The best home COVID-19 tests – CNET [CNET]

As the new omicron variant spreads and adds to spiking numbers of COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant, US public health officials are encouraging people to use at-home COVID-19 tests to help slow the spread. In fact, the Biden administration recently announced that health insurance companies will be required to reimburse you for the cost of rapid at-home COVID-19 tests, and as of Jan. 15, each household in the country is eligible for four free at-home tests. You can sign up for your free government tests here. But with only four tests per household, there’s a good chance you’re going to need to track down some extra at-home tests elsewhere.

The US Food and Drug Administration issued emergency-use authorization for the first fully at-home self-test collection kit in December 2020, and we now have several ways to get hold of a diagnostic test. Heck, you can even order COVID-19 testing kits from DoorDash the moment you have symptoms.

After trying many at-home tests, I found that my overall experience was more or less similar with each test. I visited the COVID-19 test website, took the symptom screening, entered my personal information, checked out and then waited for the self-test to arrive. When the kits were delivered, I followed the instructions to register the kit and sample collection, then I shipped the specimen back.

Only a couple of tests were different, including the Ellume COVID-19 test, which was the first rapid over-the-counter home test that could be used completely at home without a prescription, and get your test result without sending the home test to a lab.

There are a lot of testing kits out there. I didn’t have either a great or horrendous experience with any of these testing companies, so I don’t necessarily recommend one COVID-19 test over another. The best at home covid test for you ultimately depends on cost, whether your insurance, FSA or HSA covers the expense, and whether you prefer to take a saliva sample or nasal swab. Nonetheless, it’s worth knowing the minor differences between the 10 coronavirus tests you can get without a doctor or clinic visit. I describe each test here, so you can pick the best home COVID-19 test that fits. (Note: Some tests were added after this story was first published and haven’t been reviewed. We’ll note the ones that haven’t been.) 

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