Update 5/22: I was contacted by a developer and told my monthly subscription will run through the paid thru date. I logged back in and find it IS still active and good for another few days. I obviously misunderstood the terms...for like the third or fourth time. :-/ I have bumped my rating to 5 stars. Thank you for contacting me!! By the way, CR was a huge part of my decision to buy a Mazda CX5 and I love it!! Initial review: Why does my subscription term on the day I term with a message it will run through the end of the already paid period if only I wait to term on that date? I need to term before that date because I will be out of the country on that date and don’t want to have to mess with terming CR. You should just give me what I paid for without trying to get an extra monthly fee because I miss the date. I love CR and turn my subscription on and off as needed. I would give you 5 stars except for your cancellation policy.
The average consumer needs a consumer advocate like Consumer Reports; otherwise we are flying blind when it comes to making purchases, large and small. Consumer Reports takes the ‘guess’ out guesswork. They do rigorous testing, research, and thousands of surveys for you. All one has to do is read over the literature to make an informed and objective decision; with great confidence. The is no worse feeling than being taken advantage of and being duped by corporate malfeasance. This is no longer the case for me as an avid CR reader. I buy all of my friends and family subscriptions to the magazine and to the online services as holiday gifts. It is the greatest gift of all, I am told, and is used all year around. CR now covers the entire gamut of every conceivable purchasing decision: from food to health care plans, to stores and services to automobiles. Knowledge is indeed power and CR, rightly, empowers the consumer. They cut through all of the clutter and go directly to aiding one in making the right decision every time; to me this is priceless! CR subscribers becomes discerning consumers and come to recognize the brands which deliver the highest quality and at the best prices. They are also the first to tell you when things change in the wrong direction. They have changed my life and I will never be able to say enough nice things about them.
It’s too bad the app isn’t really set up to be viewed in a large screen. I was looking for a better experience in the app, but it’s small as if I was using a phone. As far as services and information is great, although sometimes I’m confused about the conflicting reviews of vehicles, their quiet but yet noisy? I know there are a lot of things that are taken into consideration when reviewing vehicles but that’s one point I’m sometimes confused on. I also wish there was an option to view the different types of models under the respective lines and what the different features are for instance the Toyota Highlander has like 15 different styles under their 5 lines, including the hybrid variations, where can I find it? Maybe is there somewhere and I just haven’t found it yet. Otherwise I’m very happy with the rest of the information that’s provided to help get a general idea of the year or model I’m looking into.
Their reviews and recommendations are limited. They often do not include the cost as a factor of the review for a consumable product. They are missing many many product lines. I have been using consumer reports for decades. It seems as if the quality of their analysis is much worse than in the past, or I am just more aware of the inaccuracy of their data. Just look at paper towels. The highest rated product is the one with the Lowest square feet. If they compared by cost per square foot instead of the roll cost they tested, the data would be much more helpful. So they recommend a brand that is very expensive and very small. Compared to another roll they is 1.3 times larger and a fraction of the cost, their “strength when wet test” should use more than twice the paper towels to test against since you get twice as many AND the cost is MUCH LOWER. As of February 2024 Yes paper towels are boring but you know when you have finally just had enough with a company from seeing the same practices over and over; that’s where I am with the paper towels.
I really like Consumer Reports and their unbiased reviews. Having said that, I’m disappointed in the somewhat narrow scope of products that they cover, particularly when it comes to every day items. It seems like every time I go to enter a product type (toothpaste, for example), there aren’t any reviews for it. And yet, I know for a fact that Consumer Reports has published reviews on whitening toothpastes in the past, because I specifically bought their recommended brand for years and years after reading it! Either the app should allow us to read past reviews, or the current number of product reviews should be greatly expanded beyond big ticket items like appliances. I’ll enjoy having content access for a year, but I can’t justify renewing an annual membership to read about household purchases I might make every 5-10 years when so few of the things that I use daily aren’t going to be covered.
I have used CR since I was in college in the 1960’s. I take the magazine as well as on line and I love both. The magazine is great to read because it has articles I probably would not have searched for on line. I read from cover to cover. Both are indispensable for doing a much better job of purchasing just about everything cars, used cars, yard equipment, even many smaller items like toilet paper. It is a big time saver. I hate buying something that after I get it home it doesn’t work. Some places make it a hassle to return except Costco who makes returning easy and pleasant. The subscription pays for its self in money and time. CR is the best publication and service and lessons how to shop and look for or to watch out for. Your organization gets my very top Recommendations !!! Thank you for years of help.
