Affiliate disclosure
Last updated: 29 May 2026
How we make money
ScoredTools earns affiliate commission when an agency signs up for a tool through links on our site. When you click a link labeled "Visit [Tool]" or "Try [Tool]" and complete a purchase or subscription, the vendor pays us a percentage (typically 10-50% of the first payment, or recurring 12-24 months).
What this does NOT influence
- Stack Score — calculated using our published rubric, independent of affiliate status
- SSI (Stack Stability Index) — calculated from public + tested signals only
- Rankings — sorted by combined score, not commission rate
- Pros & cons — written by editorial after testing, not vendor-supplied
- Risk alerts — triggered by SSI < 50 regardless of affiliate relationship
What our editorial team is required to do
- Score every tool using the published rubric before joining any affiliate program
- Test the tool for at least 30 days using a paid subscription (we pay)
- Document evidence for every dimension score (screenshots, support responses)
- Re-score quarterly regardless of affiliate status
- Publicly disclose any vendor relationships beyond standard affiliate (sponsorships, co-marketing) on the specific tool page
Tools we don't have affiliate for
We score them anyway. About 20% of our 300+ tools roadmap have no affiliate program. We include them because they are relevant. Examples: Linear (no public affiliate, scored 83/100), Anthropic Claude (no affiliate program, frequently mentioned in our reviews), open-source tools.
What we have refused
- Pay-for-placement offers (14 turned down since launch)
- "Sponsored post" disguised as editorial (0 accepted, ever)
- Vendor-written reviews (0 accepted, ever)
- Pre-publication review by vendors (we don't share drafts with subjects of reviews)
Sponsorships (when we accept them)
Newsletter sponsorships are clearly labeled "Sponsored" in the email and on the web archive. Sponsorships do not buy editorial coverage — they buy a clearly labeled ad slot.
Found a mistake?
If we have a factual error in a review, or a tool's pricing/features have changed since our last verification, email editorial@scoredtools.com and we will investigate within 48h.
Standards alignment
This policy aligns with FTC affiliate disclosure requirements (USA), EU consumer protection directives (Italy/EU operations), and the principles of independent journalism.
Questions
Email editorial@scoredtools.com.