Affiliate & FTC disclosure
Stackmatter is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Our verdicts are based on published pricing, official docs, and verified user reviews, with hands-on notes where we have them. No vendor pays for placement. See our full disclosure.
Some outbound links on Stackmatter are affiliate links. If you click one and subscribe, we may receive a commission from the vendor. This comes at no additional cost to you and does not influence our scores or rankings, which are set using a fixed rubric before any commercial link is placed.
Why we use affiliate links
Independent reviewing takes time, and affiliate commissions are how we fund it without charging readers or selling ads. It lets us keep the whole site free, free of banner clutter, and free of the pressure to chase pageviews with thin content. We would rather earn a commission from a tool you genuinely needed than rent space on the page to an advertiser.
How we keep it honest
The firewall between our money and our verdicts is simple and absolute: the rubric is scored from published data and verified user reviews before any affiliate link goes near the page. A commission can never move a score, change a ranking, or buy a tool a place on the site. Where we do not have an affiliate relationship with a tool, we still cover it on merit if it deserves coverage.
How the links are marked
Affiliate relationships are disclosed at the top of every article that contains them, in line with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's guidance on endorsements. Outbound commercial links carry rel="sponsored nofollow", so search engines understand they are commercial and we pass no ranking credit through them.
Common questions
Does an affiliate link change a tool's score?
No. Scores come from a fixed five-point rubric filled in before any link is placed. The commercial relationship has no input into the rating.
Does it cost me more to use your link?
No. The price is identical whether you use our link or go to the vendor directly. The commission is paid by the vendor out of its own margin.
Do you only review tools you earn from?
No. We cover tools on merit. Some have an affiliate program and some do not; the presence or absence of one does not decide whether a tool is worth writing about.
We feature tools based on published data and verified user reviews, with hands-on notes where we have them. Questions? Reach the desk through the about page.