Hands-on tech journalism with real testing and disclosed affiliate links; by its own policy, commissions and ads don't dictate scores, but review depth varies by category.
What it's really for A consumer-tech publication; editorially independent reviews, monetized by ads and affiliate links.
What our grade covers The grade on this page is about its hands-on tech reviews and scores, not everything the site does.
High Scoring Confidence Checked against primary sources. We are confident in the facts and the grade here.
Advertisers and affiliate retailers (commissions on reader purchases via review links) pay it most; by The Verge's own ethics policy, these commercial lines do not buy placement or favorable reviews, and affiliate links are disclosed in-content.
Source →- Operating since
- 2011 (15 years) · source
- 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
- It makes money mainly through advertising, plus affiliate commissions on products it reviews and a subscription paywall ($7/month or $50/year).
- What they do
- It publishes hands-on, editorially independent reviews and news about consumer electronics, gadgets, and tech culture, scoring products on a numeric scale.
- What to watch for
- It earns affiliate commissions when readers buy through its review links, and by its own account formal test methodologies aren't published for most product categories.
- Composite score
- 4.10 / 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
- The Verge launched on November 1, 2011, and Vox Media was created as its parent company; it covers technology news, consumer electronics, science, entertainment, and product reviews. Source: Wikipedia - The Verge →
- Advertising remains The Verge's largest revenue stream, with affiliate commerce from product reviews described as growing and important, plus a subscription paywall launched in December 2024 at $7/month or $50/year. Source: Vendo / A Media Operator reporting on The Verge revenue →
- Per its ethics policy, The Verge does not accept gifts or consideration as a condition or incentive to write a review favorable or unfavorable; affiliate links earn commissions and are disclosed in-content, and commerce operations are stated not to interfere with editorial integrity. Source: Editor & Publisher - Updating The Verge's policy →