strangely I gave up on consumer reports because of all the ads.

Not "advertising" in the old sense of the word, but the data gathering like google/doubleclick, etc

I could sign up and pay, but still with tracking

At the bottom of the page you see:

    Privacy Policy   User Agreement   Ad Choices   Do Not Sell My Personal Information   © 2021 Consumer Reports

Nor do I. Their router recommendations are based on speed, with no consideration given to after purchase firmware updating. Their car reviews in the past were manipulated by choices they compare - Honda vs Kia - with no mention of, say, Toyota. I think the main problem is that they aren't actually reviewing anything - they're measuring other reviewers reactions who are paid to feature certain products and Amazon reviews, which are hugely falsified.