The Best of Singapore publishes independent guides to places, services, businesses and experiences across Singapore.
Our aim is simple: help readers make better decisions without having to work through dozens of websites, advertisements and review platforms themselves.
That means our guides need to do more than compile popular names. We try to explain why a business is included, who it is best suited to, where its limitations are and how it compares with other options.
This page explains how we research, select, review and update the recommendations published on The Best of Singapore.
Our Editorial Principles
Our editorial decisions are guided by usefulness, accuracy and independence.
A business does not need to advertise with us to be included in a guide, and advertising does not guarantee inclusion, a higher position or a positive Editor’s Verdict.
Likewise, businesses cannot pay to become an Editor’s Pick or Readers’ Pick.
When commercial relationships exist, they are kept separate from the editorial process and disclosed where appropriate.
How We Choose Businesses for Our Guides
There is no single formula that works across every category.
The qualities that matter when choosing a preschool are very different from those that matter when comparing laksa stalls, cleaning companies or facial spas.
We therefore begin by identifying the factors that are genuinely useful to someone making that particular decision.
Depending on the guide, these may include:
- Specialisation, experience and range of services
- Pricing and overall value
- Location and accessibility
- Product or service quality
- Qualifications, accreditations or relevant credentials
- Customer policies and transparency
- Menu, programme or service breadth
- Convenience and booking experience
- Distinctive strengths compared with similar businesses
- Current customer feedback and recurring patterns in reviews
- First-hand editorial experience where available
- Information provided by the business and verified against other sources where practical
Popularity alone is not enough to earn a place on a list.
A business may be widely known but still not be the most useful recommendation for the particular intent of a guide. Conversely, a smaller or less obvious business may deserve inclusion because it performs particularly well in an area readers care about.
What Does “Best” Mean?
“Best” is rarely universal.
The best preschool for a family that values outdoor play may be different from the best one for parents prioritising bilingual immersion. The best cleaning service for weekly housekeeping may not be the company we would choose for post-renovation cleaning.
That is why we increasingly identify recommendations by Best For rather than treating every guide as a simple first-to-last ranking.
Our goal is to help you understand the trade-offs and decide which option fits your circumstances.
Where we name an overall Editor’s Pick, it reflects our editorial assessment based on the factors most relevant to that particular guide. It should be read as a recommendation, not as an objective claim that the business is universally superior to every alternative in Singapore.
Our Editor’s Verdicts
Many of our guides include an Editor’s Verdict for each listing.
These sections are intended to go beyond a description of the business.
A useful Editor’s Verdict should explain where we think the business fits within the shortlist, who we would recommend it to, what makes it particularly compelling and, where relevant, what might make another option a better fit.
We do not believe every business needs to receive an identical glowing conclusion.
A comparison guide is more useful when readers can understand meaningful differences between the options.
How We Research Our Guides
Research varies depending on the subject.
We may use official business websites, menus, published price lists, programme information, regulatory or government sources, direct communication with businesses, publicly available customer feedback, industry information and first-hand editorial experience.
When a detail is particularly important to a recommendation, we try to verify it using a primary or authoritative source wherever practical.
We do not assume that information on third-party directories is current simply because it appears online.
For categories that change frequently, such as restaurant menus, preschool programmes, seasonal events and service prices, we place greater weight on recently published or directly supplied information.
First-Hand Experience
Where our team has personally visited, used or experienced a business or service, that experience may inform our editorial assessment.
However, not every business appearing on The Best of Singapore has been personally visited or tested by our editors.
We do not imply first-hand experience where none exists.
Some guides are based primarily on detailed editorial research and comparison. Others combine research with first-hand experience.
Where personal experience materially influences a recommendation, we aim to make that clear in the article.
Prices, Opening Hours and Other Changing Information
Singapore businesses change quickly.
Prices increase, menus change, branches relocate, services are discontinued and opening hours are adjusted.
We make reasonable efforts to keep our guides current, but information can change between updates.
Readers should confirm important details directly with the business before making a special trip, booking a service or committing to a significant purchase.
The “Updated” date shown on an article indicates when the guide was last materially reviewed or revised. It does not guarantee that every individual detail changed on that date.
How Often We Update Guides
We review and update guides when we identify meaningful changes.
This may include a business closing, relocating, changing ownership, introducing significant new services, changing its pricing substantially or no longer fitting the purpose of the guide.
We also revisit articles when reader feedback suggests that information may be outdated.
An update does not always mean rewriting the entire article. Sometimes the most useful change is removing an outdated recommendation, changing an Editor’s Verdict, correcting a price or adding a stronger new option.
Reader Votes and Community Recommendations
Some The Best of Singapore guides include community voting or reader recommendation features.
These results are kept separate from our editorial selections.
An Editor’s Pick reflects our editorial judgement.
