Tom's Guide
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Use it free as a starting point for everyday gadget buys, then cross-check major purchases elsewhere.
New check
Comparison
Tom's Guide vs Consumer Reports
Tom's Guide and Consumer Reports both land on Depends.
Consumer Reports
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy it if you're shopping big-ticket items . cars, appliances, home systems . where CR's lab testing and member reliability surveys pay for themselves.
| Compare | Tom's Guide | Consumer Reports |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Everyday gadget shoppers | Car and appliance shoppers |
| Who it's not for | Pro PC builders wanting deep benchmarks | One-off small purchases under ~$100 |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.² | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | No support evidence in sources reviewed. | Recurring cancellation complaints on review sites |
| Public sentiment | Readers find it a handy starting point for purchases but complain about junky ads and perceived brand bias.⁸ | Sentiment is split: longtime fans still trust CR's testing and reliability data, while others say it has declined and complain about cancellations. |
| Biggest gotcha | Roundups monetize via affiliate links; rankings can favor commerce partners² | Cancellation complaints recur on Trustpilot and ConsumerAffairs . expect auto-renewal friction |
Pick Tom's Guide when
- Everyday gadget shoppers
- Deal and gift hunters
- Smart-home starter research
- Quick how-to and fix guides
When Tom's Guide is not a fit
- Pro PC builders wanting deep benchmarks
- Ad-free readers
- Buyers wary of affiliate-driven picks
- Enterprise or procurement-grade research
Pick Consumer Reports when
- Car and appliance shoppers
- BuyItForLife researchers
- Ad-free, independent test-data fans
- Households making multiple big purchases yearly
When Consumer Reports is not a fit
- One-off small purchases under ~$100
- Shoppers unwilling to pay for reviews
- Anyone wanting niche or non-US-market products
- People averse to subscription auto-renewal friction
Sources
- Tom's Guide homepagetomsguide.comofficial
- About Tom's Guidetomsguide.comofficial
- Tom's Guide relaunch press releasefutureplc.comofficial
- Wikipedia: Tom's Guideen.wikipedia.orgnews
- GetLatka company profilegetlatka.comnews
- Content funding on Tom's Guide (Yahoo Tech)tech.yahoo.comnews
- Trustpilot reviewstrustpilot.comreview
- Reddit: Tom's Guide 24 hour reviewreddit.comreview
- Reddit: Apple fanboys threadreddit.comreview
- GadgetReview: Is Tom's Guide Reliable?gadgetreview.comreview
- Consumer Reports homepageconsumerreports.orgofficial
- Consumer Reports - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.orgofficial
- Become a Member - Consumer Reportsconsumerreports.orgofficial
- Consumer Reports magazine subscription price comparisonmagazinepricesearch.comofficial
- Best Home Security Systems of 2026, According to Over 11,000 CR Membersconsumerreports.orgofficial
- CR Price Tracker 2026consumerreports.orgofficial