Update: after contacting consumer reports via email and chat, I was told to contact Apple. Apple told me they will refund my $10. I wish the app was more robust. But the lackluster search function, and the lack of material on the app are a letdown for a company that has been absolutely fabulous in the past. ********* I subscribed to this app today and apparently absolutely wasted my $10.. I subscribed because the information on the mattress I was searching was hidden until I subscribed. But after I subscribed, they actually don’t have information on mattresses. It was very deceptive! I’m not able to search anything. I searched all of the appliances and gadgets in my home that I could think of just to test it. None of them were searchable. Maybe I should give them credit and think that their database is just in adequate. But either way, I wouldn’t suggest wasting any money on this app.
It is an excellent app for both from-home shopping and in-store shopping; always having product ratings easily accessible makes a significant difference, especially when making major purchases that cost thousands of dollars. consumer reports vice a truly awesome service that I have found to be easily accessible and dependable. Over more years than I’d care to admit, I have found CR to be a huge time saver especially when making a major purchase. Although no rating service can be guaranteed, I have found that, for the most part, CR has been an extremely reliable resource that I have come to depend on when deciding on what will be the most practical, reputable, and well-made product before I pick up the phone or head out the door.
I’m a subscriber and I appreciate the hard work behind the ratings and objective reviews, but the app needs more features. I get the CR newsletter with all sorts of intriguing consumer rights, protections, tips, and tricks, but generally avoid clicking links in emails out of an abundance of security caution and don’t want to browse to a site on a phone. I want to be able to interact with all that great content after authenticating as a part of a more secure experience. Please expand functionality of app for a more complete and secure member experience. (Update) I would also be much more likely to participate in the surveys if I could click through the app to do so. The segmentation of the review component from the broader CR content is disjointed and very counterintuitive. Please bring both sides under same umbrella. (Update 2, 31 Mar 20) Segmentation behind the reviews in the app and all the consumer facing advice still persists; please combine the two CR sides.
I’ve trusted Consumers for almost 50 years and they’ve never steered me wrong! Unless the manufacturer changed something after CR tests it I’ve always been happy with appliances to TVs, to cars based on their recommendations. (One dishwasher changed to a “heatproof” plastic inside tub. It melted.) Their reports asks and answers the same questions I have and would be asking sales people, but with a lot more truth! And Having a price range let’s me know if the prices given in the store are high or low. The magazine covers many different topics, from big appliances, to cars, to Internet safety. And I always get a laugh at “selling lt.” on the last page, for some of the truly crazy things people do while selling something! I’ll be a CR subscriber for as long as I can!
Consumer Reports rarely disappoints when it comes to helping you decide which item to buy. Their app is incredibly easy to navigate; you can compare multiple items at a time, filter by certain brands/sizes, etc. Before my subscription I would be scouring the Internet for hours, even days, trying to learn what constitutes a “good” product, but you don’t know who’s behind the scenes funding that “research,” and sometimes the data come up conflicting article to article. CR takes all of the guesswork out of this process by developing an objective way to compare products. They break down the nuances of what to look for and provide a non-biased rating of what’s in the market. Highly recommend!
Consumer Reports is my go-to service before any major purchase — and sometimes minor purchases. I have used it for well over ten years to help understand a product before buying it. They are independent in their product reviews (they are not sponsored or receive free goods in exchange for a review) and have I found that they are usually spot on in their assessments. The app itself has less information than their website but for a quick check to get your research started it is an excellent resource. I highly recommend a subscription as it helps you understand pros/cons of a product and in the end save you time and most importantly money.
Almost useless. What are you all doing? I have a digital subscription and have a reasonable expectation that most, if not all that shows up on my desktop iMac would show up on my iPad. Not the case at all. Why not? I am sick with a fever in bed and had hoped to use my iPad to do research on hearing aids. Nothing here. You have made changes to what you offer and how it is offered. This has to be made clear and grandfathered in for those of us who have older subscriptions. Exactly what information is now available with a digital subscription and how and where is it offered? You are the organization that is supposed to protect us, not scam us. I had a print subscription since the 60’s and my parents had it from the 40’s. I chose not to renew as the information soon got old and was insufficient. Took a digital subscription instead. Love this organization and hope the relatively new management will not run it into the ground by giving up your core values.
