Our Editorial Mission
CNET's mission is to help you navigate change with content that is expert, unique and helpful -- whether we're testing a product, putting breaking news in context, explaining how something works or sharing our own perspectives.
Our editorial staff operates under guidelines that ensure our coverage is fair, credible and relevant. These standards are upheld in part by a copy desk that reviews all published work for accuracy and adherence to policy. This page outlines some of our most important processes. To request a correction or to give other feedback, you can contact us at [email protected].
Editorial standards
We are editorially independent. No company or source is permitted to view, edit or comment on any part of a story before it is published.
We ask for comment. CNET writers contact any company or people we are writing about in a meaningful way to offer them an opportunity to comment before publishing a story. In cases of breaking news, we reach out immediately for comment and note in the story if the company or person didn't respond. If the company or person does later respond, we will update the story accordingly.
We interview and cite reputable sources. When CNET experts don't have first-hand experience or expertise, or when it's important to represent a range of perspectives, writers will work with their editors to find credible, trustworthy sources. CNET does not use anonymous sources except in cases where there may be privacy or legal concerns; in those situations, editor approval is required.
In some cases, we cite information reported by other publications. In those cases, we will cite that publication as the source of information. And if CNET hasn't been able to independently verify that information, we will say that. We will always be transparent about where we're getting our information and if we've vetted it ourselves or not.
We correct our mistakes. CNET makes every effort to ensure our content is accurate. If we make a factual error, we correct it and note the error at the bottom of the story. We encourage you to contact us at [email protected] if you see a mistake.
We are transparent about paid and sponsored content. From time to time, CNET publishes paid content that is creatively directed by a partner. This is always labeled prominently as "paid content" across all platforms. Some Best Lists include a sponsored product or service that is not chosen by our editors; this is a paid advertisement and is clearly labeled accordingly.
How we test products
For nearly 30 years, CNET has built a reputation as the premier source for trustworthy, unbiased reviews on all things tech -- from phones to TVs to laptops to tablets to streaming services. If you can snap a picture with it, watch it, type on it or subscribe to it, chances are we've reviewed it.
In addition to every type of technology device, we've expanded over time to cover home products, energy providers, health and wellness, broadband services and personal finance choices, evaluating everything from meal kits to solar panel companies, mattresses, hearing aids, electric cars and scooters. No matter what we're evaluating, we'll always be transparent about the unbiased testing standards that go into our reviews.
All reviews and "best list" product rankings share the same commitments to excellence:
Independence: The products and services we recommend are independently, editorially chosen for evaluation, review and recommendation.
Expertise: Our team of experts has decades of combined experience in their specialities.
Hands-on tests: We unbox, touch and test the products we cover whenever possible. For services, we subscribe, test and use them ourselves.
Research: When we can't test a product or service hands-on, we make recommendations based on reporting and research. We also consider experiences from industry experts and customers.
Value: We take pricing into account and focus on finding the best option at the most affordable cost.
What makes CNET unique is our tried-and-true process for evaluating a product with repeatable tests performed in CNET Testing Labs and by reviewers with deep understanding of their beats. Our reviewers have built their expertise with hands-on experience and relationships with industry experts we call on for perspective.
How CNET gets the products we review
Our process begins well before a new product is announced. We're intimately familiar with buying cycles and attuned to rumors and release dates months in advance, covering the lead-up to big product announcements and leveraging our relationships with manufacturers to give readers the scoop. We use this knowledge to pinpoint exactly which products we'll be reviewing and why, considering factors like pricing, popularity and new features.
Many of the devices we review are production samples supplied by manufacturers. They're sent to us as part of a short- or long-term loan agreement. This arrangement lets us publish the review as soon as possible, sometimes even before a product goes on sale, and to compare and retest the product deeper in its life cycle.
If we identify a product we want to review but can't get it from the manufacturer for some reason, we'll buy it. After a review is published, we often hang onto the product for updates and follow-up coverage, including comparisons with competing gadgets. Products loaned to CNET are returned to the manufacturer after the loan period ends.
