(Credit: Rene Ramos, Brian Westover, Michael Sexton, LG, Sony)
When it comes to buying technology, knowing which brands you can trust is half the battle. But how do you know what brands to trust without having firsthand experience with all of them?
Each year, we gather feedback from our legions of tech-savvy readers to determine which brands earn the highest level of satisfaction from their customers. We also spend countless hours testing and rating products from hundreds of different vendors, and objectively assigning scores to everything we review. So this year, we're combining those two elements—customer satisfaction scores and product review scores—to bring you a definitive ranking of the top tech brands in the industry.
This is truly unlike anything you'll find elsewhere on the web. We'll spare you the nerdy methodological details (scroll to to bottom of the page if you want to learn more), but here's the TL;DR: We started with a list of 679 brands—all of which we either reviewed products from, or collected Net Promoter Scores (NPS)* for during the past 12 months. We then removed any brand that had an average NPS below 50, or less than three product review scores. For the elite few that remain, we averaged their review scores, converted those scores on a scale of 1 to 100, and finally added them to the brand's average NPS determining the Best Brands Index (BBI): a composite value that melds both product quality and customer satisfaction into a single number.
Below, you'll find the top 25 brands out of the 679 that we started with. Their exemplary BBI scores put them in the top 3.7% of all the companies we've evaluated over the past year, so If you're shopping for tech in 2024, these are the names you should look to first.
*Net Promoter, Net Promoter Score, and NPS metrics are registered trademarks of NICE Satmetrix, Bain & Company Inc., and Fred Reichheld.
1. Bitdefender (BBI Score: 138.59)
Bitdefender tops the list this year based on four reviews and two NPS scores from our survey on antivirus and security suites. Those reviews include two with 4.5 stars out of 5, for Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac and Bitdefender Premium Security. A lower 3.5-star rating for Bitdefender Premium VPN brings that average down slightly, but adding its converted rating to the company’s average NPS floats Bitdefender right up to the top against huge names like Apple, LG, and Sony. There are several anti-malware services on this year's list, but Bitdefender's score puts it well ahead of the rest of the pack.
2. Apple (BBI Score: 137.77)
Apple makes an absolutely huge range of tech products: PCs, smartphones, wearables, operating systems, streaming boxes, and more— and as a result, it earns a correspondingly huge number of review and survey scores. In one calendar year alone, the company netted 29 PCMag reviews, plus 12 NPS scores in our surveys, both business- and consumer-oriented. Yet even with so many numbers playing into its Best Brands Index score, the tech behemoth still manages to land incredibly close to the top. Apple is certainly the best brand of the big five tech companies (along with Alphabet/Google, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft), as only two others make this list.
3. Sony (BBI Score: 126.47)
Sony typically earns a spot in our Best Brands rankings, and this year is no exception. In fact, it could have made the cut even if we were still using our old ranking criteria, since it has a singular NPS of 73.0 from our survey on TVs. But the brand was also reviewed 24 times across categories like TVs, cameras, audio products, and PlayStation gaming. Seven of those products earn a 4.5-star rating, giving Sony an extremely strong average review score despite it launching a couple products that weren't quite as well-received. Overall, the numbers add up to an impressive bronze medal finish for Sony.
4. MSI (BBI Score: 125.96)
Last year MSI had the same high Net Promoter Score in our consumer laptops survey that it earns this year (81). That incredibly high number, along with 20 reviews this year (many of which boast 4.5 stars), help MSI secure a spot in the top five—something most other PC makers can't claim.
5. LG (BBI Score: 124.31)
LG hasn't made our Best Brands list for the past couple of years, but is back with a vengeance here in 2024, nailing a slot in the top five. This year's win is largely thanks to the company earning consistently good Net Promoter Scores in our surveys, along with 20 product reviews—most of which boast four stars or more. That’s no small feat when you make everything from full PCs and TVs to speakers and appliances.
6. Nvidia (BBI Score: 123.48)
Nvidia just barely meets our three review requirement this year with a couple of Founders Edition graphics cards and the GeForce Now cloud-based gaming service. Those products earn decent scores from our product experts, but it's ultimately Nvidia’s NPS of 71.0 (from our desktop PC survey) that solidifies it as a brand everyone should keep an eye on in 2024.