Any major purchase I make is first checked with consumer reports. Just because something is on sale won’t mean it’s worth getting. CR tests products and provides accurate assessments of the pros and cons. While you may not be able to afford their highest rated product, you will be confident you’re getting the best item in your price range. Used it for dishwashers, fridges, washer dryers, vacuum's, oven ranges, power tools, BBQ, TVs and currently I’m evaluating a generator for backup power. They’re subscription is worth every penny. I check rankings here first and then search for stores and deals. I started using them from NZ, then here in the USA
An app with no ambition to be more than a "product list"
If you don't have a subscription then this app is nothing more than a product list. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I can use the app to find a list of something I know nothing about, like water heaters, and then use the list to do my own research. But there are certain basic features I expect from an app before I hand over my money. First, I expect to be able to subscribe through Apple. This is non-negotiable for me as I have many subscriptions to manage and I need them to be in as few places as possible. Second, I should never have to leave an app to create an account unless it's an app requiring additional verification to protect my privacy, like a patient portal app. But this isn't a patient portal app; it's a product reference app. Third, if I must leave the app and use a web browser to create an account, the app should tell me where to go to create an account. Nowhere in the app does it say where or how to create an account. The only contact information provided is a phone number to call when having trouble logging in. So, I give this app 2-stars for having an awesome list of products and for having no ambition when it comes to attracting new subscribers.
I purchased all KitchenAid appliances for my new kitchen in 2017. About a year later, I started having condensation in the back so much so that I could not close the middle slide out tray. I had the extended warranty by Via and they have been out to repair over five times. They fix the condensation but then the ice maker doesn’t work. Via keeps coming out and replacing the control panel but it never fixes the problem. Now the refrigerator doesn’t even cool or maintain temps. When I call KitchenAid, they don’t even pick up the phone. It is frustrating but one thing for sure, I will NEVER buy KitchenAid products ever again.
Looking for a dishwasher and the information found on CR is incredible. It (the info) provides you with the peace-of-mind that you are making the correct buying decision. No more guess work, no more “trusting” the sales person or even word of mouth. The data doesn’t lie! The best part is we actually went with a cheaper better performing model so we saved money and being that the dishwasher is energy and water efficient it will continue saving us money every month on our utilities. Impressed! Not sure I will make a buying decision without consulting the data contains herein at CR!
March 2024 hard copy issue of CR Magazine mentions 2022 testing of chocolate bars for heavy metals. But search in the CR app for “chocolate bar” and you get one result (and oddly labeled “model”); and search just for “chocolate” and you get about 30 results, most of which contain the words “chocolate “ and “bar.” But no mention of any article about testing for heavy metals. This is just a list of tested snack bars, with no link to main article, which only shows up if you search for “snack bars.” I could never find the article about the 2022 testing for metals. Search function is flawed and incomplete, and you have to know the precise wording of testing categories to get them to show up; and apparently, not all the articles or tests are included in the app.
Trying to use the on-line Consumer Reports app to shop for printers is a total waste of time and a useless effort. All of their listed printer evaluations are lumped together without any sorting as to laser, black and white, inkjet, all-in-one, etc. There are no features graphics as in their printed issues. Totally worthless!!! Thanks for your response. However, I did try to select the type printer and use the filters; got same list of 73 unsorted printers. Maybe I did not do it right, but were no instructions! As for the non-sense filters: Can select either CR Best-buy or CR recommended — but not both? Stupid! Do you have to select every brand listed to get complete results? Who knows! Would be so much simpler to just list printers by the major categories and ratings. But no, this CR site was created by programmers who abhor the KISS principles. My review stands: worthless!!!
