How We Review
Our Editorial Principles
Before we get into methodology, four principles govern everything we publish at CritiqueHQ. These are not aspirations – they are non-negotiable standards our editorial team upholds on every piece of content.
Independence
Our editorial team operates independently of our commercial team. No brand, advertiser, or affiliate partner has editorial input on our ratings, conclusions, or recommendations.
Transparency
We disclose our affiliate relationships clearly on every page. If we earn a commission from a recommendation, we say so – openly and prominently.
Accuracy
We verify facts, pricing, and features before publication. We update content when things change. If we make an error, we correct it promptly and without hiding it.
Reader First
Every article is written to serve the reader – not to serve a commercial outcome. If a product is not genuinely good, we say so. A negative review costs us a commission and we accept that.
How We Select What to Review
We do not review everything. We are deliberate about what we cover, and our selection process follows a clear set of criteria.
- Reader demand: We track what our audience is searching for and prioritise reviews that answer real, high-volume questions.
- Market significance: We focus on products and services that are widely available, widely purchased, and genuinely relevant to everyday buying decisions.
- Editorial merit: We ask whether our review would meaningfully help a reader – not just add another voice to an already saturated conversation.
- Reader requests: We actively consider suggestions submitted via support@critiquehq.com.
Our Review Process – Step by Step
Every review we publish follows the same structured process regardless of product category.
Research and Background
We begin by studying the product thoroughly – its specifications, the company behind it, its positioning in the market, and what existing users are saying in verified reviews and forums. We identify the key claims the brand makes and the questions readers are most likely to have.
Hands-On Evaluation
Where possible, our team uses the product directly. For digital products – software, VPNs, online courses, subscription services – we create accounts, test core functionality, and use the service as a real customer would. For physical products, we evaluate based on verified user data and expert sources where direct testing is not feasible.
Structured Assessment
We evaluate each product against a defined set of criteria relevant to its category. Every criterion is scored individually before an overall rating is calculated. Our criteria are listed in the scoring section below.
Competitive Context
We never evaluate a product in isolation. We consider how it compares to its closest competitors in terms of price, features, and overall value. A product that scores well against its alternatives receives a higher recommendation than one that scores similarly but faces stronger competition.
Editorial Review
Every article is reviewed by a second editorial team member before publication. This review checks factual accuracy, logical consistency, and ensures the conclusion is well-supported by the evidence presented in the article.
Publication and Ongoing Maintenance
After publication, we monitor for changes – price updates, feature changes, new competitor entries, and reader feedback. We revisit and update articles on a rolling cycle of three to six months, or sooner if significant changes occur.
Our Scoring Criteria by Category
Our star ratings are calculated from category-specific criteria. Below are the primary dimensions we assess in each content area.
| Content Category | Primary Scoring Dimensions |
|---|---|
| Tech and Software | Performance, security, ease of use, feature depth, pricing and value, customer support, reliability |
| Health and Wellness | Ingredient quality and transparency, evidence base, results reported, safety profile, pricing, company reputation |
| Finance and Money | Fee transparency, ease of use, security and regulation, features, exchange rates or returns, customer service |
| Home and Living | Build quality, performance, ease of use, value for money, warranty and after-sales support, design |
| Food and Nutrition | Ingredient quality, taste and variety, convenience, flexibility, pricing per serving, delivery reliability |
| Digital Learning | Content quality, instructor credibility, certificate value, platform usability, pricing, breadth of topics |
| Deals and Offers | Discount authenticity, ease of redemption, expiry transparency, product quality underlying the deal |
Our Rating Scale
| Rating | Stars | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Exceptional | 4.8 – 5.0 | Best in class. Recommended without reservation. Outperforms competitors across virtually every dimension. |
| Excellent | 4.3 – 4.7 | Strongly recommended. Minor weaknesses that do not significantly affect the overall experience. |
| Good | 3.8 – 4.2 | Worth considering. Solid product with some notable limitations. Good for specific use cases. |
| Fair | 3.0 – 3.7 | Has merit but has meaningful weaknesses. Better alternatives likely exist in most cases. |
| Poor | Below 3.0 | Not recommended. Significant problems that outweigh any strengths. We explain clearly why. |
Affiliate Links and Commercial Relationships
CritiqueHQ participates in affiliate programmes. This means that when you click certain links and make a purchase, we may earn a commission – at no extra cost to you.
Here is our firm commitment regarding how affiliate relationships interact with our editorial process:
- A higher affiliate commission never earns a product a higher rating from us.
- We will give a negative review to a product we have an affiliate relationship with if the product does not merit a positive one.
- Brands do not see or approve our content before publication.
- We will decline to promote a product if we believe it is harmful, misleading, or genuinely poor value for readers.
For full details of our affiliate relationships, please read our Affiliate Disclosure page.
Questions About Our Methodology?
If you have questions about how we reviewed a specific product, spotted something inaccurate, or would like to challenge a rating, we welcome the conversation. Reach out to our editorial team at support@critiquehq.com.
We take all correction requests seriously and investigate every one. If we made a mistake, we will correct it – and we will do so transparently.