7. Google (BBI Score: 122.73)
Google has services and products in so many different areas that it can be difficult to keep up. There are a few we didn't even include here (like the Google Fi mobile carrier and Google Fi ISP) because they earn separate and specific ratings in our surveys on each of those topics. Nevertheless, Google’s got plenty of other offerings: operating systems (both Android and ChromeOS all secured reviews this year), the entire Pixel line of devices, and services like One, Drive, and the new generative AI, Bard. Ten out of 12 Google product reviews score 4.0 or higher. With an average NPS of 62.33, the total keeps this member of the big five in good company. (One more makes the list below.)
8. Alienware (BBI Score: 121.74)
As a brand of Dell, we could combine Alienware with its parent, but as long as they keep the brands separate, so will we. That pays dividends here for Dell’s gaming arm. Solid NPS scores from our desktop PC survey, plus moderate scores across 11 reviews this year (for PCs, gaming monitors, headsets, and peripherals) keep Alienware on the list of companies preferred by both PCMag analysts and independent players.
9. Samsung (BBI Score: 120.40)
With the second highest number of reviews this year (Lenovo is tops with 39), Samsung is certainly no slouch. In the top 25 brands listed here, only seven could keep their average review rating above 4.0 stars—and Samsung is one of them. That’s not easy across that many product reviews. It helps that eight of them earned a near perfect 4.5 stars (like the flagship Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra). The converted rating score translates to a 60.4. Samsung also nails a decent NPS score of 60.0 across five different survey categories (including phones, tablets, monitors, and TVs). The two add up to an excellent Best Brand Index, keeping Samsung in the top 10.
10. Malwarebytes (BBI Score: 119.23)
The second of three security brands to make our list, Malwarebytes has been here before, taking home the third place slot last year. That’s all thanks to over-the-top Net Promoter Scores from users who’ve no doubt put the company to the test removing bad software. This year its NPS numbers are slightly down, plus now we average them instead of picking the highest—but even with those changes, Malwarebytes still secures a 66.75 NPS average. That, along with solid ratings on the three reviews we performed (of the free version, premium version, and the version for macOS), ensure Malwarebytes remains a top brand for the year.
11. TP-Link (BBI Score: 117.38)
TP-Link’s presence in the home networking space earns it three different NPS scores in our routers survey this year, all just barely over 50. But it's the company’s reviews (of which there were 12 this year) that serve it best. Across that dozen evaluations—including those for routers, mesh systems, and smart home products like surveillance cameras and smart plugs—11 of them earn an excellent 4.0 or higher score. Thus, on the conversion to a 1 to 100 scale, TP-Link has the fourth-highest number to combine with its NPS average this year. So if you're due for a router upgrade anytime in 2024, definitely keep this brand in mind.
12. Corsair (BBI Score: 116.94)
The gaming brand Corsair, known for its PCs, plus the components and peripherals to make PCs, had 12 PCMag reviews this year. Despite several dipping as low as 3.5 (our “middle-of-the-road” level of performance), it boasts a majority running 4.0, and one excellent 4.5 (the recently reviewed Corsair MP700 Pro solid-state drive). For NPS score it only earns a couple, for keyboards and mice, in our desktops survey. Put them together and you’ve got a top 25 placement. It's one of several gaming-centric brands on the list this year (along with MSI, Alienware, and Razer).
13. Asus (BBI Score: 116.08)
Asus didn’t make the cut for Best Brands last year but is back in the mix for 2024 thanks to a respectable mix of customer satisfaction and solid product review scores. It's another company with many irons in the fire—it has NPS numbers in several of our surveys including desktops, laptops, routers, and monitors. Its NPS average of 63.88 is nothing to scoff at, and It had more than double the number of reviews this year in our digital pages (29) than it did last year. The combo of the two lands this Taiwan-based conglomerate and original equipment manufacturer in the middle of our top 25 Best Brands.
14. Microsoft (BBI Score: 115.80)
The final member of the big five US tech firms to make the list this year is our friends in Redmond (sorry Amazon and Meta, you didn’t make it). Not that long ago it would have perhaps felt weird to see Microsoft doing more here than operating systems (even if they couldn’t make it work on a phone) and office suites. Now it does so much more—we had Microsoft reviews this year on Surface laptops and the Teams service, not to mention the new Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription-gaming, to name a few. Microft’s reviews scores are bolstered by not only several 4.5 star ratings, but one perfect 5.0 star product (Microsoft OneDrive). The reviews outperform the average NPS scores; the two combined give Microsoft all that’s needed to make the list.