When you look at chainsaws and see Stihl saws rated lower than ANY other chainsaw, you know something is amiss. I can tell that the products are bought and tested over the course of a few hours, maybe days, and then the rating concludes. This is not helpful for what I bought the subscription for. It's also discouraging that the results are cookie cutter answers. They all use the same phrases. It's like somebody picked up the product, used it for about 2 minutes and clicked a couple buttons and that's what I'm paying money for. That's not what I expected. There could be a poll. You could send products to professionals in their field for free and let them give you feedback over time for their testing. This would be much better than what I can only assume is happening with the lack of dynamism in the results and lack of accuracy in things I know to be true.
I LOVE Consumer Reports both monthly magazine and annual car guide book. No one comes close to their research, data and ease of use. Have been on/off member for decades and holding my breath hoping CR doesn’t go out of business. Online guide has 1/4 of the detail paper copies offer and nobody wants ALL those paper mags/books stacked up around the house. This could be an awesome App with a menu bar or side bar or drop down search. Click on Magazine and see the monthly reports in detail. Click on Auto see everything in the book. Charge extra for members to access the annual auto book link. PLEASE invest in online! People will come. P.S. I really believe in you guys and would love to come work for you and help you design the App. Success to you all!
I am a long-time consumer reports magazine subscriber. And I mean a long time. And now I am a digital subscriber also. I went into the app looking for information about air-conditioning units and only two options were shown (window and room )not the main house air-conditioning. So I went to the Internet for reviews and one of the reviews had a link to consumer reports for home air-conditioning. Now why is that not available to me as a digital subscriber. I even tried the Consumer Reports online site through the browser on my iPhone. And still did not see it. So I first thought the consumer reports had not done any analysis on home air conditioning but now I find it they did and I can’t access it. It’s a little frustrating no it’s a lot frustrating. I’ll see if I can find the magazine.
We have had our Tuft and Needle mattresses , twin XL, for a little over a year. My wife and I both love them. We are using them on Silvana adjustable bases. I particularly liked the idea that we were able try the mattress out in the T & N store in Seattle before we bought something. The mattresses were purchased in the showroom and delivered by FedEx. Delivery was quick. The mattresses are firm but the top layer is soft enough to cushion my hips while on my side( large overweight man) sleeping. I do find that elevating the foot section of the bed puts more weight on my thighs and less on my hips. We highly recommend Tuft & Needle mattresses.
1. When researching cars there is no option to select new or used. You have to go into each model to see. 2. When clicking into a a car then you can choose “used”. It takes you to a screen of years but the rating grid doesn’t display. 3. When clicking into a used car year they only show “reliability” and “satisfaction”. Gone is their every point tested ratings. 4. Sadly, the unbiased CR seems to be struggling as there are very few items they review anymore so not a lot of information on everyday purchases 5. There is not a way to provide feedback or requests on the app. Perhaps this is for keeping things unbiased. I would really like CR to review a Hair/blow dryer as many of them are too loud, controls are cumbersome and unreliable
I I am disappointed in the brand availability in consumer reports anymore. I used to use them to, along with a couple of other sites to compare with. Nowadays you can barely find the products and when you do find an item (ie - tires, there’s a lot of brands that I’ve never heard of, and apparently neither have the tire shops around me. I do know they have always only tested what was sent to them to test, so I don’t know if the problem is that they’re not reaching out enough to different companies and offer testing, or if it’s something else. I just know that they have gone so far downhill, that I regret my yearly subscription.
A lot of this app is nothing more than an info aggregator and more often than not you are better served by Google or another search engine and even Consumer Reports own website. I say lazy development because they have lots of product categories and actual data within this categories but don’t allow filtering on the data they actually collected. Example: Look for dehumidifiers. Try filtering for units with pumps. This isn’t possible yet the data is in the selected items. Why not include filters for the various things within a category such as pump or no pump? Also, a lot of categories that I’ve seen lack warranty information so there is no way to compare warranty. Where are the links to the actual products themselves and the manufacturers pages? At the very least if the listing was missing something you could look it up. Why not link to their own digital copy of their magazine articles so if you subscribe you could go right there? App really needs some worn and real world testing by real people. It’s lacking.