Product review 101: In-depth testing at CNET
Once the product arrives, the review process varies by product category, but all reviews follow a similar structure:
Setup: We unbox the device (often with an unboxing video) and set it up like any user would, connecting it to the internet if appropriate and installing the latest software. Unlike any user, we document the setup process and note how it compares to competing devices.
Look and feel: We use the product and note its design and how it feels to operate, leaning on photos and video to illustrate our findings.
Features: We note its capabilities and how they compare to similar gadgets, concentrating on new and interesting extras and how (or if) they're actually worthwhile.
Performance: We test those capabilities rigorously, using the device as intended for hours or days and reporting our impressions. We use the same set of tests we have used for similar products to ensure that we find variations in performance across the industry.
Lab testing: For many product categories, we capture performance data in a lab using standardized tests. For example, in our New York lab we test battery life and screen brightness for laptops and measure color and gaming lag for TVs. And in our Louisville facility, we created a specialized testing platform lab to compare how much dirt a vacuum picks up -- up to and including tracking the cleaning trails for robot vacuums, too. But whether that testing happens in Manhattan, Kentucky or at myriad off-site locations, we store our data for future comparisons to other products. We also use that data to better identify long-term trends within categories, too.
Verdict: We gather all our impressions in the review. In many cases, we publish a numeric rating from 1 to 10, along with what we liked and didn't like.
If we encounter a major issue during testing, we work with the manufacturer to resolve it and report on that process. At every point in the reviews process, however, our editors and testers maintain full control over the review as it appears on CNET.
Serving up reviews of services
The traditional CNET review covers physical products you can touch, but a growing number of things you buy today are services, typically available for a monthly fee. We review those too. They include streaming services like Netflix, YouTube TV and Spotify, financial services like credit cards and tax software, home services like meal kits and wine clubs, and utility services like internet service providers (ISPs), cell phone plans, password managers and virtual private networks (VPNs).
Like with physical devices, our reviews of services vary depending on what the service provides. With streaming services, we weigh the pricing, catalog and ease of use. With credit cards, we scour the fine print and compare welcome bonuses, interest rates and promos. With VPNs, we test and evaluate numerous factors including speed, privacy, data leaks and value. We focus on reportable facts and, where appropriate, tailor our recommendations to different locations. We have separate lists for the best internet providers in New York City, Atlanta and Houston, for example, and we're adding more locations all the time.
How we order our Best List recommendations
In most categories, we gather our reviews and research into best lists, which put our most-recommended products in one place and designate superlatives such as Best Overall, Best Value and Best Design. These lists are intended to be a one-stop shop for information on categories we cover, including links to how we test that category, factors to consider during the buying process, frequently asked questions and seasonal price trends.
On many of our Best Lists and guides, you'll find a list of recommended products or services at the top of the page, just below the headline. This feature gives readers immediate access to the summarized results of our product reviews.
If there's a clear "Best Overall" pick in a given category, we place that product or service at the top of the list. After that, we sort our recommendations according to several factors. These include how strongly we recommend each product or service, so that highly recommended picks are generally closest to the top. The order in which our product recommendations are listed does not always correlate directly to their numerical ratings. Editors may also curate the list to make sure that a diversity of options, for example a relatively low-priced product, are included.
After a Best List is published, we may use audience engagement metrics to reorder the list after the Best Overall pick, to give more prominence to products and services that have shown the most positive responses from readers.
Below, you'll find links to methodologies for many of the product and service categories we write about.
How We Test Phones
How We Test AI
How We Test Monitors
How We Test Home Security Systems and Services
How We Test Home Security Cameras and Video Doorbells
How We Test Meal Kits
How We Test TVs
How We Test Projectors
How We Test VPNs
How We Test Mattresses
How We Test Fitness Equipment
How We Test Vacuums
How We Test Grills
How We Test Wi-Fi Routers
How We Test Internet Service Providers
How We Test Credit Cards
How We Test Computers
How We Fact-Check and Validate Medical Information
How We Review Solar Companies, Panels, Batteries and Inverters