How we test and score products at Compare Robots

A comparison site is only as good as the trust behind its numbers. So here's the whole process, in the open.

A single score, built from parts

Every product gets a 0–100 comparison score. It's not one judge's opinion — it's a weighted blend of sub-scores that differ by category. For a robot vacuum, that means cleaning performance, navigation, obstacle avoidance, mopping, the dock, noise and value. For a laptop it's something else entirely. The weights reflect what owners actually care about, not what's easiest to measure.

Where the data comes from

• Verified specifications normalised across brands so a "2-in-1" from one maker means the same as another's.
• Hands-on and lab testing where we have it — cleaning pickup, navigation runs, noise readings, battery and runtime.
• Aggregated owner feedback at scale to catch reliability issues a one-week review can't.
• Live multi-merchant pricing so the value component reflects what you'd actually pay today, not launch MSRP.

The firewall: scores vs. revenue

We earn affiliate commission when you buy through our links. That funds the testing — and it has zero influence on scores or rankings. We don't sell placement, there are no "sponsored" positions dressed up as recommendations, and a higher commission never moves a product up a list. When a category's best pick happens to be one we earn less on, it still wins. You can read the full affiliate disclosure and our methodology in detail.

Prices update, so do scores

Because value is part of the score and prices move daily, rankings aren't frozen. A great product that gets a price cut can climb; one that sells out or jumps in price can slip. That's deliberate — the goal is to tell you the best buy today, not the best buy at launch.

When we're not sure, we say so

If we haven't tested something hands-on, we label it. If data is thin, the score carries less confidence and we tell you. The point of all this is simple: you should be able to trust the number at the top of the page enough to stop researching and just buy. Browse everything we track.