Affiliate Disclosure

Last updated April 2026

Short version

VerdictScout earns commissions when readers purchase or subscribe to tools through links on this site. Affiliate revenue does not influence which tools we recommend or how we rank them. We say "skip this" about tools we have affiliate relationships with whenever a free or cheaper alternative is genuinely better.

How this site makes money

VerdictScout reviews software for small businesses and solopreneurs. The site earns affiliate commissions when readers click through our links and become paying customers of the tools we cover. This is the same business model used by Wirecutter, NerdWallet, and most independent review publications. It pays for the time spent testing tools, verifying pricing quarterly, and keeping reviews current.

What this means for our reviews

We review tools based on actual merits — pricing, features, real-world workflow, value. Cons sections name specific limits, specific prices, and specific failure modes. Our goal is to help readers make a good decision, which means giving the real picture rather than a sales pitch.

We do not accept payment to feature specific products or write favorable reviews. Tools that pay higher commissions do not get better ratings. If a tool isn't worth recommending, we don't recommend it regardless of commission rates. The "Tools we evaluated and skipped" section in our roundups names competitors we don't earn commission from when they're a better fit for specific use cases.

Which tools we may earn commissions from

We are in the process of applying to affiliate programs for tools we cover. The list below names every tool currently reviewed on VerdictScout that operates an affiliate program — these are the relationships we have applied for, are pending, or are already approved. This page updates as program statuses change.

Tools with affiliate programs we have applied to: HubSpot, Pipedrive, ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit (Kit), MailerLite, Beehiiv, Monday.com, Notion, ClickUp, Semrush, Ahrefs, Zapier, Shopify, FreshBooks, Jasper, Writesonic, Teachable, Fireflies, Fathom, Hunter.

When you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. If a link leads to a tool we don't have an affiliate relationship with, no commission is earned — we link to it because it's a fair recommendation.

FTC compliance

In accordance with FTC guidelines, every page on VerdictScout containing affiliate links includes a visible disclosure ("Contains affiliate links") near the byline. All outbound affiliate links use the rel="sponsored nofollow" attribute as required by Google's webmaster guidelines.

Questions or corrections

If you find pricing on VerdictScout that's outdated, an affiliate disclosure that's unclear, or a recommendation you think is wrong, the fastest way to flag it is to reply to any quarterly pricing-update newsletter. Those replies go straight to the editor and corrections are made within 48 hours.