How we compare

The current comparisons are a small starting set, not a directory of every option.

• Home sleep apnea testing. BlueSleep, Lofta, and Sleep Doctor, compared by what the published price covers, the clinical steps included, and how payment works.
• CPAP equipment. Two listings for the ResMed AirSense 11 AutoSet with a humidifier and standard SlimLine tubing, from CPAP.com and The CPAP Shop, compared by base price, package contents, and return terms.

Both comparisons are on the homepage: compare home sleep tests and compare CPAP buying options. Including an option isn’t an endorsement, and leaving one out isn’t a judgment against it. We add an option only after researching its published terms.

• Testing services are listed alphabetically by provider. The order isn’t a ranking.
• The CPAP listings are for the same machine configuration, so the comparison shows differences in price, package contents, and purchase terms. It doesn’t say which machine suits you. Your prescription and your clinician determine the type of machine and its settings.
• The current comparisons don’t use stars, scores, or “best” labels.
• When we recommend an option, we explain the buying need it addresses and the tradeoffs.
• Payment doesn’t decide which options appear or in what order. See money and editorial decisions.

We keep three kinds of records, so a price is only compared with prices for the same thing.

Testing service

A clinical process: evaluation, test ordering, the recording, interpretation by a qualified clinician, and any results visit. A home test is a service, not just a device.

Machine configuration

The exact equipment: brand, model, humidifier, and tubing.

Seller offer

One seller’s price, package contents, prescription process, and return terms for one configuration.

Each fact carries its own source and check date. We don’t mark a whole provider “verified” because one of its pages was checked.

We link the specific page that supports each consequential fact, not a homepage or a search result. Different kinds of claims rely on different sources:

Clinical and regulatory sources

Statements about testing and treatment rely on clinical guidance, such as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s diagnostic testing guideline (opens in a new tab), and on regulators, such as the FDA’s classification of CPAP as a prescription device (opens in a new tab).

Provider and seller pages

Prices, inclusions, and terms come from the organization’s own service pages, listings, policies, and help articles. They show what that provider or seller states.

Manufacturer specifications

When we describe a device’s technical features, we use the manufacturer’s published specifications. Package contents come from the seller’s listing.

Written confirmation

When we ask a provider a research question, we record the reply and its date, and label the detail as provider-confirmed.

Our calculations

When we add up published fees, we show the inputs and the arithmetic, as in the testing cost example.

We don’t use reviews, forums, ads, or search snippets as evidence for a price or term, and we don’t repeat a provider’s marketing claims about accuracy, outcomes, or coverage as fact.

• We keep each price next to what it buys. A test fee, a series of visits, and a machine package cover different things.
• We show required charges, such as visits and shipping, separately from a headline price, and we don’t present a partial price as a complete one.
• When we total published fees, we label the result as our calculation, show the inputs, and say what it leaves out. It isn’t a quote from the provider.
• Machine prices are compared only for the same configuration, with a note of what isn’t included, such as a mask or heated tubing.
• Cash prices and insurance routes are kept apart. What you’d pay through insurance depends on your plan and how the provider bills.
• A handful of examples isn’t an average or a market price, and we don’t describe it as one.
• Promotions and checkout totals can differ from a listed price. Confirm the final price with the provider or seller before you pay.

Not disclosed

If a source doesn’t state a term, we say it isn’t disclosed. That doesn’t mean the provider doesn’t offer it.

Conflicting pages

If a provider’s current pages disagree, we show the conflict instead of picking the more convenient number, and we suggest confirming before you pay.

Newer information

When a current official source replaces an older price or term, we update the record, every sentence and calculation that uses it, and the check date.

Can’t be verified

If we can’t confirm a claim, we name what’s unknown or leave the claim out.

• A “checked” date shows when we last opened the sources behind a comparison. It changes only after a real recheck.
• A page’s “last updated” date changes only when its content changes in a meaningful way. Rebuilding or redeploying the site doesn’t change any date.
• A source’s own publication date, our check date, and any future clinical review date are tracked separately.

For the current comparisons, we read providers’ and sellers’ public pages. We didn’t:

• enroll as a patient, complete a checkout, or pay for a test or machine;
• contact providers or sellers, or request individual quotes;
• verify anyone’s insurance benefits;
• test equipment hands-on; or
• have a clinician review the comparisons.

Provider and seller links are currently unpaid.

If we add paid links later, payment won’t decide which options appear, their order, or what we say about them, and relevant options without a paid relationship stay in the comparisons. Read our advertising disclosure.