Affiliate disclosure and editorial policy

The complete picture of how we make money, what we tag as paid, and how editorial stays editorial.

affiliatejob earns commissions when users sign up to programs through links on this site. This is disclosed at the top and bottom of every program page, on the homepage, and here. Some programs also pay second tier commissions if our referrals bring more affiliates. Featured listings are tagged paid placement and do not influence editorial rankings, reliability scores, or comparison verdicts. Editorial decisions are made by editors who do not see who paid for featured listings.

How we make money

Three revenue streams, in roughly the order of size.

1. Affiliate referral commissions

When a visitor clicks a link on this site that goes to an affiliate program's signup page and then signs up, we may earn a commission from that program. The commission is paid by the program (not by the user) at no extra cost to the user. Our commission rate varies by program and is identical to what any other affiliate would earn promoting the same program.

Some programs offer second tier or sub affiliate commissions. If a user we referred to such a program goes on to refer their own affiliates, we may earn a percentage of those tier two commissions as well. The directory has a dedicated two tier programs page listing every program in our directory with this structure.

Affiliate links are visually marked with a small "contains affiliate link" tag near the start of each program page. The link itself uses standard rel="sponsored nofollow" attributes for search engines.

2. Featured listings

Programs can pay $99 a month for a featured listing. This buys top placement in their relevant category landing page, default visibility in the homepage finder tool, larger card on category and homepage views, priority in comparison page generation, and one inclusion in the bi weekly newsletter.

Featured listings do not buy:

A positive review (we still write what we find)
A higher reliability score (computed from community data, not influenced by payment)
Wins in comparison pages (verdicts are based on data)
Hidden negative criticism (cons sections still get the cons)
Removal of competing programs from the same category

Featured listings are tagged "Featured listing" on every page where they appear, including the program's own page and any category, homepage, or comparison surface. The tag is visually distinct from regular editorial placements.

3. Network sponsorships

Affiliate networks (Impact, PartnerStack, ShareASale, etc.) can pay $1,500 a month for a "preferred network" placement on the networks index page. This is a clearly tagged sponsored slot near the top of the networks list with a brief sponsored description.

Network sponsorships do not influence the network's reliability score, which is computed from community submitted payout reports and our own checks. Editorial conclusions about network reliability are made by editors who do not have visibility into sponsorship status.

How editorial stays editorial

The single biggest risk for any directory or review site is editorial integrity getting sold for short term commercial wins. The site loses credibility, AI search engines stop citing it, real readers stop trusting it, and the whole flywheel breaks. Our editorial separation rules are designed to prevent that drift.

The separation rules

Editors writing reviews do not see who has paid for featured. The featured tag is added at publication time by a separate process. Editors see the program data and write the review independently.
Reliability scores are computed mechanically from defined inputs: community payout reports, network history, our monthly checks. Featured status is not an input to the formula.
Comparison verdicts are based on data tables, not editorial judgment of who is "better." If program A pays 30 percent recurring and program B pays 20 percent recurring, the comparison says so regardless of featured status.
Cons sections are required. Every program review includes a cons section. Featured listings get the same cons treatment as non featured. Programs that try to negotiate cons removal get rejected for featured.
Editorial conclusions can update against featured programs. If a featured program's reliability score drops based on community data, the score drops on their page, in the directory, and in any comparison they're in. Featured payment does not buy reliability score protection.
Featured listing pricing is publicly stated. $99/month for featured, $1,500/month for network sponsorship. No hidden tiers, no special rates for friends.

FTC and EU DSA compliance

This site complies with US Federal Trade Commission rules on affiliate disclosure (16 CFR Part 255) and EU Digital Services Act requirements for transparency of paid placements.

What that means in practice:

Affiliate relationships are disclosed at or near the start of every page that contains affiliate links
Disclosure language is plain English, not buried in legal text
Featured listings are clearly tagged as paid placements
This dedicated disclosure page is linked from every footer
The disclosure relationship is visible to users before they click any affiliate link
Sponsored content (none currently exists, but if we add it) would be tagged "Sponsored" prominently

If you believe any disclosure on this site is insufficient or unclear, email [email protected] and we'll fix it.

