About
About SmartPet Index
We test smart pet hardware and publish the numbers. Right now that means automatic litter boxes, because it is the category where the marketing sits furthest from the experience of living with the thing.
What we do
Every product we cover becomes a structured record before it becomes an article: 12 models across 9 brands, each with the same standardized spec sheet and the same six scores. The rankings, the comparison tool and the spec tables all read from that one record, which is why a number on a ranking page always matches the number on the review.
That structure is the point. Most litter box coverage is a list of features copied from a product page. Ours starts from measurements that can be repeated, and applies the same ones to every box.
How we score
Six categories out of 10 — cleaning, odor control, safety, app, maintenance and value — weighted into an overall. The weighting is deliberate and published: odor and cleaning carry the most, because they are what people buy these things for. The full method is on the How We Test page.
A score means the same thing on every product, which is the whole reason for putting the data model first. If we change how something is measured, we change it everywhere and say so.
What is coming
Litter boxes first, properly, before anything else. After that: feeders, fountains, cameras, trackers and pet doors, in that order. The database is already built for all six categories, which is why adding one is a content problem rather than a rebuild.
How we make money
SmartPet Index is reader supported. When you buy through links on our site we may earn a commission. Rankings are generated from scores, and the ranking code has no access to commission data. Read the full disclosure.
Contact
Corrections, spec errors, product suggestions and press: get in touch. We would rather be told we are wrong than stay wrong.