Affiliate disclosure

What an affiliate link is

Buttons and links that lead to a VPN provider's site — "Visit NordVPN", "Get deal" and similar — go through our /go/ redirect and carry a tracking code. If you buy a subscription after clicking, the provider pays us a commission. The price you pay is the same as, or lower than, going to the provider directly; our links often include a discount that is not available on the public price page.

Which programs we belong to

We are members of affiliate programs run by, or on behalf of, several VPN providers, including NordVPN and PureVPN, and we apply to others as the site grows. Some VPNs we rate — Mullvad, for example — run no affiliate program at all. They are tested and ranked in exactly the same way.

Why commissions can't change a rating

Every score is produced by the process on the how we test page: fixed criteria, fixed weights, monthly re-tests, results recorded before anything is published. Rank order is score order. The person running the tests does not see affiliate revenue by provider while scoring, and no provider is told its result in advance or given a way to change it.

How links are marked

Every affiliate link carries rel="sponsored nofollow" so search engines treat it as paid, and every page with such links includes a disclosure line near the ranking or the buttons.

Questions

Ask us anything about this at contact@topratedvpn.org. This disclosure is provided in accordance with the US Federal Trade Commission's guidance on endorsements and testimonials.