What we don't do

We don't accept payment to remove negative reviews. If your program has weak parts, the review notes them. Money does not change that.
We don't run sponsored content disguised as editorial. Featured listings are tagged. Editorial is editorial.
We don't write press release language. Submitted programs get rewritten in our editorial voice.
We don't take payment in exchange for higher rankings or scores. Featured buys placement and visibility. Editorial decisions are made independently.
We don't sell user data. The site has no login, minimal analytics, no tracking pixels, no retargeting.
We don't manipulate AggregateRating. The 4.8 rating shown on the homepage reflects actual community votes via our voting widget.
We don't accept reciprocal link deals that would compromise editorial. If a partnership would require us to omit something true about a program, we decline.

What you can expect

Every affiliate link is disclosed before you click it
Every featured listing is tagged "Featured listing" on the page
Every reliability score is computed from public methodology you can verify
Every program review is editorial and includes both pros and cons
Every comparison verdict is based on data, not paid placement
Every page has a "last verified" date so you know how current the data is
Every error gets corrected within 48 hours of being reported

Specific affiliate relationships in effect

As of 2026-04-27, this site has active affiliate relationships with the following programs and networks. The list is updated when we add or remove relationships. Inclusion in this list does not imply preferential editorial treatment.

Networks: Impact, PartnerStack, ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, Awin, Rakuten Advertising.

In house programs we have direct relationships with: NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, ProtonVPN, Hostinger, Bluehost, SiteGround, Cloudways, Kinsta, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, GetResponse, ClickFunnels, Builderall, Systeme.io, Semrush, Ahrefs, Surfer SEO, Frase, Jasper, ElevenLabs, Synthesia, Descript, PixVerse, Notion, Figma, ThriveCart, SamCart, FreeTTS.

If a program does not appear in this list and we have not yet established an affiliate relationship with them, the link from our site to their signup page goes direct without a referral parameter. We still earn $0 from such direct links. The listing remains free regardless.

FAQ about disclosure

Why do affiliate links not change the cost of the program for me as a user?

Affiliate commissions are paid by the program out of their existing customer acquisition budget. The program would otherwise spend that money on Google Ads or other paid acquisition. Routing a customer through an affiliate link is just a different acquisition channel for them. The user pays the same price either way.

Can I tell which links on this site are affiliate links?

Yes. Every program page has a "contains affiliate link" tag near the top. The actual links use rel="sponsored nofollow" attributes that browsers and search engines can detect. If you hover the link, the URL often shows the affiliate parameter (like ?aff_id=, ?ref=, or similar).

Do featured listings get better reviews?

No. Reviews are written by editors who do not see featured status. Featured listings get the same editorial treatment as non featured. The cons section is required for everyone. Reliability scores are computed identically.

How do I know your reliability scores aren't influenced by money?

The methodology is public at /methodology with the exact data sources and formula. The community payout data underlying the scores is reproducible if you have access to AffiliateFix and AffLIFT. Featured status is not an input to the formula. If we ever changed this, we'd announce it on the homepage and methodology page.

What if a program I review threatens to pull featured if I keep negative cons?

They lose featured status. Editorial integrity is more valuable to the directory than any single $99/month featured listing. Programs that try this are quietly dropped from featured (and never told why) and the editorial review stays as is.

Are sponsored social media posts subject to the same disclosure?

Yes. Any post on our X account, LinkedIn, or other social channels that promotes a paid placement gets tagged #ad or #sponsored per FTC guidelines. We don't currently run sponsored social posts but if we add them, they'll be tagged.

Does the AggregateRating schema reflect real user ratings?

Yes. The 4.8 rating shown reflects actual user votes from our voting widget that appears at the bottom of program pages. We don't manipulate the rating. We do filter out obvious bot votes and self promotion attempts.

If I disagree with a review, can I get it changed?

If you have data showing the review is factually wrong, yes. Email [email protected] with the specific issue and any supporting data. We re evaluate within 7 days. If you disagree with editorial conclusions (we said the program is "best for X" and you disagree), the review stays as written. Editorial judgment is editorial.