How We Make Money
Full transparency on our business model: so you know exactly why we recommend what we recommend.
Our Business Model
VPN Expert Guide is free for readers. We cover our costs mainly through affiliate marketing: when you click certain links on this site and subscribe to a VPN, the provider may pay us a commission. This costs you nothing extra. The price you pay is identical whether you use our link or go straight to the provider's site.
Affiliate Commissions
Our primary source of revenue
No Pay-for-Rank
Providers cannot buy a better score
No Ownership Ties
We are not owned by any VPN company
What Affects Our Rankings: And What Doesn't
โ What Actually Decides a Ranking
- Real speed test results across multiple servers
- Whether it unblocks the streaming services we test
- Independent no-logs audit results
- Price-to-feature value for the specific use case
- Leak test results (DNS, IPv6, WebRTC)
โ What Never Decides a Ranking
- Commission rate offered by the provider
- How long we've had an affiliate relationship
- Whether a provider has advertised with us
- Free products or gifts from a provider
Why Commission Rates Differ: And Why That's Fine
Different VPN providers pay different commissions, and some pay significantly more than others per signup. We disclose this openly rather than pretending it doesn't exist. What matters is that our testing data is locked in first, independent of commercial terms, commission structure is checked afterward and has never changed a published ranking. We have recommended free VPNs and lower-commission providers ahead of higher-paying ones whenever testing showed they were the better fit.
What We Don't Do
We do not accept payment in exchange for a positive review, do not publish sponsored posts disguised as independent reviews, and do not inflate speed or feature claims to make a higher-commission VPN look better. If a provider's affiliate program requires positive coverage as a condition of partnership, we decline the partnership entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does using your affiliate link cost me more?
No. The price you pay is exactly the same whether you sign up through our link or go directly to the VPN provider's website.
Do higher-paying VPNs get better reviews from you?
No. Our test results and rankings are finalized before we check commission rates. Lower-paying VPNs have received better reviews when testing supported it.
Are all your VPN recommendations affiliate links?
Most are, since most VPN providers run affiliate programs, but the recommendation decision always comes before the link.
How can I verify this policy is actually followed?
Check our published reviews over time, our Editorial Policy commits us to dated correction notes whenever a ranking changes.
Learn More
For the legal specifics, see our Affiliate Disclosure. For our testing methodology, see How We Review VPNs. Questions? Email contact@vpnexpertguide.com.