crackthe.net
Affiliate disclosure
How crackthe.net pays for itself, explained openly: what affiliate links are, how to spot them and the rules we hold ourselves to.
How crackthe.net pays for itself
Our guides are free and there is no paywall. To keep it that way, we use affiliate links. If you buy a product or take out a subscription through one of them, the provider pays us a commission – at no extra cost to you.
That is the only meaningful income this site has. We deliberately decided against display ads, pop-ups, forced newsletter sign-ups and paywalls.
What this means for you
- The price stays the same. The commission comes out of the provider’s margin.
- You support independent work without paying anything yourself.
- Our verdict does not change. We recommend a product because it is good, not because it pays.
- Nothing is required of you. Every recommendation names the provider in plain text, so you can always go there directly.
How we label affiliate links
Twice over – once for machines, once for you:
| Level | What we do |
|---|---|
| Technical | Every commission link carries rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" and opens in a new tab |
| Visible | Every page with commission links shows a notice at the top or right next to the comparison |
| Editorial | Comparison and review pages link out to how we test |
| The flip side | Guides without commission links carry no notice – we earn nothing there |
Our rules
What we hold ourselves to
- No payment for good reviews – no money and no free products in exchange for a verdict.
- No provider approval: nobody sees our text before it goes live.
- No sponsored posts and no paid guest articles.
- No badges for a fee – we do not sell “test winner” logos.
- Ranking by fit, never by commission rate.
- Providers with no affiliate program are covered and recommended on equal terms.
- Exclusions apply to everyone: anything that trips an exclusion criterion from how we test is out, partner or not.
Why we sometimes tell you not to buy
The honest way to run a commission model is to leave it out where there is nothing worth recommending. For a lot of topics the best answer is free: a setting, a habit, or a tool your operating system already has.
That is why our free self-checks sit more prominently than any buying advice, and why product pages regularly carry a “Probably not, if …” section. It costs us commission, and that is the point.
Where commission links appear
Only on comparison and review pages for product categories such as password managers, VPN providers, identity protection services and security suites. Guides, emergency instructions, self-checks and the glossary are commission-free.
Money topics have one extra limit: we cover them only from a fraud-protection angle. You will not find investment, broker or trading recommendations here – not as affiliate offers either.
Questions or doubts?
If a recommendation looks questionable to you, or a notice seems to be missing, write to us through the contact page . How we judge products is set out in how we test ; the principles behind everything we publish are in our editorial standards .
Frequently asked questions
Does an affiliate link cost me more?
No. You pay the same price as you would going straight to the provider. The commission comes out of the provider’s margin, not out of your pocket.
How do I spot an affiliate link?
Two ways. Every page with commission links carries a visible notice, and the links themselves are tagged sponsored nofollow noopener. Plain guides without commission links do not carry that notice.
Do you recommend products because they pay more?
No. The criteria and their weighting are fixed before we rank anything, and they apply to everyone. Providers with no affiliate program can win our comparisons – and they do.
Can I support you without using an affiliate link?
Yes. Share a page that helped you, or tell us about a mistake or an outdated detail. Both are worth more to us than a single commission.