do
- Independent hands-on lab testing of products purchased on the open market, funded by ~$267M in mostly member revenue rather than the brands under review.
- What to watch for
- If you need business software, professional firms, or local services, it has nothing for you, and its verdict on a brand-new model can lag months behind release.
- Composite score
- 4.80 / 5.00 → grade A+
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
- FY2025 total revenue of $267.2M with $331.4M in net assets (IRS Form 990), funded by membership rather than the brands it reviews. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (IRS 990) →