I recently trying to look up information on water heaters. It might’ve been some thing else it doesn’t matter. I neither got no information or very little information online. Trying to find the same information. There is an extensive article online now I’m at your site I assume for the general public they provided all this information. I find it annoying that when I go to the site and paying for my only good part of the Contant, where is I can go to the Internet and get all the Contant when I’m not paying I would think you would want me to pay for the Contant, but I guess more specifically people online who are doing general searches
I’ve been wondering since February why I couldn’t load any newer issues into my iPad magazine viewer. I’m in good standing as a subscriber, and tonight I finally found time to log into CR website on my laptop and could see issues all the way to August. Still not getting it, I uninstalled my CR viewer, intending to reinstall it but got instead this “Ratings” app, renamed “Consumer Reports.” I don’t want to use my pad to read a website. The appeal of the apparently retired app was that I could download the issues when the pad was connected to WIFI and then read them in a stand-alone viewer. This thing on my iPad now is useless, and I guess my reading of Consumer Reports will continue to lapse, because my round-robin scheduling of iPad viewers to read the various periodicals they make available to me will not include anything from CR.
Many don’t know that CR is only review company that is not at all funded by advertising and some don’t know how important this is to seeing reviews that are honest, accurate and produced for-the-consumer. In most cases, reviews are a form of advertising and not to be trusted. The CR app is a way to quickly check via category or brand before you pluck down that contactless “plastic.” I never buy electronics or any big investment product without checking with CR first.
I’d really like to know what the report dates are for the ratings. Was it last month, last year?? At least the year would be helpful, year and month would be great. It would be useful to know if a set of ratings is very recent, or is older (and possibly going to be updated). Other than the above, the app is useful for quick comparisons while out on the go. It is no substitute for the full website at this time. But there is room for growth and inclusion of additional information and features thru future updates. The user interface is clear and intuitive. Easy to use. I hope that any future updates of the app will keep the no-nonsense design.
I am very disappointed with the functionality of the application running on an iPad because the user interface appears to be the same interface that is used on the iPhone. Some mobile application development suites make cross platform development easier, but the developer needs to think about the differences in how devices are used. You should start from scratch and build an application that takes full advantage of the screen size and offers the user some ability to alter the views. Look at other applications and see how they function, and look for the things that make them great. As it stands now, there is a lot of room for improvements to the user interface.
CR fan, but disappointed in this... I’ll explain...
I’ve been a big fan of Consumer Reports over a few decades. I had been a magazine subscriber forever, but have been away for a couple of years. So the app: (with online paid subscription) I’ve been researching used cars and the app has limited information compared to the website. The big disappointment comes from the lack of continuity between the two, there is no connection between them - if I want more details I have to start my search over on the website - nothing I have found in the car sectioned the app is hyper-linked to the website. So i don’t even bother with the app, it’s a waste of time - I just use the website. CR used car reviews: also disappointed. When they make a reliability statement, they don’t break models down by engine and transmission options. Many cars/trucks have multiple drivetrain options but they don’t subcategorize them so it’s hard to know which sub model to consider/avoid. CR - if your listening, you’ll need to do better if I’m gonna renew when my annual subscription is up.
I’m a longtime CR subscriber, both print and digital. I’d rather use this app all the time but the search feature only works about 50% of he time. For instance, I just tried to find the reliability ratings for different brand home heating and cooling systems. I searched for “heating”, “HVAC”, “Air conditioner”, and by brand names “Carrier” and “Bryant”. No useful results. But I’ve seen that information in the magazine so I know they have it. The other issue is that the ratings pages only show a summary off the products they are rating. More detailed discussions about the test results and the overview discussions about the product category being reviewed are also missing.
We purchased a red copper nonstick about two years ago. We’ve been careful to maintain it properly but despite our efforts the pan is now terrible at the nonstick function. This pan was made in China and we’re convinced China has little quality control and inferior materials which leads to premature failure. We’ve seen this on numerous products. As for the red copper pan, we noticed CR gave it a pretty high rating so we now question the type of longevity testing that’s done. We’ll continue to use CR recommendations but we’re disappointed in the red copper frying pan rating.
I really love Consumer Reports because I feel that they’re truly unbiased. This review is JUST for the iOS app. Why can’t I see any CR articles in the app? It seems that I can only view products. But CR published quite a lot of articles that I enjoy reading. I have to open it in the browser in order to view them. Please add the ability to view articles to the iOS app. One more suggestion — please add the date that the products were reviewed. For example, when I open the app, it has a “recently reviewed” section, but it doesn’t specify WHEN they were reviewed.