15. TCL (BBI Score: 115.65)
TCL is known for making cheap but well-liked TVs, many that include built in smart TV features, mostly from Roku. A respectable 60.0 NPS score in our TVs survey this year shows that. Our reviews of TCL TVs—all of which earn a 4.0—keep them up, despite a couple of reviews for TCL’s new phone (the TCL 40 X 5G) and smart glasses (TCL NXTWear S) dragging things down. But not so much that we can’t wholeheartedly peg TCL as one of the Best Brands among TV makers (along with others higher on the list like LG, Samsung, and Sony).
16. Avast (BBI Score: 115.01)
Our third-and-final malware fighter to be named Best Brand this year is Avast. It has six reviews this year with products for Mac and PC under the Avast One name, including a 4.5 star look at Avast One Essential that protects multiple OSes for free. It only snags the one NPS score to go by (in our readers’ survey on antivirus), but the two scores lock together to secure Avast a respectable top 25 slot.
17. Canon (BBI Score: 114.01)
You might be wondering why Canon is here instead of Brother, since the latter is a perennial winner in our surveys on printers in particular, where the two brands compete head to head. But Brother only had a couple of reviews on our site this year, and its NPS average alone from our surveys wasn’t enough for it to make the cut for the top 25. Canon didn’t have to sweat it. It not only earned a higher NPS average than its arch rival in the printers and scanners markets, but also had no less than 32 reviews on PCMag this year. The products cover areas where Canon plays—in particular cameras and lenses, where it competes with Sony (above).
18. Gigabyte (BBI Score: 113.76)
Gigabyte earns a single NPS score in our surveys this year, an undistinguished 56.0 in our look at graphics cards. But the company provides DIYers with a lot more than just graphics. In our nine Gigabyte reviews this year we also consider the company’s motherboards, cases, SSDs, and two laptops—and all but one product earns a 4.0-star rating (the exception was a case with a 3.5-star award). Nevertheless, the brand rides the final numbers into a spot in the top 25 with ease.
19. Razer (BBI Score: 113.40)
Our readers and reviewers like their gaming-centric tech companies. This is one of many on the list (see Alienware and others above for more). Razer actually didn’t place in our surveys when it comes to things like laptops, and only had one component NPS score that was over 50 (for its mice/pointing devices). But the company has been expanding beyond just the base gaming stuff for a while, and this year PCMag reviewed Razer for not only those products (the ultraportable Razer Blade 14 laptops remains an Editors’ Choice fave) but also for a new gaming chair, gaming headsets, a soundbar, and even a portable gaming handheld. It's easy to unreservedly call Razer a Best Brand for the year.
20. Dell (BBI Score: 111.06)
Dell’s 22 reviews at PCMag this year—which include mostly laptops, but also stunning monitors, an all-in-one desktop, and a tablet—propel it into this list with a number of mid-to-high scores. We’re at the point on the list where it's definitely the reviews doing most of the heavy lifting, as the average for the NPS scores isn’t as high. Which is in fact a problem for Dell since it has seven different NPS scores to average, the highest of which is 61.0 for hybrid laptops. It also registers in our desktops and monitors surveys. That’s what happens when you sell so many products!
21. Logitech (BBI Score: 109.80)
What did we say above for Dell? Take it and reverse it for Logitech. The company has one of the highest NPS averages on our list this year at 71.0. Which is good, because it places this low on the list only because the reviewed products from the company (11 this year) didn’t score particularly well with PCMag analysts, earning a couple of ratings below 3.5 (such as the 2.5-star K400 Plus keyboard). It's hard to find any products rated that low in this list of winners simply because of how we set up the methodology, but it shows that a strong NPS can float a ship when needed.
22. Norton (BBI Score: 107.44)
Our final security brand in the list (see Bitdefender, Malwarebytes, and Avast above for the others) is Norton, a venerable name in the industry going back to the 1980s. It has only the bare minimum to make the cut for NPS, earning an average 51.0. Luckily reviews of the various forms of Norton 360 and other products earn stellar 4.5 star ratings—but are dragged down a bit by a single 2.0 score for the Norton Password Manager (which, since we pulled the data, has gone up to a 2.5!) We’re confident that if you pick a different password manager, anything else from Norton is going to be close to the best.
23. Blink (BBI Score: 104.48)
Coming into the tail end of the top 25, we’ve got two major smart home brands that both have the same parent company: Amazon. So this is essentially a back-door way for another Big Five company to make the list. Also interesting: both of these companies made their bones with smart doorbells. The first is Amazon’s Blink. We reviewed three of the brand’s surveillance cameras this year and found them more than adequate. Respondents in our smart home survey felt much the same. The combo gives Blink a Best Brand Index high enough to beat out its sibling/rival Ring (below) by just over one point.