A Readers’ Pick reflects votes submitted through The Best of Singapore.
One does not automatically override the other.
Reader voting can help reveal useful patterns and highlight businesses that deserve further investigation, but businesses cannot purchase votes or pay to become a Readers’ Pick.
We may apply safeguards designed to reduce duplicate or artificial voting and reserve the right to remove activity that appears manipulated.
Reader Nominations
Readers may also suggest businesses that they believe should be included in one of our guides.
A nomination does not guarantee inclusion.
Instead, nominations help our editors identify businesses that may warrant further research.
We may investigate frequently nominated businesses, but they must still meet the editorial criteria for the relevant guide before being added.
Reviews and Public Feedback
Customer reviews can be useful, but we do not treat an overall star rating as definitive proof of quality.
Review platforms can contain outdated experiences, unusually positive or negative individual cases, incentivised feedback and ratings accumulated under circumstances that may no longer reflect the current business.
Where reviews form part of our research, we pay more attention to recurring patterns than isolated comments.
We also consider whether the feedback is recent and relevant to the particular product or service being discussed.
Advertising and Sponsored Content
Advertising helps support The Best of Singapore, but advertisers do not control our editorial recommendations.
Purchasing advertising does not guarantee inclusion in a guide, a favourable Editor’s Verdict, an Editor’s Pick or a higher position.
If we publish paid or sponsored editorial content, it will be clearly identified so readers can distinguish it from independent editorial recommendations.
We believe that distinction matters.
Affiliate Links
Some pages may contain affiliate links.
If you make a purchase through one of these links, The Best of Singapore may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.
Affiliate relationships do not determine which businesses or products we recommend.
Where affiliate links are used, our objective remains to recommend options that are relevant to the guide rather than simply those that offer a commission.
Complimentary Products, Meals and Experiences
Businesses may occasionally provide complimentary products, services, meals, invitations or experiences for editorial consideration.
Receiving something complimentary does not guarantee coverage or a positive recommendation.
Where a complimentary experience materially informs an article or review, we aim to disclose the relationship appropriately.
Businesses Cannot Buy Our Rankings
A business may advertise with The Best of Singapore and appear in one of our editorial guides at the same time.
Those are separate relationships.
We do not offer businesses the ability to purchase:
Editor’s Pick status, Readers’ Pick status, a guaranteed position within an editorial ranking, a positive Editor’s Verdict or guaranteed inclusion in a Best of Singapore guide.
If a commercial placement appears within or alongside editorial content, it should be identifiable as advertising or sponsored content.
Corrections
Accuracy matters to us, and we welcome corrections.
If you spot an incorrect address, outdated price, closed outlet, inaccurate description or another factual error, please let us know.
We review correction requests and update articles when appropriate.
Businesses are also welcome to contact us with factual corrections. However, requesting a correction does not give a business editorial control over how we assess or describe it.
Removing or Updating a Business Listing
We may remove or revise a recommendation when circumstances change.
Reasons may include closure, significant changes to the business, repeated evidence that our existing description is no longer representative, regulatory developments or the emergence of stronger options for the purpose of the guide.
Being included in a previous edition of a guide does not guarantee permanent inclusion.
Similarly, a business that was previously excluded may be added when new information becomes available.
Medical, Financial and Other Specialist Topics
Some guides cover health, financial services, childcare, education and other areas where professional qualifications or regulatory considerations matter.
Our articles are intended to help readers research and compare options. They are not a substitute for personalised medical, financial, legal or other professional advice.
For these topics, we place particular importance on qualifications, regulatory information and authoritative sources where relevant.
Readers should seek appropriate professional advice when making decisions that depend on their individual circumstances.
Use of AI and Editorial Tools
Our editorial team may use digital tools, including AI-assisted tools, during research, organisation, editing or content production.
These tools do not replace editorial responsibility.
Information intended for publication should still be reviewed, edited and assessed for relevance and accuracy by The Best of Singapore.
We do not regard automatically generated text as a substitute for research, judgement or verification.
Our Responsibility to Readers
The Best of Singapore exists for readers first.
That means we would rather publish a shorter list with meaningful differences between the recommendations than inflate an article simply to reach an arbitrary number of listings.
We would also rather change an old recommendation than defend it because it has been on the site for years.
Our guides will never be perfect or permanently complete. Singapore changes too quickly for that.
What we can do is be transparent about how we work, correct mistakes when we find them and keep improving the usefulness of the recommendations we publish.
Contact Our Editorial Team
If you have spotted an error, want to suggest a business for consideration or have a question about our editorial process, please contact The Best of Singapore through our contact page.
For businesses, please distinguish between factual corrections, editorial suggestions and advertising enquiries so we can direct your message appropriately.
Last reviewed: September 2026
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