I base all of my big purchases on CR reviews and recommendations. I have never been steered wrong. From cars to TVs to coffee makers and stick vacuums their testing and reporting is right on the money. No advertisements. No sponsorships. No outside influence from the corporations they are reviewing nor annoying influencers who will shill anything if paid enough. Fair. Accurate. Unbiased. And it costs almost nothing. The money it will save you on one purchase will pay for your subscription! Worth every penny!!!
Consumer Reports web based has under Product Reviews exactly 7 categories and this app has exactly 6, missing the key section of Money which in kind has under it 4 subsections: Airlines, Car Insurance, Homeowner Insurance and Luggage. I paid for the digital subscription basically to access all of the items under the Money category, specially Insurances , Airlines and Luggage. Luggage is not even accessible in this app. It is available under the website Of CR.
I use the app primarily to look at reviews of products I plan to purchase. It usually works well, but today it insisted on updating its database before I could use it. No amount of hitting 'cancel' or restarting it had any effect. I ended up having to walk to the front of the large big box store (for a better signal/faster download), and, with a full strength cell signal it still took minutes to update. Totally not cool! It finally finished loading, then proceeded to tell me there were no results for 'crock pot' and 'slow cooker.' I then logged on to the website, and confirmed there are indeed results for both search terms. The app wasted too many minutes of my life to then fail at its basic function.
This app is a joke. I have had a CR subscription for decades. Both digital and print. Can’t log into this app and it just says to call a 800 number. I call, and get a bunch of high school drop outs who refuse to work and just end the call when I tell them I can’t log into the app. Or they make me feel like I’m 90 and that I can’t operate technology and ask me to restart my phone while I’m on the phone! Then they say that’s all they can do. I ask for a supervisor or another person, and they hang up. Who runs your customer service line?? It’s definitely NOT for servicing customers. I am seriously considering cancelling my entire CR memberships. As this company has been going down hill for years. Such a shame too.
Easy to use. Wish they had date of analysis performed
Very pleased with the app and how easy it is to navigate. I like the ability to select the tested products and compare them side by side. My recommendation would be to add the year the products were assessed by consumer reports. (If it was present, I missed seeing it on the app) This would be particularly helpful as I’m looking for antivirus and malware products and I would know a few years in the tech world might make a difference in their recommendations.
Growing up with Consumer Report magazine in our home and having it always be part of the decision for my parents when buying any appliance or new grown up toy i was really excited to rediscover this in the 2022 era of online everything. Review videos and organizations seem a dime a dozen these days. SO, rediscovering Consumer Reports I was so excited…to be quite terribly let down. Clunky app, come on man. From what i remember Consumer Reports is THE product research place that connects to customers. Such a cool magazine. Apps have been around for a LONG time. What is this ancient app experience that I am experiencing?? Very small product testing and product type testing. What is this? I remember going to the once-per-year magazine that would show product type and direct you to the magazine that had your product. with this well established of a company, and the market for reviews seemingly flourishing like never before…what happened?? Very, very disappointed.
Broad set of categories acting as your purchasing advisor
It is rare that I find a category of purchases that consumer reports doesn’t have a strong perspective on “the good, the bad, and the ugly” products that make up the landscape of items available. I go here first and often to keep apprised of what products to seek out and what ones to avoid: across cars, tvs, refrigerators, laptops- all major purchases that you don’t want to mess up regularly.
While the compact layout and tab-style buttons for different functions seem elegant at first, it’s difficult to find the information you’re looking for unless you only need to compare specific product models. If that’s your need, stay focused. Switching between tabs resets the tab you left, meaning you’ve got to start your search over again. There were recommendations all over to “Head over to our guide…” with no apparent way to actually access that information. Skip the app and use the website instead. CR needs to hire a UX expert.
When I am making a big purchase, or a family member is making a big purchase, I check with CR first. They don’t always have a review on the products we are looking to buy, but when they do, I’ve learned to trust their reviews. I have no doubt they have save us from making bad choices through the years I’ve been a member. Thank you CR.
