Here are the best baby gates of 2017, for the top or bottom of stairs.
The top of the stairs is a difficult and dangerous location, and there are only a few top-of-stairs gates that we recommend. Here are our criteria: no step-over bar along the bottom edge (you do not want tripping at the top of your stairs!), can be attached to a variety of configurations (railing posts, walls with moldings), wide enough to fit a variety of stair configurations, doesn't automatically swing shut (so there is no risk of the gate swinging and bumping you or a baby in the back, risking a fall down the stairs), is easy to use in our hands-on testing, and well-reviewed by parents.
1. Kidco Safeway Safety Gate for top-of-stairs. Usually about $45. This is the best all-around top of the stairs baby gate for 2017. We also think it deserves a spot on the doorway list above, but this is specifically designed for the top of the stairs so we'll keep it here. The Kidco gate meets a lot of the criteria we mention above: no step-over bar along bottom edge, can be attached to railing posts and/or walls, and is well-reviewed. It also has one-handed operation, doesn't automatically swing shut, and in our testing we found it sturdy and reliable. It also prevents swinging out over the stairs with a one-direction swing/hinge mechanism. You can easily reverse this for your specific stairway configuration. Obviously at the bottom of the stairs it can only swing one way to begin with, but this becomes relevant for top of the stairs mounting. It is also available in black or white, to suit different styles. In our testing, we found that the provided screws were a bit too short and may not have a strong enough hold. In the end, we purchased different screws, though we do think it probably would have been completely fine with the existing screws. For people who don't mind drilling/screwing into their railings, this gate is an excellent option. We configured it for openings from 28" to 43.5" wide, and even got it to work really well on an oddly-angled wall by using the included hinge mounts.
2. Cardinal Gates Auto-Lock Gate. Usually about $70. This Cardinal baby gate comes in white (pictured) and black. It uses a really unique locking mechanism that none of our testing kiddos could figure out. The best part is that it took about 5 tries for adults to master it, and once you did it was easily unlocked with one hand. The secret is to push down on both latch tabs while pulling up on the gate. Very tough for a kid to figure out, which is good. It meets all of the criteria we mention above: no step-over bar along bottom edge, it can be attached to railing posts and/or walls, and is very well-reviewed. It doesn't swing shut automatically behind you, though it does close automatically if you give it a forceful swing shut. Like the Kidco gate, this can be mounted at up to a 30-degree angle for those imperfect stairway scenarios. Notice how the one pictured is mounted at an angle, that's a great capability that can fit basically all sorts of wall and railing layouts. It does have a stop-bracket to prevent swinging out over the stairs, but this is optional if you decide not to install it. The width adjusts from 26" to 40" wide, and it is just under 30" tall. In our testing, we found the installation a little complicated, but note that Amazon has a video on their listing (see the 4th image) that shows a step-by-step installation. Very helpful for those who aren't super handy, and one of the best baby gates of the year!
3. Evenflo Easy Walk Thru Top-of-stairs Gate.Usually under $50. This is the first year the new Evenflo Easy Walk Thru gate appears on our list of best baby gates, and it's here for some really great reasons! The gate stands about 30" tall, which means that if you mount it 2-3" off the floor, it will stand about 32-33" high. It has no bottom rail, so is intended for use at the top of stairs, though we were also able to get it working very nicely in regular doorways as well. It expands to fit openings from about 29" to 42" wide, but is not as versatile as some other options (like the ones above) in the angles it can accomplish or types of surfaces it can mount to. It uses two screw-mounts on each side to permanently mount to most surfaces, including wood and drywall (assuming a corner with a stud behind it, or the use of heavy duty anchors). It can be mounted in either direction (left or right handed opening), as the gate can swing either way. It includes a removable swing-stop bar that can be attached to prevent the gate from swinging out over the steps. We thought the lock release handle was pretty easy to use, and after a few tries can be opened with one adult hand, while still being too difficult for even our sneaky 3 year old to figure out. Speaking of the lock, there is a handy red/green indicator to tell you whether the gate is securely locked, which is reassuring. Note that if you have an opening wider than 42", there are no extensions available that we are aware of. After 5 months of use, the gate shows consistently great performance, without any signs of malfunction coming any time soon. We do suggest that once you have the gate mounted in your preferred position, that you use something like a zip-tie or a bolt/nut to tighten the gate into your preferred width. This is because the width of the gate can actually be pushed and pulled when the gate is open, and this gets more possible over time. With a little zip tie to secure the two gate pieces together, the problem is solved forever. You can also go wild and drill a hole through both pieces and attach them to each other using a bolt and nut, but it seems like over-kill. Overall, an excellent and easy to use baby gate with some great features! 
4. North State Supergate Easy Swing and Lock Metal Gate for top-of-stairs. Usually about $50. The North State baby gate for the top-of-stairs is basically tied for second place - it's a toss-up between the Kidco and North State options. It has all the great features as the Kidco gate, such as one-handed open, reviewed as sturdy and reliable. It doesn't swing shut automatically, but if you give it a forceful shutting swing it does lock automatically without any issues, just like the Kidco. There are only a few differences. First, the North States is brown/bronze or linen color rather than white or black, and fits applications that are a bit wider (up to about 46"). People actually report that the North State locking mechanism is a bit better than the Kidco, since you do not have to lift the gate to open it, but that wasn't our experience. We used it on openings from 28" to 46" - note that some places list it as up to a 48" opening, but that wasn't our experience. 
5. Regalo top-of-stairs Gate (about $55) (see also see extra tall version, about $60). The Regalo top-of-stairs baby gate fits all of our criteria, and has several other great features. First, this is one of the only gates on the market that attaches without having to drill holes or install screws into your railing posts. It uses Velcro straps. Second, it can be opened and closed with one hand, and does not automatically swing shut (so you can leave it open during naps, or when everyone is downstairs already). Third, the railing comes with hardware so that you can attach it to two railings (one on each side), two walls (one on each side), or a wall on one side and railing on the other. Finally, the gate is well-reviewed for being sturdy, reliable, difficult for little kid hands to open, and long-lasting. The gate also swings both directions for convenience, though some may not like it swinging out over the stairs. People report using it on openings from 26" to 42" wide. A few limitations though. First, one of our testing babies figured out how to rip open the velcro and basically remove the entire gate from the railing! So that was scary. Also, there have been some recent reports about lower quality craftsmanship, like some flaking paint, failed welding points, etc. Note that our unit didn't have any of these issues, but just keep that in mind.
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