24. Lenovo (BBI Score: 103.38)
No brand in our collection here has more reviews this year than Lenovo. We have 39 product reviews from the company over the last 12 months. There’s even one 5-star product in there: the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11. With an almost symmetrical NPS average from our desktop and laptop surveys, Lenovo more than ensures itself an index high enough to take a spot on our 2024 recommendation list.
25. Ring (BBI Score: 103.19)
Ring, like Blink, is owned by Amazon, but operates a bit more independently. Readers like it a little more (based on the higher NPS it has over Blink), but our reviewers aren’t quite so keen on it—though not by much. The two are close in many ways, ratings included. Of course, landing any combined score enough to make the top 25 Best Brands is something to brag about, especially to a sibling.
Honorable Mention: Capcom USA
Capcom USA doesn’t have a Net Promoter Score in our surveys, since we don’t do a survey on games, but even though it didn't technically make the cut this year, we're giving it an honorable honorable mention because it's the only brand that has an average review score so high that it almost made the list with no NPS needed: When we did the conversion of review averages to the 1 to 100 scale, the game-maker earned a perfect 100. It deserves those accolades—especially for having two games, Street Fighter 6 for PC and Resident Evil 4 (Remake), that earned perfect 5-star ratings. Well played, Capcom.
Honorable Mention: NextLight
NextLight—the utility-based internet service provider of Longmont, Colorado—doesn’t have a review at PCMag because we don’t test ISPs beyond our annual look at the Best ISPs. But when we performed our annual Readers’ Choice survey, the people of Longmont went above and beyond when scoring their local ISP to make sure we knew exactly how they felt about it, for both work and home use. The two Net Promoter scores NextLight earns average 99.0. It may not have been enough to make our top 25 by this year’s criteria, but nevertheless, a customer satisfaction level this high is worth mention.
The Full Best Brands List
Below is our list of the top 25 above. Each line indicates the average NPS and the average review score after conversion to a 1 to 100 scale. Read the complete methodology below.
What Is a Net Promoter Score?
When asked, "How likely is it that you would recommend this company to a friend or colleague?" respondents click on a scale of 0 ("Not at All Likely") to 10 ("Extremely Likely"). They are then categorized as Promoter, Passive, or Detractor:
Promoters (score 9 or 10): Loyal enthusiasts who will keep buying and referring others. They are extremely likely to recommend getting more products or services from the vendor.
Passives (score 7 or 8): Satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who are vulnerable to competitive offerings. They probably don't care about the company one way or the other.
Detractors (score 0 to 6): Unhappy customers who can damage the brand and impede growth through negative word of mouth. These people are unlikely to recommend the company.
Passives are ignored. The final Net Promoter Score is found by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters.
If a brand has numerous detractors, its score can even be negative—an NPS of less than zero. Note that a Net Promoter Score itself is not a percentage: It's a score between -100 (possible if every rating is a detractor) and +100, derived by subtracting a percentage from a percentage.
NPS has plenty of critics. Some say the information gleaned from an NPS is not actionable. It's not like a company can actually "use" its NPS number to make things better for itself. But a company that sees an increase in its NPS over time can infer it's doing something right. Those with high numbers—the kind represented in this story—are the companies with whom you want to do business.
How We Determine the Best Brands Ranking
First, we created a list of all the NPS values earned in our Readers' Choice and Business Choice surveys in 2023, then discarded any below 50. Then we took the remaining NPS values for each brand and averaged them. As noted above, some vendors earn many Net Promoter Scores higher than 50 over the course of a year (Apple has 12, for example). Some only have one or two. We average the collective NPS ratings higher than 50.
Next we considered all the reviews PCMag published between January 1, 2023 and December 15, 2023 (when we started working on this story). We removed any duplications and product previews—those don’t get a full evaluation with a score. Then we narrowed the list to only the brands that had three or more reviews in the past 12 months. We then averaged the ratings for each vendor across all of its reviews. Again, some manufacturers had many scores—Lenovo, for example, had 39.
We converted the average review ratings to a scale of 1 to 100. Every rating in between got a corresponding value between 2 and 99.
We then added the converted review rating to the average NPS score to create our Best Brands Index, which could reach as high as 200. The top 25 companies with the highest scores earn a coveted spot on our Best Tech Brands list.
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