Affiliate Disclosure
App Compare HQ is free to read. To support our research team, some links on our site may earn us a commission. This page explains how that works, how we label those links, and why it never changes what we recommend.
How affiliate links work
An affiliate link is a tracked link to a software company’s website. If you visit through that link and later buy a plan, the company may pay us a small referral commission.
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Step 1
You click a link
You follow a link in one of our guides to a software company’s official website.
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Step 2
You decide to buy
If you choose a paid plan, you buy directly from the software company, at its normal price.
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Step 3
The company may pay us
The software company may pay us a commission from its own marketing budget. Your price stays exactly the same.
We may join affiliate programs run directly by software companies or through affiliate networks. We never ask you to buy anything, and you are always free to visit a company’s website directly without using our links.
You will always know when a link may earn us money
A disclosure page on its own is not enough. That is why every article containing affiliate links shows a clear notice near the top, before the first paid link appears.
We use plain wording such as “paid link” and “we may earn a commission”, because vague labels do not tell readers what they need to know.
Example of the notice in our articles
Paid links in our articles are also marked for search engines using the “sponsored” link attribute.
- Shown near the top of every article with paid links
- Written in clear, plain language
- Linked to this full disclosure page
Commissions do not change our conclusions
Our guides are only useful if you can trust them. These rules keep revenue and editorial decisions separate.
What we always do
- Cover software whether or not it offers an affiliate program
- Mention free plans, cheaper options and alternatives when they fit better
- Include limitations and downsides of products we link to
- Follow our review process for every article
What we never do
- Recommend a product because it pays a higher commission
- Accept payment for reviews, ratings or rankings
- Let affiliate partners see, edit or approve articles
- Hide important information to encourage a purchase
Advertising, sponsorships and free access
Affiliate commissions are one way we fund our work. Here is how we handle the others.
Display advertising
We may show ads from third-party advertising networks. Advertisers do not choose our topics or influence our articles. Ads may use cookies, as explained in our Privacy Policy.
Sponsored content
If we ever publish content paid for by a company, it will be clearly labelled “Sponsored” at the top. Sponsored content is always kept separate from our independent guides.
Free software access
If a company gives us free access to its software for research, we say so in the article. Free access never guarantees coverage or a positive conclusion.
The guidelines we follow
Our readers come from many countries. We base our disclosures on the principles of widely recognised advertising standards, which require that paid relationships are disclosed clearly and close to the recommendation.
Questions about this disclosure?
Readers can email our editorial team with any question about how we are funded. Companies interested in affiliate or partnership programs should contact our business inbox.