Modern Castle
Modern Castle is a privately held, Phoenix-based product review website founded in 2014 that publishes hands-on, data-driven reviews and comparisons of consumer home products across 10+ categories, monetizing entirely through Amazon affiliate commissions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersPhoenix, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Modern Castle does
Modern Castle, operating under the legal entity Silver Poodle, LLC, is a privately held product review and comparison platform focused on consumer home products. Founded in 2014 by Derek Hales and headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, the company produces editorial content including hands-on product reviews, head-to-head comparisons, and curated best-of recommendations across 10+ home product categories: vacuums, robot vacuums, air purifiers, furniture, water filters, mops, smart home devices, and home security systems. The company has built a proprietary testing library covering over 400 products evaluated under standardized protocols designed to produce comparable empirical performance data such as debris removal percentages and cleaning scores.
The business is a content platform rather than a technology product. Its core output is editorial content (long-form reviews, comparison guides, ranking articles, and video) produced by a small team of three named individuals: founder and editor-in-chief Derek Hales, Kyle Wandelt (video and reviews), and Alex Kolb (testing and research). Content is distributed exclusively through the ModernCastle.com website; the company has no mobile applications, no API offerings, no disclosed proprietary technology stack, and no patents or trademarks on file. Headcount is reported at 1-10 employees.
Modern Castle monetizes entirely through affiliate referral commissions, primarily as an Amazon Associate. The company does not sell products or services directly, does not charge readers, and discloses that "Modern Castle is supported by readers. When you buy with our links, we may earn a commission." The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding rounds, no parent company, and no institutional investment. Earned media features in Business Insider, Yahoo, Reader's Digest, House Beautiful, New York Magazine, Realtor.com, Apartment Therapy, and SheKnows provide organic brand visibility and SEO authority.
Modern Castle firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Modern Castle
- Legal name
- Silver Poodle, LLC
- Website
- https://moderncastle.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Modern Castle is a privately held, Phoenix-based product review website founded in 2014 that publishes hands-on, data-driven reviews and comparisons of consumer home products across 10+ categories, monetizing entirely through Amazon affiliate commissions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Modern Castle industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer Product Reviews and Comparisons
- akta.pro primary industry
- Home, Garden & DIY Magazines (MPAJAEAG)
Keywords
Where Modern Castle is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Phoenix
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Modern Castle business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Affiliate Commission: Modern Castle earns revenue through affiliate marketing, receiving commissions when visitors purchase products through their links to retailers like Amazon. The site discloses: 'Modern Castle is supported by readers. When you buy with our links, we may earn a commission.' Also disclosed as Amazon Associate.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Modern Castle product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Modern Castle is a content platform that publishes hands-on, data-driven reviews and side-by-side comparisons of home-related products across categories such as vacuums, robot vacuums, air purifiers, furniture, water filters, mops, wet-dry vacuums, home security systems, smart home devices, and general home goods. The site has tested over 400 products using standardized protocols and earns revenue through affiliate commissions when readers purchase products via outbound links to retailers like Amazon.
Product overview
Modern Castle is a product review and comparison platform for home products, offering objective testing and data-driven reviews across multiple product categories. The service is organized as a content platform providing reviews, comparisons, and curated best-pick recommendations. The portfolio includes Vacuum Cleaner Reviews, Robot Vacuum Reviews, Air Purifier Reviews, Furniture Reviews, Water Filter Reviews, Wet Dry Vacuum Reviews, Mop Reviews, Home Security Reviews, Home Goods Reviews, and Smart Home Reviews. Modern Castle tests products using standardized procedures, gathering performance data through cleaning tests, debris removal measurements, run-time assessments, and real-world usage evaluations. The platform also provides Product Comparisons across brands and product types, and Best Product Recommendations based on aggregated testing results. Modern Castle monetizes through affiliate links to products reviewed on the site.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 99.4% overall cleaning score achieved by top-rated products in testing
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Modern Castle
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Modern Castle technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Modern Castle partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Modern Castle competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wirecutter: Wirecutter (owned by The New York Times) is a direct peer — a product review site monetizing via affiliate links with hands-on testing across home, appliance, and consumer electronics categories. It competes for the same high-intent SEO keywords (best vacuums, best robot vacuums) and the same Amazon-driven affiliate commissions.
- Tom's Guide: Tom's Guide is a large consumer technology and home appliance review site with affiliate-driven monetization, covering vacuums, robot vacuums, air purifiers, and smart home categories that overlap directly with Modern Castle's content portfolio.
- Reviewed: Reviewed is USA Today's product review vertical, publishing hands-on tests of home appliances, vacuums, and consumer electronics with affiliate-link monetization. It is a direct competitor for the same search traffic and Amazon commissions Modern Castle targets.
- Bob Vila: Bob Vila is a long-standing home improvement and product review site covering tools, vacuums, appliances, and home goods with affiliate monetization. It competes for the same DIY and home-shopper organic search traffic that Modern Castle pursues.
- Apartment Therapy: Apartment Therapy is a home and lifestyle publication that publishes product recommendations and reviews across cleaning, furniture, and home goods categories. Modern Castle has even been cited by Apartment Therapy, indicating they operate in overlapping audience and SEO territories.
- The Spruce: The Spruce is a Dotdash Meredith home-focused publication delivering buying guides and product recommendations across cleaning, furniture, and smart home categories. It targets the same home-shopper intent and overlaps heavily with Modern Castle's review surface area.
- BestReviews: BestReviews is a product recommendation site that combines editorial buying guides with affiliate commerce across home, appliance, and electronics categories. It is a direct peer pursuing the same SEO-to-Amazon-affiliate funnel Modern Castle operates.
Broad incumbents
- Consumer Reports: Consumer Reports is an established, subscription-supported product testing organization covering vacuums, air purifiers, water filters, and home appliances. It competes for high-intent comparison traffic but monetizes via membership rather than affiliate commissions.
- CNET: CNET is a broad incumbent consumer electronics and home appliance publisher with hands-on reviews and affiliate commerce. It overlaps with Modern Castle's vacuum, air purifier, and smart home coverage as part of a much wider editorial portfolio.
- Good Housekeeping: Good Housekeeping is a Hearst legacy home and appliance publication with a renowned testing institute, reviewing vacuums, air purifiers, water filters, and home goods. It is a broader incumbent but competes for the same category-defining organic search terms.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Modern Castle social profiles
Digital presenceModern Castle financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Modern Castle leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Modern Castle funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Modern Castle M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Modern Castle
What does Modern Castle do?
Modern Castle is a content platform that publishes hands-on, data-driven reviews and side-by-side comparisons of home-related products across categories such as vacuums, robot vacuums, air purifiers, furniture, water filters, mops, wet-dry vacuums, home security systems, smart home devices, and general home goods. The site has tested over 400 products using standardized protocols and earns revenue through affiliate commissions when readers purchase products via outbound links to retailers like Amazon.
Is Modern Castle a public or private company?
Modern Castle is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Modern Castle founded?
Modern Castle was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Modern Castle based?
Modern Castle is headquartered in Phoenix, United States, in the North America region.
How does Modern Castle make money?
One revenue line is on record: affiliate Commission.
Who are Modern Castle's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wirecutter, Tom's Guide, Reviewed, Bob Vila, Apartment Therapy, The Spruce and BestReviews. Broad incumbents are Consumer Reports, CNET and Good Housekeeping.
Does Modern Castle have an API?
No public API is recorded for Modern Castle.
What industry is Modern Castle in?
Modern Castle's product category is Consumer Product Reviews and Comparisons. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAG, Home, Garden & DIY Magazines.