Two issues: If you try to find reviews that are not in the main menu, good luck. I am an online member and get CR emails with new reviews, such as on hdtv antennas. But if you search for hdtv in the app, it says no results. Second, when I open the CR emails, and click on an article it does not ask “would you like to open this in the app” . Instead it asks me to log in. Guys, why have the app if I have to log in, every other organization recognizes its own app and either automatically opens it or asks. So bad app, but I live CR
It’s been almost a month since the Car section is not loading. I have restarted the app, and my phone many times, but no luck. I have an iPhone 7plus with the latest iOS 13.2.3. I use the app few times a week and I haven’t logged in or out since I installed the app. Also, the content gets updated pretty slow. Some items that are top of the lists are hard to find and replaced or discontinued (e.g. tires, toasters, monitors (Dell U2713H is a 2013 model!)), and some major products that have been around for a while are not there (Bose 700, etc.).
The ratings are helpful when they are up to date, but some ratings are old and the top rated products are sometimes no longer available. Also, I wish more of the content that is available on the website could've accessed on the mobile app. The thing that I appreciate the most is that that ratings are objective. Every product in a given test is tested in exactly the same way.
The app data regarding cars is less current (2018) than the website data (2019) available online. Makes me wonder what other ratings and reviews are outdated when I’m using the app. Kinda makes the app less than useful. I’m also not thrilled with the regular info available on the website. What I mean is this example. I'm looking at a side-by-side comparison between the 2019 Honda Pilot and Jeep Grand Cherokee (gas) and cannot for the life of me understand why the Pilot (73) scored higher than the GC (65), nor why the Honda is "Recommended" and the Jeep is not. Road Test, Reliability, Owner Satisfaction, Accel, Tranny, Handling, Ride, Noise, Driving Position, Climate Sys are identical. GC has better Braking, Headlights, Front Seat Comfort, Controls/Display, Interior Fit/Finish. Very similar NHTSA star scores, Warranties. Better safety features on Pilot. But nowhere do they explain why the GC scored a full 8 points lower than the Pilot, nor why they can’t “Recommend” the GC. All of this compromises CR’s reliability and integrity, IMO.
I love consumer reports and the work they do this app does not reflect the grade of work they do
Unfortunately, this app does not reflect the great work. Consumer reports does. I rarely find what I need using this app and have to resort to the website which is no big deal really but the idea of an app is to be able to quickly pull up what you need and save preferences and things like that. I give this consumer app one star and don’t recommend getting it and wasting your time. However, I do recommend getting a subscription to consumer report and using their website whenever needed to look up information, reports, testing, etc.
The CR app s arch function is useless. Put in a common product category such as “earbuds” where CR has published full ratings and you get no results for the category. Instead you get a list of reviewed products with “earbuds” in the name. This requires you to then read the reviews for each model separately. Worse, if the product does not have the search term in the formal name (eg Apple EarPods) you have to perform new searches to try to find them. It’s perplexing as some product categories are surfaced in searches, but many others using the same product category name used in the magazine cannot be found in the app.
Get expert buying guides and unbiased, trusted ratings and reviews for the products and services you use every day - from cars and major appliances to must-have tech gadgets, to home and garden necessities. Nonprofit and independent, at Consumer Reports, we buy everything we test and don't accept advertising. Our scientists and engineers test products in our labs so you have the unbiased information you need to buy with confidence. This app is free to download and users get immediate access to buying guides. Product ratings and reviews are only available to those with a Digital or All Access membership to Consumer Reports. If you are not a current member and would like access to product ratings and reviews, you can sign up for a monthly or annual Digital membership within the app and get access to all features including: * Get ratings for 9,000+ products and services * Search or browse by product or brand * See scores for chosen models plus the best and worst in category * Find recommended models at a glance * Review highs and lows plus specs for each model * Read CR’s take for a quick overview or read our more in-depth buying guides * Compare products side by side * Shop for the best deals of the month with the Best Time to Buy calendar * See prices and shop from several retailers * Access our ratings offline for convenience * Save products you’re researching Car Specific Features: • Get ratings and reviews for hundreds of cars and trucks • Identify best in class models using Consumer Reports’ Overall Score system which includes road-test performance, reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety • Watch Consumer Reports road test video summaries • Read survey information based on 300,000 vehicles covering Owner Satisfaction and Reliability • Browse cars by type