How we maintain independence
Our editorial policy governs every decision we make – from which products we review to how we handle corrections and conflicts of interest.
Editorial independence
Top5soft earns revenue through affiliate commissions and display advertising. Neither revenue stream influences our editorial verdicts. Advertisers cannot purchase positive coverage, request changes to scores, or delay publication of negative reviews. Our affiliate relationships are disclosed on every article that contains affiliate links.
Editors and reviewers are not shown affiliate revenue data for individual products. Scores and rankings are determined by testing outcomes, not commercial relationships.
Separation of editorial and commercial
The editorial team reports to the Editor in Chief, not to advertising or business development. Commercial partners do not have sight of review drafts before publication.
Any approach from a vendor seeking to influence coverage is logged and disclosed internally.
Conflicts of interest
Reviewers disclose any personal, financial, or professional connection to a product they are assigned to review. If a material conflict exists, the review is reassigned.
Minor connections (e.g., a reviewer has used a product for years as a paying customer) are disclosed in the article itself.
How we handle vendor contact
We accept press kits and product access from vendors to facilitate testing. This does not obligate us to cover the product or to produce a favourable review.
Vendors may provide factual clarifications before publication; they do not have editorial approval rights.
Corrections policy
We correct factual errors promptly. When a correction changes a score or ranking, we update the article, add a timestamped correction notice, and note the nature of the change. We do not quietly edit articles without disclosure.
To report an error: [email protected]
Review updates and re-tests
Products evolve. We retest top-ranked products at least twice per year and within 30 days of a major update. Updated articles carry a “Last tested” date. If a product has declined significantly since original publication, we update the score and add a revision note.
Affiliate disclosure
Articles containing affiliate links include a disclosure at the top of the page. Clicking an affiliate link means we may earn a commission if you purchase – at no extra cost to you. See our full Affiliate Disclosure for details.
AI assistance
We use AI tools to assist with research and first-draft generation. All AI-assisted content is reviewed, edited, and verified by a named human reviewer before publication. AI tools do not conduct product testing or form editorial opinions.
“If we cannot test it independently, we do not rank it. That rule has not changed since 2008.”
S. Hong, Editor in Chief