Monetization & transparency

Editorial independence

Comparison order, scores, and recommendations are never changed because of commissions.

Even when we earn referral fees, we continue to present free alternatives on equal footing.

Product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. SafeAlts is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by these companies.

Service affiliate links

Some tool pages may link to official sites through affiliate (referral) programs. Pricing and features are always on the provider’s site.

Affiliate links use rel="sponsored" and we disclose that the site may earn a commission.

• Only services with URLs set in environment variables use affiliate links
• We do not prioritize paid tiers in copy or layout
• Disclosed here and on relevant pages per applicable advertising rules

How we label ads (PR)

Tools that use affiliate (referral) links have a “PR” mark next to the name. Those links include rel="sponsored". The button may also read “Official (referral link).”

“PR” means we may earn a commission if you sign up or buy through that link. Rankings and scores do not change based on commissions. Free alternatives appear in the same lists as paid ones.

Commission terms follow each company’s official program. We do not use referral links for companies that have no such program. Amazon Associate links are also labeled so you can tell they are referrals.

Always confirm prices and features on the official page you land on.

Amazon Associates

We may link to privacy-related books and hardware useful for de-Googling (e.g. Pixel devices for GrapheneOS) via Amazon.

We participate in the Amazon Associates Program; qualifying purchases may earn a commission.

• Product picks are editorial—not paid Amazon ad placements
• Prices and availability change; verify on Amazon before buying
• Tags are set via PUBLIC_AMAZON_ASSOCIATE_TAG_JP / PUBLIC_AMAZON_ASSOCIATE_TAG_US

Privacy-respecting ads (EthicalAds)

We may optionally show EthicalAds (cookie-free text ads). We do not use Google AdSense or tracking ad networks.

Ads load only when PUBLIC_MONETIZATION_ADS=true and PUBLIC_ETHICAL_ADS_PUBLISHER_ID is set. Off by default.

• Ad slots are labeled as advertising
• Limited placement (e.g. near footer) to protect reading experience
• Network chosen to align with privacy and developer audiences

What we do not do

These models conflict with our mission and are not used:

• Google AdSense or retargeting ads
• Pay-for-placement or paid ranking
• Selling reader data or email lists
• Changing comparison order for commission
• Presenting a company as if it has a referral program when it does not