Affiliate Disclosure

WinAddons is free to read, and we would like to keep it that way. One of the things that makes that possible is affiliate links, and we believe in being completely open about them.

So here is the plain-English version of how affiliate links work on our site, what they mean for you, and the promise that sits behind them.

What an affiliate link is

An affiliate link is a special link to a product or service that lets the seller know you arrived through us.

If you click one of these links and go on to buy something, we may earn a small commission for sending you their way. It is a common way for sites like ours to make a living, and you have almost certainly clicked affiliate links across the web without realizing it.

That is the whole mechanism. No hidden tracking of you personally, no catch buried in the fine print.

What it costs you: nothing extra

This is the part people most want to know, so let us be clear about it.

Using one of our affiliate links never costs you a penny more. The price you pay is exactly the same as it would be if you had gone straight to the seller yourself. The commission comes out of the seller’s side, not yours.

In other words, if our link is useful to you, you can use it knowing it costs you nothing, and if you would rather not, that is completely fine too.

Our promise: this never changes what we say

Here is the line that matters most on this entire page.

A possible commission never decides what we recommend, how we rank things, or what we say in a review. We suggest products and tools because we believe they are worth your time, not because of what they might earn us. A bigger payout does not buy a kinder verdict, a higher spot on a list, or a place we would not have given otherwise.

If something is not worth your money, we will tell you, affiliate link or not. Our opinions are not for sale, and you can read more about that in our Editorial Policy and Ethics and Standards page.

The programs we take part in

WinAddons may take part in a number of affiliate programs, run by retailers, software companies, and affiliate networks.

As an example, if we are part of the Amazon Associates Program, we earn from qualifying purchases made through our Amazon links. Other programs work in much the same way.

When we link to a product, that link may go through one of these programs, but as we said above, that has no bearing on whether we recommend the product in the first place.

How to tell when a link is an affiliate link

We never want you to feel surprised about how a link works.

Where appropriate, we note that a page contains affiliate links, often near the top or close to the links themselves. Sponsored content, which is a different thing, is always clearly labeled as sponsored so you can tell the two apart.

The simple rule we follow: if money is involved in any way, we would rather tell you than leave you guessing.

Why we do this at all

It is a fair question, so here is the honest answer.

Researching, testing, writing, and running a website all take real time and money. Advertising covers some of it, and affiliate commissions help cover the rest, which together let us keep WinAddons free and open for everyone.

When you use one of our links, you are helping support that work at no cost to yourself, and we are grateful for it.

Your trust comes first

At the end of the day, your trust is worth far more to us than any single commission.

That is why we only include affiliate links where they make sense for the reader, keep them as part of content that is useful on its own, and never let them shape our honest opinion.

Lose the link, and the article should still stand on its own as something worth reading. That is the test we hold ourselves to.

Questions? Just ask

If you have any questions about our affiliate relationships or how any of this works, we are happy to explain. Reach a real person any time at support@winaddons.com.